Deciding Between Schools???

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fisher29er

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So when I started this whole process I was worried about getting into one school let alone multiple programs - I sent out 10 applications. At this point I have gotten into a bunch and I am trying to pick a program. I have at least narrowed it down to two schools ECU and Duke.

Obviously Duke has the name, but ECU's program is no slouch from what I can tell. Is there any reason to pay Duke $$$$? It is substantially more expensive compared to ECU, who is actually giving me some money and a break on first year tuition. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

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go to the cheapest schools. both schools are well known and good schools....if you don't go to the cheapest program, you will be kicking yourself later when you have $1500/month loan payments when you knew you could of had only half of that.....cheap is best when it comes to dpt.
 
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Thanks guys. That is what I was thinking. But every now and then my ego gets the best of me and say hey go to the big name you can it is only money. Then my brain kicks in and reminds me that I will have to pay it back. $1500/month is a big part of your income to give up to a school loan.

Thanks again!
 
Quick question, since you got into Duke and are a competitive applicant did you get into UNC or apply there by chance?

If so since I'm guessing you'd get IS tuition that they'd give you the best of both worlds... the Big Name and the Lower Tuition.

If this school isn't in the running for acceptance, never mind my asking. Congrats on your acceptances.
 
Fisher, I am in the same boat as you. I have been accepted to both Duke and UF. They are both great schools, and I have no reason to not like UF, but I fell in love with Duke during the interview trip... I'm sure you did too. The tuition difference for me is 50k. My mom's financial planner weighed in and said it wasn't that big of a difference in the long run... his reasoning was, some new grads with 110k in debt will buy a house or a fancy new car and end up being in 160k debt anyway, so if I wanted to go to the 160k school, then I could forgo the house/fancy car after graduation and be in the same situation.... but then I think... I could have the lower tuition, not get the house/car, and go on amazing vacations which is something that matters more to me than a car or house.

Then there are some people who are married and have double incomes, but if things don't work out, would you be able to handle the student loans on your own? Every person's situation is unique, but what it boils down to is whether or not you will have buyer's remorse after graduation?

I hope that helps. Good luck with your choice!
 
Fisher, I am in the same boat as you. I have been accepted to both Duke and UF. They are both great schools, and I have no reason to not like UF, but I fell in love with Duke during the interview trip... I'm sure you did too. The tuition difference for me is 50k. My mom's financial planner weighed in and said it wasn't that big of a difference in the long run... his reasoning was, some new grads with 110k in debt will buy a house or a fancy new car and end up being in 160k debt anyway, so if I wanted to go to the 160k school, then I could forgo the house/fancy car after graduation and be in the same situation.... but then I think... I could have the lower tuition, not get the house/car, and go on amazing vacations which is something that matters more to me than a car or house.

Then there are some people who are married and have double incomes, but if things don't work out, would you be able to handle the student loans on your own? Every person's situation is unique, but what it boils down to is whether or not you will have buyer's remorse after graduation?

I hope that helps. Good luck with your choice!

What house costs 50k? Haha. I mean, seriously. My boyfriend and I just put an offer on a house for a little over 56k and the place is in dire need of a makeover- bad roof, old wiring, etc, etc. If we get it (someone else also placed a bid) we'll probably put at least 20k into it just to make it liveable.

Anyway, it is true that you can forgo those things and having an SO is definitely a help. I am glad that I will (well am planning on it!) have my man to lean on through school and when I get out.
 
markelmarcel. Yes, but your area has some once gorgeous homes that if well kept through the years are well worth keeping around. Just spectacular in some instances. Hope you try to integrate what was there in the house and keep your look cohesive when you do updates. Its depressing to look at tasteless restorations on the inside of charming past-generation homes.

Look at carboard box construction in many places around the US and while new and shiny is just depressing. They also won't last nearly as long.
 
Thanks again for all the input.

I actually did look at UNC....it is the only school that I got a flat out rejection from - Still scratching my head on that one.

I also understand what you are saying about the financials of. I am actually leaving financial planning to become a PT.

I guess my biggest question is, is there really a good reason not to go to ECU over DUKE? I just feel like I am getting caught up in the name. But if there is some educational benefit to DUKE over ECU I would be more inclined to accept the debt incurred via DUKE.
 
Thanks again for all the input.

I actually did look at UNC....it is the only school that I got a flat out rejection from - Still scratching my head on that one.

I also understand what you are saying about the financials of. I am actually leaving financial planning to become a PT.

I guess my biggest question is, is there really a good reason not to go to ECU over DUKE? I just feel like I am getting caught up in the name. But if there is some educational benefit to DUKE over ECU I would be more inclined to accept the debt incurred via DUKE.

