Need Advice- Want to Become Physical Therapist

[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.

 

[Marcelo183]

If finances is a problem to you, then the community college (which is cheaper) route would definitely be a better choice. Also it is easier to get better grades in community college (increasing your chances of getting accepted wherever you want) and you would be a PTA. This would help you get all the experience hours and some money for PT school.

Unless you are in a rush to go to PT school. Working as a PTA would probably slow you down a bit, remember you will be taking some relatively tough science course.

 

[FB55]

Would it really be slowing me down? I planned on earning some money as well as getting experience, as you mentioned, and planned to go straight to PT school after earning my bachelor's. I do want to earn my DPT right away.

 

[vapt]

My short response would be to pursue the 6 yr. program, but first do the math and compare tuition at public vs private, extra year, etc. Also, research the programs you want to go into. I'm not very familiar with the pta track, but I know that I've read on here that some schools don't take hardly any, if any at all courses from pta school as pre-req's for dpt school.

 

[mizunoguy64]

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.

100% take the pre-PT/guaranteed a spot in the grad program if you keep a certain GPA. I had that chance at 2 schools and I wish I took it. It's so competitive to get into a DPT program, even if you have solid experiences, good grades, etc.

 

[DPTinFL]

My choice would be the CC route. As a PTA with a BS/BA and a solid GPA/GRE, your chances of getting accepted into a DPT program are pretty darn good. Also you will be earning good money as a PTA while completing your BA/BS and have an awesome back up career.

 

[aroszko]

What are the chances of you getting in to the PTA program? I know several friends who decided to go for PTA after getting their BS (did not get in to DPT programs) and the programs were getting 150+ applicants for like 16 spots, and while it is not a requirement to have a BS most applicants did because it was essentially a fall back from not getting in to PT school. I'm just curious how many students these PTA programs take directly out of high school or even a year of college under their belt vs someone with a degree already, it may be wise to check and see the stats of those who have been accepted over the past few years to see if your application is comparable.

If I were in your situation I would do the 3/3, even if it cost a little extra money (you may break even since you'll be bypassing a year of school too) as another poster said earlier, PT schools are really tough to get in to and applying 4-5 years from now its only going to get more competitive.

Best of luck!