Chapman vs Western ( WesternU ) DPT 2015

[DPT 2 Bee]

Hey all! I am very grateful to say that I have been accepted into Chapman University and WesternU DPT class of 2015 and I'm in need of help in deciding which one I will be spending my money and the next three years at! I have visited WesternU and will visit Chapman in a few days. I need to make a deposit decision by February14. If you are a current student or have any information, experience or perspective you would like to share it would be much appreciated! Or if you have any general advice on picking a PT school I would love to hear from you! Thanks in advance and God bess!

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[vasha43]

Hey all! I am very grateful to say that I have been accepted into Chapman University and WesternU DPT class of 2015 and I'm in need of help in deciding which one I will be spending my money and the next three years at! I have visited WesternU and will visit Chapman in a few days. I need to make a deposit decision by February14. If you are a current student or have any information, experience or perspective you would like to share it would be much appreciated! Or if you have any general advice on picking a PT school I would love to hear from you! Thanks in advance and God bess!

I just received an email from Chapman University last week which said I qualified for priority admission and an official acceptance letter would be mailed within a week. Did you get the email AND the letter because I am still waiting for mine???

Also I would definitely choose Chapman if you had to choose between it and Western. Chapman is the better school and in a better area. I've lived in Pomona all my life and outside of campus it totally sucks. Chapman has a better reputation in the field of Physical Therapy while Western has a less than great reputation in all the programs they have.

Right now I'm choosing between Chapman and Loma Linda and I'm leaning toward Chapman right now. So maybe we'll be classmates later this year!!!

 

[DPT 2 Bee]

Congrats on both acceptances! I haven't received my letter yet either. I called Serena yesterday about the letter and she said it wasn't going to go out until later (about another week or so if I'm remembering correctly?) I got an email last week too so maybe we will be receiving our letters around the same time.

Thanks for the info! Yeah based on location I was leaning towards Chapman too. I live in the Long Beach area so I was thinking of commuting! What kind of things have you heard about Chapman and what have you heard about Western's reputation? Also do you know anyone in the program? Well thanks for being the first reply and if we both go to Chapman I look forward to being classmates!

 

[vasha43]

Congrats on both acceptances! I haven't received my letter yet either. I called Serena yesterday about the letter and she said it wasn't going to go out until later (about another week or so if I'm remembering correctly?) I got an email last week too so maybe we will be receiving our letters around the same time.

Thanks for the info! Yeah based on location I was leaning towards Chapman too. I live in the Long Beach area so I was thinking of commuting! What kind of things have you heard about Chapman and what have you heard about Western's reputation? Also do you know anyone in the program? Well thanks for being the first reply and if we both go to Chapman I look forward to being classmates!

Here's a forum where they talked about Western U. The last one is from someone who currently goes there so you should message her about the program to get closer to an answer.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=885006

I also emailed a student that currently goes to Chapman and this is what she had to say:
What do you like most about Chapman?
I really love the student-focused teaching environment at the department. *I like how the instructors are so invested into our learning and preparing us to be excellent clinicians. *I have always received a warm welcome from the professors when I have stopped into their offices to get clarification on any questions, and they always seem very warm and genuine about addressing any concerns I have. *I like that the class is small (about 50), so we really get to know each other well. Also, their passing rate on the boards is very high, almost 99% , so we know that they really teach us the pertinent information.

What do you dislike about Chapman?
I don't think there is anything about Chapman per se that I dislike. A lot of the things that have been stressors during PT school were intrinsic to the demanding nature of the program itself. *If there is one thing that I would wish they would improve upon is the shortage of neuro or pediatric placements for our clinical rotations. But this is universal to all programs in the SoCal area... it is just kind of the nature of the beast to have difficulty finding spots for students.*

Is it expensive to live in the area?
I would imagine that if you wanted to rent a room in an apartment, you would want to plan on about $800 a month... I'm not entirely sure since I live about 20 min away. *I'm sure if you wanted to rent a room from a family in their home, you can get away with paying less.*

Are all the classes PT oriented or focused?
The majority of the classes are directly tied to patient practice management, which are more relevant to the clinical side of PT (i.e. ortho, neuro, rehab, general med, cardio, pediatrics, geriatrics). *The other classes are more theory-based (i.e. anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, pharmacology, imaging, ethics, heath psychology). *There are also classes like the ones that prepare you on how to open your own business, or help you complete a research project. So, in a nutshell, yes, they are all relevant to PT, but in terms of the "hands-on" type classes there are probably 50% of the didactic classes that are specifically tied to patient management. I have attached the class rubric that outlines the classes per semester.

I hope this helps you a little more.

 

[Purkinje1735]

Well hello! Congrats on your acceptances. I've been accepted to Chapman and plan on attending! Serena just sent out an email about official decision letters/ student info packets coming in the mail in the next 1-2 weeks and that you can submit your deposits online now.

I didn't apply to Western. I have two prereq's this semester and they required that you only have one prereq left. I would have applied if this wasn't the case but would have still picked Chapman in the end anyway. I feel like Chapman has the better program, plus I like the area. Good luck with your decision! Maybe we will be classmates

 

[stopitmarcy]

I didn't apply to either but was going to apply to Chapman but ended up not due to the high cost of living in California but since you are already a resident, I would definitely choose Chapman! No doubt about it! Also, the PT I shadowed for SNF for was extremely smart and knew all of his stuff and he went to Chapman.

