Virginia Student in need of advice!

[EHCAT4]

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Hello all! I am currently a rising senior Athletic Training student planning to transition into DPT. Here is part of a previous forum post that I was hoping to get more info on!

"I have been looking at schools since I got into undergrad, but still have not selected one. Just for some background, I am in very good standing with my overall GPA, science GPA, and prerequisite GPA, I have a major research project under my belt that we are working to publish next year. I have 150+ hours of PT observations in different settings, I will graduate with 900+ hands on clinical hours for Athletic Training (some of which were in PT stetting), and I will hopefully pass my BOC and come out of undergraduate with my ATC and CSCS credentials. I have met most of the requirements I have looked at on most schools pages,with the exception of the GRE, but am having trouble narrowing things down. I posted on here months ago about picking schools and I understand I do not need to go to a big school for a good education and board pass rates are the most important thing. My biggest issue is I do not want to drown in student loans after grad school. I live in Virginia and go to school in Virginia so I know a lot of Virginia based programs will be cheaper. My current college opened at DPT program two years ago and should finish the accreditation process by the beginning of 2018. If I choose to go there I could live at home and save a lot of money, but what are other reasonable options for me as I want to explore them all? I have been very interested in PITT but it's somewhere in the ballpark of $46,000 a year without the cost of living. No way I could swing that. I know VCU is relatiely cheap compared to other programs, but I would have to do cost of living again. Duke and UNC are on my dream school list, and I actually interned at Duke last year in the Orthopaedics Department so I have a foot in the door, but again not the cheapest. ETSU is also relatively close, but I cannot find a definite tuition rate on their website. My point is for my situation what are some good options? I am open to any and all advice. My big fear I think is I will get accepted into some of the dream schools I have and not be able to afford them."

 

[yodelingyorkies]

So, I do think that certain schools definitely have a leg up on others in terms of quality of education, but I think it's important to put an explicit value on it. Hypothetically, let's say at Duke your professors would all be top researchers and clinicians with oodles and gobs of awesome knowledge. Maybe the facilities are shiny and beautiful and new. However, what's the price differential in real world money? Maybe 30 or 40k more than in-state public? That could buy you a fancy new car, allow you to live in a nice apartment without roommates, shave some years off of indebtedness. For me, thinking like this definitely gave me some more perspective on amorphous debt.

As for things to consider, here are some of the things I'm looking at in schools:
Tuition/cost of living
Board pass rates, accreditation
Location- urban, rural, suburban (where are places you'd like to live?)
Teaching style- since you're looking at Duke, I'm assuming you're aware that they have a unique teaching style (team-based learning)
How clinicals are set up (interspersed, predominantly the last year, general hours etc.)
"Extras"- such as study/volunteer abroad, community engagement, specializations
If school is out-of-state, can you claim residency after the first year?
Pass/fail, attendance policies- some schools are a little more stringent
Dress code for classes- some places require business casual for lectures

Honestly, since you sound like you're a competitive candidate, I would try to stick with cheaper schools if possible. There are some really great, reasonably priced schools out there. I would also be careful about applying to schools you think are out of your price range, as it's really easy to get sucked into the whole "dream" school thing.

 

[elefuntsumbrero]

I'm a little late to this post, but I was in nearly the exact same situation during my application cycle.

I am a Virginia resident, very close to a decent PT school, but I had my eyes set on my dream school, UNC. So when the day came that I got my interview and later my acceptance letter from UNC, I had the toughest decision of my life on my hands. I had heard back from my local school much earlier but hadn't committed yet.

Huge factors for me were cost and quality of life. Had I gone to Chapel Hill I would have spent roughly the same on tuition, but cost of living per year would be WAY more (upwards of $30k over 3 years) considering I moved back home to attend my local school. Also, I did my undergrad in NC and had tons of friends in the area. This could be seen as a positive or negative. I knew it would be tough to balance that lifestyle/distractions with PT school. At my local school, I have a great support system... and homecooked meals occasionally. But... it was UNC! I was so torn.

As the above poster mentioned, my interview at UNC was great, but research heavy. The professor seemed more focused on the research than teaching, which may be good for some students. However, coming from a small undergrad with very supportive professors and a tight knit atmosphere, I was drawn to my smaller hometown school. I still wonder how things would be different now as I enter my 3rd year, but I don't regret it for a second.

Good luck!