What happens if you get scheduled for an interview, but can't afford to make the trip? For myself, I am 23 years old, and just finished as a full time student. I barely could afford the 500$+ App fees already.... All of the schools I applied to are out of state, and I know for sure one of the schools conducts interviews... NYU (Steinhardt). Will schools be flexible with financial situations if you're over 500 miles away??
Out of curiosity I just checked out how much it costs to get a DPT at NYU:
Maybe my math is off, but tuition alone is $109,500 for the whole program. That's just tuition. They give estimated numbers for room and board, books, transportation, personal expenses and health insurance that runs another $31,356 per year.
So all told, the program is estimated to cost
$203,568 before application of interest on loans, unforeseen expenses, and increases in cost of living.
You won't cover those expenses with federal loans, so you'll be in the private market where you will get even worse rates than the 6.8% from a Stafford.
The cynic in me says that if you have the good sense and financial discipline to not put a trip to NYC on your credit card, the faculty will probably come to realize that you aren't NYU material.
But then there's a part of me that struggles to be more humane. Maybe the people who go to NYU have radically different financial situations than the rest of us. Cost is not an issue, and they want to get a good education in New York. I knew people who went to grad school while living with family for free in the outer boroughs. There are ways some people make it work.
But you can get a good education in a lot of different places, and NYC is no fun when you don't have money. The debt level that we're talking about here is really crushing, so I'd just like to encourage you to consider whether you'd really accept an NYU offer if it was made.
