Duke vs. Pitt

[sportsnut]

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Unfortunately I was unable to make it to the Pitt open house and I am know trying to decide between Pitt and Duke. I would love to hear from people who have decided on Pitt and people who have decided on Duke.

 

[breexox]

I'm an undergrad pre-PT student in Pitt's School of Health and Rehab Sciences (SHRS). Therefore, I don't have much information for you on the specifics of Pitt's DPT program, but I can give you some info on the school in general!

Since you are obviously a sports fan, I think Pittsburgh would be a good place for you. Everyone is obsessed with the Steelers and the Pens and generally has a really good knowledge of whatever ESPN is talking about that day. Pitt basketball and football are also really popular. There's nothing like a good sports game in Pittsburgh.

Also, if it is specifically sports-related physical therapy that you're interested in, the University of Pittsburgh's Medical Center Center for Sports Medicine is a top-notch facility that serves the Steelers and Pitt football as well as the general population. I believe it is one of the places you can do a clinical rotation at (I don't see why you wouldn't but if you're interested I would contact SHRS to make sure).

The cost of living in Pittsburgh is very cheap and relatively cheap housing is easy to come by although it definitely is not the nicest. (You can find very nice housing as well). The campus is lively and beautiful, and the city has good nightlife. Many bars (esp sports bars) and clubs are available.


Bottom line.. I love Pitt. I don't know anything about Duke, but I would say that unless you can't handle the winter or don't prefer an urban setting, I don't think you could go wrong with Pitt.

 

[breexox]

Also, Pitt has another open house on March 20th.

and here's a link to UPMC Sports Medicine..

http://www.upmc.com/Services/sportsmedicine/Pages/default.aspx

 

[GeevesDPT]

sportsnut: it has been a while since i was a pitt undergrad, but i have experience (though limited) with both schools. here are some facts that may help:

1) Pitt has a very strong reputation because of their connection with UPMC. That could be good or bad. It means there are lots of clinical opportunities within a close radius, but a lot of them are in very large, very busy settings. They have a level of funding access (and, subsequently, resources) that you just wont get at smaller/not-in-a-city schools.

2) when i was considering applying, I was told by the DPT chair at my school (slippery Rock University) that she has colleagues at Duke who bemoaned the fact that Duke had a PT program, and while it wasn't awful, it was definitely at the bottom of the funding (and therefore all other) food chain(s) in Duke's grad system. Though, to be fair, its been a year since that chat.

3) Duke is a very gorgeous campus. If I had to choose strictly on aesthetic, I would choose Duke, 10 times out of 10. However, Pitt (for all its dinginess) has the perk of being a medium sized school in a large atmosphere (5 other colleges within 10 miles and right next to downtown). When I was at Pitt I loved that if a weekend came and I had some free time, I coiuld hop the bus for free with my student ID and head...wherever I felt like it; the bar scene, strip district, a ballgame, etc etc.

My opinion is very biased, but I would choose pitt unless you feel strongly that you wouldn't succeed in a big city environment.

 

[FLsurferDPT]

.

 

[sportsnut]

why do you feel that its a no brainer?

 

[FLsurferDPT]

.

 

[trichic]

FLsurferDPT,

In an earlier thread you posted the following regarding your interview with Duke: "The faculty were extremely nice and personable despite what you would think since they are the top of their fields conducting amazing research." You also posted, "I really fell in love with the campus and i'm sure you will too." Also, "But the best part of the day was the mock class in which they implement a new model of teaching which I believe will be very effective for Duke. So if anything you shouldn't be worried about getting an interview since they interview like 3/4's of their applicants. Any one would be proud to go to Duke and I hope you get in. Good luck."

Why the change in heart regarding the faculty, location, and their new teaching model?

sportsnut,

I live around the Raleigh area in North Carolina. Just like any city, including Philly, there are areas where you don't want to be. Most of the area surrounding Duke is very nice. It's practically Raleigh, NC! One of the fastest growing cities. Plenty of things to do: restaurants, museums, art, theater, concerts. Beaches are a couple hours away and so are the mountains. I'm not as familiar with the Pitt program, so I can't comment on that. I just don't think you should base your decision on the opinion of a disgruntled applicant.

