Finding Your Match: Things to Think About When Applying to DPT Programs

It’s application season and most of you will have your list of schools picked out already. I, however, am indecisive when it comes to choosing schools. I can see the benefit to both sides of everything -- small vs. large cohort sizes, city vs. suburban, lecture vs. team based learning styles, you name it and I’ll say “I can see how that would be great”. I was also a bit attached to the “idea” of a school because I had heard it is great program from one person, or because it has a great reputation, or is located in a wonderful sounding place. Being drawn to the idea of a place is a definite plus, but I realized I should have the evidence to prove to myself that these schools would be a perfect match. These thought patterns resulted in my being rather indecisive about selecting a concrete list. So, I spent A LOT of time researching what I want. What it has come down to is this: although all schools offer many great things, there are ultimately certain characteristics that are more important to me and make me a better mutual fit with that school.  

Below, I have listed as many different criteria as I can think of to consider when choosing a DPT program and why they may be important. I focused on the less straight forward features such as curriculum design, learning styles and relationships between professors and cohort rather than the more obvious filters of cost, average GPA and location. Much of this information came from scouring academic websites, speaking with admissions counselors over the phone, speaking with students currently in the program, and general brainstorming. Jump around to sections that will be helpful to you. Hopefully this will provide some ideas for those still on the fence about different institutions and maybe even influence your essays!

Disclaimer: These are my personal collection of thoughts and opinions. I know this document could benefit from additional perspectives and I welcome those thoughts!

Research and Beyond: If you have already done your research and are still struggling to find your perfect match, I used a trade-off table as an objective technique to narrow down my own potential matches. I mapped DPT programs against the criteria most important to me. Then scored each program based on their performance in the listed criteria, culminating in a priority ranking reflecting programs that match my personal values. Check out my next article for using trade-off analysis to quantify your decision making process.

And in true listicle fashion, here we go!

