Valentine Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Hi there, I'm in the position of being accepted to two schools, for which I'm grateful, and attempting to decide between them! I'd appreciate any guidance or tidbits of advice you're willing to impart. School A Pros: Can live with my parents, sunnier area so less emotionally affected by the seasons. Cons: Bottom quartile of rankings, 40k less then School B. Away from husband. School B Pros: Top 50 ranked school, 40k more, during interview they gave a sense of the school caring about students' well-being and always seeking ways of improving the program. Cons: Alone, away from husband AND family, Pacific Northwest school so I will be more emotionally affected by the seasons. Do I choose a program that's better for my mental and physical well-being (School A) or a school that seems to be higher quality (School B)? How much does program quality matter to future job prospects? Is a higher ranked program worth $40k (40%!) more than the lower ranked program? Will a higher-ranked program make me an arguably better PA? Thanks for any help you might be able to offer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LESH Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Choose a program that's better for your mental and physical well-being. Choose a program where you will have the best family support system. IMHO students usually do best in that situation. Good luck in your future PA endeavors. LesH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 What rankings are you talking about? The US News ones? Those are completely arbitrary and if I remember correctly, are based on responses by program faculty (and maybe students?) - it's not like an impartial party is going around and rating schools based on objective measures. Very few people out there are actually qualified to compare one program to another because students only attend one program and faculty often only work at one, and a handful at most. The stats that matter are things you can compare for yourself: PANCE pass rates, attrition, tuition, location, rotations, etc. You don't need rankings for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopeful2015 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 PA school isn't like law school. There is no Top "insert number". Look at PANCE pass rates, and if there are no red flags, I'd choose option A all day everyday. You're going to save a LOT more than 40k if you're able to live with your parents. I'd say you'll save at least 60-70k once it's all said and done. We become so desensitized to these numbers after seeing them over and over through this process, but 60k is nothing to scoff at. This will equate to thousands of dollars in extra disposable income once you are done with school. Many of your peers will not be so lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disciple3 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 option A. Don't throw another 40k in debt on you don't have to. Unless you think you'd be very unhappy at that program. But you apparently don't get your husband at either so atleast stick with family for support. At the end of the day when you pass the PANCE you will be a PA like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeyes Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Assuming option A has good PANCE pass rates, option A all day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAGuy55 Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Cheaper school with higher PANCE rates all day. Save money. Less debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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