Feeling jipped....

[distressedDPT]

Hi Everyone,

I was hesitant to post on here but I am curious to hear others thoughts and feelings about their program. I am almost done with my coursework and I am feeling extremely unmotivated due to the nature of my program. It seems like my program cares about the wrong things and doesn't seem to care about the students. When I initially interviewed, I had generally good feelings about the program and felt like it was a decent fit for me. Now, after each semester has passed, I find that my education and potential seems to be suffering. The program displays clear favoritism to students that went there for undergrad, the professors do not like to be questioned or challenged on any topics and our pathology classes are harder than the med students. I feel like I have wasted so much potential and money and I am feeling extremely frustrated at this point in my journey. I feel like I am going to be a horrible health care provider and I honestly feel like my clinical skills have declined from my undergrad where I had a variety of clinical experiences. I have no motivation or care anymore because I always feel like I am going to be inadequate. I am not looking for sympathy or anything like that, I am just curious to see if anyone else is having a similar experience?

It seems like the schooling I am currently in is extremely different from what they presented themselves as.

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[truthseeker]

Sorry you are having a tough time. I would encourage you to make the best of the last few weeks/months of classroom education and look forward to your clinicals. The classroom stuff is really only the basics that you learn to apply for real with real patients in your clinicals.

 

[ya1]

Hi Everyone,

I was hesitant to post on here but I am curious to hear others thoughts and feelings about their program. I am almost done with my coursework and I am feeling extremely unmotivated due to the nature of my program. It seems like my program cares about the wrong things and doesn't seem to care about the students. When I initially interviewed, I had generally good feelings about the program and felt like it was a decent fit for me. Now, after each semester has passed, I find that my education and potential seems to be suffering. The program displays clear favoritism to students that went there for undergrad, the professors do not like to be questioned or challenged on any topics and our pathology classes are harder than the med students. I feel like I have wasted so much potential and money and I am feeling extremely frustrated at this point in my journey. I feel like I am going to be a horrible health care provider and I honestly feel like my clinical skills have declined from my undergrad where I had a variety of clinical experiences. I have no motivation or care anymore because I always feel like I am going to be inadequate. I am not looking for sympathy or anything like that, I am just curious to see if anyone else is having a similar experience?

It seems like the schooling I am currently in is extremely different from what they presented themselves as.

Many people are very excited to start a PT school and they have high expectations (or maybe dreams, fantasies, whatever schools are selling you). The reality is, it is just a school. If it's a bad match for you, just perceive it as a place where you go TEMPORARILY (a couple more years is nothing compared to the decades of your work life) and then you will continue with your life and career. Pass classes, graduate, pass the boards and forget about the school forever. If you pass everything, it will be up to you how good of clinician you will be. PT school is just the bridge for you to potentially be a good PT and definitely not something that makes you a good PT.

 

[distressedDPT]

Thank you for your replies. I understand where you are coming from but even the points you made should raise concerns for incoming students. Why do graduate programs feel as though they need to "put on a show" and falsify their program. It is extremely disappointing when you have a variety of options, weight them out, and find out the school is nothing like they portrayed themselves as. It just adds to the fact that graduate schools don't care about student's education and only care about lying to improve their numbers and receive tuition. I feel so strongly about this because I am constantly questioning the education I am receiving and paying for. I feel as though I shouldn't leave class completely confused because professors within the same program say contradicting things.

I understand that it is up to me to make sure that I am the best clinician I can be but if foundational and fundamental material isn't being taught correctly and is blown over, how much of the blame is supposed to me on me? I am paying a ridiculous amount for school and I would expect that the professors care a little bit more about their students since it reflects back on them. They don't encourage or make opportunities for students so it is extremely hard to be motivated and want to find external opportunities for yourself since the professors would not back you up. We have also made numerous complaints to the faculty about a variety of issues we've had and they just have a blind eye to it. When you are flat out ignoring the students concerns, it makes it extremely hard to care about this profession.

Thank you for your input. I just wanted to see if anyone had similar experiences. I feel like I can't just suck it up when it is something I am putting all of my time and money into.

 

[Dave1980]

the term is "gypped" is a derogatory term and comes from gypsies. it is analogous to saying you got "jewed"

ive always wondered how that little bit of racism manages to fly under the radar.

