How many schools did you apply to?

[soccergirl11]

I'll be applying next cycle and I am curious how many schools everyone is applying to. Did anyone only apply to 1 school?

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[ashnicolee43]

I applied to 6. I picked them based on programs I liked. However, I now wish I would have done more research because I have already determined that I will most likely not get into two of the programs I applied to, leaving me with 4 options. If I don't get in this round I will choose around 7 programs that I not only like but have a good chance of getting into.
For example, I applied to UCF and I am not from Florida. After applying I read some of their statistics and they usually only accept 5% out of state students which is 1-2 students of their class.
This is just my opinion, when you apply, pick multiple schools you like and then choose based upon your GPA/GRE/School statistics whether it will be worth your money and go from there.

 

[NMSK89]

I only applied to Northeastern last cycle, it was my top choice and I didn't have the money for PTCAS. I was successful, however, I wouldn't recommend doing so if you have the means to apply broadly.

 

[DjT3kN]

I applied to 20 schools this cycle because of my average GRE and GPA stats... I wouldn't recommend applying to so many if you don't have the extra funds for it. I, only, did this to increase my chances of acceptance because I don't want to do a 3rd cycle of applications next year. However, I didn't blindly pick any random schools. Look over PTCAS and choose schools that of which you meet their minimum criteria at least and compare your stats with their average cohort stats from the previous year. Additionally if you're applying out-of-state, make certain that you check the percentage of their out-of-school acceptance rates. It wouldn't make much sense if you met their criteria, only to find out that they accept 15% out-of-state applicants for their cohort.

Good Luck to you!

 

[DesertPT]

4

 

[DesertPT]

It varies really widely from person to person, depending on any number of personal circumstances.

 

[Romazicon]

I planned on applying to 1. But I applied to 3. They were within 30 min of each other so I wanted to stay close to home. I got accepted to the 1 school that I wanted to apply initially...so for me, it wouldn't have mattered if I applied to the other 2 schools (I'll find out the status of the admissions in December). I got into my number 1 preferred school

 

[BKTrojan]

i have pretty good stats but i applied to 8 schools which seems like a lot to most people. i feel that all of the schools I applied to are difficult to get in so i didn't want to be too confident and only apply to a few.

 

[tweaze]

I'm applying to a total of 7. I made my choices largely based on cost +the regional job market in my husband's field. In example, I applied to some schools that are more expensive, but have a strong job market. In order to consider a school in an area with a weaker job market, the tuition had to be substantially lower. I also considered if I thought I could reasonably be accepted, and how many of the prerequisites I had met already.

 

[alaskagirl21]

I applied to ten. I applied to schools all over the country with varying statistics. I did this because I was freaking out over the fact that my AW score is not good (3) and I don't have any extra-curriculars. I've read about how competitive PT school is to get into and I wanted to give myself a chance. I applied to mostly private schools because I'm from Alaska and we don't have a program at the in-state school, and out of state tuition costs more than private schools in most cases.

 

[engmedpt]

4....finishing degree in summer.

Make sure to check that. I wouldve applied to 7, but they start in the summer sooooooo....yeah.

 

[luxsit90]

I planned on applying to 1. But I applied to 3. They were within 30 min of each other so I wanted to stay close to home. I got accepted to the 1 school that I wanted to apply initially...so for me, it wouldn't have mattered if I applied to the other 2 schools (I'll find out the status of the admissions in December). I got into my number 1 preferred school

You got into UTSW?? Congrats!!

 

[Romazicon]

You got into UTSW?? Congrats!!

Yes I did!! Thank you! I'm so excited!

 

[luxsit90]

Yes I did!! Thank you! I'm so excited!

Is that where you're gonna go??

 

[Romazicon]

Is that where you're gonna go??

Yes I am! It's been my top choice since I learned about PT School! You're interviewing there right? When's the date?

 

[luxsit90]

Yes I am! It's been my top choice since I learned about PT School! You're interviewing there right? When's the date?

I was supposed to but had to defer due to my trip. I don't think I will go through with it bc TWU is it for me.

 

[Romazicon]

I was supposed to but had to defer due to my trip. I don't think I will go through with it bc TWU is it for me.

Ah! Totally understand! I was told that I will hear from TWU in December, but just like in your situations, UTSW is for me I like it when everything works out perfectly! A lot of hard work, but it worked out!

