Question regarding application to DPT programs, loans, and prerequisites..

[lee9786]

I have a couple question regarding the application process. Maybe some of you may be able to help me out with some of this. Your help is greatly appreciated.


#1 Regarding researching the details of the various DPT programs

While I'm aware of the apta's "CAPTE Accredited Physical Therapist Education Programs" to find out tuition and prerequisite information, I'm unaware of how to find out information such as cost of living, transportation issues, crime rate, employment opportunities (my girlfriend is a chef), and cultural scene (Is it a "party town" or more focused on higher learning?). It makes sence to actually visit the program but what if this is not possible due to the program being "out-of-state?"

#2 Establishing Residency for "In State" Tuition

I'm in a position where I most likely will be applying to programs "out-of-state." I'm currently a resident of Maryland which only has two DPT programs. With limited options, I'm looking apply to other programs in other states. Is anyone familiar with the process of establishing residency in another state while attending a DPT program in that state? Can the residency status be achieved for decreased tuition purposes while in a DPT program? This question causes some concern because "residency" greatly influences the cost of getting the DPT.

#3 Prerequisite requirements

How does one go about confirming that all they have all the prerequisites? Is their any time where a petition is granted (i.e. one class substituted for another?) It seems as there are some grey areas. For example one prereq is statistics. I took Management Science & Information Systems (a business statistics class) while at Penn State for my A.S. business degree. While not nationally recognized it's actually an applied statistic course. I guess the best way to assure that I have all the prereqs is to contact the administrators of the various programs and send them an unofficial copy of my transcripts.

Another thing... I don't believe all prereqs need to be fulfilled prior to applying to programs but just a majority. Am I right on this? (I plan on taking Intro to Physics II in the Spring 2009 semester.)


#4 Loans

With around 60k right now in loans I'm concerned that I may not get enough governement aide to assist in completion of the DPT. My estimate is around 125k total costs. Has anyone else been in a similar situation and had to get private loans or did federal loans cover everything?

#5 Recommendation Letters

This actually has me a little concerned. Not as much for getting LOR from professors but from Physical Therapists. I'm currently the Anatomy/Physiology tutor at college I'm currently attending so I'm sure I can get a good LOR from one of the professors. My concern is that I don't reallly know any physical therapists well enough to where I feel comfortable asking them to write me a LOR.

My current plan is to volunteer my butt of in the summer. Volunteering at as many places as possible in hopes of actually finding a PT aide job that pays. I'm hoping this strategy works and I can meet some PTs who can actually learn enough about me to write an informative letter by Dec. 2009. I feel like I'm pressing time though. I'm a generally a perfectionist about something like this but I guess I'll have to let it slide a bit. I'd hate to have something such as the LORs keep me from becoming a PT.

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[pttrac]

Thanks for organizing all of your questions. I will try and answer all of them as best as I can.

#1 - For the best info on cities I would check out the forums here.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/

#2 - I have no clue about this because I am applying in CA, which has many PT programs, but I had a friend who got a P.O Box in another state and applied for a Driver's License. He used this information when applying to his school and it worked. I know in CA, in order to be a resident you have to live here for a certain period of time, like 5 years. That way you can get the same tuition that in-state people have.

#3 - For the pre-reqs I would suggest you call the school and speak to a counselor or admissions person to get a class looked at. Some schools accepted my exercise physiology class although it was online and some did not. I would call each program to confirm. You do not have to complete the pre-reqs before you apply, but you have to update your PTCAS application when you do finish so that they can send the updated information to the schools. I know some schools prefer you finish them when you apply so that they can receive you final gpa when reviewing your application. Every school is different so call and ask.

#4 - I don't think you should have any problems getting loans. I know of many people having loans from their undergrad as well as their grad school. I would suggest checking out the government, private, and maybe scholarships. I know there are not that many PT scholarships, but they do exist. I have no loan debt from my undergrad, so I can't really help you much. For my undergrad I had a lot of scholarships and grants from the state and federal level.

#5 - For the LORs, every school has different requirements but I think a majority will ask for 1 from a professor and maybe 1-2 from a PT. In my situation I had one from a professor from my undergrad studies. The other two came from PTs that I volunteered or worked for. If you volunteer and befriend them I don't think you should feel awkward asking for a letter of req. I volunteered for six months (twice a week) and the supervisor of the outpatient services had no problem writing me one. The other letter came from a PT that I worked with as an aide. I suggest volunteering at 1-2 places, preferably inpatient and outpatient and building rapport with the PTs, especially someone who is a supervisor or manager. Don't try to volunteer at a dozen places. One hospital should have outpatient/inpatient, another should have Peds, etc...

