I’m stuck deciding between USF and NOVA Southeastern (Fort Lauderdale). I coming from Georgia so I’ll be classified as out of state. From what I gathered USF tuition & fees for me would be a little more expensive than NSU, but cost of living in Tampa is cheaper than in Fort Lauderdale. Any advice or opinions? They both seem to be good programs.
Florida DPT
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Just like ya said, they are both great programs and great areas to live/study at. Board pass rates and graduation rates are both pretty much 100%. I made my decision on NSU pretty much because I like the area, campus and living actually isn’t crazy expensive unless you plan to live in a single bed but that’s expensive pretty much anywhere. I would just think about where you would like to live/work in the future
I'll be starting at 33. I wanted to be a PT since I was in my teens but I had to leave school during undergrad to work full time and support my family. I got to develop a decent career in real estate over the years but it wasn't my passion so I went back to school as soon as it was financially possible and here I am. Hands down, this has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and, even though making the decision to go for it was scary, I'm very glad I did. The work ethic and maturity I developed over the years really helped make academics much easier than they used to be so I could really focus on just learning and enjoying the process. Don't be discouraged! There were other nontraditional students in every interview I attended. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the admissions process. Good luck!
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Were you on the wait list first and then accepted or just accepted?! Congrats btw!
Thank you!! I was told I was on the first tier of the waitlist 5 days ago and got the acceptance call this morning
I just got my rejection email as well. I am also OOS
I’m OOS too but haven’t heard back yet. When did y’all submit your application?
August 29th
Oct 31
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I’m OOS do you mind me asking what your stats were and if you went to the visit day?
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See, everyone I run into that is making a second career change seems to be in your age bracket. I've never heard of anyone in their late 30's switching. I currently volunteer at a hospital to get my inpatient hours and even some therapist look at me like, "why are you starting so late?" So I wondered if any of you have heard or met people getting a late start and were there pros or cons. Thanks for sharing your story. Congratulations and taking the steps to do what you love. How did you find places to complete your volunteer hours?
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Is it best to get volunteer hours from special PT clinics? I.e. burn centers or pediatrics. Just wondering whether this influences the boards decision during the admissions process.
About age, I did meet one person at an interview that was in her mid-thirties and had been working in healthcare billing before deciding to switch to PT. I would advise you to speak with recent grads in the field. They can help you get a good picture of what it's like to enter the field at this time and the financial aspects of paying off loans. Then it would be up to you to decide if the career switch makes logistical and financial sense for you.
Regarding hours: Most schools tend to prefer a variety of settings. I would contact the admissions department of your top choice schools and ask them to specify what they look for in this regard. I did my undergraduate degree in recreational therapy so I was able to strategically chose internships at facilities where I could go back and do PT observation hours once I had established a network with the rehab team. I also contacted some clinics on my own and asked to do some volunteering/shadowing to get more variety. Some places will say no but many were happy to have some extra help. If you're already volunteering at a hospital, I would ask some of the PTs if they can recommend some places that specialize in treating different populations you may be interested in. Also, know that there are usually many different types of PT/rehab done in some hospitals (acute care, outpatient, inpatient, ortho, neuro, vestibular, cardiopulmonary, pediatrics etc.) so ask if you can shadow at different departments while you're there. Hope this helps. Good luck!
I was there! Have you heard anything back??
I did actually! I wasn't expecting to hear anything back until at least Monday but I got an email yesterday saying that I'm a "hold" candidate and my application will be re-evaluated. So, basically I'm on a waitlist I think. Have you heard anything back yet? I hope you receive better news from them than I did!
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Second tier and haven’t heard. Someone a few posts back got accepted off of first tier.
I got an email yesterday afternoon saying I'm "provisionally" accepted - I don't know if I should be excited or not cause I'm not exactly sure what that even means! Waitlist seems like decent odds since it wasn't the first choice for most of the people I talked to!
I'm on the second tier too. I've read some past threads that said that they usually dip into the second tier of the waitlist but I'm starting to worry because the facebook group shows that there are already 31 members. I also wish we knew how far into the second tier we were lol but at least they have a tier system at all. Good luck to you! Is UCF your first choice?
Well that definitely sounds like good news but it is a little vague! Certainly better than being waitlisted though lol I thought the interview went fairly well but apparently not well enough. Are you still taking any classes currently? Provisionally accepted sounds like you're accepted depending on how well you do in a certain class or something like that. But if you're not taking any pending pre-reqs then I don't know what else provisionally accepted could mean. Congratulations though!
Nope, I've been done with classes for a few years now. I wonder if it means as long as I pay my deposit? Thank you and good luck to you!!
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That would be amazing if they do. The already accepted members may get accepted somewhere else though and then there will be space! I’m so tempted to call and ask, but I know they won’t be able to give any information. Thank you, you too and yes it’s my number 1, you?
Yeah that's what I'm hoping. I'm trying to stay optimistic but this waiting game is driving me crazy lol and yes it's my number 1 too. Hopefully we both get the opportunity!
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Are you planning on going anywhere else as backup?
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Just to give you some peace of mind, It is not uncommon for UCF to pull all the way through the 2nd tier and part of the 3rd.
My application was sent to review on September 20th and I just heard that my application is still under review....
It was roughly two weeks
Unfortunately not at this point. I applied to a few schools in Florida but I've either gotten rejected or waitlisted from the others so if I don't get accepted off the wait list then it's looking like I may have to reapply to schools next cycle :/ What about you?
That would be amazing. Thank you so much for the input! I'm really hoping they're able to do the same this year.
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I just withdrew my admissions spot from UF, I hope this helps someone!
I declined my acceptance to NSU today. I hope that helps someone waiting to hear from them.
I didn’t get accepted to any of the public schools in Florida I applied to, so I figured if I was going to pay private school tuition I might as well go somewhere out of state. I’ll be moving to Maine this fall to attend UNE.
I didn’t get accepted to any of the public schools in Florida I applied to, so I figured if I was going to pay private school tuition I might as well go somewhere out of state. I’ll be moving to Maine this fall to attend UNE.
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Are you instate? As of right now I’ll be attending NSU, but hoping to get accepted off the waitlist for UCF or USF.
Yeah I'm in state. Congrats on your acceptance to NSU! Is it the Fort Lauderdale campus or the Tampa hybrid? It's nice knowing that you have a backup just in case the others don't work out.
From what I hear about USF, there will be a year you take courses with the PA students so the material is medicine based and not sure if you will really need as a PT. I am not in that program so I wouldn't know. Nova has 16 week internship.
I read the same thing online, but I also saw that USF students help each other through the courses. I ended up choosing USF.
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Thank you and the Fort Lauderdale campus. I went to NSU for undergrad so I know the area so I guess it worked out. Still praying for us and UCF though!
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I’ve sent in my deposit for FGCU! I can’t wait to start school.
That's great that you made your decision. Honestly, in PT school, you all have to help each other. There's no way you're gonna survive without it. I'm in my first trimester right now.
When did you hear back from FGCU?
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I interviewed in January and got an offer of acceptance February 12th
