College decision day is coming up and I’m having a hard time choosing. I’ve narrowed it down to two schools, Knox College and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (two completely different schools I know). Knox gave me some amazing scholarships that lowered the total cost to $7,500 a year. Minnesota did not offer me any scholarships and total cost would be about $25,000 a year.
I’m planning to go into physical therapy so my major at both schools would be psychology or biology. One major concern I have is whether both schools can prepare me for DPT school well.
I’ve visited both campuses and I like both of them, however comparing Galesburg to Minneapolis is like comparing night and day! I’m from Chicago and I absolutely love the city of Minneapolis. Galesburg is… not the most exciting places I’ve been to.
Going somewhere small like Knox has it’s advantages, for example I shadowed a class with only twelve students in it and the professors have really intimate relationships with their students. I feel like I can really benefit from getting extra attention from professors instead of getting lost in the cracks at a big university. But something that attracts me to Minnesota are its higher rankings and higher prestige.
To be a bit blunt - you’ve gotten into a school that is significantly less expensive with smaller classes and more personalized, intimate student/professor relationships and you have another two or three years of graduate school down the road and you’re concerned with liking one city over the other small town? I don’t know anything about the University of Minnesota but I do know about Knox.
Galesburg is not the most exciting place but the college is. There is so much happening on any given day at Knox that you’ll hardly remember about Galesburg (although they do have three or four excellent restaurants). There’s student and college-run concerts and lectures and theatre, dance, and comedy, art, etc. etc. etc.
Statistically Knox has an exceptional record with students being admitted to some of the best graduate programs in the students chosen field. Their personalized education including research both within and outside the college helps tremendously with graduate school entry.
At Knox you must have at least a major and a minor but many students double major or major and double minor. In other words, becoming qualified in both psychology and biology is not unusual, it’s part of their requirement to graduate.
Again, I don’t know the University of Minnesota, but reading your post, I think the answer is obvious, Knox is the right school for you. Good luck!
Knox is a vibrant school where students can bloom with lots of attention and opportunities, we know some Knox students who have gone on to extraordinary success in grad and professional programs, in large part because of the opportunities they had at Knox. As an admitted student, ask admissions to connect you with pre-health advising or career services to learn more about preparation and admission for PT programs.
For perspective, I have one kid at a major public flagship and one kid at a small liberal arts college (who also visited Knox several times) – the flagship kid has no problem learning in a large lecture class, and is comfortable being his own advocate, while the LAC kids knows he could not learn in a large lecture and is much more comfortable in a smaller environment. There is no single “right” answer, just the best answer for a specific student. It sounds like Knox is that for you, so embrace the amazing financial opportunity you have to attend Knox, and seize every opportunity afforded to you there.
Where did you get the idea that UMTC is more prestigious? It is better-known, true.
As for rankings, I’m not sure how you could determine rankings for them.
It’s like comparing a plane to a boat. They both can get you places, but how would you even begin to determine which one is higher-ranked?
PT graduate admissions have become crazy-competitive. If PT is your ultimate goal, go to the school where you will be able to focus and learn the most, get the best grades, and benefit from mentorship from professors (who will be writing your recommendations. )I also imagine that PT programs are expensive, so keep that in mind in your planning.
I can relate to your desire to be in an exciting place, but you have your whole life for that! If you go to Knox, maybe you will be in Minneapolis in your twenties (PT school and beyond.) Many undergrads’ lives become more focused on in-campus happenings anyway, and largely ignore the outside community. Since you’re from Chicago, you could try to think of going to a smaller place as a bit of a “foreign exchange” experience. You might even come to like it!