fdamico1985 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Hi all! I have had this on my mind and thought I would think out loud on the forum to get others' perspectives. I am from AZ and only applied to the two PA schools here as I have never given thought to leaving home and going to school elsewhere. Knowing that this limits my chances of acceptance and receiving my first "alternate list" decision it made me think about applying out of state.... For those of you that have applied to school in multiple states or maybe for those of you that are pulling to get into your homestate school, what are your thoughts? Do you prefer in state vs out of state or vice versa? Any thoughts are welcome!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 I personally find it saddening that a person would opt NOT to travel, explore, learn, experience for a few years far outside their comfort zone. I can't wrap my mind around the concept of how a person could be a well rounded person without leaving their immediate surroundings for an extended period of time. Not leaving your home town is akin to staying in your mother's womb. While it may be warm and inviting, it is horribly confining and does very little to prepare you to live independently. So yes...apply far and wide...then take long trips during your school breaks, preferably in a foreign country where English is not the first language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 money didnt become a thought until after I was accepted into a private school and a state school....I chose the private school because in the end I felt better about the program, the faculty and the area when it came to applying, it was more important that I got into a program and if that meant moving, paying more or whatever then thats what I was going to do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 The school that finally accepted me was out of state. Had I limited myself to in state schools, I would not be going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoPA Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 My husband and I prefer to stay in the NW since our families are from here and we want to settle here ourselves. With that in mind, I only applied to schools on the west coast. At my last interview, one of the other applicants said that was the only school she applied to as she didn't want to move. You have to do what's best for you. Applying to multiple out-of-state schools just to increase your odds of being accepted somewhere isn't very practical if you're going to be miserable there. If, on the other hand, you are looking for new opportunities in new venues, go for it. I agree with JustSteve in that traveling is an amazing way to grow as a person and see lots of cultures/people/places, but some people just aren't suited for it. That's fine, but be honest with yourself about it so you can make a good decision. Isn't it a bit late to be applying to schools? I don't really keep up with deadlines since I submitted my app so early, but I thought the main date was Oct 1st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdamico1985 Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Thank you for the feedback from all! You have certainly made some good points. l.a.lewis - I thought it was too late too but a colleague of mine told me that lots of schools have later deadlines and they do in fact. Some are Nov 1st, Dec 1st and even some Jan 2012. So there are still options for sure...I just need to have a heart to heart with myself and like you said make sure I'm not just doing it to increase my odds but that the schools would be a good fit for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 My five cents. I chose to only apply to schools within my immediate geographic area. I'm lucky there were four to choose from! My soon-to-be husband is also in grad school here, we have an amazing apartment with two neurotic cats who have finally settled down a little, and this is a good city for new professionals to get their feet wet. That said, I will be doing one of my core clinical rotations and both elective clinicals out of state. We decided that since we don't plan to live here forever it would be a great opportunity to test out a new city. I'm lucky again that my program is well-established, with a variety of marvelous learning sites in areas beyond Illinois. I fully intend to make the most of it. Might even go out of the country. Make the choice that's right for you. Each situation is different, and it's your personal decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 My husband and I prefer to stay in the NW since our families are from here and we want to settle here ourselves. With that in mind, I only applied to schools on the west coast. At my last interview, one of the other applicants said that was the only school she applied to as she didn't want to move. You have to do what's best for you. Applying to multiple out-of-state schools just to increase your odds of being accepted somewhere isn't very practical if you're going to be miserable there. I hope this wasnt in response to my statement about wanting to get in a program....I left out making sure that you would enjoy the area that youre moving to because I felt that was common sense. Location was a factor in my decision but I didnt let it be a limiting factor i.e. I found places that were reflective of my home although out of state.If, on the other hand, you are looking for new opportunities in new venues, go for it. I agree with JustSteve in that traveling is an amazing way to grow as a person and see lots of cultures/people/places, but some people just aren't suited for it. That's fine, but be honest with yourself about it so you can make a good decision. Isn't it a bit late to be applying to schools? I don't really keep up with deadlines since I submitted my app so early, but I thought the main date was Oct 1st. oh and there are several "main" deadlines....many programs