Hi everyone! So I'm between three schools at the moment: UIC, Northwestern, and Ohio University. I got a great feeling at both OU and NW, but a meh feeling at UIC, although I know all three programs would be great options. In choosing a program, is it bad to go with the better logistical fit? In other words, OU requires a second biology (which I would have to take this upcoming semester as a senior), their program begins the day after I graduate, the campus doesn't have a major medical district nearby, and it is about 7 hours away from my home town (Chicago suburbs). I loved the program and the campus so I would feel silly to eliminate it for these reasons (especially because it's also the most inexpensive option), but are they valid reasons?
Criteria in choosing a PT school
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I have been told numerous times by practice owners and full fledge physical therapists that where you study does not matter. Everyone comes out of school with about the same level knowledge and skills. Employer do not really pay attention to that (if working full time at a PT place is the direction you are going). However how much you will be paying back in student loan can definitely have an influence on certain things you'd like to accomplish after you get the doctorate. Things like buying a house, having kids, any other big dream that cost a significant amount of $$. That being said the cost of the tuition adding to your daily expenses throughout the doctorate should be big criteria in selecting your school. Will it be cheaper to go UIC, OU or NW, not just tuition but daily expense as well? I know you are concern about where you will be doing your clinical, but the schools will do their job by making you the best novice clinician possible but real development comes with what you do with the knowledge outside of school and after you graduate. What is your concern about being away from home if you don't mind me asking? (for me if it's cheaper altogether and the school has its accreditation, why not? That's me though) Even if I go on and on about it, you will do what you think is best for you, so in that case you also have to ask yourself what is it that you value and will you get it out of that school?
I have no issue with being far away from home, as I've been a 5-hour drive from home for undergrad, but I currently do not have a car and have relied on car-pooling to and from school thus far, so this would have to change if I choose OU. It's just an additional thing to have to worry about, in addition to the fact that the program starts the day after I graduate and that I have to take an additional course that I would not have to take for the others. I agree it's all about going to an accredited program and being able to get a job after I pass the licensure exam, which all options fulfill, but it's those little things like program-start date and already-fulfilled prerequisites that are holding me back from being able to decide. Like I said, I loved OU and believe it's a great value for the education, but I would be pretty happy to not have to rush into a DPT program the day after I graduate and to not have to take a second semester of biology, as the program requires.
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Lol based on your answer, it seems like you already made a decision. Another thing you can do is to contact a student from OU and ask about how it is to navigate around the location of the school. The more information you have, the better, especially if it's coming from someone that goes there. I forgot to congratulate you on your acceptance. It's awesome to have many options. Best of luck!
Thank you so much! I really do appreciate the input from someone further along in the process, so thank you for your reply
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I'd go to OU if I were you. I'm in sort of a similar dilemma. I work full time and was thinking about quitting my job in order to have a little time off before I start, but I was advised that that would be "stupid". Why miss out on making more money to use toward PT school? In your case with the prereq for OU, I would take it if it means going to the most inexpensive school. Like Cheesy89 said, most employers don't care. No matter what school you go to, your going to have to sit for and pass the same test. Basically, it all comes down to minimizing debt.
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The valid reasons to choose a PT school are the reasons that matter to you.
You should really just sit down and wonder: what do you care about the most in a school. Is it location? Is it start date? Is it tuition? Scholarship opportunities? Etc
For me, 90 % of me choosing my PT program was because of the way their website was (the only PT school I applied to that showed plenty of pictures of their students and activities they had been doing, conferences they had gone to, etc), the location, and the vibe I got during interview day as well as the genuiness of the relationship student to professor.
Some people might think that it's silly for instance to include the website design of a school in my criteria, but to me in that case it spoke volume of the culture of the school, and that was confirmed when I went there in person 🙂 But that's just me. I'm not saying that it's a criteria everyone should include in choosing PT school, I'm trying to say that everyone has different things they look for and that that's okay.
I also looked at scholarship opportunities because it was very important to me to have the option to pay in-State (I'm an international student, but scholarships allow me to pay in state tuition vs out of state which is a big deal) so money is definetely important. You mentioned OU was cheaper: how much cheaper?
I agree with @Cheezy89 that it sounds like deep down you already have your decision made 🙂
You mentioned that you both love OU and NW and then began to list all the cons of OU 🙂
The bottom line is: what you listed aren't silly reasons to not go for a program. They are totally valid (like you I would not like to start PT school the day after I graduate), and if they are a dealbreaker for you then so be it. You already have another program you love that doesn't have those cons (or whose cons you haven't mentioned).
Congrats on getting into PT school!
@beyoutiful_sunshine thank you so much for your reply! OU and UIC are decently comparable in tuition, considering I would likely be paying out of state for OU, so from a financial standpoint both options are feasible, but you also give a great perspective besides just tuition, which is very refreshing 
Good luck to you in your endeavors!
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Good luck to you in your endeavors! Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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Your situation may be very different than mine, but for me personally, cost is a big factor in my decision-making. This is because I'll be paying for PT school almost exclusively with loans, which will start accumulating interest as soon as I take them out (at 5.31-6.31% for the federal ones). When I graduate, I expect my starting salary to be around $65,000/year before taxes. Most of the programs I'm considering cost more than that in tuition alone. The rule of thumb that I've heard is you shouldn't take out more in loans than you expect to make as a starting annual salary. This will basically be impossible for me, unless I get into my in-state program, but I'm trying to minimize my debt as much as possible.
At 6% interest compounded annually, a $10,000 loan that I take out first year becomes almost $12,000 by the time I graduate three years later. 10 years after I graduate, if I still haven't paid any of that $10,000 off, I'm now over $20,000 in debt, over double what I started at. That's a scary prospect, considering the actual numbers (for loans I'll need to take out) will likely be closer to 10 times that (100K).
If I have 100K in loans after graduating, to pay it off in 10 years, I'd need to put over $1,100/month towards loan repayment, and that 100K loan becomes $133K that I actually end up paying. If I want to pay it off sooner, say in 5 years, I'd have to put down $1,900+, or nearly half my monthly take home pay, towards this debt.
So, for me, anyways, I'd look at the differences in cost of tuition and cost of living for the three programs, and figure out if the extra $10,000, $20,000 or whatever difference in cost (and the amount of hours/weeks/years I'd have to later work to pay that much more), is worth being closer to home, not having to take an extra class, not having to start DPT school immediately after finishing undergrad, etc.
At 6% interest compounded annually, a $10,000 loan that I take out first year becomes almost $12,000 by the time I graduate three years later. 10 years after I graduate, if I still haven't paid any of that $10,000 off, I'm now over $20,000 in debt, over double what I started at. That's a scary prospect, considering the actual numbers (for loans I'll need to take out) will likely be closer to 10 times that (100K).
If I have 100K in loans after graduating, to pay it off in 10 years, I'd need to put over $1,100/month towards loan repayment, and that 100K loan becomes $133K that I actually end up paying. If I want to pay it off sooner, say in 5 years, I'd have to put down $1,900+, or nearly half my monthly take home pay, towards this debt.
So, for me, anyways, I'd look at the differences in cost of tuition and cost of living for the three programs, and figure out if the extra $10,000, $20,000 or whatever difference in cost (and the amount of hours/weeks/years I'd have to later work to pay that much more), is worth being closer to home, not having to take an extra class, not having to start DPT school immediately after finishing undergrad, etc.
