When it comes to school choices

[PTpursuit]

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I have to say, for those who will be applying in the near future.. Don't write off that expensive private school because the cost at first looks daunting. Apply where your odds are best no matter what. Those expensive private schools are likely to give you scholarship, and it can significantly bring down the figures for tuition to comparable costs of other programs. So in short, don't assume, apply wherever you can maximize your chances and be hopeful. - from my personal experience recently 🙂

 

[redrose424]

I have to say, for those who will be applying in the near future.. Don't write off that expensive private school because the cost at first looks daunting. Apply where your odds are best no matter what. Those expensive private schools are likely to give you scholarship, and it can significantly bring down the figures for tuition to comparable costs of other programs. So in short, don't assume, apply wherever you can maximize your chances and be hopeful. - from my personal experience recently 🙂

I don't think the majority of PT programs offer scholarships to their students unless they are really outstanding.. I agree with most of your post but expensive private schools are normally just that - expensive.

 

[PTpursuit]

I don't think the majority of PT programs offer scholarships to their students unless they are really outstanding.. I agree with most of your post but expensive private schools are normally just that - expensive.

I didn't receive a scholarship for merit, it was need based. Some schools will offer scholarship in that form.. But I know what you mean. At the end of the day, it's an extremely competitive process and I want people to not be deterred by the upfront costs because sometimes there are ways around it. Some like me are the applicants with low cumm GPA. I applied mostly where it was strategic and probable I would get in, and it worked out for me. I had average and above average cornerstones in the other important categories and it worked out. I believe bigger schools have the ability to price the education at a higher cost (unfortunately) but they also have the ability to give out need or merit based scholarships to people as well. It's honestly a gamble but if applying to a more expensive school means going to PT school, it may be worth it for those who don't have the above average stats. it's up to the applicant to find out what scholarships are possible at their schools of choice.

 

[NJ DPT HOPEFUL]

I think a good way to state this is apply where you would be willing to go and worry about making decisions when you see what options you have

Not everyone is going to get into the cheapest option. It's better to spend an extra 1000 applying to have those options especially if you have fringe stats

For example. Program b might cost 35k more than program a. But if you only apply to program A and don't get in, you're a year behind, and basically just lost out on a year of PT salary (65-85k) and are working a gap year job, let's say you make 25 at the gap year. The amount you lost in the gap year is more than the program difference plus you're a year behind with no guarantee that program A will take you


I think ptpursuits main point here was to take a lot of the advice on here with a grain of salt and be willing to apply to a large range of schools to make sure you're covered. Rather waste 1k on too many applications than lose much more by having to take off a year

 

[redrose424]

I didn't receive a scholarship for merit, it was need based. Some schools will offer scholarship in that form.. But I know what you mean. At the end of the day, it's an extremely competitive process and I want people to not be deterred by the upfront costs because sometimes there are ways around it. Some like me are the applicants with low cumm GPA. I applied mostly where it was strategic and probable I would get in, and it worked out for me. I had average and above average cornerstones in the other important categories and it worked out. I believe bigger schools have the ability to price the education at a higher cost (unfortunately) but they also have the ability to give out need or merit based scholarships to people as well. It's honestly a gamble but if applying to a more expensive school means going to PT school, it may be worth it for those who don't have the above average stats. it's up to the applicant to find out what scholarships are possible at their schools of choice.

Agreed with this, you have to weigh the costs and benefits. If PT is what you want to do and you're willing to pay for it, then by all means, because a lot of expensive private schools take more applicants where chances are better to get in. I'd just caution putting the notion of scholarships in people's heads, because they are VERY rare (even need-based) but some people will not understand that when they read your post and think a scholarship will be likely. Trust me, I understand the idea of applying strategically to get in with lower stats (I did it), but if it's between a cheaper state school and a more expensive private option don't bet on some sort of scholarship.

 

[ldrp]

I don't think the majority of PT programs offer scholarships to their students unless they are really outstanding.. I agree with most of your post but expensive private schools are normally just that - expensive.

Columbia's program will automatically give you something like $7000 if your gpa is > 3.7, $5000 if it is > 3.5.

 

[astarblaze]

I have to say, for those who will be applying in the near future.. Don't write off that expensive private school because the cost at first looks daunting. Apply where your odds are best no matter what. Those expensive private schools are likely to give you scholarship, and it can significantly bring down the figures for tuition to comparable costs of other programs. So in short, don't assume, apply wherever you can maximize your chances and be hopeful. - from my personal experience recently 🙂

Out of curiosity, could you tell us what school you got a scholarship for?

 

[PTpursuit]

Out of curiosity, could you tell us what school you got a scholarship for?

Gladly, Boston University. And the poster above has also stated Columbia U also gives out partial scholarships, they're out there.. Just have to research 🙂 BU has a need based application on their website. My point is, it is worth the gamble to apply to a school that may be more expensive because they mostly are larger universities that offer small scholarships, work study, Resident assistant opportunities and more. The draw of a large school is that yes it may charge more but it also has the ability to provide funds. Now my education (tuition wise) is comparable to a little above avg for most Pt school programs. Not great, but considering I am an outlier with the stats I have.. I see people rejected with 3.5 GPAs. I was wait listed at my state school (Rutgers south), they only take 33 students. It would be assinine for someone with stats like mine to not take what offers are on the table now just to wait a whole year to apply again to maybe get accepted to a more affordable program. I want to show people it's not always a numbers game, it's variable, it's never cut and dry. I got into two schools that prioritize prereq GPA and do not look at Cumm GPA. So if there is one word of advice, do your homework, and apply where you have most of a chance. I have 3 friends who were rejected from PT schools the first round, and one who was rejected again for a second cycle. They all had higher GPAs than me, you never know unless you try !

 

[Nancy.Elizabeth323]

I have to say, for those who will be applying in the near future.. Don't write off that expensive private school because the cost at first looks daunting. Apply where your odds are best no matter what. Those expensive private schools are likely to give you scholarship, and it can significantly bring down the figures for tuition to comparable costs of other programs. So in short, don't assume, apply wherever you can maximize your chances and be hopeful. - from my personal experience recently 🙂

This is very hopeful but I don't think it's always the case. Some people graduating PT school now from private institutions have enormous debt and were not given anything but loan options with interest tacked on...so you figure starting salary is 70k the highest with a 100k+ loan to pay back??? Yikes..

It would be great if Physical Therapy had loan forgiveness like Nursing and some other health professions.

 

[DesertPT]

In general I wouldn't say expensive schools are LIKELY to give you a scholarship...some of them MIGHT give you one, to try to persuade you to attend there. It just depends on the school.

It's a nice thing to keep in the back of your mind and the OP is right that it is definitely something that could influence your decision, but you shouldn't bank on it.