So, the son decides he wants to get his DPT (doctor of physical therapy). Apparently you really need the DPT in the modern world to be a physical therapist.
If he had decided this before he got his BA, he could have studied harder and taken more of the pre-reqs (he’s fixing some of that now) and probably have gotten admitted somewhere, but that is water under the bridge.
At any rate, it looks like he can get into a school that is in the process of getting accredited. Per the school web-site, it “has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education”. They are very upfront that if they don’t get accredited that the kid won’t be able to sit for his boards.
Other than the obvious possibility of spending three years and $$$ for a worthless degree, does anyone have thoughts/experience on the odds of the accreditation happening, and what happens if it doesn’t?
Obviously, a lot of this is questions to ask of the school. He’s scheduling an admittance interview within the next couple of weeks, which I’ll probably be flying out with him for (I will not be sitting in on the interview (I try not to fly a helicoptor)). What questions should he ask? Should he ask in the admittance interview about the accreditation, or do that at another time?
At some point, I imagine I might get a chance to talk with people at the school also (with him present) - so I also want to know that to look for.
The first question I would ask the school Is “If you do not get accredited before I graduate, will you refund all of my tuition?”. If the answer is “Yes”, my second question would be “Can I get that in writing?”. Even that wouldn’t do much good if the school were to declare bankruptcy. It’s a huge gamble.
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) is the legit accrediting body for Physical Therapy schools. Before going to the school, I would go to the accreditation commission and ask about the school, the timeline for accreditation and any other info they are willing to give.
My advice (from a friend who went from a Bachelor’s in Communication to a DPT student starting this summer) is to ask admissions what they’re looking for, and fix that. It could be as simple as taking another year of coursework to raise his GPA or gain more appropriate education, to retaking the GRE for better scores, or any of a number of things. At worst, it’s an extra year, maybe two, and some dough. It will also give him a chance to get in more schools, and thus have more options and possibly aid. Compare that with a school that might turn out to waste MORE money and time, and be the only option he has. Postponing another year might not be such a bad idea anyway, depending on what his first degree was in. It’s better to learn the underlying physiology in a lower pressure undergrad setting than trying to play catch up in a postgrad program that’s going to be insane already.