Any thoughts on a preference for one over the other for the Athletic training major?
Anyone? Bueller?
It depends what you are looking for in your overall college experience.
I am guessing that, at Skidmore, you are considering the Health and Human Physiological Sciences major, since that is the closest thing to an athletic training major?
Skidmore is a more intellectually oriented, more liberal arts type of college than Quinnipiac. Your experience at Skidmore would be less about preparation for a particular career and more about science and ideas/ knowledge.
If you like ideas and want to explore a wide range of subjects, in addition to your major, then Skidmore is an excellent liberal arts college.
Quinnipiac will allow you to explore a wide range of subjects as well, of course, but it is more pre-professional. It actually has an Athletic Training major! It will give you direct training for that career. It has professionally oriented schools designed to put you into a particular career.
Skidmore’s mission is different. Skidmore will help you to explore ideas, and become a strong thinker and writer, skills you can apply to ANY career.
The student bodies are also very different. For example, for the Class of 2022, the median SAT at Skidmore was 1330 and the median SAT at Quinnipiac was 1180. Skidmore accepts under 30% of applicants. Quinnipiac accepts over 70% of applicants.
I am sure the admissions offices at either college can help answer your questions and maybe put you in touch with professors and students in your prospective majors.
Good luck and best wishes in your college search!
@TheGreyKing Awesome feedback. Thanks so much. Based on what you are saying, academically, Skidmore probably a better fit (they did just this year get rid of the AT major, and yup, she is looking at the HHPS major now instead) as she is a 4.8/33 ACT, but Q is more specifically geared towards her goals. Isn’t that always the case of a not perfect fit. I’m sure we will be looking at others as well. If you have ideas on other schools that have that AT major, I have not found many in the northeast at a small to mid size school. Thanks again.
The kids I know who were interested in Athletic Training programs all thought they’d be working for the NFL or one of the Olympic teams. Reality- one got a job at a local HS-- part-time, and supplements her income by working as a lifeguard at the local Y. Still living at home and it’s going to be panic time soon when she’s off her parents health insurance. Another is a “floater” at a gym- when one of the trainers is out or on vacation, he gets to sub. Otherwise, he’s folding towels and helping newbies find the locker room. A third is a rec assistant at a community center, and taking classes at night to get a master’s degree so at least he can get a job as a gym teacher in a public school system.
If your D changes her major partway through (which many do-- once they find out the reality of the course work, the internships, etc.) and she’s at a college which is a poor academic fit for her other than a special program- then what? You have to ask why a college with an academic reputation on par with Skidmore’s decided to eliminate such a narrowly focused, vocational program.
I would have your D look carefully at course options, requirements, etc. at any college she considers AND find out if there’s a plan B if she switches majors. AND take a look at the kind of jobs new grads are getting coming out of the AT programs. It’s a popular major in my neck of the woods but boy- the professional outcomes look a lot different with those degrees.
Better sports and sportier vibe at Q. Some of the best hockey in the ncaa and a small school. Just opened a brand new pa program which is an extension of the applied medical field you are proposing.
Also they have a nice law school.
It’s plenty intellectual and you don’t have to be committed to SJW activities to be intellectual.
That being said it’s more of a fit issue.
Skidmore is a fine college for sure. But schools like q offers lot in their own rite.
@blossom Thanks for the thoughts. My D is looking at A.T. with the thought of moving on to P.T., and came home from college fair with Q stuff saying she spoke with the rep about that track. If she went with the Skidmore option, she would be looking their HPAC PT program. She knows she needs to get a DPT to really be successful in that career track. It’s that high acceptance rate of 70% at Q someone mentioned, that seems out of whack for a school with a solid reputation in the health sciences. Still looking for other like schools in the northeast with AT/PT tracks. Any thoughts other than Springfield College?
@privatebanker Thanks for the thoughts. She is def. a sporty kid (premier soccer/varsity soccer/bball/weight lifting) and has been to several I.D. camps/clinics at the D3 level with mild coach interest at her age. Looking at getting into club level sport of some kind (ie: ultimate Frisbee club team at Skidmore). I will have her check out the intramural/club sport scene at Q.
My cousin did AT at Springfield and went on to get his DPT at Seton Hall. Seton Hall also has AT for undergrad. The atmosphere is totally different from Skidmore but it might be worth a look.
