Northwestern DPT

[McLovinn]

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Hello! Has anyone else been accepted to NU's DPT class of 2020 and will be attending the open house? 🙂

 

[ActiveLyfe]

Hello! Has anyone else been accepted to NU's DPT class of 2020 and will be attending the open house? 🙂

Hey McLovinn! I applied for the program over a month ago and still no reply. Do you mind talking about your app process (when you applied, how long it took to hear back, etc.) and maybe even post your stats? Really anxious student over here

 

[McLovinn]

Hey McLovinn! I applied for the program over a month ago and still no reply. Do you mind talking about your app process (when you applied, how long it took to hear back, etc.) and maybe even post your stats? Really anxious student over here

Hey ActiveLyfe! I submitted my application on 9/25 and received an email from them that they were checking my app for completeness on 10/4. I didn't receive anything else from then until I got an acceptance email on the 11/1 so it took them about a month.

Cum GPA: 3.52
Prereq GPA: ~3.3-3.5 (depending on the school. also have some prereqs left still)
GRE: 155(v) 161(q) 4(w)
Extra Curr: Camp Kesem Counselor, Alternative Breaks, Philanthropy and Public Relations Chair for Fraternity, Conversation Leader for UCSD Extension, Research Assistant for Sanford Burnham Medical Institute, SPOT (PT club)
Hours: ~300( outpatient), ~12 (neuro), ~50 (inpatient) ~200 (PT aide at sports medicine clinic. currently still working there)

 

[runnerfish]

McLovinn I'll be there for the open house!

ActiveLyfe I submitted 8/30 and was accepted with a phone call on 10/10.

Cum GPA: 3.73
Prereq GPA: 3.84
GRE: 162(v) 161(q) 5.0(w)
Hours: Around 150 hours total in inpatient, outpatient, SNF, home health and pediatrics

 

[Koala327]

I got an acceptance call on 11/10 as well! I'm still waiting to hear back from a few other schools before I decide on the open house. Northwestern is an amazing school but it's so dang expensive!!!

 

[cm0525]

Hello! Has anyone else been accepted to NU's DPT class of 2020 and will be attending the open house? 🙂

I an on the alternate list and will be attending the open house!

 

[energy_pt]

I will be at the open house! anyone know what kind of attire to bring?

 

[cm0525]

I will be at the open house! anyone know what kind of attire to bring?

I was thinking business casual!

 

[runnerfish]

I was thinking business casual!

I'm not 100% sure but I feel like I remember seeing business casual in the email they sent. Or maybe in the RSVP for the open house. I could be wrong but I feel like business casual is probably pretty safe.

 

[cm0525]

Is anyone else on here on the alternate list?

 

[PTstudent22]

I will be attending but can only make the Friday session! So excited! I remember the confirmation saying business casual.

 

[CalvinPrePT]

Is anyone else on here on the alternate list?

I was put on the alternate list also.

 

[cm0525]

I was put on the alternate list also.

Did they tell you that there was no formal ranking yet?

 

[energy_pt]

I'm really confused as to why there are no interviews. Do they just hand out acceptances and hope the applicant isn't a crazy person?

 

[Koala327]

@McLovinn @runnerfish @energy_pt Since all of you are going to the open house, do you know where you are staying? I'm coming from Colorado and can't really afford/want to pay for a whole hotel room by myself. Anyone interested in rooming together??

 

[energy_pt]

@McLovinn @runnerfish @energy_pt Since all of you are going to the open house, do you know where you are staying? I'm coming from Colorado and can't really afford/want to pay for a whole hotel room by myself. Anyone interested in rooming together??

I definitely would be down for rooming together. Let me figure out my flight details first, and we could coordinate something?

 

[Koala327]

I definitely would be down for rooming together. Let me figure out my flight details first, and we could coordinate something?

Sounds good! I still haven't figured out my flight yet either

 

[energy_pt]

Sounds good! I still haven't figured out my flight yet either

Just booked my flight! I'm going to send you a private message so we can discuss getting a room together!

 

[PTstudent22]

Anyone know how many applications Northwestern receives in any given year?

 

[energy_pt]

Anyone know how many applications Northwestern receives in any given year?

