What would you do?

[NYCPT]

I am an older DPT candidate, 35 years of age, with significant debt from prior life experiences. I would like to move forward with my application but every time I crunch the numbers, I feel that it will be almost impossible to carry on.

I missed a lot of the application dates last year due to outstanding prerequisites. However, there was one program that I was able to apply to last month. Only problem: the cost of the program is $23k a year and this does not include living expenses and etc. As I stated previously, I have prior debt so my etc is significant.

The thought of having to wait until 2012 to enter a DPT program is depressing. I really saw myself starting this fall 2011. I do understand that it is not definite that I will get into the one program that I applied to. If I wait until next year, I will be able to apply to programs that are drastically cheaper, but again there is no guarantee that I will get into these programs either.

If I get into the $23k program this year would you attend or would you wait until next year and apply to the other $11k programs?

What will I do for a whole year until I can apply for the next application cycle? I will work, but don't want to waste time as the clock is ticking. I have other personal goals that I would like to accomplish such as marriage, kids, etc.

Sometimes I feel with my previous debt and age that I should return back to the workforce where I made more than the starting salary for PTs, but I was not happy. What is a young lady to do?

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[NATO]

Hi! Wow! You sound just like me, but the only difference is that I'm a few years younger than you. I plan to apply to PT programs in the next cycle, but there are days where I think to myself "What the hell are you doing?!"

Just like you, I wish I was a fresh-faced kid that just recently graduated college and had all my 20s to fulfill my PT goal. My only major debt is my mortgage and I kick myself for buying the property. Just like you, I have personal goals of marriage, kids, etc....and I think to myself "I'm going to be a 37 year old by the time I get my PT degree. I'm going to be in a lot of debt. Why the hell am I going back to school to make so much less that what I make in my IT job right now?"

I think for folks like us, we have a lot more to risk because we don't have the luxury of time like our younger counterparts. I believe there are some posters on here that are older than us (i.e. in their 40s), but I think they have a spouse to lean on.

To be honest, I'm stll not 100% sold on applying to PT programs next year...primarily due to the PT salary, debt amount, and my age. I know myself...I know that I won't be able to fulfill my personal goals while I'm in PT school because I"ll be so focused on studying. I've started looking at NP programs as well as PT programs because NPs get paid about $15K to $20K more on average than PTs and there as as many NP jobs and there are PT jobs. A direct-entry NP program takes the same amount of time at a PT program. I think the only potential negative of NP vs. PT is that the NP job may have much more stress than the PT job...but I base this solely on open source research, so take it with a grain of salt.

I don't know what to tell you NYCPT. Some folks will say to follow your passion regardless of other factors, but I think folks like us have many more risks to consider. As for you, if you do decide to apply to PT schools, then I suggest waiting another year so that you can get into a cheaper school. You can do a lot to beef up your application in that 1 year of waiting, such as more volunteer/shadowing and taking other classes to increase your GPA.

Feel free to PM me if you want to evaluate risks more.

 

[shellabie]

NYCPT: I am a 34-year-old prospective DPT applicant and although I applied to a school for 2011 (one with a soft deadline), I am most likely looking at a fall 2012 entry. Hence, I'll be 35 (and nearly 36) when classes begin in fall 2012. I am married, so I have a support system in place; however, I do have a very limiting factor to deal with: I cannot move due to my husband's job and the only school that I can apply to is a state university with less than 30 open seats (talk about stiff competition).

At one point I considered going PTA due to cost and ROI. Heck, I still kick around the idea now and then. However, during my PT shadowing experiences, I really enjoyed initial evaluations-- and I can't do those as a PTA. I also don't like the idea of having constantly check with someone else before changing a treatment plan. I'm an independent thinker and more suitable to PT than PTA.

So... there it is. Right now I'm trying to look at it like this: I am going to eventually be 40 no matter what. I might as well be 40 with a DPT than without. In terms of debt-- yep, it's going to be there no matter what. It's another one of those things where you have to say to yourself, "I'm not going to be 55 and have net worth of someone who started in this field when they were 25, but I will be 55 and have all of my debt paid off while still being able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle." Good luck to you!

NATO: Definitely think long and hard about going the NP route. After I graduated with my bachelor's degree, I started a post-bacc BSN program. I completed two semesters with a 4.0 GPA, yet truly disliked the nursing field. I ended up withdrawing from the program. Nursing is just in an entirely different zip code. If you are leaning more strongly towards DPT, then do it... forget about nursing. If it's about "not being able to fulfill other personal goals while in PT school," ya gotta get over that. The BSN program that I was in was very challenging. Lots of out-of-class practice with classmates, group work, travel to observation/practical/rural medicine sites, etc... A good friend of mine is doing a MSN-NA (nurse anesthetist) program right now and she is insanely busy. It is impossible for her to work (let alone do much anything else) with the hours & travel required for the program. I'm assuming a primary care NP program would be similar. Good luck with your decision.

 

[NYCPT]

Thanks Nato and Shellabie for your advice, both of you have great points. I am the daughter of a nurse administrator and know that nursing is not for me at all. I have been told by friends and family members that I should consider nursing as there are a lot of opportunities for advancement in the hospital setting in comparison to physical therapy, but I have no desire at all.

I am just worried about being in debt and not being able to get myself out. I didn't have to take out any undergraduate loans so this is all new to me and I am quite nervous about owing such a large amount of money.

The decision will not be easy, but I will have to figure it out. Good luck to the both of you as we are "mature" candidates that have a lot more to consider than the average undergraduate.

 

[DPT hopeful]

shellabie. what program are you applying to? i noticed you are from NJ. so am I.

 

[markelmarcel]

What will I do for a whole year until I can apply for the next application cycle? I will work, but don't want to waste time as the clock is ticking. I have other personal goals that I would like to accomplish such as marriage, kids, etc.

NYCPT, I feel the same as you, although I'm a few years younger than you. Unfortunately I missed the 2010 cutoff for applying (it just wasn't possible to fit in all the pre-reqs in time) and have been waiting since August 2010 for Fall 2011 to come around.

I think there have been pros and cons to having the ability to work for a full year before I start school... The two biggest being:

Pro-- I can make money to save for school costs since I won't be able to work during school

Con-- I'm out of the studying "loop" - Having all this time off from school makes me realize how stress-free my life could be, and sometimes it's hard to imagine I'm willingly putting myself back in that situation

 

[NYCPT]

Markelmarcel, I am worried with a year off if I will be able to get back to study mode. Anatomy will be a faint memory. It was hard getting back to my school routine after being off for a month. However, I think it could be a major plus to work and save some money for a year. I only applied to one school this year, so if I don't get in I will be forced to apply again for 2012.

I guess I will let the process decide for me.

 

[markelmarcel]

Markelmarcel, I am worried with a year off if I will be able to get back to study mode. Anatomy will be a faint memory. It was hard getting back to my school routine after being off for a month. However, I think it could be a major plus to work and save some money for a year. .

I agree... anatomy is a faint memory. I'm lucky that the job I got is working at the university where I took my classes and my anatomy professor is teaching advanced anatomy (aka regional anatomy) this semester and the lectures are during my lunch break, so I have been going to the lecture when I can to try to refresh my brain. But, then I'll still have all summer until August!

I will say, as well, that having thousands of dollars saved up (I live at home with my parents and thus far have almost $4,000 saved-- started the job in September... should've been saving more, but ah well-- however, I don't want to lie when I'm filling out my FAFSA about how much money I have, but I also don't want it to mess up my "estimated contributions" -- so I just transferred all my money from my savings account into my parents' savings account for the time being.