BiZ was right earlier. I have posted on this previously, but will mention a few things again. As noted in prior posts, I think that most students, except those who have virtually no debt from undergrad, should factor NPTE pass rates and cost of tuition very highly. I mean VERY HIGHLY. Highly as in, if you got accepted to a program that is very inexpensive, with an NPTE pass rate above 95%, look no further.
Things to consider that may not be readily apparent to an undergrad student:
1. Gross Anatomy - It will form a foundation for some of your later coursework such as biomechanics, applied anatomy, etc. but may be less clinically applicable than one might think. When one is practicing, their knowledge to surface anatomy may be just as important, if not more so -i.e., knowing where to palpate what may help you more with your clinical reasoning than knowing where the medial superior geniculate artery is. For example, I know a few students from Carroll University in Wisconsin. They don't have a gross anatomy lab. Rather, they have a computer program that they utilize. I have been a CI to their students and haven't noticed any glaring dificiencies in their anatomy preperation. And their NPTE pass rate seems to be high, so the ommission of gross anatomy hasn't negatively impacted their performance on the test.
2. Geographic location/urban/rural environment - Remember. You'll be attending physical therapy school here, not living here. That's an important distinction. Many of you will find the PT school coursework more challenging than your undergraduate work and will have far less time for social events, etc. than you have had previously. In fact, you'll probably be spending more time in the library than you will exploring all that the surrounding town/city has to offer.
Many of you talk about how you don't place an emphasis on material things. Kudoes to you, but it's not just the material things that huge financial debt can impact. As you move on in life, many of you will find yourself married with a family. And many will want to provide more for your children than was provided for you. It's tough to pay for daycare and start a 529 college plan for you kids when your under financial strain from $125000 worth of loans from a school that you fell in love with because "it felt like the right fit", or it was in a major metropolitan area, or it had a 7 week gross anatomy course instead of a 4 week course, etc. You can see where I'm going with this.
Ultimately, this post will fall on many deaf ears. I have been advising potential PT students to primarily consider cost and NPTE pass rates for years. Few actually take heed of this, but many have told me once they started their first job that they wish they would have taken cost into larger consideration.