Similar to pre-med, your D can be any major and apply to DPT programs (the only path to work as a physical therapist), as long as she has met each program’s requirements. There are accelerated 3+3 BA/DPT programs but similar to BS/MD programs they are highly competitive and applicants have high GPAs, high test scores, and some hours working/volunteering in a PT environment.
It’s important to have a plan B, as the DPT school overall admission rate was about 57%, so one has to consider their undergrad major as preparation for another career as well. It’s my sense that athletic training may be limiting and expensive…many trainers (athletic, personal) have only certifications, e.g., NATA, NASM, ACE, ACSM, etc., and not undergrad degrees.
Look here for information regarding DPT programs and admissions:
http://www.ptcas.org/Home.aspx
http://www.ptcas.org/About/ (access applicant data report here)
http://www.capteonline.org/Home.aspx
Good luck.
Well, after calling and speaking directly with a financial aid officer at Q, I learned some pretty disappointing news. Relative to other schools that Q would compete with students for, they are verrrrry expensive for a family at our income level; net cost almost double Skidmore. Q would expect our family, with two additional sibs in college at the same time (3 total) to pay 50% of our gross income every year. For just one of our kids. It was this info that pushed me to call and speak directly with a Q financial officer, who, after going through our finances on the phone, confirmed that information. Really disappointing for a school that was just written up recently for the high financial performance of their 1/2 billion dollar endowment. So much for their mission statement around economic diversity.
I think Skidmore would be a great choice.
In terms of adding schools to your list, you may want to think about broadening your search terms, given your student’s long term ambitions.
Many students who go on to graduate school in physical therapy major in either Kinesiology, Exercise or Health Science, Biology, etc.
McDaniel College in Maryland isn’t quite the northeast–more mid-Atlantic–but it has Kinesiology–and would offer a nice financial aid package to a student with a 33 ACT.
Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania offers a Health Sciences major that might work.
Millersville University in Pennsylvania is a little bigger than Skidmore, McDaniel, or Gettysburg at 6000+ students, but has a Wellness and Sports Science Department which offers several programs which might be of interest.
Over the years, I have screened prospective job applicants from both schools. Without exception, the ones from Skidmore have brought much more to the table in terms of academic qualifications, and they tend to present better. That’s not too much of a surprise, considering you are comparing two schools with dramatically different admissions requirements. It seems the only reason Quinnipiac even entered the discussion was because it offers a specific course of study that appeals to your child, but which may not result in the most lucrative or promising employment, based on what other posters have stated. I would go with Skidmore hands down.
@WhrlingColleges : Thanks so much for that feedback. In addition to location relative to where we live (Q is about 45 min away and Skidmore about 2.5 hours away), Q admits to their DPT program at application as a h.s. senior, whereas S only offers B.S. and would need to go elsewhere for the DPT. (Since first post, DPT is now the goal). Not a big deal, but a factor. Thanks for your input. Very helpful.
What are your thoughts about Uconn’s DPT program? Their exercise science program/kinesiology dept seems highly regarded but would love to hear if you have any experience with those graduates.
I have gotten some negative feedback about UConn in terms of career prep but this is in the most general sense and is limited to several people only. I’ve heard generally favorable comments about exercise science there. I am unfamiliar with the DPT program at Q but I can tell you that I know of a Q student (good but not excellent grades) who was accepted into a clinical program at Yale Medical School. Did well. This seems to be an exception though. If DPT is the goal then it seems to make sense to pursue it rather than attend a school that doesn’t even offer it. It would seem to be a very significant factor and one that has changed the inquiry since your original post.
Maybe Univ of Scranton for their DPT program? Not quite the northeast but close enough.
I have heard good things about the program at Sacred Heart, if Catholic schools are an option.
Thanks for the feedback. Scranton close but not close enough I’m afraid. Catholic or other religious schools are out. Thanks tho
Maybe take a look at the Health Exercise and Sports Science (HESS) major at Denison in Ohio - with your daughter’s stats, she may qualify for nice merit. My S19 is in this program and he really loves it - Denison is a paradise for sporty kids and the HESS program is very high quality.
Thanks, but she is looking northeast.