1. Academic Experience

• Program philosophy
• Importance:
• The philosophy and mission statement expresses the program values and drives the culture, academic emphasis, thus influencing your exposure to different types of experiences. It is preferable to be in an environment that matches your values and goals for your career. I have listed a few examples below. Schools will sometimes mix and match these statements, but I’ve found that they all have a strong orientation toward a single direction.
• Examples:
• Service oriented, giving back to the community, enhancing the welfare of society at large
• Improving and enhancing the practice of physical therapy, advancing techniques, and contributing to the profession. Examples of this would be policy improvement, research advancement and improving business efficiency.
• Teach evidence-based practice
• Curriculum Design
• Importance:
• The cadence, order, and intention behind the academic curriculum indicates how you will be learning the material. All programs should offer the same foundational information, but  will differ in presentation. Curriculum design can also play a role in the order of the settings in which you do your clinical rotations. Check out the curriculum layout for each school to see what their style is.
• Examples:
• Semesters (~16 wks) vs. Quarters (~10 wks) vs. Modules (~4 wks) -- The main differences that I’ve noticed with these time blocks is how material is divided and how much you have to retain for a final exam.
• The modular program is the most unfamiliar model consisting of 4 week segments that divide up a semester’s worth of time. The specific example of the modular system takes those 4 weeks to do a deep dive into a specific case study (eg: cardio pulmonary) and you’ll learn everything you need to know to solve that case. So rather than learning the anatomy separately from the physiology and from the best treatment practices, you’ll learn everything to solve that case simultaneously. The final at the end of the semester will be comprehensive of the 4 modules within it.
• Broad foundational first year with deeper, specialized learning in the second and third year reinforced by clinical rotations.
• An advantage with this model is that you may be able to tailor your second and third year experiences to be in line with your interests. A disadvantage is that you could be placed into a clinical setting where you have not received as much in class exposure and will have to learn in the moment. For example, being placed into a neurology setting without having a ton of neuro exposure due to the broad curriculum.
• Each year has a specific body system focus. For example, one year is musculoskeletal, the next is neurology and cardiopulmonary, etc.
• Could allow you to focus in on one area without having to recall information from a few semesters ago. It allows your clinical to follow directly after you have learned the material. However it may leave less room for exploring or electives.
• Accelerated first few semesters with foundational information to allow time in the third year for many electives.
• If a program does not offer electives, it will be up to the student to explore specialty areas on their own. Professors are generally more than happy to explore with you, but the student will have to initiate.
• Teaching and Learning Style
• Importance:
• Most programs implement a mix of teaching and learning styles, but some are predominantly one.
• Examples:
• Lecture based
• Group based work -- lots of projects that are required to be done together
• Integrated learning -- this requires you to prepare a lot before class so you can participate in discussions and ask the professor about topics you’re unsure of or want to know more about
• Problem based learning -- material is centered around a patient case that you’re required to solve
• Capstone Project
• What it is:
• Year long project that can either be research based, improve quality of practice or service oriented. Some programs will give you the flexibility to choose the direction of your project, others are mandatory research projects where you either contribute to ongoing research lead by a professor or you can research your own question. There are variable degrees of freedom depending on the situation.
• Consider:
• Some schools do not require a capstone project. If you know you definitely do not want to be involved in a longer project, check in on this requirement. Some schools will mandate that it’s a research project, in which case you need to find a professor who will support your research. It will benefit you to research professors at each school because you can speak of your shared interest with that professor during your application or interview process. Other schools give you more wiggle room to decide your project and allow it to be a wide variety of topics.
• Research is still possible without being required.
• Clinical rotation duration, strength and placement process
• Importance:
• Many current students and recent DPT graduates have attested to their clinical experiences being some of the most important learning opportunities in their education. It’s a difficult portion of the curriculum to do pre-matriculation research on. Programs will have developed personal relationships with clinical sites and that information usually is not shared due to the fact that those sites may or may not have an opening during your academic career. It’s also hard to gauge whether they are quality clinical placement sites with quality mentorship. The best way to find this information is to ask current students about their experiences.
• Consider:
• Each school will have its own set of requirements for the types of rotations each student must complete. This usually pertains to types of cases you will exposed to -- inpatient ortho, cardiopulmonary, acute, etc. Some will have requirements to go out of state or to a rural area.
• The total weeks of clinical rotation is also a great  point to consider. The more weeks you spend in clinical, the more time for exploration of different fields and direct feedback. It will come with trade offs, for example fewer electives, accelerated courses, etc., so make sure you know what the pros and cons are.
• The clinical placement coordinator will have a huge influence over where you end up. Make sure  this person will do their best to place you where you can flourish. I’ve seen more difficult situations where coordinators are newer to the program, which causes a bit of chaos with very last minute placements (bad if you’re moving states and need to find housing) or the quality of the site has not been fully vetted. Sometimes schools can place you in settings you have not yet had exposure to. For example, placement in a neuro setting without much exposure to neuro.
• Location of clinical affiliations can be a big factor as well. Programs will specify whether they only place in the surrounding area, only in state, or all over the country. Do note that even if a program will place you out of state, they typically still have the most affiliations in the surrounding area.

2. Relationships

• Cohort Size
• Importance:
• Know what social and learning dynamics you’re most comfortable with because the size of the class will influence how everyone interacts, formation of study groups, and professor-student relationships.
• Consider:
• Smaller cohorts could make it
• Easier to get to know everyone
• Easier to get to know faculty
• Harder to feel a “close-knit family” if you happen to not be super close with anyone (has happened to me before)
• Larger cohorts could
• Have more peer resources and more brains to pick
• Be cliquey
• Be easier to find your group of friends
• Cohorts that pull heavily from the undergraduate institution
• A few schools will recruit some of their new PT class from their undergraduate institution, creating a mixture of say 50% students moving straight from their undergraduate education and the other 50% from outside of the school. This is just an observation I wanted to share.
• Faculty to student ratio
• Importance:
• This could be a better indicator than cohort size of how accessible faculty are to their students. Schools with larger cohorts sometimes also scale up the number of faculty, resulting in a very small faculty to student ratio
• Commuter vs on-campus feel
• Importance:
• Location will dictate where people decide to live. Living far away could save you on rent, but you lose the closeness and bonds that form from conversations in passing or late night study hours. Of course, everyone has to do what’s right for their lifestyle.
• Consider:
• Some locations make it easy to live near campus, whereas others (eg: in a city or where real estate is expensive)may promote commuting via public transportation, carpool, etc.
• Dynamic and relationship with faculty
• Importance:
• The culture of the school can influence the style of interaction between faculty and their students. This style will interplay with your own personality and may make it easier or more difficult to get to know them.
• Consider:
• Some schools have a hands off approach where faculty are more than available, but students need to take initiative to seek them out.
• Other faculty will have a more personal relationship and will seek you out to get to know you, make sure you’re doing well, and speak with you if you’re not doing well
• More attentive faculty can be great for helping you stay engaged and provide personalize and tailored material for you. One downside is that it could feel like micro-management or nagging..

