https://www.wpunj.edu/cosh/departments/biology/pre-professional-tracks/pre-phys.html
How about this William Paterson/Rutgers combined 3+3 program?
Requires a 3.0 GPA, 3.3 recommended.
That’s the same GPA to keep the UDel scholarship.
I think it’s a little late to send applications in to,some of these direct admit programs!
Re: OT grad and DPT…in my opinion, the DPT programs are far more competitive. But that’s only my opinion.
If not choosing direct admit, this student will need to do very very well in undergrad school…and try to find some significant shadowing to do that relates to PT.
It will all work out.
My older son wants to do PT too. He was accepted last year at UDel., MIami U in Ohio, JMU,and Univ. South Carolina. He ultimately narrowed it down to Del, JMU and USC. He wanted to leave VA, and SC was much cheaper than Del. But I recall thinking that doing undergrad work there would hopefully produce some sort of edge in grad school applications.
Good luck. I hope that the admitted student days give her a clear sense of where she wants to go. My son saw USC and never looked back. We will see in a few years how that has worked out.
If your daughter is serious about becoming a PT she should go to the Direct admit program at Quinnipiac or any other direct entry program she gets into. I am a PT and hear so many stories about kids not being accepted into DPT programs after doing all of the hard undergrad work. Take the direct entry for sure. I live in Connecticut and Quinnipiac has a strong DPT program. I love being a PT by the way. I worked full time up until the time I had my kids and have found very steady per diem work since working with geriatric patients. It allows for a lot of flexibility if and when your daughter decides to have children. Good luck to your daughter.
Note that direct entry programs do weed out students. For example, Quinnipiac’s program requires a 3.2 GPA in a specified set of undergraduate course work and overall.
https://catalog.qu.edu/health-sciences/physical-therapy/entry-level-physical-therapy-dpt/entry-level-physical-therapy-dpt.pdf
^Yes, but for acceptance into DPT school (and for UDel merit scholarship) wouldn’t she need a 3.3 GPA or higher as well?
USC is awesome my sister goes there and loves it!!
It sounds like academics and getting on the fast track for a DPT career are not her number one priority. You should have a discussion about what her priorities actually are and how much extra you are willing to pay for a fun college experience.
For those serious about doing DPT, 3+3 acceptances are a valuable and hard-won perk.
Which school can you afford for all 4 years?
Not sure why Maryland and Elon are not off the list as they are too expensive! Not clear that UM is worth the extra dollars over UDel (or even Rutgers!).
U Del has a DPT program and looks like they allow U Del undergrads to apply early decision. The average GPA for admission is a 3.71 overall, 3.72 science so the 3.3 Quinnipiac looks pretty good!
Quinnipiac is pricey but may be worth the extra $28K over the four years for the direct admit PT program if you can swing it. But if you really only have enough for 2 years, what happens in year 3? What happens when younger brother goes to college?
Not sure the advantage of U Florida over the less expensive alternatives.
Any of these schools will give her a full college experience. I think you really need to do a budget for each and then decide, looking at payback costs of loans. If she is not sure about PT, then U Del (or an in-state) would be hard to beat. Even if she is sure and does not want (or you can’t afford) Quinnipiac, U Del seems like a good choice.
I am back from our UoF admitted students day, thanks again for the replies from all and I will try to reply to all now.
First, UoF was very impressive. The campus layout was great and there was a local hospital and out patient facilities walking distance to campus. Their Physiology and Kinesiology (APK) program was super impressive. Research opportunities are limitless and she felt very comfortable there.
For posts since Saturday, I have heard the same stories about the difficulty in getting into a grad DPT program and her just going to Quinnipiac will eliminate this stress. I have been clear with her on this from Day 1. We also looked at Ithaca, Duquesne, Slippery Rock and a few others and QU was the only she could see herself at based on location and other qualities. So QU or bust for a 3+3 school.
HOWEVER, if it is not QU, YES, going the longer way may be a risk (4 years undergrad and then apply to Grad school). If we stay in NJ, there are options at Seton Hall, Stockton and Rutgers. If she ends up at UoF, or UDel, they have Top 10 programs in US with some consideration in acceptance if you got your undergrad there too. Elon (final merit decision on April 1 for us) may price us out and for UMary, I believe they will not offer any merit either.
For overall total costs, her all in for QU DPT (with merit accounted for) is $230K.
For her UoF total costs for 4+3 (lets assume she gets into their DPT grad school) is $269K.
For her UDEL total costs for 4+3 (lets assume she gets into their DPT grad school) is $244K.
For UoF or UDEL, you can reduce the total net costs by $25K by applying to a grad school in NJ instead (like Rutgers), making the costs more close to QU ($239K total for UoF and UDEL would actually be less at $219K).
So at the end, costs can be a little deceiving on a pure 3+3 school that it is much cheaper. Again I like QU, bit their costs are also very high. It carries the weight of not having to apply to Grad school only. My humble opinion is that you need to like where you are going to be for 6 years of your life.
So with money now more aligned (UMary/Elon aside), it comes back to having that gamble on yourself to get into a Grad school right away or not.
The 7 year programs are also an extra year of school and much higher GPA required to be competitive for DPT school admission.
So 3+3 (Quinniapac) would be her best option, because it is direct entry, only 6 years total, lower overall cost, and lower required GPA.
Also you could help her pay for the first 3 years, and she should be able to borrow her own graduate loans for the last 3.
Do DPT programs offer any GA positions or tuition waiver on a set number of credits?
That last point that she will be a graduate student sooner and therefore eligible for more student loans sooner is big if you are not able to pay for four years of undergrad. (You have mentioned only having enough money for two years. What happens then?)
The other benefit to a six year program is that she is earning a salary in year seven, reducing the total seven year cost.
How much is Slippery Rock 3+3 that was mentioned as an acceptance previously? Note that Slippery Rock 3+3 only requires a 3.0 to stay in the program. http://catalog.sru.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=22&poid=3478&returnto=436
Slippery Rock tuition was around $30K per year, but D eliminated this school earlier on after she got into QU as SR is a suitcase school and she didn’t want to be at a school empty on weekends.
Can you afford the prices listed in #50, and have sufficient funds for any younger kids’ college and your retirement?
Afford full costs with Grad degree? No. My D will need skin in the game and take out some loans, work over breaks/summer etc. We are figuring this all out as we speak. If there is a will, there is a way to make this work. I wont touch other child’s 529/investments for D.
I’m still thinking you should not have let D decline Slippery Rock. 30k times 6 years sounds like it was your cheapest option. (And not having an in-state school for a financial safety was not wise, either.)
There is not always “a way” to afford the favorite school. Many many kids have to settle. Your D can get 5500 freshman loan, after that you or another adult will be risking their good credit as cosigner.
What are her stats? Did she already apply to Duquesne? It is in Pittsburgh, which is a great city.