scalifornia Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Hi there! I am wondering if anyone has some advice on picking a school. I have been very lucky to have been accepted to three great programs. Now, I'm having such a hard time picking! I've broken down my thought process below and I am hoping you guys can offer some advice. USC: great location, great alumni network/opportunities, expensive Colorado: great reputation, largest class size, great connections to nearby hospitals Chapman: Great location, great family feel, smallest class size, provisional status, I would be entering 2nd cohort (new) I love each school for different reasons! What are some factors that I should weigh most heavily when making this decision? How should I weigh location, reputation, accreditation (provisional vs continuing), and other factors? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modernlily16 Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 which school did you feel most comfortable with at the interview? which school's faculty and current students made you feel the most welcome? would you have to move to attend any of these programs? definitely need to weigh tuition, PANCE pass rate and things like that. if it were me i'd just pick it based on where i think i could thrive the most Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 USC is the third most expensive PA program in the country. I would definitely cross it off the list for that reason alone. https://www.thepalife.com/pa-school-tuition-2017/ For the other two schools, I would focus on the PANCE pass rate (you'd be taking a little risk with Chapman since they presumably don't have any data yet), where you'd ultimately want to work (a lot of networking can happen during rotations), the facilities and support provided, and whether you got a good "feel" of the program at your interview. Also keep in mind that Colorado's program has a pediatric focus, so that may be something to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palurker Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Would Colorado be near the cost of USC because you are out of state? (Guessing from your name). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panglossian Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Where do you want to end up after school? It will be harder (but not impossible) to makes connections and ultimately get a job in a state diferent than the one you attend school in. I would also heavily weigh cost vs reputation (i.e. provisional status). Are you okay with a larger amount of debt in exchange for more assurance of a job post-graduation? Finally, where do you see yourself being most sucessul as a student? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hustleforthePAC Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 First off, congrats!!!!!!!! Being from s ca for me I'd cross off u o c. USC is $156k and three years, summers off so you get time to absorb the information some time to rest off your brain. but the good thing about them is their relationships with clinical sites and hospitals in la. And yes you’re correct the network there is great and you know what they say it’s not about who you know or what you know but it’s about who you know and what they know about you ! Wait I think I just made that up [emoji4] Are you more comfortable with the class of 60 or do you prefer a class of 20? From my understanding and research As a student there, you’ll be trained really well to excel before clinical year starts (coming from a Ucla Bruin that’s hard to [emoji23]admit!) Chapman has a beautiful campus, quiet neighborhood and rent in area cheaper oc traffic isn't as bad as la traffic in the usc area. youll be done in under three years.Bruxies near campus! Your insurance rates will probably be cheaper in orange county but all that is not a big deal just a factor to consider. The difference in cost is only about 40,000 chChapman think last time I looked is over 105,000as a PA you could easily pay it off if you get THE JOB as an alumni at usc. The upside about Chapman is that you will be done quicker. what do you value more? I can get you into touch with a current PA student at USC I know two of them with your questions msg me! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACrankset Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 What the above have mentioned is all true and good advice. On the tuition front Colorado is still three years the same as USC but you can get instate tuition after the first year which would bring it down to around $70,000 for the three years instead of $107,000. Like others have said if you plan on going back to California after school it might be more difficult to find a job, having said that every PA I know in Colorado went to school out of state and had no issues finding a job straight out of school. I can only speak to my experience interviewing at Colorado, but I thought the faculty and students were by far the most welcoming that I have experience at my interviews. But I might be biased because I will be attending Colorado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmanandrobyn Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 On 10/24/2017 at 8:16 PM, scalifornia said: Hi there! I am wondering if anyone has some advice on picking a school. I have been very lucky to have been accepted to three great programs. Now, I'm having such a hard time picking! I've broken down my thought process below and I am hoping you guys can offer some advice. USC: great location, great alumni network/opportunities, expensive Colorado: great reputation, largest class size, great connections to nearby hospitals Chapman: Great location, great family feel, smallest class size, provisional status, I would be entering 2nd cohort (new) I love each school for different reasons! What are some factors that I should weigh most heavily when making this decision? How should I weigh location, reputation, accreditation (provisional vs continuing), and other factors? Thanks again! Would you mind posting your stats (GPA, GRE, experience and volunteer hours)? I only ask because these are some of the programs I am hoping to get into after applying next cycle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paby2020 Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Congrats on the acceptances. That’s a problem most could only wish to have! I would choose Colorado if it were me. 150k+ is quite a lot for tuition and I wouldnt want to be the 2nd class for a program if given a choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massilu814 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Congrats on your acceptances! I have had a similar situation, choosing between moving, tuition costs, or being close to home/family. Looks like its been a few months since your original post and I was wondering which school you decided on? Best of luck to you wherever you've decided to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 1 hour ago, Massilu814 said: Congrats on your acceptances! I have had a similar situation, choosing between moving, tuition costs, or being close to home/family. Looks like its been a few months since your original post and I was wondering which school you decided on? Best of luck to you wherever you've decided to go. It looks like they chose USC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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