Hello friends!
Wow have I just been THE WORST blogger! I have to be honest, since I have no races on my calendar right now and running is sort of on the back burner I’m at a loss for what to write about recently!
Right now I’m consumed with organizing all of our plans for Italy (printing out tickets and confirmations, booking trains, debating what to pack and how to get it all in to a carry on!) and more importantly, stressing about deciding which PT school to go to!
I wrote a post about a month ago sharing that I had gotten my first acceptance into a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program, something I have been working towards (taking pre-req classes, doing observation hours and working as a PT aide!) for over 2 years.
Well, I spent 2 years stressing about just getting IN to a school (any school!), that I hadn’t actually considered having the luxury of options and how to choose WHICH school I would accept at!
I applied to 5 schools and I can honestly say I did little to no research on the programs before I applied to them. I knew I wanted to be in the Boston area so I applied to the schools in Boston and figured if I got in to any I’d look more in to them then – the last thing I wanted to do was fall in love with a school and then NOT get in and be disappointed!
Well, so far I’ve gotten in to 4 schools. (I’m still waiting to hear from the 5th.)
That means I’ve had to visit, learn about, compare (yes, there is a whole pros & cons spreadsheet!) and consider if I could see myself in 4 different programs over the last few weeks – and let me tell you, it’s SOOOO stressful!
Let’s be clear about something – I am NOT complaining!
This is an amazing problem to have and never did I consider that I’d get in to all of these schools, but too many choices can be paralyzing and let me tell you I feel completely paralyzed right now!
They are all great programs and I’m sure when it comes down to it I’ll have a great experience and get a great education at any of them. But still, I have to choose one!
And, I have just about a week left to actually do it!
So, excuse me while I’m MIA for a bit. I’m constantly pouring over school websites and brochures and stressing about making the right decision and honestly I don’t want to bore you guys with that!
Time to head out for a run and see if I can think through some things out on the road!
Live, Run, Grow 
Good luck Danielle! I’m sure you’ll find your answer and settle on the right decision! I’m mostly amazed that you’re only bring a carry on to Italy!! LOL Have a wonderful trip and best of luck with your school choice!
Haha, well the GOAL is to pack in a carry on..I’m not totally confident that’s going to actually happen…
Congrats on all your options!! I totally get it. Even good decisions are tough to make, especially when they will dictate so much of your future. I am a HUGE fan of the pro-con list. I make one for just about every important decision. The pro-con list never lies!! And it often lets you know how you really feel. If the list clearly shows Choice A as the winner, and you go with Choice A, it’s always a solid bet. And if the list shows Choice A, but you just can’t let go of Choice B, you know how you really feel and chances are you’ll be happy with B. Either way, the pro-con has never steered me wrong. Good luck deciding and have SO much fun in Italy!
Thank you! That pro-con situation is exactly where I’m at, there is one school I really want to go to and would be really excited about (and does well on the pro list!), but there is one BIG pro at another school (in the form of a generous scholarship) that keeps making me debate whether the “less excited about” school is the way to go… UGH!
I am the WORST at tough decisions. Maybe you can try talking to some people who have been through the programs and see what some of their personal experiences &opinions are. .Also, I don’t know if it will be a help to you at this stage, but I would ALWAYS check out ratemyprofessor.com before scheduling my classes and such. hopefully that helps! so excited for you!
Thank you!! I’ve spoken to a lot of PT’s in my area and they all say all of the schools I’m considering are great, which is good to know, but overall not that helpful : )
I think I’ve narrowed it down to 2 schools, not to make a big decision between them!
coin toss time! lol!
Good luck! It’s a good dilemma to have, and I know you’ll chose the best one for you. Do you have a favorite so far?
Yes, I do have a favorite, but the problem is a non-favorite offered me a generous scholarship that seems silly to pass up so I keep wondering if I should just go there…definitely makes the decision tougher!
Congratulations Danielle!! This is very exciting, though I understand the stress of trying to sort through the details to make the choice — I’ve been in a similar situation a few times with nursing school, grad school, etc. I think the thing that most helped me was going to each school in person, meeting with professors, sitting in on classes, etc., to really get a feel for the environment and what it would feel like to be a student there. I’m a big believer in going with your gut feeling on things, and I think that has helped me to make decisions that I’m comfortable and happy with long-term. One of my “gut feeling” decisions has led to a bit more student debt than I would have had otherwise, but it has totally been worth it, and I’ve never regretted it. Good luck, and enjoy your trip to Italy!!
This is exactly the problem I am struggling with! One school offered me a fairly sizable scholarship, but it’s not the school I would have otherwise chosen so I’m struggling with if I go with the scholarship school to save the $ or if I go with my gut to the school I’m more excited about!
Wow, what a wonderful problem to have. Congrats on having so many choices.
Thanks Pam, definitely a good problem to have!
For graduate school, the most advice I ever have is to talk with the other graduate students and find out what the department’s deal is, both in terms of institutional culture and funding.
My old PhD department actively asked grad students to not talk shit about the program even though the department was falling apart financially and the historian I met who was supposed to be my adviser decided less than a year in after I’d moved to Minneapolis that she didn’t want to advise me anymore. I’m not sure if it’s the same in your programs, but your adviser can make or break it in terms of getting jobs and funding.
So fortunately this type of program isn’t so much a 1 on 1 with an advisor and research, it’s more like college or grad school where it’s a full class of students working their way through the entire 3 year program so luckily I don’t have an advisor backing out to worry about!
So much other stuff to take into consideration though – licensure exam pass rates, clinical affiliations, class size, tuition! UGH, so overwhelming!
IT’S GONNA BE AWESOME. Now I can afford to break things because I’ll have a friend who’s a physical therapist.
CONGRATS that is awesome!
On the blogging note, that’s what’s great about it, you can write whatever you want even if you aren’t racing right now. 🙂
Thank you so much Heather, it’s exciting, but definitely overwhelming!
I’m hoping once I get past deciding on a school and planning my upcoming trip to Italy I’ll get back on track with blogging regularly!