Advice.....

[Ki_wannabe_PT]

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So I am in a bit of a dilemma.

I got accepted into a lovely DPT program and no other school has impressed me as much as this one! I went to MDCHS (in VA) to interview and completely fell in love with the program and declared it my #1 from that day on. However, it is VERY expensive as it is a private school. I also got accepted into TJ (in PA: I am a VA resident) as well but did not necessarily fall in love with the school. The program is absolutely wonderful but my concern was the area as it was definitely a big shocker/change for me, a non-city person, to be in the heart of Philly. However, TJ offered me a $10,000 dean's scholarship. Would it be stupid of me to pass up this scholarship opportunity considering how expensive PT school can be and how long loans will follow you postgrad or should I just go with the school I am in love with since it is a 3-year investment?😳

Also, any current/former TJ or MDCHS DPT students who can tell me a little more about these programs!

 

[One Punch Man]

If the cost of attendance (tuition + CoL) difference is more than $40k, I'd say go to the more affordable school. You didn't fall in love with TJ, but did anything put you off from that school? If not, I'd probably choose that one.

 

[TheDancingWriter]

It might be your dream school, but at the end of the day, your employer isn't going to care where you went to school at so long as you have that diploma and a license. My choice is an expensive school because I really don't have a choices since going away to college is not feasible for me because I'm married. So choose the cheaper option so you're not saddled with ridiculous amounts of debt.

 

[jnvangel]

On the other side of this argument, if you’re going to be more comfortable at your dream school, that may not be an awful option. If you’re going to spend ~3 years somewhere, it should be somewhere you like and like a second home. I know undergrad isn’t the same as PT programs, but my undergrad wasn’t cheap. It was expensive for me but manageable with loans, and it was my top choice school. I cannot imagine having gone anywhere else, and it made my time in that area so much more valuable to the point that my top PT program is in the same city. While price is certainly something to consider, if your top school’s tuition is manageable for you and you’re willing to spend the extra money, you may be more comfortable in school and enjoy yourself much more.

 

[MartialArtDPT]

Do what you've got to do... but I'm likely going to be in the same situation myself and I just don't know. I get why everyone says "cost cost cost" but I went to a university the first time around on a full, 4 year scholarship. I didn't need to take on a single cent of debt, but I feel like, by not going somewhere I really wanted to be, I made my world smaller. I've felt that way ever since, and it has been over a decade.

I'm intelligent, and if I had gone somewhere with bigger opportunities available I think I could be somewhere right now that I'd really be proud of. As it stands, my world is just... small. And it didn't have to be, but when I had two major traumas in 12th grade I got depressed and didn't even apply to any other universities. So now, when everyone screams "cost!," all I hear is the sound of my own regrets.

If you just want to be a practicing DPT at a clinic, then I think they're right- it doesn't truly matter and so it's worth saving tens of thousands. But, for me, I've always dreamed of doing research, and so I want to be somewhere where I'll get the opportunity to work with people who are doing interesting research, and who are well-regarded in the field.

So, ask yourself, are you wanting to go there because campus is pretty, or because the opportunities there are important to you? Three years is a good while, but it's not forever, and most of our time is going to be spent with our noses in books. What is it that you are seeking?

 

[PTAide2DPT]

The program is absolutely wonderful but my concern was the area as it was definitely a big shocker/change for me, a non-city person, to be in the heart of Philly.

Speaking on behalf of someone who was born in Philadelphia, and having two parents born and raised in Philadelphia. I can assure you that Thomas Jefferson University is located in one of the best areas of Center City. I completely understand that you're not a city person but just know that you'll be taking in some of the best parts of Philadelphia if you attend there. It's not as if your alternative is Temple, which I'm sure has a wonderful program but its campuses are surrounded by a horrible crime-ridden section of the city.