Simmons College DPT 2020

[twotired]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Pretty sure I've decided on attending Simmons. Just wanted to get some perspective and see who else is out there.

In my case it came down to Simmons or MGHIHP. Simmons offered me a Dean's Merit Award of 65k. MGH has a better reputation it seems. The majority of MGH staff PTs are graduates from the IHP (no surprise there). Still, the leadership of the APTA, MA-APTA, and Spaulding Rehab for example hold Simmons DPT degrees. I really liked visiting MGHIHP and their faculty seems top notch. It was hard to give that up.

From studentdoc and various PT blogs it seems like the cost of DPT programs is a major concern for both students and current PTs. Also, more often than not I read that PTs do not care where you went, only that you're licensed and have adequate experience. At the end of the day I just want to be able to pass the board exam and start a career.

 

[FitPanda]

Twotired,
I ended up not applying to Simmons because I have low stats and I'm not eligible to apply due to too many repeated courses. I did attend their open house, and I know a current student. My biggest concern about Simmons' DPT is student retention. I would have a serious look into that before I commit.
But, 65k is huge huge money, so congrats on that! I am sure that taking some of the financial pressure off of attendance can only help you academically!

 

[A_dpt_hopeful]

You have a decision between two great schools! Congrats! However, even if MGHIHP was your top choice you can't beat the scholarship. Having lots of student loans to pay off is definitely a problem with graduate students nowadays. Either way, good luck!!

 

[twotired]

Twotired,
I ended up not applying to Simmons because I have low stats and I'm not eligible to apply due to too many repeated courses. I did attend their open house, and I know a current student. My biggest concern about Simmons' DPT is student retention. I would have a serious look into that before I commit.
But, 65k is huge huge money, so congrats on that! I am sure that taking some of the financial pressure off of attendance can only help you academically!

Thanks for the tip, I did look into it and here's what I gathered. I threw in data for BU because I found that BU and Simmons had somewhat similar graduation rates, while BU and MGH have similar class sizes.

Class Size
Simmons: 44

MGH: 65-70

BU: 70

Graduation Rates (various sources)
Simmons:
88-89%
94%
94%

MGH:
98%
93%
95%

BU:
87-88%
100%
84%

CAPTE Mean (page 3):
2014-2015: 92%
2015-2016: 95.9%


My feeling is that MGH has a better overall graduation rate, but Simmons' graduation rate isn't necessarily worse than other schools (as compared to BU here). The question to ask is, are the outcomes given by MGH worth paying for? In a naked comparison between the schools I would choose MGH but the grant offered by Simmons is indeed a decision breaker. Instead of weighing tuition costs of 129k vs. 117k, its now 129k vs. 51k. The grant has brought Simmons' private school tuition down to state school levels (page 7).

 

[FitPanda]

Thanks for the tip, I did look into it and here's what I gathered. I threw in data for BU because I found that BU and Simmons had somewhat similar graduation rates, while BU and MGH have similar class sizes.

Class Size
Simmons: 44

MGH: 65-70

BU: 70

Graduation Rates (various sources)
Simmons:
88-89%
94%
94%

MGH:
98%
93%
95%

BU:
87-88%
100%
84%

CAPTE Mean (page 3):
2014-2015: 92%
2015-2016: 95.9%


My feeling is that MGH has a better overall graduation rate, but Simmons' graduation rate isn't necessarily worse than other schools (as compared to BU here). The question to ask is, are the outcomes given by MGH worth paying for? In a naked comparison between the schools I would choose MGH but the grant offered by Simmons is indeed a decision breaker. Instead of weighing tuition costs of 129k vs. 117k, its now 129k vs. 51k. The grant has brought Simmons' private school tuition down to state school levels (page 7).

Twotired- I think if you're saving 80k, Simmons is a no brainer. You could even take on an "extra" 10k in loans to make the school experience sweeter. I'd use the money to pay for vacations, tutoring and a massage every once in a while.