Monday, December 14, 2015

University of St. Augustine: Questions Asked

Recently I asked some students entering physical therapy school at the University of St. Augustine if they had any questions prior to coming to school. Here are some of the questions asked: 
  • Would you go to St. Augustine again knowing what you know now? I mean as far as cost of school and living in that area.
My experience at the University of St. Augustine overall has been good. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to go to PT school. That being said, you should look at the price of tuition. I did not fully comprehend how much 13,000 dollars a trimester in tuition really is. The bill adds up quickly. You also have to factor in living costs: rent, food, transportation, internship costs, etc. I can't speak for the Florida or California campuses but Austin a pretty expensive city. 
  • Do you feel well prepared to take on a career in PT?
With most of my classes over with I feel like I am ready to be a PT. All I have left are a couple more internships and then the manual therapy certification courses. As far as regular class, I am pretty much done. The school focuses heavily on orthopedics and manual therapy so in these areas I feel extremely ready. Some other areas, such as pediatrics and neuromuscular, I feel ready but not to the same extent as orthopedics.
  • Does the accelerated program make you feel less prepared or leave out things you wish you had experience in?
Keep the accelerated aspect of the school in mind when deciding to come or not. I underestimated how hard an accelerated PT program was going to be. If you are good at managing your time and you want to get in and get out then you are good. If you need to have a social life I would say you need to find another school. I am not sure what it is like to go to a regular program but I have not felt like the program here is lacking. To ensure you learn what you need to learn takes a lot of time and sacrifice. ___________________________________________________________________________________

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions; I'll do my best to help.

Twitter: @dpt_usa