 

[wiseOldPT]

I feel as though I shouldn't leave class completely confused because professors within the same program say contradicting things.

One thing about this (ant not sure if this is what you are talking about). There are lots of different opinions/styles in PT and all of science/medicine. Go to a conference and you'll hear the top people in the field disagreeing. Students often get frustrated with not having one right answer, and conflicting takes on how to approach the same case. Learning from diverse viewpoints is great!
In terms of avoiding a situation like this, it is really important to talk to lots of current students in a program. Of course a program is going to show off- PT programs are huge money makers for schools, they want to attract students.

 

[kdubz7w7]

the term is "gypped" is a derogatory term and comes from gypsies. it is analogous to saying you got "jewed"

ive always wondered how that little bit of racism manages to fly under the radar.

I have never heard that before. Thank you

 

[kdubz7w7]

Thank you for your replies. I understand where you are coming from but even the points you made should raise concerns for incoming students. Why do graduate programs feel as though they need to "put on a show" and falsify their program. It is extremely disappointing when you have a variety of options, weight them out, and find out the school is nothing like they portrayed themselves as. It just adds to the fact that graduate schools don't care about student's education and only care about lying to improve their numbers and receive tuition. I feel so strongly about this because I am constantly questioning the education I am receiving and paying for. I feel as though I shouldn't leave class completely confused because professors within the same program say contradicting things.

I understand that it is up to me to make sure that I am the best clinician I can be but if foundational and fundamental material isn't being taught correctly and is blown over, how much of the blame is supposed to me on me? I am paying a ridiculous amount for school and I would expect that the professors care a little bit more about their students since it reflects back on them. They don't encourage or make opportunities for students so it is extremely hard to be motivated and want to find external opportunities for yourself since the professors would not back you up. We have also made numerous complaints to the faculty about a variety of issues we've had and they just have a blind eye to it. When you are flat out ignoring the students concerns, it makes it extremely hard to care about this profession.

Thank you for your input. I just wanted to see if anyone had similar experiences. I feel like I can't just suck it up when it is something I am putting all of my time and money into.

I hear what you're saying.

Colleges are businesses. Of course they are going to try to look as amazing as possible. Not every school is like yours though, some actually are good.

Professors are always going to contradict each other at times. Professionals in the field do as well. Figure out who wants you to know what for the exam and move on. If it is something really important, talk to your program director. For example, we kept getting told different variations in dermatomes and would get exam questions wrong because we couldn't remember who said what. When we spoke up, faculty got together and agreed upon a single derm source for us to go off of.

In general, go to your program director with concerns. Be unemotional about it, with facts neatly documented and laid out. Don't go in a towering rage and saying things suck - as much as possible, have actionable items to discuss, as dispassionately as possible. Ask for a follow-up meeting so you know the outcome of your concerns. If this gets you absolutely nowhere, go to your dean.

Have you gone to clinic yet? That's where you'll do a LOT of your learning, and tie all the loose ends together. It'll be refreshing to get out in the field. It'll also be a really good barometer for you to realize how much you have learned, and how comfortable you are being a clinician. Rotations help pull everything together and reinforce what you've learned. When you start studying for the boards, those study materials will become your gold standard of knowledge, vs doubting your education.

 

[ya1]

Why do graduate programs feel as though they need to "put on a show" and falsify their program.

That is just normal advertising. They are not necessarily falsifying anything, just presenting it in a more appealing way.

graduate schools don't care about student's education and only care about lying to improve their numbers and receive tuition.

Yeah, may be partly true. It's a business, not charity, so they have to think about numbers and maximize their profit. It does not necessarily mean that they will compromise our education, but you may not feel like they put students first. A lot also depends on the instructor. Some instructors just should never teach. We had an instructor who graded our assignments and gave us a feedback on the assignments a couple of days after the final exam; took him more than a month to grade a few pages... I would think he should be fired for that kind of *work*, but he was not.

 

[LostLlama]

I am going to assume your school isn't as big a dumpster fire as you portray it to be. If it is, then it is your fault for being "tricked" by them and signing up. I'm being coarse here because this "lesson" they are teaching you is invaluable. You will be in situations you find unfair and infuriating. Taking a hard, honest look at yourself is what I recommend. Even if you are 100% right in whatever is happening, the course you are on is clearly not working.