Hope this helps. I typed everything as a first draft and in a rush so pardon any grammatical and spelling errors.

 

[callmecrazy]

#1 Regarding researching the details of the various DPT programs
Like the above post said, check out the city data site for information on the area. Also, it wouldn't hurt to ask around here if anyone lives in or is from the area you are interested in.

#2 Establishing Residency for "In State" Tuition
Each state handles residency requirements a little differently. Your best choice is probably to narrow down the list of states you are interested in and then look into them individually. Keep in mind though that residency is only going to matter at public institutions.

#3 Prerequisite requirements
This is another situation where you need to go right to the source. Most schools are more than willing to take a look at your transcript at any time and let you know if you fulfill their requirements or if something is missing. It would actually be wise to go ahead and do this at every school you are interested in, about a year before you would actually matriculate. Then you would be sure you have everything or have plenty of time to take what you were missing.
I have not seen any schools that won't allow you to finish prereqs after application. Most recommend that you have most complete though, and if you receive an acceptance it will most likely be contingent upon you completely those prereqs.

#4 Loans
This is hard to comment on because each individual's situation is completely different. The best advice I have is to make good use of the financial aid office at the school you choose. That is why they are there.

#5 Recommendation Letters
Rather than volunteer at "as many places as possible", I would suggest established a good rapport with just a few (2-3) facilities. This is how you build a relationship with a therapist so that they can write you a strong recommendation. I wouldn't get too worked up about the time frame though. I decided very late that I was going to apply to PT school, and ended up having to ask for references after just 2-3 months. I had a built a solid relationship with 2 facilities/therapists though and got two presumably good recommendations. However, I also suggest NOT waiting until December to ask for recommendations. If you spend the summer volunteering, as for the letters in August. You want to give them a few solid weeks to write the rec, and you want them in plenty of time to meet all deadlines, including early-admission options if you decide to go that route. This can mean deadlines as early as October 1 or earlier.

Good luck!

 

[lee9786]

Great help. Thank you for the response. I wonder if schools require say an old utility bill or a lease agreement proving that you're in that state of residency. Thanks for the forum website for checking out statistic on cities. I'll definitely be checking that out as well as the census. Thanks again. I feel a little more confident now about how I plan on going about doing this process.

 

[lee9786]

I'm a little concerned about Physics. From what I understand the "General Physics" is more calculus based while another physics class called "Intro to Physics" teaches the same material but is more algebra based. Both would provide 8 hours of physics (including the lab). I wonder if programs distinguish between the two. Some prereq requirements for some programs don't really specify specifically what physics they are looking for. Some just say so many hours of physics are required while some say that "General Physics" is required. I'm concerned because this is one of the only classes I have left. I have not had calculus though so I'm a little concerned.

 

[callmecrazy]

I'm a little concerned about Physics. From what I understand the "General Physics" is more calculus based while another physics class called "Intro to Physics" teaches the same material but is more algebra based. Both would provide 8 hours of physics (including the lab). I wonder if programs distinguish between the two. Some prereq requirements for some programs don't really specify specifically what physics they are looking for. Some just say so many hours of physics are required while some say that "General Physics" is required. I'm concerned because this is one of the only classes I have left. I have not had calculus though so I'm a little concerned.

If what you say is true, then things vary from one school to another. At my undergrad, "General Physics" is algebra based. The other option is "Physics with Calculus", which is obviously calculus based. As far as I am aware, PT schools really don't care which you've taken, so don't sweat it. If you have the option though, go with the algebra-based... calculus is evil Though it looks like that would be your only option anyways if you don't have a calculus background.

 

[xMerryx]

I'm a little concerned about Physics. From what I understand the "General Physics" is more calculus based while another physics class called "Intro to Physics" teaches the same material but is more algebra based. Both would provide 8 hours of physics (including the lab). I wonder if programs distinguish between the two. Some prereq requirements for some programs don't really specify specifically what physics they are looking for. Some just say so many hours of physics are required while some say that "General Physics" is required. I'm concerned because this is one of the only classes I have left. I have not had calculus though so I'm a little concerned.

Well, In my case I just took physics w/o calculus (physics I would include all movement/work laws and physics II it was basically electric). I think that's the way to go, unless you'll want otheriwse, since we need to know the basics and laws more than anything. I don't know of any school that will require physic with calculus.

 

[CLGUY]

Well, In my case I just took physics w/o calculus (physics I would include all movement/work laws and physics II it was basically electric). I think that's the way to go, unless you'll want otheriwse, since we need to know the basics and laws more than anything. I don't know of any school that will require physic with calculus.

