UF or Columbia

[GirlsGoneGaga]

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I’ve been accepted to my top two choices: Columbia & UF. Speaking as a FL native, UF would be the cheaper and & financially responsible choice of the two. Are there any benefits to attending an Ivy League program over a state school (salary, clinical affiliations, etc.)? Any insight is greatly appreciated.


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[Pt234]

I’ve been accepted to my top two choices: Columbia & UF. Speaking as a FL native, UF would be the cheaper and & financially responsible choice of the two. Are there any benefits to attending an Ivy League program over a state school (salary, clinical affiliations, etc.)? Any insight is greatly appreciated.


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Graduate programs are sort of their own individual schools. Those are both great schools but really look at the PT programs individually, separate from the University if that makes sense. UF technically has a higher ranked DPT program (top 10 in the country), whereas Columbia stands at #36 I believe. Keeping this in mind, as well as the fact the UF is the financially smarter option, I would probably choose UF if it was me. Also, I worked as an aide at a large orthopedic clinic in the San Fransisco area that had a UF grad working there. She was probably one of the best PTs I've worked around and had the largest patient base, even while being somewhat of a recent graduate.

It all comes down to cost, reputation, environment of the school, and the program's curriculum. Really do some research in those areas and you should be able to come up with the right choice.

 

[Borscht]

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation, except in a different state - you can check out my other message thread for some opinions from others on this type of situation!

 

[GirlsGoneGaga]

I'm dealing with almost the exact same situation, except in a different state - you can check out my other message thread for some opinions from others on this type of situation!

thanks will check it out now!

 

[GirlsGoneGaga]

Graduate programs are sort of their own individual schools. Those are both great schools but really look at the PT programs individually, separate from the University if that makes sense. UF technically has a higher ranked DPT program (top 10 in the country), whereas Columbia stands at #36 I believe. Keeping this in mind, as well as the fact the UF is the financially smarter option, I would probably choose UF if it was me. Also, I worked as an aide at a large orthopedic clinic in the San Fransisco area that had a UF grad working there. She was probably one of the best PTs I've worked around and had the largest patient base, even while being somewhat of a recent graduate.

It all comes down to cost, reputation, environment of the school, and the program's curriculum. Really do some research in those areas and you should be able to come up with the right choice.

Thanks for your response. Where are you seeing this school ranking, and also just how accurate is that? What factors are considered when a school is ranked?


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[Pt234]

Thanks for your response. Where are you seeing this school ranking, and also just how accurate is that? What factors are considered when a school is ranked?


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The ranking comes from U.S. News and World Report. Google search "Best physical therapy programs" and it'll be one of the first links you'll see. And remember, it's the DPT programs themselves that are being ranked, not necessarily the school as a whole. The ranking seems to be accurate, as the different programs use this information when improving upon their own programs year to year. They also usually include this information in their program websites and open houses, as it is a reputable source of national ranking which is why schools like to share this among applicants (especially if they're highly ranked).

There is some debate as to what exactly goes into the ranking system. From what I've gathered, it's a combination of things like first-time and ultimate passing rate of the licensing exam, program drop-out rate, employment rate post-graduation, the amount and quality of research coming out of program (and thus, it's contribution to the PT field as a whole), student satisfaction within the program, and also the ranking of the programs themselves (meaning each of the programs rank the positions of the other programs).

 

[ohhihello]

Thanks for your response. Where are you seeing this school ranking, and also just how accurate is that? What factors are considered when a school is ranked?


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The one everyone looks at is from US News and yes UF IS ranked higher than Columbia. From what I’ve read they take stats like first time pass rates, ultimate pass rates, graduation rates, how many students get jobs within 6 months, alumni salaries and other stats from alumni surveys and feedback. I’d say it’s a fairly reasonable and reliable list.

However I don’t think that just because a school is higher ranked that it is always going to be the best decision for an individual. I turned down a #1 ranked program for a #15 because not only would I pay less but I LOVE the location and community engagement of my choice. If Columbia is your dream and you’re going to be happy and put more into yourself and education bc you’re their and don’t mind having to live on less for a while I say go for it. But if you just like the name and are having a hard time finding reasons to choose it aside from that I say stay away.

More than anything your education is what you make of it and it’s up to you to determine what kind of PT you will be. The people who will be impressed with an Ivy League school are your friends, family and patients but not really your employers. I work with a DPT who went to USC and sometimes, less just call them more complicated, patients will demand to see only her bc of it, although she’s a great doctor I wouldn’t say she’s the best we have and we have PTs from all over. All of the PTs I work with are fairly recent grads and the only one who made more starting was from a no name state school bc he was the only one who negotiated a salary instead of immediately accepting the offer. But the ones who make more now after working 2+ years do so bc they proved themselves.