do not review applications until after their deadlines while some operate on a rolling basis so you can apply this late and still get into several programs, especially if you are a strong candidate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoPA Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 oh and there are several "main" deadlines....many programs do not review applications until after their deadlines while some operate on a rolling basis so you can apply this late and still get into several programs, especially if you are a strong candidate Just_me, did you write the part in blue? If so, nope, I wasn't directing any part of that at you. It's just a general principle that I think makes sense since the OP wanted an opinion on the options. S/he might not have considered the logistics of being accepted at an out-of-state school and the resulting move to a new place. Clearly you have or you wouldn't have chosen to attend one. It's hard to discern tone on the internet, but mine wasn't a judging one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mktalon Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 While I certainly see what Just Steve and the others are saying, I will offer another way to look at this. Using school as a way to travel is a very expensive way to do so. You might pay an average of $35000 - 40,000 more for you education if you go out of state, plus additional living and travel expenses you might otherwise not have to pay if you have a support network in you home state. But even pretending that you don't, $35000 is a lot of money to spend to see another state. There are many ways to see the world and do it for cheaper, and perhaps do some good while you are at it. Spending less on school means not only more discretionary funds after graduation, but it also means that you have more flexibility with what kind of job you take after you graduate. For instance, if you really want to work at that clinic for the underserved, good luck when you have a $100,000 debt you have to pay back and that job starts you out at 55-60,000. But I am certainly not discrediting the advice others are giving because there is value in seeing the world... I'm just giving another thing to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 clinic for the underserved, good luck when you have a $100,000 debt you have to pay back and that job starts you out at 55-60,000. But I am certainly not discrediting the advice others are giving because there is value in seeing the world... I'm just giving another thing to think about. It's a gamble, but I am hoping like a fiend to find a job that'll pay off my student loans for me via any number of options that are out there. Granted, they may only pay up to 60,000 for two years commitment but the rest can be worked off with a decent budget. but you are right, it is silly to use that much money to just travel and gain life experience. However, that much money to travel AND get a PA education rather than sitting at home and not going to school due to not being selected...Well....at least they don't have to pack and move which is never fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 for me it wasnt about seeing the world....it was simply about not completely limiting myself geographically or financially....there were plenty other limiting factors that could be used first and perhaps leave the financial aspect as a tie breaker in otherwords dont let moving or cost automatically disqualify what could be a great fit.....but maybe let those help you decide between two great fits. I had 3 choices....location helped me narrow it down to two and I kept trying to decide if the lower cost for one was more important than the comfort that I felt with the other program and well my comfort was worth more. sure I could have just sucked it up for two years in exchange for instate tuition but why suck it up if I dont have to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just_me Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I wrote it......and yes its hard to identify tone which is why I like to ask and/or clarify.....I know I hate it when people misunderstand what im saying and never try to clarify before they go off so I try not to do it to others.... Just_me, did you write the part in blue? If so, nope, I wasn't directing any part of that at you. It's just a general principle that I think makes sense since the OP wanted an opinion on the options. S/he might not have considered the logistics of being accepted at an out-of-state school and the resulting move to a new place. Clearly you have or you wouldn't have chosen to attend one. It's hard to discern tone on the internet, but mine wasn't a judging one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulPA Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I personally find it saddening that a person would opt NOT to travel, explore, learn, experience for a few years far outside their comfort zone. I can't wrap my mind around the concept of how a person could be a well rounded person without leaving their immediate surroundings for an extended period of time. Not leaving your home town is akin to staying in your mother's womb. While it may be warm and inviting, it is horribly confining and does very little to prepare you to live independently. So yes...apply far and wide...then take long trips during your school breaks, preferably in a foreign country where English is not the first language. Choose the option that is best for you. Out of State schools usually more expensive than In-State rates for the most part. And as far as experiencing other areas of the country, trust you will not have the time to truly appreciate the suttle differences. PA school is about the same as being sucked into a tornado of information. Kind of hard to notice the landscape while spinning in the tornado's vortex! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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