U Miami or UMDNJ-Newark

[PTchoice]

Hi guys,
Looking for some insight on the choice I need to make by next week. I was accepted to a few schools but it has come down to these two. I am a NJ resident so UMDNJ is the cheaper option and also close to home. I really liked both programs and cant seem to find much concrete evidence to sway me one way or another, let alone a comparison of the two. I know that Miami is ranked higher, 8 vs 44, but I am trying to see what differences there really are between them. Ideally my emphasis word be on ortho and sports Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

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[riseboi]

First of all, disregard the rankings. They mean very little. IMO, they only serve to display prestige to those in & out of the industry who don't know what they're based on. I would put more weight on their ultimate pass rates.

With that said, I am a UMiami grad. However, I do not know anything in regards UMDNJ so I won't attempt to make any comparisons.

IMO, I would say the education you would receive at UM lends more towards the fields of Neuro, CardioPulm, and Pediatrics. I base that mainly by the faculty and where a lot of their research has stemmed from. That's not to say that you wouldn't get a good education regarding Ortho or Sports. As a new Ortho resident, I feel comfortable with the education I received thus far with ortho or sports-related injuries. As far as Sports, specifically, you won't find a dedicated course on Sports PT other than a multiple weekend elective taught by one of the Associate Professors who worked in the NFL, NHL, and with some Olympic sports teams. You can take that for whatever it's worth.

Anyways, that's all I can think of right now. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

 

[mirifical]

Personally, I would agree that rankings aren't everything. I was in a similar predicament this time last year with a couple acceptances but nothing concrete to sway me to any particular school. I'm also a New Jersey resident.

I didn't apply to U Miami, so I can't help you with comparisons either, but I am a student at UMDNJ. Of course one of the reasons that I chose this school was tuition. But it all came down to the fit for me. Some of things that I liked about the program were the curriculum. I liked that the 3rd year is all clinicals and that Anatomy is the summer by itself (the professor is awesome, too). They really promote APTA membership, and they pay for half of lodging and travel expenses in you want to go to any of the conferences. The students also run a free community participatory PT clinic under the guidance of the professors. There are also great opportunities to work with faculty on research projects.

On another note, this is my personal opinion, but I think a lot of schools don't specifically emphasis certain aspects of PT like ortho because the degree is geared towards being a general practitioner. So we have classes like Cardiopulmonary, Pediatrics and Neuro PT besides the series of 3 musculoskeletal courses. For our clinicals it is required that you do an outpatient, pediatrics/subacute and acute. The last one is like an elective. So I think it is a good idea if you know what you want to specialize in, but it may also be beneficial to keep an open mind because I know a lot of people end up in a setting they never thought they would like and loved it.

My best advice would be to check out the websites and compare the curriculum, cost, clinical affiliations, etc. You can also call the schools and ask to speak with professors/students. If you have any questions for me, you can always shoot me a private message.

 

[DJS320]

As previously stated, rankings hold very little bearing; you will be hired no matter where you go. With that said, if you plan to practice in NJ/Tri-State area then it may be more prudent to attend UMDNJ since you will have more affiliation sites in the area where you can make connections and there will be more alumni in the area who will be willing to help you out. Miami and UMDNJ are both excellent schools where you will receive comparable educations so the deciding factor should be the price. Also, the class size at UMDNJ is half of what Miami’s is, which if you ask any PT student, is a huge advantage. I have a friend who went to UMDNJ who now works in Manhattan and has told me that the school prepared her extensively for the field. So, if you will save money by going to UMDNJ, like the fact that it’s a smaller class and plan to work in the Tri-State area, I say pick that. Hope I was of help, good luck with your decision.