From what I understand, UNC doesn't accept a lot of non-UNC grads, so I wouldn't be too discouraged about that.

If it were me, I would choose Duke. I've wanted to go there since I was 5 and it is my dream school. They have great faulty and facilities and yea, the price tag is a bit hefty, but by the end lf this ride most people are going to be buried in about 100k of debt anyway, so I wouldn't worry. Go where your heart tells you to (as laaaame as that sounds). While I don't think money should be overlooked, its not the only reason to choose a program. If I get into Duke, I wouldn't hesitate and I know I would 100% regret it if I didn't take that opportunity. Just my two cents! Good luck with your decision.
 
Oh and fisher29er, do you mind giving me your stats, so I can see where I stand as far as Duke is concerned?
 
From what I understand, UNC doesn't accept a lot of non-UNC grads, so I wouldn't be too discouraged about that.

If it were me, I would choose Duke. I've wanted to go there since I was 5 and it is my dream school. They have great faulty and facilities and yea, the price tag is a bit hefty, but by the end lf this ride most people are going to be buried in about 100k of debt anyway, so I wouldn't worry. Go where your heart tells you to (as laaaame as that sounds). While I don't think money should be overlooked, its not the only reason to choose a program. If I get into Duke, I wouldn't hesitate and I know I would 100% regret it if I didn't take that opportunity. Just my two cents! Good luck with your decision.


This is crazy.

Ask around at potential PT clinics. Ask those who work there if they notice a difference between the outcomes patients get when treated by PTs from one location vs. the other. Aksi those in charge of hiring PTs whether they would preferentially hire graduates from one location vs. the other. Then, ask yourself if there is anything you are actually recieving from the extra debt you will incur if you decide to attend Duke.

The aforementioned post is full of emotion. Not logic. And, to the best of my knowledge, emotion doesn't pay back loans.
 
Fisher,

I graduated from ECU and have been in the Greenville area for eight years. I am looking at applying to PT schools soon, and have many friends who are in the DPT program at ECU and love it. It is a fantastic program (and let me add, one that is not easy to get into). I have also shadowed numerous PTs in eastern NC who are graduates of ECU's DPT program, and they are very good at what they do.

Duke has a great program, too, but it is on the more expensive side. I would say really take some time to think about this, but also continue to think about the hefty loans you will be paying back after going to Duke. I think you would get just as good of an education at ECU. If it were me, the fact that ECU is helping with first year tuition, would definitely put ECU higher up on my list.

Again, if you have a little more time still, really think about all of the pros and cons for both schools. Only you can make the best decision for you.

Good luck with everything! :thumbup:
 
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Thanks to everyone for posting. It has helped a lot. This decision is not an easy one. I am finding that it is mostly over the name that Duke carries with it. That is not to discount the quality of their program in any way.
Emotionally I want the Duke name but rationally and logically ECU is the way to go.

As for my stats
Undergrad: BS in Finance Indiana University of Pennsylvania
GPA: 3.52
Pre-Req GPA: 3.66
GRE: V-590 Q-540 writing 4.0, V-390 Q-670 writing 3.0
Accepted: Pitt, U Del, U. Tenn Health Sciences, MUSC, ECU

For Duke I think they looked more closely at my recent coursework science I got my BS in 2003. My most recent coursework, which included Psyc, Bio I&II, Chem I&II, A&P I&II, Phys I, was a 4.0 plus I interview well.
 
Jesspt--i never said that preference is given to people from certain schools or that someone is less desireable bc they didn't go to a particular school, I said that after all my research and experiences, if I got into Duke I would go there. There are only so many spots in PT school, not everyone can attend the cheapest school out there. Are you saying that those of us who don't get to pay the $50k tuition shouldn't go to PT school? Not every decision should solely be based on money-you should actually WANT to go to the school for other reasons than JUST the price tag. Thats not crazy, its realistic. It sucks that school is expensive but its a reality that some of us have to face if we want to be PTs.
 
Jesspt--i never said that preference is given to people from certain schools or that someone is less desireable bc they didn't go to a particular school, I said that after all my research and experiences, if I got into Duke I would go there. There are only so many spots in PT school, not everyone can attend the cheapest school out there. Are you saying that those of us who don't get to pay the $50k tuition shouldn't go to PT school? Not every decision should solely be based on money-you should actually WANT to go to the school for other reasons than JUST the price tag. Thats not crazy, its realistic. It sucks that school is expensive but its a reality that some of us have to face if we want to be PTs.

Nope. You gave your opinion (to which you certainly are entitled) based primarily on emotion, in response to someone who has a concrete decision to make, with concrete facts that influence that decision. It is my opinion that yours is a foolish one, placing fisher at risk for making a terrible financial decision that will likely not result in him enjoying his PT school experience to any greater degree than he would at ECU.