Try stress-relieving activities/hobbies/whatever. You need a positive headspace. You need to not place blame elsewhere, but rather figure out a way to pave a successful path forward.

 

[sendpt]

This is an interesting topic to come across. I am currently applying to schools and just received, so far, my only offer from a school that I didn't feel was a good fit for me. They are a relatively new program and are only allowing accepted applicants one week to put down a deposit for their program. This seems like a very short amount of time for such an important decision. Is this typical for programs or is this a red flag? My fear is that I decline the offer and then don't get accepted to my one remaining school or worse not accepted next year. Is one bird in the hand really worth two in the bush? I would like to avoid a situation like OPs (I'm sorry you are having a tough time! Hang in there!) if I already did not get the warm and fuzzy from the interview process, but would hate to risk my chances of getting into PT school. Any thoughts or opinions on this?

 

[kdubz7w7]

This is an interesting topic to come across. I am currently applying to schools and just received, so far, my only offer from a school that I didn't feel was a good fit for me. They are a relatively new program and are only allowing accepted applicants one week to put down a deposit for their program. This seems like a very short amount of time for such an important decision. Is this typical for programs or is this a red flag? My fear is that I decline the offer and then don't get accepted to my one remaining school or worse not accepted next year. Is one bird in the hand really worth two in the bush? I would like to avoid a situation like OPs (I'm sorry you are having a tough time! Hang in there!) if I already did not get the warm and fuzzy from the interview process, but would hate to risk my chances of getting into PT school. Any thoughts or opinions on this?

It's a hard decision for sure, to try to make a big decision with not enough info.
- Some schools will allow an extension on making a decision when you're pending other decisions if you ask
- I don't remember the exact rules but there's some sort of time frame schools have to allow for requiring deposits, you can look into it and make sure they aren't attempting to force an illegal timeline (I just know this from reading it on here somewhere)
- That being said, yes it is typical. On their end they're trying to fill seats and they don't want to run the risk of not filling it because their waitlist found seats elsewhere
- Well. If you turn it down and don't get an offer anywhere else, would you view it as a sign from the universe, or would you be absolutely kicking yourself for not taking it?
- You can request to speak to current students. Obviously they will say all the right things but you can definitely get a sense of what the program is like. This is not an unusual request. You could also post a thread on here asking for opinions from current students, or look on facebook etc.
- Also from what I have read on here, you cannot have more than one deposit out at a time, and I think schools can see that you've made deposits. And you will not get that deposit back, so just know if you decide to decline, it's money gone (I know that seems really obvious but I constantly see students bent that their deposit wasn't refunded......but that's the whole point of a deposit...)
Idk if any of that is helpful, it's a tough choice. Good luck!!

 

[deleted1029620]

part of the info above^ about the deposit is false. i put down deposit at the first school one of my top schools that I got accepted to after asking for a 1-2 week deposit extension. then i was accepted to my very first choice & put down a deposit at that school as well. deposits are non refundable & i ended up forfeiting my first deposit, but I wasn't upset about it at all bc it was about knowing I had a definite seat in a program.

 

[bebee1]

Hi Everyone,

I was hesitant to post on here but I am curious to hear others thoughts and feelings about their program. I am almost done with my coursework and I am feeling extremely unmotivated due to the nature of my program. It seems like my program cares about the wrong things and doesn't seem to care about the students. When I initially interviewed, I had generally good feelings about the program and felt like it was a decent fit for me. Now, after each semester has passed, I find that my education and potential seems to be suffering. The program displays clear favoritism to students that went there for undergrad, the professors do not like to be questioned or challenged on any topics and our pathology classes are harder than the med students. I feel like I have wasted so much potential and money and I am feeling extremely frustrated at this point in my journey. I feel like I am going to be a horrible health care provider and I honestly feel like my clinical skills have declined from my undergrad where I had a variety of clinical experiences. I have no motivation or care anymore because I always feel like I am going to be inadequate. I am not looking for sympathy or anything like that, I am just curious to see if anyone else is having a similar experience?

It seems like the schooling I am currently in is extremely different from what they presented themselves as.

I have had a similar experience and am curious as to where you are going. I'm so sorry this is happening to you, we deserve better and so do our future patients