 

[DPT 2 Bee]

Purkinje1735: Congrats on your acceptance too! Well if all goes well during my tour on Monday then we will be future classmates! I'm excited to start the program!

Stopitmarcy: thanks for the info! Where did you decide to go?

 

[DPT 2 Bee]

Here's a forum where they talked about Western U. The last one is from someone who currently goes there so you should message her about the program to get closer to an answer.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=885006

I also emailed a student that currently goes to Chapman and this is what she had to say:
What do you like most about Chapman?
I really love the student-focused teaching environment at the department. *I like how the instructors are so invested into our learning and preparing us to be excellent clinicians. *I have always received a warm welcome from the professors when I have stopped into their offices to get clarification on any questions, and they always seem very warm and genuine about addressing any concerns I have. *I like that the class is small (about 50), so we really get to know each other well. Also, their passing rate on the boards is very high, almost 99% , so we know that they really teach us the pertinent information.

What do you dislike about Chapman?
I don't think there is anything about Chapman per se that I dislike. A lot of the things that have been stressors during PT school were intrinsic to the demanding nature of the program itself. *If there is one thing that I would wish they would improve upon is the shortage of neuro or pediatric placements for our clinical rotations. But this is universal to all programs in the SoCal area... it is just kind of the nature of the beast to have difficulty finding spots for students.*

Is it expensive to live in the area?
I would imagine that if you wanted to rent a room in an apartment, you would want to plan on about $800 a month... I'm not entirely sure since I live about 20 min away. *I'm sure if you wanted to rent a room from a family in their home, you can get away with paying less.*

Are all the classes PT oriented or focused?
The majority of the classes are directly tied to patient practice management, which are more relevant to the clinical side of PT (i.e. ortho, neuro, rehab, general med, cardio, pediatrics, geriatrics). *The other classes are more theory-based (i.e. anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, pharmacology, imaging, ethics, heath psychology). *There are also classes like the ones that prepare you on how to open your own business, or help you complete a research project. So, in a nutshell, yes, they are all relevant to PT, but in terms of the "hands-on" type classes there are probably 50% of the didactic classes that are specifically tied to patient management. I have attached the class rubric that outlines the classes per semester.

I hope this helps you a little more.

Thanks for sharing that info with me! That's really cool that you talked to a student about the program. Sounds good so far! I'm looking forward to checking out the campus for the first time on Monday!

 

[kscool911]

I got in CSUN and Chapman. I am trying to go into sports as a PT. I live in West Covina and locationwise, I like Chapman area better. Tuition wise, CSUN is cheaper by 7k a year.
Which one should I pick?

 

[optionpaloma]

I got in CSUN and Chapman. I am trying to go into sports as a PT. I live in West Covina and locationwise, I like Chapman area better. Tuition wise, CSUN is cheaper by 7k a year.
Which one should I pick?

The drive from WestCo to Northridge would be brutal... it may make you tempted to rent a room near school, which would then make the price difference between the schools a wash.

BUT

CSUN does have an internship with the Dodgers, and since you wanna go into sports...

 

[kscool911]

The drive from WestCo to Northridge would be brutal... it may make you tempted to rent a room near school, which would then make the price difference between the schools a wash.

BUT

CSUN does have an internship with the Dodgers, and since you wanna go into sports...

I am planning to move out and live near school regardless of whichever school I am going. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
Can you tell me a little more about the dodgers internship?

 

[optionpaloma]

I am planning to move out and live near school regardless of whichever school I am going. Sorry if I wasn't clear.
Can you tell me a little more about the dodgers internship?

The head trainer/physical therapist for the Dodgers, Stan Conte, is a CSUN alum, and he takes a CSUN intern every year (so CSUN is the only school to offer this...). Dodger legend Roy Campanella also funds scholarships for CSUN students.

When I went to the CSUN info session, Dr. Low also said that when Mr. Conte is away, the intern becomes the "go-to" person -- such an awesome opportunity if you want to break into professional sports PT. Here's the video CSUN links to on their website (it gets to the PT part a little in the beginning and then at the 2:05 mark):

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12418683

 

[megi1212]

Hey all! I am very grateful to say that I have been accepted into Chapman University and WesternU DPT class of 2015 and I'm in need of help in deciding which one I will be spending my money and the next three years at! I have visited WesternU and will visit Chapman in a few days. I need to make a deposit decision by February14. If you are a current student or have any information, experience or perspective you would like to share it would be much appreciated! Or if you have any general advice on picking a PT school I would love to hear from you! Thanks in advance and God bess!

Congrats! I have been also selected for interview at Western U. Would you mind sharing your experience of interview process and how would you suggest preparing for this interview? This would really help. Thank You.

 

[angelfight13]

I got in CSUN and Chapman. I am trying to go into sports as a PT. I live in West Covina and locationwise, I like Chapman area better. Tuition wise, CSUN is cheaper by 7k a year.
Which one should I pick?

KScool, I also got into CSUN and Chapman. Which one are you going to go to? They both seem to have a lot going for them, but the move for Chapman to a new facility is a bit scary since it'd be mid year. what are your thoughts?