I understand the allure of a prestigious PT school, on a beautiful campus in North Carolina. I was once in the same shoes that most who participate in this message board are in now. I went to a private school that was expensive at the time, had a quaint campus with it's own friggin' castle (Arcadia, in case anyone is wondering), and have been practicing for nearly 13 years. By the way, I have not lived an overly lavish life since graduation and am still paying off school debt. Immediately after graduation this was not a big deal, but as one builds a life, they tend to re-prioritize, and have a greater need for financial flexibility. For example, when my primary concern was beer money for Friday night, tickets to a Gear Daddies show (showing my age here), and paying rent for a small apartment, I had no difficulties. And, at that time I never thought once about 529 plans for college savings for my children (who were not yet born), a mortgage for a house in an incredibly expensive housing market (North Shore of Chicago), day care bills that are insanely expensive, etc. If I had, I might have considered going to a school that was considerably less expensive, to allow myself greater financial resources at a later stage in my life.

My purpose in many of the posts here is to provide a a different perspective, from someone who has been in a similar situation in the past, and made a poor financial decision, and continues to pay the price. Now, this is not intended to be a sob story. My wife and I are able to make a middle-class living in a great neighborhood, but we are still paying back school debt that prevents us from moving into the house we would like, take nice vacations more often that once every two to three years, and more importantly, it limits our ability to save for our children's college, to allow them to avoid the trap that college debt can become.

I can hear the frustration in your posts. I understand the desire to get out of NOVA. That place was awful for us, and we only lived there for two years. But, I think you are letting emotion rule your decisions. Certainly you are letting them limit your choice of schools to only the southern US, and you have intimated that you would gladly pay the insane tuition that Duke charges despite possibly having some good in-state options. That makes no sense in the long term. And, in the short term, while you may think you'll like the southern US better, you won't really be living there. You'll be attending school there. Trust me on this. There is a large difference.

Certainly the choice is yous to make, and my post may not sway you in any way, but my hope is that it will at least make you look at your options more objectively.
 
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Thundercats HOOOOOO

Tuition is important for me!!!!!!!!!! Do you think 60K tuition is too much? I know COL will add to that which will suck.
 
Nope. You gave your opinion (to which you certainly are entitled) based primarily on emotion, in response to someone who has a concrete decision to make, with concrete facts that influence that decision. It is my opinion that yours is a foolish one, placing fisher at risk for making a terrible financial decision that will likely not result in him enjoying his PT school experience to any greater degree than he would at ECU.

I understand the allure of a prestigious PT school, on a beautiful campus in North Carolina. I was once in the same shoes that most who participate in this message board are in now. I went to a private school that was expensive at the time, had a quaint campus with it's own friggin' castle (Arcadia, in case anyone is wondering), and have been practicing for nearly 13 years. By the way, I have not lived an overly lavish life since graduation and am still paying off school debt. Immediately after graduation this was not a big deal, but as one builds a life, they tend to re-prioritize, and have a greater need for financial flexibility. For example, when my primary concern was beer money for Friday night, tickets to a Gear Daddies show (showing my age here), and paying rent for a small apartment, I had no difficulties. And, at that time I never thought once about 529 plans for college savings for my children (who were not yet born), a mortgage for a house in an incredibly expensive housing market (North Shore of Chicago), day care bills that are insanely expensive, etc. If I had, I might have considered going to a school that was considerably less expensive, to allow myself greater financial resources at a later stage in my life.

My purpose in many of the posts here is to provide a a different perspective, from someone who has been in a similar situation in the past, and made a poor financial decision, and continues to pay the price. Now, this is not intended to be a sob story. My wife and I are able to make a middle-class living in a great neighborhood, but we are still paying back school debt that prevents us from moving into the house we would like, take nice vacations more often that once every two to three years, and more importantly, it limits our ability to save for our children's college, to allow them to avoid the trap that college debt can become.

I can hear the frustration in your posts. I understand the desire to get out of NOVA. That place was awful for us, and we only lived there for two years. But, I think you are letting emotion rule your decisions. Certainly you are letting them limit your choice of schools to only the southern US, and you have intimated that you would gladly pay the insane tuition that Duke charges despite possibly having some good in-state options. That makes no sense in the long term. And, in the short term, while you may think you'll like the southern US better, you won't really be living there. You'll be attending school there. Trust me on this. There is a large difference.

Certainly the choice is yous to make, and my post may not sway you in any way, but my hope is that it will at least make you look at your options more objectively.

