I live in Philadelphia, so I met quite a few Arcadia alum while I was doing my observation hours. They all spoke highly of the school and the program. It has a great reputation in the area, and is one of the top ten programs in the country. I was pretty much sold from the start, but when I went to the get acquainted day and heard more about how the program is structured, I was completely in.... they teach by 'unit' rather than semester-long courses (although the units fall within a regular semester structure). Each 'unit' is a case study. So instead of doing a semester of anatomy and what have you, you start right off the bat with the courses taught in the context of an actual case study. Aside from being way more real-life applicable, it promotes a cohesiveness among the faculty as well. The faculty members at the GAD lunch all seemed to have an excellent rapport among one another, so that was nice to see. And apparently exams are formatted to mirror the licensing exam, so everything is taught in the context of the experience of being a practicing PT.
I was also impressed by the amount of volunteer work they promote within the community, and overall just felt very welcome and like it would be a great education.
(Having said all that, has anyone who's decided to go to Arcadia heard anything recently? I was initially accepted in mid-January, put down my initial deposit right away and my second deposit about a month ago.... and it's been eerily quiet since then. I imagine they're finalizing the class what with waitlists and everything and we'll start getting more specifics shortly? Just curious because I will have to give notice at my job, and while I know the program doesn't start til August (September?) I am an over-planner and like specifics.)