 

[SwampPT]

I applied to 20 schools this cycle because of my average GRE and GPA stats... I wouldn't recommend applying to so many if you don't have the extra funds for it. I, only, did this to increase my chances of acceptance because I don't want to do a 3rd cycle of applications next year. However, I didn't blindly pick any random schools. Look over PTCAS and choose schools that of which you meet their minimum criteria at least and compare your stats with their average cohort stats from the previous year. Additionally if you're applying out-of-state, make certain that you check the percentage of their out-of-school acceptance rates. It wouldn't make much sense if you met their criteria, only to find out that they accept 15% out-of-state applicants for their cohort.

Good Luck to you!

I wish I would've looked closer at out of state acceptance rates. It really sucks for those of us from WV. There are only three schools in the whole state that have a DPT program and WVU is the only school to give preference to in state students. Marshall and Wheeling Jesuit only take 15% in state.

 

[DjT3kN]

I wish I would've looked closer at out of state acceptance rates. It really sucks for those of us from WV. There are only three schools in the whole state that have a DPT program and WVU is the only school to give preference to in state students. Marshall and Wheeling Jesuit only take 15% in state.

Ouch! That's not great to hear... but hopefully those you applied out-of-state have greater out-of-state percentages. Let's go NOVA!

 

[SwampPT]

Ouch! That's not great to hear... but hopefully those you applied out-of-state have greater out-of-state percentages. Let's go NOVA!

LOL yep I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed for Nova! I have noticed that it seems like every state shows preference to in state students except WV. It only takes one school to say yes though

 

[ashnicolee43]

I wish I would've looked closer at out of state acceptance rates. It really sucks for those of us from WV. There are only three schools in the whole state that have a DPT program and WVU is the only school to give preference to in state students. Marshall and Wheeling Jesuit only take 15% in state.

I'm from Illinois and most the decent programs we have here are in Chicago and I'm not interested in living there. That's why I applied to all schools out of state. I wish more of them had better acceptance rates for out of state applicants.

 

[DesertPT]

I wish I would've looked closer at out of state acceptance rates. It really sucks for those of us from WV. There are only three schools in the whole state that have a DPT program and WVU is the only school to give preference to in state students. Marshall and Wheeling Jesuit only take 15% in state.

AZ only has NAU and they accept like 65% in state. Nevada only has UNLV and they accept like 50% in state. Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho and Montana all also only have one public program (and Wyoming has no PT schools), although some of these have a very strong preference for state students.

If you live in the intermountain west, getting reasonable tuition for PT school is tough-going.

 

[southernswimmer]

I wish I would've looked closer at out of state acceptance rates. It really sucks for those of us from WV. There are only three schools in the whole state that have a DPT program and WVU is the only school to give preference to in state students. Marshall and Wheeling Jesuit only take 15% in state.

Add SC students to the woe. MUSC accepts 60% in-state, and U of South Carolina has 18 in each class. And both are relatively expensive for state schools. Wish I lived 45 minutes north in NC...

 

[SwampPT]

Add SC students to the woe. MUSC accepts 60% in-state, and U of South Carolina has 18 in each class. And both are relatively expensive for state schools. Wish I lived 45 minutes north in NC...

I would've loved to apply to either school, but SC only takes 18 and MUSC has an average age of acceptance being 23 years old. I'm 41 so they are not going to look at me unfortunately.

 

[DjT3kN]

I would've loved to apply to either school, but SC only takes 18 and MUSC has an average age of acceptance being 23 years old. I'm 41 so they are not going to look at me unfortunately.

I'd have to disagree on that, @Lots of Praying. If you have the stats and passion for PT, then I believe age would not be and should not be a factor whether or not to accept you into their program.

 

[Rgvmed]

I would've loved to apply to either school, but SC only takes 18 and MUSC has an average age of acceptance being 23 years old. I'm 41 so they are not going to look at me unfortunately.

Fellow SC resident here. I've been accepted to a relatively low cost program out of state but am hoping that USC (that's university of south carolina for you west coasters) will accept me. I have a competitive application since they allow you to use a graduate GPA in replace of your undergraduate GPA. Unfortunately, as you said, they only have a cohort of 18 students. I'm interested in possibly doing a phd and USC offers one in applied physiology which would be pretty cool IMO. Anyways, yeah their tuition and fees is about 54k for instate, which is still cheaper than all of the out of states programs I'm applying to besides maybe TWU, depending on if they will offer instate waivers this year. It sucks being from a state with only two schools, the other being MUSC that charges 78k instate LOL. Not to mention the cost of living in Charleston, SC is quite high for the south.