Once again, I never said that tuition wasn't a deciding factor and I never told the OP to absolutely go to Duke. I just said that if it were me I would go there because I've always wanted to go there, assuming I could even get in. Yes, I'll be applying to my in-state schools, but if I'm choosing between staying in NoVA and going to Marymount and paying $90k plus the insane COL/commute vs. moving to Duke and paying the $90k plus a way less COL/commute, I'd absolutely choose Duke. I do have a husband and a daughter, and we rent a crappy house in a crappy neighborhood, and we still manage to pay our debts and save for her college fund. I was only trying to make the point that money isn't everything and maybe it is naive because I don't have the 10+ years of jaded experience that you do, but its only another point of view. It's a really tough decision, but not all of it is monetary--you have to do what will make you happy in the end, not just look at a price tag. If ECU makes the OP happy based on the pricetag or not, then go there! For me, its not allllllllll about the money though because I'm looking at whether or not I will be happy spending three years of my life at a particular institution. I want to know that the money I'm spending, whether it be $90k or $50k, I'm spending on some place I genuinely want to be--not just because in the end I get a degree out of it.
 
I think JessPT's argument is much stronger. Advice from some one who has been there and is living the consequence of attending a very pricey tuition for PT school should be given more merit than some one who has no life experience about the matter. I really respect the advice of those who have lived through situations and really appreciate those who try to use their experience to guide others in the right direction. Some times we live our lives through blinders and don't really see the big picture, like what life is really like paying back loans. Our lives are comfortable now with no debt and so our focus is on thinking that our frame of mind on how life will be like when we are paying back debt but it truthfully won't be. Thank you JessPT for your very wise and insightful knowledge. For the OP, I would pick ECU. It has a great pass rate with great facilities and everything Duke offers but with half the cost. Who says you can't make great life long friendships at ECU while learning everything you need to know to become a PT? I bet you'll really like it! :) Life is a lot what you make it.
 
i would def. choose ECU. I shadowed a graduate of Duke, and he/she told me he/she regretted not having gone to a cheaper program due to the massive loan payments. He/she seemed like a great PT, but not any greater than anyone I shadowed from state schools (and ECU for that matter).
 
kcrat -

but if I'm choosing between staying in NoVA and going to Marymount and paying $90k plus the insane COL/commute vs. moving to Duke and paying
the $90k plus a way less COL/commute, I'd absolutely choose Duke.

I don't blame you. Given that scenario, I'd be out of there in a heart beat.

I was only trying to make the point that money isn't everything and maybe it is naive because I don't have the 10+ years of jaded experience that you do, but its only another point of view.

Money is not everything, but I think it should be the primary thing, particularly if all other things are nearly equal when comparing schools. Money has tha ability to impact almost all other facets of your life, either positiviely or negatively. In regards to my experience, I don't consider it jaded, rather pragmatic.

It's a really tough decision, but not all of it is monetary--you have to do what will make you happy in the end,

As long as you realize that school, whether starting it or finishing it, is not the end. For example, I work in the Chicago area, with a lot of graduates from Northwestern. For all intents and purposes, it is a very good school. None of the alumnni that I work with are happy about the loan payments they incurred, and many are frustrated that the product they received (their education) has not been noticably better than what their co-workers' recieved at NIU or UIC, and the Northwestern folks paid a lot more. In any other scenario, no one is happy if they pay more than someone else for a similar product. Have you ever sat by someone in an airplane and found out they paid $200 less than you did for your ticket?

In my mind, the "end" as you put it, is your post-graudation life, several years down the road. Are you hamstrung by a decision that you looked at only in the short term or did you do all you could to look at the long term implications of your decision?

Best of luck to you, and all posters on this message board as you make your decisions. I wish you the best.
 
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Again, thank you to all who have been posting and providing insight & advice. I think all the points raised were valid and provided me with a level of understanding. Whether the information touched on the emotions behind the decision or just pure finance it has all been very good information.

For me this has been the hardest decision I have had to make. When I was going to undergrad I never thought about schools like Duke, Pitt, U Del, etc. So when I got into all of those places I was shocked. As I narrowed down the choices to ECU and Duke I found myself star struck by the Duke name. However, what I found was that ECU's program is very strong, has great facilities, and will end up costing me about 50k less. It could even be substantially more if I am fortunate enough to gain residency and pay in-state tuition after the first year.

With that said, I accepted my offer at ECU and sent my letter declining Duke's offer in the mail today. Cripes that was a tough thing to do.....

I wish I could sit back and relax now but I also applied to the Army-Baylor program and I won't know the result for at least 3 weeks from today. In any event, thanks again for all the advice.
 
Great choice! You'll be thanking yourself later when it comes time to pay the bills. 50k+ is not worth a name because in the real world nobody really cares where you went to school. They just care what you know when you get out of school and by looking at the NPTE pass rate (100%), it looks like ECU will give you a great education. Congratulations.
 
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