 

[KMB2013DPT]

I personally did not apply to Pitt, but I did interview at UMiami, Duke, and Emory and was fortunate enough to be accepted into all 3 programs. I apparently had a completely different experience than "FLsurferDPT" did at Duke. While I did choose to attend UMiami for specific reasons, Duke was the other school that I was going back and forth with. I believe it was actually the most welcoming school of all I visited. I went to undergrad in a small college town, so I wanted a different experience that Durham would've provided, but it's definitely a livable city. Pitt is obviously ranked #2 so I'm sure it's a great program as well, but I can't imagine making that decision without visiting both schools, so I would suggest doing that if at all possible. After all, Emory was my 1st choice going into things, and it turned out to be my last option after I took the visit. Best of luck!

 

[mtm34]

sportsnut- first off congrats- both programs are excellent, theres a lot of people out there that worked hard and got no acceptance letters. With that said I know little about Duke aside from knowing that NC is a great area and the job market is excellent as far as pay and openings are concerned (not sure where you want to end up). I went to Pitt for undergrad and am staying for PT school- its a great program and Pittsburgh is an awesome city, it was voted 'most liveable' a few years in a row for good reason, very afforable with a lot of culture and overall good people. There are a lot of really good connections through Pitt and its affiliate UPMC with the professional and college sports teams if that is your interest- A few of the PTs I work with have done fellowships and residencies with the Steelers and Penguins which I have been told is pretty tight. Decisions are tough but it seems like you have two solid options, good luck.

 

[PT Dad]

Both are great schools affiliated with world class hospital systems so it comes down to intangibles. Duke has many residency programs and fellowships for practicing PTs. Pitt has research opportunities also even while you are in the DPT program if you are interested. All clinicals at Pitt are available in the Pittsburgh area so you don't have to relocate. I am not sure how Duke runs their clinicals. Do you mind winters? They are milder in NC. You can use the Pittsburgh bus transit system for free as a Pitt student. Good luck!

 

[sportsnut]

thanks so much for all your input. It sounds like both are really good schools. I feel like Duke is more 'famous' and I wonder if this will make it easier to get good residencies, is it worth paying more for the 'famous' school...this also makes me think that perhaps Duke is more well known as a top school for a reason...

 

[callmecrazy]

thanks so much for all your input. It sounds like both are really good schools. I feel like Duke is more 'famous' and I wonder if this will make it easier to get good residencies, is it worth paying more for the 'famous' school...this also makes me think that perhaps Duke is more well known as a top school for a reason...

Pitt (#2) is actually ranked higher than Duke (#13), so I'm not sure that saying it is more well known as a top school is accurate. Pitt has numerous residency programs and a number of well known and well respected faculty. While I don't know enough about Duke to say that it has anything less, I don't suspect it has a particular advantage in this aspect either. Regardless of that though, I wouldn't let the illusion of "fame" factor much into deciding between two well respected programs.

 

[jesspt]

thanks so much for all your input. It sounds like both are really good schools. I feel like Duke is more 'famous' and I wonder if this will make it easier to get good residencies, is it worth paying more for the 'famous' school...this also makes me think that perhaps Duke is more well known as a top school for a reason...

I'm not sure that I would consider Duke as more "famous" when it comes to physical therapy, particularly outpatient orthopaedic physical therapy. There is some great research coming out of Pitt now, and many other of our best researchers received their PhDs there under the guidance of Anthony Delitto and others.

 

[Blklabguy]

Hello,

I graduated from Pitt's DPT program in 2008. While I can not commnet on Duke's program, I can tell you a little more about Pitt's.

Previous posters are correct in that the university has strong ties with UPMC. This, amoung others, allows Pitt to monitor where their students are going on rotations. While Pitt does not allow the students to go on rotations in different areas of the country, they do know which clinical instructors are very good and which ones to not send students back to.

Pitt also has some of the top professors in the country, as most top-level programs will. If you open some of the APTA journals you'll find several different Pitt professors as contributors, editors, etc. Another added benefit of being associated with a top-10 hospital system like UPMC, PT students have the opportunity to sit in on various doctor grand rounds presentations. One of those I sat in on was Dr. Fu's double-bundle ACL lecture.

There are others however it is late and I am tired. I will post additional comments later.