 

[SwampPT]

Fellow SC resident here. I've been accepted to a relatively low cost program out of state but am hoping that USC (that's university of south carolina for you west coasters) will accept me. I have a competitive application since they allow you to use a graduate GPA in replace of your undergraduate GPA. Unfortunately, as you said, they only have a cohort of 18 students. I'm interested in possibly doing a phd and USC offers one in applied physiology which would be pretty cool IMO. Anyways, yeah their tuition and fees is about 54k for instate, which is still cheaper than all of the out of states programs I'm applying to besides maybe TWU, depending on if they will offer instate waivers this year. It sucks being from a state with only two schools, the other being MUSC that charges 78k instate LOL. Not to mention the cost of living in Charleston, SC is quite high for the south.

I wish USC had a larger program. My ultimate goal is to live in Myrtle Beach. I love that area.

 

[Rgvmed]

I wish USC had a larger program. My ultimate goal is to live in Myrtle Beach. I love that area.

That's where I live haha, yeah it's not so bad at times. Columbia would be great, I'd be perfectly content with a 54k tuition.

 

[DesertPT]

If you want lots of state options, being from California, New York or Ohio would definitely help.

But I'd much rather be a PT in the wild west thanks very much!

 

[southernswimmer]

Columbia would be great, I'd be perfectly content with a 54k tuition.

USC's program is 10 semesters, btw, so it's closer to 60k (if that makes any difference to you)

 

[Bluecase]

I think a point that needs to be made is that private schools rarely charge the sticker prices for tuition. I got into a state school (out of state because I had moved away 8 years prior) and private school with identical sticker prices. The private school offered me a 30% scholarship which cost me about 55K for school in total for the entire time (not counting cost of living obviously). So I think not applying to private schools off the board can be short cited for this fact. Full disclosure: I had no idea they offered any money before applying - I was surprised to find out that so many of my classmates were offered financial aid in this regard.

 

[soccergirl11]

Did anyone decide which schools to apply to based on the cost of tuition?

 

[DesertPT]

Did anyone decide which schools to apply to based on the cost of tuition?

Yes, pretty much everyone. Also location.

 

[Rgvmed]

Surprisingly, some people do not take cost into account. Believe it or not, I've never met another pre-heatlh/medical student at my university who uses this website. They blindly apply and often receive bad advice from their advisors. It's insane, often our advisors will provide students with information that is entirely 100% incorrect. If you're not on student doctor network, you are not doing it right!

 

[DesertPT]

^^^If you believe anything an academic or career advisor/counselor tells you while you're in college, you're doing it wrong.

I once had one tell me that I should fill my biology electives by taking a weekend class on bees...instead of taking classes I actually needed...

 

[DesertPT]

f you're not on student doctor network, you are not doing it right!

 

[RunHappy]

I didn't take cost into account at first (when I was thinking about where to apply), and I sent my GRE scores to 8 schools. Since then I've decided that, because I'll be almost 40 when I graduate, I can't stomach 100k+ in tuition costs alone. I've applied to 5 programs, but one is ops and I'll prob decline if accepted.
I'll be thrilled if I get accepted into one of my state school programs. If not, I'll be strongly considering PTA programs. The PTAs I've met in NC enjoy their jobs, and some even say their glad to have fewer responsibilities.

 

[CME4PT]

1 school is rather risky. PTCAS recommends 6, with a minimum of 3. But I guess the level of risk depends on a few things. I live in a city with 5 DPT programs, all fairly close to one another. They each receive over 1000 applications each round, and each accept a max of 58. Some of these schools receive over 1500 apps every cycle. As I am making a career change and am already grounded here with children and my wife's job, I applied to 4, been accepted to 1 so far. Is it worth the risk of having to wait a whole additional year if you don't get in to the 1 school?

 

[CME4PT]

I didn't take cost into account at first (when I was thinking about where to apply), and I sent my GRE scores to 8 schools. Since then I've decided that, because I'll be almost 40 when I graduate, I can't stomach 100k+ in tuition costs alone. I've applied to 5 programs, but one is ops and I'll prob decline if accepted.
I'll be thrilled if I get accepted into one of my state school programs. If not, I'll be strongly considering PTA programs. The PTAs I've met in NC enjoy their jobs, and some even say their glad to have fewer responsibilities.

I fell ya. I'll be 37 when I graduate, my loan will be 100k ( I don't have a choice to got to a cheaper school. they all cost this around me). On a good note, my undergrad is just about paid off, and I will be able to live rent free during school (thanks, mom). For this whole thing to make at least a little financial sense, I will have to find a job where I can get ramped up to 75k/yr rather quickly. I am used to working 55-60 hour weeks, so I think that is doable. Good luck!

 

[DesertPT]

I am used to working 55-60 hour weeks, so I think that is doable. Good luck!

