Factors to consider when choosing a PT program? TWU vs. UTSW

[jny1720]

Hi everyone!

I was accepted to my top two choices for PT school: TWU (Houston) and UT Southwestern in Dallas.
I'm having a really hard time choosing between the 2 programs, so I was wondering if y'all had any input on factors to consider in making my choice.

Some basic things I have already considered:
- location: both schools are in large cities. My family lives in DFW and I went to school in Houston so I'm familiar with both areas and have a good support system in both. Both are also located in large medical centers, so lots of clinical opportunities.
- cost: roughly the same
- program length: would graduate UTSW in winter 2023 while TWU would be spring 2024
- reputation: TWU seems to have a slight edge here? I may be wrong on this
- faculty: pretty well-rounded at both schools
- boards passing rate: great at both schools

I have no doubt that both programs are great and I can't really make a "wrong" choice. I've definitely heard some interesting things about UTSW - I've heard that it seems that the school focuses a TON on their image/reputation, and someone also told me that they had a lot of friends who ended up failing out of UTSW bc of their difficult & super packed schedules (i guess because the program is slightly accelerated). However, I do like that I would graduate earlier and that there's opportunities for collaboration with students in the other health/medical programs. For TWU, I've heard that the program is also insanely rigorous, but I like its location in the TMC and it seems to have an amazing reputation as a PT program both in Texas and nationwide. Overall, both programs seem to have tons of amazing resources and opportunities.

If anyone is a student at/graduated from either of these programs I'd love to hear about your experiences! I'd also love any advice on choosing a program. Thanks so much!

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[wiseOldPT]

Factors to think about that don't necessarily have right or wrong answers:
- Anatomy labs- are they cadavers? Digital? Do you do the dissections? Prosections?
- Are all clinicals at the end of the program or spaced throughout?
- Are there short (day long) clinical experiences early on?
- Opportunities to do research? Do the students actually do hands on data collection or more systematic reviews?
- class size (big class has pros and cons)
- structure of curriculum- lots of lectures? team based learning? Are hands on clinical courses interspersed with more lecture courses?
- any interprofessional education with PAs, MDs, OTs, nursing, etc
- are faculty actively practicing or do they bring in clinicians who are practicing?
- is it feasible to live close by? Remember to factor in costs of housing, transportation (parking is $$), etc.
- any added perks? Like funded APTA memberships or the school pays you to go to the Combined Sections Meeting (the big PT conference)
- faculty involvement in APTA

 

[dptnaynay]

You should reach out to current students in both programs and ask them questions about professors, rotations, labs, living expenses, community outreach all that. I know many schools are doing a hybrid type of curriculum right now because of COVID so that's important to consider if it'll go on until you start.

 

[JenDPT2024]

You should also consider what each school specializes in and what you want to go into. Some programs have have a stronger sports therapy track that allows you to get certifications on top of a PT degree. If there’s a field you want to specialize in, you should definitely look into those advanced track opportunities. You could look into their elective options, clinical sites, even professors and their research.