I'm taking physic 2 now. I'm starting to hate electricity, hence I'm considering leading an Amish lifestyle (said the man working on a computer and listening to an Ihome)

 

[MinnDasota]

I'm a little concerned about Physics. From what I understand the "General Physics" is more calculus based while another physics class called "Intro to Physics" teaches the same material but is more algebra based. Both would provide 8 hours of physics (including the lab). I wonder if programs distinguish between the two. Some prereq requirements for some programs don't really specify specifically what physics they are looking for. Some just say so many hours of physics are required while some say that "General Physics" is required. I'm concerned because this is one of the only classes I have left. I have not had calculus though so I'm a little concerned.

Shouldn't matter what physics class you take as long as it's physics. So I would take the one you most feel comfortable with.

 

[pttrac]

I was a Bio major, so we had to take general physics, which was algebra-based. At my school, only the engineers and computer science majors took calculus based physics, which is a lot more difficult from my understanding.

I remember Physics II including light, mirrors, circuits, etc... which we probably will not need to know as PTs. It is not as basic as Physics I, so it will probably be a little more difficult if you are not too comfortable with the aforementioned topics.

 

[xMerryx]

I'm taking physic 2 now. I'm starting to hate electricity, hence I'm considering leading an Amish lifestyle (said the man working on a computer and listening to an Ihome)

OMG! I hated physics II !!!! hahaha it was frustrating! that lab was driving me crazy! I liked the physics I though

 

[lee9786]

So I've been spending the past two hours going over Electrochemical and Electrolytic cells for General Chemistry II. Talking about coupling Redox reactions at the Cathode and Anode, electrochemical potentials, Nernst Equation all that good stuff. Is this a major topic of Physics II? I guess I better know this stuff pretty good?

 

[xMerryx]

So I've been spending the past two hours going over Electrochemical and Electrolytic cells for General Chemistry II. Talking about coupling Redox reactions at the Cathode and Anode, electrochemical potentials, Nernst Equation all that good stuff. Is this a major topic of Physics II? I guess I better know this stuff pretty good?

Not really,
I'll think it will focus on circuits (Ampere, Voltage, current....), light (wavelenghts), and I do remember lab sessions about mirros (reflection) that's what I remember :S I took all my "sciences" in my first two years in college

 

[lee9786]

Regarding State Residency tuition...

If an applicant is not a resident of a state upon admission to a program in that state, does the applicant have to pay the "Out-of-State" tuition throughout the entire 3 year program or just until they establish residency in that state?

It looks like I've narrowed my school options down to five based mostly on proximity to where my girlfriend's and my family reside. Unfortunately none of these are in the state of Maryland in which I'm currently a resident. So this issue of "residency" is a concern.

Does anyone have experience with attending a school in a state in which they are not a resident? If so what is your experience with tuition?

 

[callmecrazy]

If an applicant is not a resident of a state upon admission to a program in that state, does the applicant have to pay the "Out-of-State" tuition throughout the entire 3 year program or just until they establish residency in that state?

This too depends on the state. Some require longer residence than others to be considered a resident. Do you know what states you are considering specifically? Perhaps someone could give you better advice that way.

 

[MinnDasota]

Regarding residency:

That is a good question. I would guess that you can't establish residency in a state unless you have applied for a state ID card or drivers license.

Also, I think residency only applies to state schools, not private schools...

 

[Akiramay]

OMG! I hated physics II !!!! hahaha it was frustrating! that lab was driving me crazy! I liked the physics I though

It's weird, I'm actually doing better in Physics II than I did in Physics I right now! And I'm really liking the material. It's very interesting to me. I guess I'm the odd one out. ^^

 

[lee9786]

This too depends on the state. Some require longer residence than others to be considered a resident. Do you know what states you are considering specifically? Perhaps someone could give you better advice that way.

I'm looking primarily into West Virginia and Pennsylvania. West Virginia University has an "out-of-state" tuition around 2 1/2 more than if one is "in-state." Like 17k more per year... I guess this is to deter non-WV residents from applying which is too bad because it is one of the closest campuses to where I'm at (in western Maryland.) So I ask myself do I write this option off because of cost or maybe just pay the first year with this increased cost and hope to establish residency while in the program and pay the "in-state" tuition cost for the second and third year. This same approach applies to Pennsylvania where I'm looking at a number of schools.

Thank you everyone for all your help. This process is emotionally draining because this decision will ultimately cause a cascade of effects both professionally and personally. It's such a big decision that influences many people and I appreciate everyone's input.

 

[jesspt]

I would contact the office of the registrar at each of the schools you are thinking of applying to. They should know what requirements are for in-state residency and how you can go about establishing yourself as a resident.