DPT Drexel- Is 2.5 years manageable?

[ccfuturept22]

I'm wondering how students that have experienced/are going through a 2.5 year PT school program feel about the duration.
Is it manageable? Do you feel rushed/ extremely stressed? (I know PT school will be stressful no matter what) Do you like the quarter system?

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[westcoastin]

I can't speak directly to Drexel's program, but St. Augustine's program is even shorter at 2.3 years. I am a student at USA, and although it is an accelerated program, it doesn't necessarily feel rushed. Sure, there are times when exams and assignments pile up in the same week which can be (and is) stressful, but I don't think it's that much different than a traditional 3-year PT program. Initially, it might feel unmanageable, but you will quickly get accustomed to the workload by adjusting your study habits accordingly. To quote one of my professors regarding the program's accelerated nature, "many have come before you and many will come after you."

 

[ccfuturept22]

I can't speak directly to Drexel's program, but St. Augustine's program is even shorter at 2.3 years. I am a student at USA, and although it is an accelerated program, it doesn't necessarily feel rushed. Sure, there are times when exams and assignments pile up in the same week which can be (and is) stressful, but I don't think it's that much different than a traditional 3-year PT program. Initially, it might feel unmanageable, but you will quickly get accustomed to the workload by adjusting your study habits accordingly. To quote one of my professors regarding the program's accelerated nature, "many have come before you and many will come after you."

Thank you for the insight- that's really helpful. I'm committing to Drexel and hearing that definitely makes me feel more confident about it.

 

[ajc4cz]

Hi ccfuturept! I'm also strongly considering drexel, and from talking to the students they all seemed to echo that it never seemed rush. They also said a lot of the shorter time is due to the fact that they have shorter breaks.

 

[GoSparta]

I currently go to University of the Pacific which is 25 months long. First semester (7 courses, 29 exams, 33 quizes, 3 projects in 3 months) was really challenging, but you get in the groove after 1-2 weeks. I also worked 4-6 hours a week as a personal trainer, and did intramurals, and it was manageable if not stress-relieving. Professors were all full-time and amazing so they went out of their way to support us as well. From next semester's schedule, and what the 2nd year students have told me, it gets easier as well. I have a few classmates with families, and/or commutes 2-4 hours round trip each day, and they were challenged, but still get A's. You can pull it off if you focus. Hope that helps.

Edit: Like above mentioned, ours is shorter because we have class through summer, and our breaks are only a week long excluding x-mas break. 2 8-week clinicals at the end.

 

[starrsgirl]

I'm in a 3 year program and we have tons of long breaks. I really wished we just pushed through and finished sooner....most people don't even work during the breaks besides some random minimum wage jobs (my point is, they aren't working to make a dent in the tuition or living expenses).

 

[Bluecase]

Did an "accelerated" program like you described. Very few breaks and a lot crammed in 2.5 years but we got a jump on jobs before the 3 year programs finished.


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