If you do a good job negotiating your salary and actually work 60hrs/wk consistently you could probably gross $100k as a new PT working full-time in the clinic and doing home health and/or per diem afternoons/evenings and weekends. It's going to vary depending on where you live, but I don't thin $100k is impossible if you want to be a true workaholic...but that has its downsides.

 

[CME4PT]

If you do a good job negotiating your salary and actually work 60hrs/wk consistently you could probably gross $100k as a new PT working full-time in the clinic and doing home health and/or per diem afternoons/evenings and weekends. It's going to vary depending on where you live, but I don't thin $100k is impossible if you want to be a true workaholic...but that has its downsides.

That's good to know. And I hope it turns out that way. I really don't plan on being a true workaholic. I am just working so many hours right now to put me in a better financial situation for when I start PT school this fall. So I can forgo the 100k/yr and will be happy if can pull ~85k/yr at around 50hrs/week. Need to become a PT first though. lol. One step at a time I guess.

 

[tweaze]

1 school is rather risky. PTCAS recommends 6, with a minimum of 3. But I guess the level of risk depends on a few things. I live in a city with 5 DPT programs, all fairly close to one another. They each receive over 1000 applications each round, and each accept a max of 58. Some of these schools receive over 1500 apps every cycle. As I am making a career change and am already grounded here with children and my wife's job, I applied to 4, been accepted to 1 so far. Is it worth the risk of having to wait a whole additional year if you don't get in to the 1 school?

1 school is risky, but I can't help but be amused that PTCAS recommends 6 schools knowing they will be getting $340 bucks or so from you.

 

[DesertPT]

I can't help but be amused that PTCAS recommends 6 schools knowing they will be getting $340 bucks or so from you.

ha...no doubt...I'm surprised they don't recommend 10-12

 

[CME4PT]

1 school is risky, but I can't help but be amused that PTCAS recommends 6 schools knowing they will be getting $340 bucks or so from you.

I agree. However, I would gladly pay the $340 rather than send transcripts, LOR's, and separate entrance essays to six different schools. It would probably take 30hrs minimum combined to gather and send all of that info. That breaks down to $11/hour. My time is worth well more that $11/hour. I know $340.00 is a good chunk of change, but compared to the 75-100k you are going to throw down for DTP, its really a non factor. I applied to 4 schools, heard back from 1, and got accepted to that one. Had I gone with only 3 schools, I would have been SOL. That's why I said it depends. If you're super confident you can get into any school, then only apply to one. But it is rather risky. Think about it in the long term, each additional school cost what, $40 on PTCAS. Avg PT salary is 75k/year. You just cost yourself 75k if you don't get in this year, all because you wanted to save an extra $40. At least that's my thought process.

 

[DesertPT]

You just cost yourself 75k if you don't get in this year, all because you wanted to save an extra $40. At least that's my thought process.

Smart point. And applying to PT school still isn't as expensive as applying to med school is...I've heard of people that are starting Kickstarter pages to fund their MD applications, secondaries and interviews...

Still with test fees, app fees and lost income from time spent on these things (and time spent on observation hours, though I am definitely glad I did them), applying to PT school cost me just shy of $2k. That was to apply to 4 schools and only take the GRE once. I have seen people who have done twice as many volunteer obs hours than me, retaken the GRE, retaken classes and applied to 12+ schools...the application process is easily costing them at least 5 grand....

 

[davidtheusername]

I only applied to one. I am in my 30's and changing careers from teaching. I have a wife and daughter and house and all here so I needed to get into that one. If I was young and single I'd have probably applied to a lot out of an abundance of caution though. Luckily it worked out.

 

[DesertPT]

I only applied to one. I am in my 30's and changing careers from teaching. I have a wife and daughter and house and all here so I needed to get into that one. If I was young and single I'd have probably applied to a lot out of an abundance of caution though. Luckily it worked out.

You're lucky the school in your area you need to go to had early decision!

 

[davidtheusername]

I was VERY happy that they had early decision. Waiting forever to find out would have killed me. My wife thought I was completely OCD checking my email and PTCAS multiple times a day.

 

[DesertPT]

I was VERY happy that they had early decision. Waiting forever to find out would have killed me. My wife thought I was completely OCD checking my email and PTCAS multiple times a day.

I know...I have to wait unit March to find out about my top choice school...and when that time comes I will probably be checking my email multiple times and hour ha

 

[CME4PT]

I was VERY happy that they had early decision. Waiting forever to find out would have killed me. My wife thought I was completely OCD checking my email and PTCAS multiple times a day.

So you got in!?!? Congrats, from one non traditional PT student to another. I also am in my early 30's, wife, 2 kids and house. Luckily, there where many local programs to apply to.