A little help please

[Alexander85]

Hey guys, I have somewhat of a high quality problem: I've gotten into three schools of which I like Pacific U the most, mainly because of the didactic systems approach, the staff, and because the program starts in May. But here's the rub, I was offered an interview at Duke in Feb, so my question is, how much weight should I give to the ratings? Should I even spend the money going on the Duke interview if I really like the program at Pacific? Thanks in advance for the help! 

[NathanLe]

There are so many personal factors to take into consideration here, which the rest of us know nothing about. Where do you live? Where do you want to work after PA school? Do you have plenty of dough to burn on the Duke interview or are you eating Ramen as we type? We can't answer those questions for you. 

 

That being said: If you are absolutely certain that Pacific is what you want, then don't sweat the Duke interview. But, if there's a chance that 10 years from now you could be thinking, "Man, I wonder how things would be if I would have gone to the Duke interview?", I would go. ***Cliche warning*** What's the worst that could happen? 

[AREID]

If you want to to pacific why bother w Duke? I was accepted to UC Davis, and the next day got an interview with Duke as well. I decided to not attend the interview, because I was set on Davis. I chose Davis because of the connections I would be able to create during school. Wasn't fond of going to NC then having to return to Cali without any job connects. Don't put ANY weight on ratings. NONE. Doesn't mean anything. Put in the work and the hours and you will be as successful as you want to be. Trust me

 

 

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[GatorGirl]

Many students attend Duke and never leave because the PA laws are so favorable in NC. However, there are tons of new schools in NC and therefore lots of new grads/job competition.

[UGoLong]

While Duke is certainly a good school, the overall rating system for PA programs is suspect. From what I've seen, the "C" at the end of "PA-C" is what matters. 

 

There are so many personal factors that should influence where you go to school that probably overwhelm everything else. The faculty, the program structure, the clinical sites, the cost, being near (or not near) your family, a chance to plug into the local job scene, etc.

 

Be happy and best of luck.

[primadonna22274]

Simple question: would you rather live and train in Oregon or North Carolina?

I have very little idea about the current price tags of either program. I am a Pacific alum (2000) and pretty darn proud that our little program is considered in the same breath as Duke. We were totally unknown when I matriculated and graduated as a PUPA (somebody in my class coined that phrase lol).

You can't go wrong in either place. Nice problem to have--best wishes to you!

[EMEDPA]

agree with what has been said above:

where do you want to train/work in the future? (can you deal with the endless rain and seasonal affective d/o of portland?)

if you are looking at a future in academics, health policy, or are planning on continuing on to a doctorate Duke (as it is a big name school and the birthplace of the pa profession) might get you more bang for your buck than pacific but you can likely get to either final destination as a grad of either school. good luck whatever you decide.

[Alexander85]

Thank you everyone for the input and the food for thought. It really helped.