USC vs. CSUN?

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palibballer1

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10+ Year Member
Just wanted to guage some opinions here. If you had to decide between the two schools, which one would you rather attend?

USC Pros: Doctorate, #1 in the country, better connections upon graduation.
CONS: Expensive

CSUN Pros: A lot cheaper, smaller class size.
CONS: Masters, good school?

I am leaning in favor of CSUN. The PT field is going to be in demand so regardless if you have a DPT or MPT i think you will still be able to compete for the same job. You will also come out of school with a lot less debt. Do the pros of attending a nationally ranked school outweigh the cost? Will USC really help that much in getting a better job?

Any opinions would help, thanks.
 
I'm kind of wondering the same thing also. At first I was set on going to a private school and getting my DPT, now I'm not too sure because it is going to abe a lot of money invested in school while getting a MPT at a state school will be more cost efficient. Most of the therapists I've talked to were saying that DPTs werent' truly necessary quite yet. So it'd be nice to see what other people's opinions are.
 
Yeah, I have my heart set on DPT, but with the economy the way it is I think everyone should really evaluate their choices here. If I get into anywhere local with a MPT, I might just go for it.

In your situation, I would go to CSUN just because you will save tons of money. I rather take that $$$ and downpayment on a house or do something useful with it. I come from a state school background and I feel that my education is on par with private schools. I have friends that went to private for undergrad and we all pretty much end up in the same place. It is pretty much a level playing field from my point of view. By that I mean we both compete for the same jobs and end up making the same salary, but I have much less debt.

I have had the chance to work with grads from CSUN and USC and they are all great. The grad from CSUN went there many decades ago and all the USC grads I knew graduated within the last ten years. They're all very knowledgable and if they didn't tell me where they graduated from I would not have known the difference. The only difference I noticed is that the USC grads drive nicer cars, but that is purely personal preference and I don't think it truly represents one PT making more $$$ than another.

I talked with the supervising PT who runs the outpatient facility at the hospital I volunteered at and he told me that "DPT" or "MPT" is not really factored in when he does hiring. He says it might be a factor in the future, but not at the moment. I hope this helps.
 
I wanted to reply and give you my perspective. I am a second year PT student at CSUN right now and I know there is a common misconception that a DPT is different than an MPT. I received my undergraduate (double major) from CSUN and decided to continue at CSUN for PT because the school gives you an amazing education! Everyone, no matter from what school they received their degree, receive the SAME educational curriculum, and all sit for the SAME national board licensure exam. Salaries for a DPT and MPT are the exact SAME as well, despite DPT schools trying to convince you otherwise. The degree is not what allows you to practice or pays you, it is the license. I agree USC does have a good name attached to it, my sister went there for undergrad, but that alone is not what is going to make you successful. The CSUN community has a strong network as well and to be honest, the PT community is pretty small anyway so everyone really knows everyone. CSUN doesn't get the credit it deserves. I am confident in saying that every graduate from this school, whether undergrad or graduate level, would say without a doubt that they received an amazing education and the professors that they had were top notch. Professors teaching at CSUN also teach at UCLA, USC, MSMC, and many others. I receive the same education as students from these other schools for the fraction of the price. The money component of attending CSUN is also an amazing factor. Because a PT whether with a doctorate or master will be receiving the same salary, it doesn't make sense to have 5x the debt when you're done with school! One last note about DPT. There are continuing courses that you can take (about 1 year of online classes I believe, possibly less) to get your doctorate if you do get a master in PT first. Otherwise you can wait until the national standard for PT is at the doctorate level and you will be grandfathered in and will receive an honorary doctorate! Sounds good to me! I want to say the year 2020 but I could be wrong on that.

The professors in the PT department are amazing and strive to teach their students the newest information available. I would without a doubt recommend the PT program at CSUN. It will develop you into the best physical therapist you allow it to and will prepare you excellently for the board exam. CSUN prides itself on its students' 100% pass rate for the board exam. I feel very prepared so far!

If you have any questions or are trying to decide if CSUN is the right school for you, please don't hesitate to ask me any questions. Obviously I come into the situation with my own biases, and I have never been a student at any other PT program so can only give an incomplete point of view. There may be other factors that sway you toward other schools. Any school you chose will be the right school for you and you will become a great physical therapist regardless. National and state education standards for PT school curriculum dictate the level of education required, it is what each school offers above and beyond which distinguishes each from the next.

Good luck!
 