Hmm..I couldn't find it anywhere. You could try calling/emailing admissions and asking!

 

[cm0525]

It's going to be very cold in Chicago on the days of the open house! For anyone that is going (mainly women), I know it is business casual, but what are you wearing?

 

[Women's Health PT]

It's going to be very cold in Chicago on the days of the open house! For anyone that is going (mainly women), I know it is business casual, but what are you wearing?

I'm going to wear fleece leggings or skinny jeans with boots, a decent looking sweater scarf combo, and probably another jacket over that too. It's dressy enough but also comfy and doesn't involve that much effort haha

 

[PTstudent22]

What did everyone think of the open house?

 

[PTCruiser2016]

I was really impressed by the open house and was won over by how happy the current students seemed as well as how nice everyone was. I also could really see myself in the program. I was only able to attend the first day so if anyone could brief me on how the second day went please let me know!

Aside from the curriculum breakdown, talk about clinicals and research, here are some things I learned from current students that isn't on the website in case anyone is reading this that wasn't able to attend the open house. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

-24/7 access to the building
-No gym, but can pay $200 for yearly membership to la fitness
-napping/sleeping after hours is not uncommon, pillows and showers are available
-encouraged to bring your own food if you don't want to spend a lot of money going out
-class size isn't an issue academically or socially, everyone still able to get to know eachother well
-most students live in lakeview and commute by train
- majority of faculty are awesome and want students to succeed

Again I was only there the first day so if anyone could share about the financial aid presentation or what they thought about the facility tour please do so 🙂

Although I had a good impression at the open house, I am leaning away from Northwestern due to tuition primarily in addition to feedback from current students that use this forum. I will share links to a couple threads I read if anyone is interested:

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/physical-therapy-and-money.1065823/
https://forums.studentdoctor.net/th...a-students-perspective.1121653/#post-16198502

 

[juice538]

I think the open house really sealed the deal for me. I know their intention was to woo us, but after visiting another school 2 days later I knew in my gut Northwestern was the right fit for me. I really enjoyed talking with the clinical education and global health faculty members at the student activities fair and interacting with the students throughout the weekend (in class, lunch, tour, etc).

Northwestern is expensive, but this is the only time I'll be going to a DPT program so I ultimately wanted to choose the right program for me (I also didn't have the prerequisites for my only state school so I don't have a way cheaper option to compare it to). I think the students in the financial aid panel on Saturday have been able to budget and keep costs of living down and they see this as an investment in their education and careers. Also I think that if I am away for clinicals, it will be easier to find a subleaser in a large city like Chicago which should help me avoid paying double rent.

The facilities are awesome with a lot of natural light in the classrooms and I like that they big lecture rooms are wide instead of deep. I visited several other programs where the rooms where dark and everyone in the back rows seemed to be nearly asleep. I also liked that they are able to divide the room into many smaller rooms to practice different things and have the large tvs to project both notes and demonstrations as well as plenty of mirrors which I think will help when we practice palpations and interventions.

Finally, I was actually really intrigued by the trimester model. The big science classes like anatomy, physiology and kinesiology are spread over 2 trimesters and students said this helped them not feel rushed. I also like the idea of learning in a more concentrated amount of time then having shorter breaks. I think this will help all the coursework seem more manageable and allows a place in the curriculum for some of the more specialized courses. They are also working on intergrated coursework with the medical and PA students which I think is helpful so providers can better understand the many roles in the healthcare team.

Overall the rigorous academics, connections (for clinicals, volunteering, and networking) in Chicago, and dynamic students and faculty really stood out. I think that choosing a program is an individual decision and there are always going to be people (such as the poster in the link shared above) who love and hate a program but I'm not trying to let this forum or the open house alone affect my decision. Ultimately, I feel that NU is the right choice for me and that's why I'll be putting my deposit there!

 

[energy_pt]

Just withdrew my app so I hope this helps someone out!

 

[PTstudent22]

Just withdrew my app so I hope this helps someone out!

Did you send an email to do that? and to who?
I will also be declining my acceptance.

 

[energy_pt]

Did you send an email to do that? and to who?
I will also be declining my acceptance.

I called the department, asked them to transfer me to admissions, and spoke with Sara! She was really nice.