Interested in Physical Therapy- Unsure of Path

[FB55]

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Hi everyone. New to this site. I'm in a bind right now. I've been accepted into pretty much all my college choices. Most of my colleges, except URI and UConn have programs that offer a combined 6 yr or 6 1/2 yr BS/DPT of guaranteed admission to the professional phase. Now these schools are mostly private (Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, MCPHS, USP, Daemen, etc.) except the University of Rhode Island and UConn, so the costs are really troubling me. College debt and loans are really expensive and I don't want to be paying all that money after graduation. I'm a Rhode Island resident and URI would be my cheapest option. However, they don't offer a combined program. I'd have to finish my 4 yrs of undergrad and then apply to a PT program for another 3 yrs. I was thinking about going to the local community college, CCRI, for 2 yrs, get my Associates in PTA (Physical Therapy Assistance), transfer to URI or another college, work part-time while finishing my Bachelors, then after getting my Bachelor's apply to PT school and hope I get in.
This is my predicament- Should I go to a more expensive private college, with guaranteed admission to the professional phase (must keep at least 3.0 GPA), or go to the community college get my associates in PTA, transfer, get my bachelor's, then apply to PT school with hopes of getting in? The latter option is much cheaper. However the other option is guaranteed admission. Any advice anyone can offer would be appreciated.

 

[FutureCTDoc]

Undergraduate privates will likely be generous in terms of scholarships and grants. If you're looking outside the northeast check out Nova Southeastern. I'm from CT with scholarships it ran me as much as UCONN. Since you mention two different state schools in different states, public tuition isn't cheap OOS unless you are doing the New England student program and publics are less likely to give you $$$.

 

[Bacchus]

I attended USP. Unless you have outside scholarships, the cost is high. I graduated with significant debt. The school is too small to give large scholarships and it really can't help too much with costs. I loved my experience there; however the debt is not something to blink at.