Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Physical Therapists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Northeastern and UMass Lowell.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider UMass Lowell and American International.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Simmons College and MGH Institute of Health Professions.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider BU, Northeastern, and UMass Lowell.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of BU, Northeastern, American International, and Simmons College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of BU, Northeastern, American International, and UMass Lowell.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Northeastern and BU.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Northeastern, BU, and Simmons College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at MGH Institute of Health Professions, BU, Simmons College, and Northeastern.
Spotlight Schools Search
Study from Anywhere at Online Schools Related to This Career
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Coursework, Diploma
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Boston University • Boston, MA
Studying DPT (completion in 2010)
• 5/7/2011
"I loved my experience. the one and only draw back is how expensive school is (approximately $50k per year)."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend BU. The program is fantastic. The professors are leaders in the field, are very involved, and love teaching. It was an amazing experience. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I believe BU is ranked pretty highly for PT schools. It was one of the first schools to offer a DPT program. |
| Program Quality | 9 | BU was fantastic. I came out feeling very prepared for the real world and a real job. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors are very willing to work with you and answer questions. They also really enjoy getting to know their students which was a good change of pace from undergraduate school where professors wanted nothing to do with you. |
| How Difficult | 9 | There was a great deal of work. Classes were difficult, but I really feel like they prepared me well. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It's very hands on. There are many practicals, and these can be very overwhelming. But you'll quickly realize that you learn a lot more in these hands-on classes that you do in traditional classrooms. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The schedule was pretty rigid and classes were only offered once per year. Therefore, one had to be able to keep up with all the material. Summer classes are offered only because it is part of the three year program. There are no opportunities to take classes on the weekends or online. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Sargent College has its own physical therapy facility and there are opportunities in the school's amazing gym facility to work with the PTs there. They have their own cadaver lab on campus and you have all your classes in one building so you are not running all over Boston to go to school. People form their own study groups and the professors always have office hours and are available by email. |
| Social Life | 5 | Being a professional student, I did not go to any parties or too many school-run events. Boston does have many bars and venues for outside of school activities. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I did not have to use the school's job placement or career services. From what I have heard, though, they are very good. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The school offers opportunities to help you find a job by connecting you to past graduates. Everyone from my graduating class also stays in touch through a Facebook group. |
Simmons College • Boston, MA
Studying Physical Therapy (completion in 2014)
• 7/10/2011
"I'm pretty darn happy with my choice of school. I don't really know where else I would have liked to go this close to home."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's a good program if this is what you really want to do. They know how to teach it. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | The program is definitely well known. |
| Program Quality | 9 | It's a very hands-on program. Also, the instructors were knowledgeable in the latest techniques. |
| Instruction | 6 | I didn't always feel like I got personal attention. However, I definitely learned a lot from the professors. |
| How Difficult | 7 | We had to learn a great deal of related biological sciences. It was definitely a challenge to remember everything. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It's a very hands-on program in general. I think some of the biological studies could only be learned from books, though. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | The program was very medical in nature. There wasn't a lot of room for much else. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The facilities were pretty good. I commuted after my first year so I didn't experience them as much. |
| Social Life | 7 | Commuting made things harder. I did meet some cool people and became friends with some. |
| Placement Services | 6 | I didn't have a great deal of contact with career services. They emailed us some useful information occasionally. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | It's a pretty good network. I wouldn't say that they are very interested in being contacted, though. |
Northeastern University • Boston, MA
Studying Physical Therapy (completion in 2010)
• 8/14/2011
"I was extremely satisfied with the quality of my education and my school. I feel that it thoroughly prepared me for the workforce and what I would encounter as a physical therapist."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I feel that Northeastern is a wonderful school for preparing incoming physical therapists. It will help you gain contacts and hands-on experience, which is vital in preparing for a career. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | My school's reputation is very good, and is climbing up the ranks. It is beginning to gain notice because of its accelerated physical therapy program. |
| Program Quality | 10 | My school gave me a great education in physical therapy. I learned everything I could in classes, but the hands-on experiences were invaluable. |
| Instruction | 8 | The professors were knowledgeable and experienced. They used their own work and experience to teach valuable lessons to students. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The course load was very heavy and included many labs and technical courses. The program was accelerated, so students had to learn very quickly. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | My school focused on hands-on learning more than classroom learning. I was required to complete two 6-month internships during my education. These helped me learn more things than I could learn just in a classroom. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | The school offered a very set curriculum. All classes for each semester were pre-planned. Usually, because the class of physical therapy students is so small, we were all placed in the same classes. There was not much flexibility. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | There were many resources for physical therapy students, especially in the extensive library catalog. Tutors and study groups were always available and professors were almost always ready and willing to give extra help. |
| Social Life | 8 | I very much enjoyed the social experience at my school. Though sports were not huge, there were many organized events and clubs that I joined. I participated in many groups, which enhanced my experience. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Career services helped me gain contacts and meet physical therapists. They helped to place me in internships that were required for my field of study. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Career services at my school were fantastic. They put me in contact with many alumni so that I could gain internships and experiential learning opportunities. |
Simmons College • Boston, MA
Studying Physical Therapy (completion in 2009)
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend my school to those who can financially afford it. I would suggest that those who depend on student loans think twice about attending this school. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Everywhere I go, when I mention where I went to school, people say they heard good things about my school. I have encountered many PTs from Simmons in my career so far. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I received a good education; however, I encountered a few unprofessional professors/university staff. I feel that more could have been done to help maximize my educational experience. |
| Instruction | 7 | Some professors were better than others. There were many educators who were very dedicated and interested in helping in any way possible. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The workload was heavy and a lot of it was "independent study" time. The most challenging thing was having to learn about all areas of physical therapy - including the areas you have no interest in. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Sometimes I wish there had been more hands-on learning. Sometimes there weren't enough "book" studies to supplement the hands-on stuff. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Individual classes were not flexible. However, when I became pregnant during my 2nd year of graduate school, they were flexible enough for me to decrease the number of classes taken during the rest of the semesters to finish the program. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Updated library, good access to advisors, tutors, study groups, etc. Laboratories and most classrooms were outdated and falling apart. |
| Social Life | 8 | School in general was lacking school spirit. Within the PT program, social events were plentiful. |
| Placement Services | 1 | I don't think we had such services/assistance. However, the academic advisor was very helpful in helping polish my resume and going over interview strategies. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | Alumni network was always thrown out there in words, but there was no real talk of how to get in touch with alumni. If you happened to know them while in school (upper class) or they were friends of friends, they were very helpful; however, otherwise, there was no education on how to contact alumni. |
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