3. After Graduation

• Ties to post-grad opportunities
• Importance:
• Residency programs, new jobs, and academic placement will be top of mind after passing the licensure exam. Schools with strong ties to future opportunities can help with a smoother transition into the working world.
• Alumni Network
• Importance:
• This is something I underestimated in my undergrad program. I have noticed that people who have access to a strong alumni network are able to tap into something special after graduation. It’s not a make or break factor, but a terrific bonus feature to have. It helps to build community and friendships after graduation, providing a network of experiences to tap into and at its best can be the connection to the next career move.

4. Program Overview

• Location -- This may or may not be one of the easier filters.
• Importance:
• 3 years is a good chunk of time, so you’ll want to make sure you’re comfortable, have access to what you need (city life, mountain ranges, cheap rent, etc.) and the people you need (friends, family, new friends, significant others, etc.)
• Your location will influence the types of clinical rotations you’re placed in. Schools generally have the majority of their clinical placements in local areas. Even if there are out of state clinical placements, you won’t always have as easy of a time accessing them.
• Your school could play a role in where you get a job after graduation
• Consider:
• Is it important to have family and friends close by?
• What’s the culture like? What types of people will you be interacting with? Will you be comfortable? Are you looking for something new?
• Is accessibility to planes and trains a factor?
• What’s the weather like? (eg: are you like me and very allergic to mosquitos and considering a place where there are tons of mosquitos over the summer?)
• Cost
• Importance:
• You’re paying for it so make sure it’s worth it!
• Consider:
• Cost of tuition
• Cost of living (rent, groceries, restaurants, amenities, etc.)
• Cost of transportation
• How long will it take to repay debt after school?
• What does this program offer that results in higher tuition?
• Are there financial aid packages offered specifically by the school?
• What are some examples of financial aid packages offered to the generations of students?
• GPA, GRE, Letters or Rec., Service hours
• Importance:
• There’s a baseline of classes you have to take and things you have to do for 99% of DPT programs out there. After that, each school will vary in terms of what they want. Make sure you’ve covered what the schools want for your best chances of acceptance.
• Consider:
• There are a huge range of considerations, exceptions and edge cases that people fall into. The most common advice I’ve gotten is to truly be yourself and put all 110% of you on the table.
• Length of the program
• Importance:
• The timeline of the program will reflect the design, structure, style and emphasis of the course material. Choosing a program that best fits your lifestyle will provide the most optimal results.
• Consider:
• Accelerated ~2.5 year programs -- I noticed the trade off is less clinical time for the earlier graduation date
• 3 year programs -- this is the traditional timeline
• Hybrid programs -- can be 3 years or longer
• can require travel to the school (eg: ~10 times over 3 years)
• meet with students and faculty in virtual classrooms and virtual discussion room settings
• Allows you to work from wherever your home may be
• Program start date
• June start date usually means you’ll end in May
• Fall August start date usually means you’ll end after the summer
• Rankings and Statistics
• Importance:
• They are data points. Some schools will admit that the rankings are arbitrary but they’ll announce their rank anyway. I have not been able to get a straight answer from admissions counselors about why ranking is important.
• Statistics about licensure exam pass rate and ability to get a job within 6 months can be telling of the strength of the education.
• Opinions I’ve heard:
• Ranking is a reflection of research contributions than quality of education
• Ranking reflects how well known a school is

-Stephanie Yeh

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