I would echo those who think it's smarter to go the cheaper route. You/employer will get reimbursed the same regardless of a dpt or not. Insurance co's. don't differentiate between degrees (bs/ms/dpt).........you just need to be licensed. Furthermore, have your employer pay for your tuition/con.ed. for the doctorate.
 
Thanks for all that great info! I am actually on the waiting list for this coming 09' class at CSUN. I was wondering if you had any advice on what to do in order to possibly better my chances of getting in? CSUN is my numer one choice and I wanna do all that I can to get in. Maybe send in another letter of recommendation? Update them on the extra experience I have? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
 
I don't think theres much you can do now. I'm also on the waitlist, and I think we just have to ride it out and wait for people to reject their admission so that they can accept more people from the waitlist.
 
palibballer1 said:
Thanks for all that great info! I am actually on the waiting list for this coming 09' class at CSUN. I was wondering if you had any advice on what to do in order to possibly better my chances of getting in? CSUN is my numer one choice and I wanna do all that I can to get in. Maybe send in another letter of recommendation? Update them on the extra experience I have? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
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I'm in CSUN's PT program as well. What our chair told us was that letters of recommendation don't play that big of a factor. As long as you don't have a bad one and we would like to think that no one would ask someone for a letter unless they knew it would be good.

She told us it's mostly pre-req GPA followed by overall GPA then I think she said GRE scores and hours. I'm not sure how they work with material presented later (your updated info), if nothing else you can call the admissions chair and find out, they are all pretty friendly.

I was in the same boat a couple years ago choosing between the prestigious DPT program and the MPT at the state college and still believe that CSUN was the right choice. I feel I am getting a quality education at a much lower price. CSUN has been gearing toward the shift to DPT and offers all the classes necessary to get the doctorate but unfortunately CA law does not yet allow state universities to grant anything higher than a masters degree yet. But it's always a good idea to apply to multiple schools just in case.

good luck.
 
This was very helpful! If anyone currently attending CSUN has something to say, I would love to hear it since these posts are from 2009. I am choosing between Western University of Health Sciences and CSUN.
 
Since the state schools just became , its more of a reason to choose Csun over Usc then right?


What if I get into both Csulb and Csun? What are pros and cons of going to each one?
I just got into Csun and waitin on lb.
 
kscool911 said:
Since the state schools just became , its more of a reason to choose Csun over Usc then right?


What if I get into both Csulb and Csun? What are pros and cons of going to each one?
I just got into Csun and waitin on lb.
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Long Beach doesn't use cadavers: they use plastinated bodies like the ones you see in Body World's exhibits. The PTs I observed all told me that dissecting a cadaver was an essential part of learning anatomy. Northridge uses cadavers.
 
palibballer1 said:
Just wanted to guage some opinions here. If you had to decide between the two schools, which one would you rather attend?

USC Pros: Doctorate, #1 in the country, better connections upon graduation.
CONS: Expensive

CSUN Pros: A lot cheaper, smaller class size.
CONS: Masters, good school?

I am leaning in favor of CSUN. The PT field is going to be in demand so regardless if you have a DPT or MPT i think you will still be able to compete for the same job. You will also come out of school with a lot less debt. Do the pros of attending a nationally ranked school outweigh the cost? Will USC really help that much in getting a better job?

Any opinions would help, thanks.
Click to expand...
CSUN is going to start a DPT program in 2012.
 
optionpaloma said:
Long Beach doesn't use cadavers: they use plastinated bodies like the ones you see in Body World's exhibits. The PTs I observed all told me that dissecting a cadaver was an essential part of learning anatomy. Northridge uses cadavers.
Click to expand...

That's not true. They use real cadavers from Uci
 
I wonder why the switch to plastinated? And if this is true, how much of an effect it would have on learning anatomy. If they (the cadavers) are from UCI do they stay available for PT students all semester, or is there a need to go off-campus to use the cadavers?
 
adh28 said:
I wonder why the switch to plastinated? And if this is true, how much of an effect it would have on learning anatomy. If they (the cadavers) are from UCI do they stay available for PT students all semester, or is there a need to go off-campus to use the cadavers?
Click to expand...

From what I remember of the info session, the chair said they switched to save money (you can use the plastinated bodies over and over, don't have to get new ones every year) and to get more directly to the "stuff" you'll be studying (muscles, bones, nerves, etc.). Much less messy and no need to cut through all the layers to get there.

However, according to the PTs I shadowed, this is not ideal... I think the debate over which is better is a matter of opinion and preference; for me, I would want a cadaver, but again, this is just my opinion.
 
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