pt_05 Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 I've been accepted to the PT programs at Mac, Toronto, and Western, and am having a hard time trying to decide between the three schools. I did my undergrad at Mac, so I'm pretty familiar with the city and the campus. However, I don't know too much about the PT program itself aside from it being more PBL-based than Toronto and Western. There doesn't seem to be much discussion about this topic, but below are three threads I dug up through the search forum. http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62371&highlight=choosing http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63192&highlight=choosing http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92948&highlight=pt+school If anyone can shed light into how they arrived at their decision (some people already seem to have decided between Toronto and Mac!), that would be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eLg701 Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Congrats on your acceptances! I might be able to answer some questions about U of T's program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobk714 Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Congrats on your acceptances! I might be able to answer some questions about U of T's program. Thanks for making yourself available eLg701.I was curious as to what the first year schedule is like.is it 8 hours everyday? i am curious as I want to maintain part-time work.what is the teaching like as well and how do you stay on top of the work?Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rekcut Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 If you want to have a part-time job, Mac is ideal. Because of the PBL style, there is less in-class time than western and u of t. That being said, it's still a very intense program and I only know a couple of people with part time jobs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eLg701 Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Thanks for making yourself available eLg701.I was curious as to what the first year schedule is like.is it 8 hours everyday? i am curious as I want to maintain part-time work.what is the teaching like as well and how do you stay on top of the work?Thanks again The schedule varies every week. Some days are a full 8 hours (days when we had anatomy mostly) and some are only a few hours. They also give lots of time to study for tests and will give days off before some exams. There are a surprising amount of people who have part time jobs, some even 3x/week throughout the year. They mostly schedule work after 4pm because of the variable school schedule. The teaching style combines mostly everything...from lectures, labs, small group, etc. We also had structured clinical visits to surrounding hospitals that start very quickly and go throughout most units, so it's a good way of getting early clinical/hands on exposure. The workload is generally heavy but never overwhelming and it really depends on the week and if we have exams or practicals coming up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physio101 Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 The schedule varies every week. Some days are a full 8 hours (days when we had anatomy mostly) and some are only a few hours. They also give lots of time to study for tests and will give days off before some exams. There are a surprising amount of people who have part time jobs, some even 3x/week throughout the year. They mostly schedule work after 4pm because of the variable school schedule. The teaching style combines mostly everything...from lectures, labs, small group, etc. We also had structured clinical visits to surrounding hospitals that start very quickly and go throughout most units, so it's a good way of getting early clinical/hands on exposure. The workload is generally heavy but never overwhelming and it really depends on the week and if we have exams or practicals coming up. Much different scene at Western. No one in the class had a job, generally 8 hrs/day. Crazy exam schedules, sometimes 13 exams in a week and we definitely didnt get time off to study for exams. Lots of people had breakdowns because they were too stressed/busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
id2 Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Congrats on your acceptances! I might be able to answer some questions about U of T's program. Hey could you explain how the labs work (ex. how many times a week, how many students per lab, what kinds of labs are there, etc.). Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalllll Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Much different scene at Western. No one in the class had a job, generally 8 hrs/day. Crazy exam schedules, sometimes 13 exams in a week and we definitely didnt get time off to study for exams. Lots of people had breakdowns because they were too stressed/busy. Much different scene at Western. Generally 5 hours a day on average, pretty much like undergrad, 8:30 to 3:30 with long breaks in between for lunch/gym/shenanigans. Overrated exam schedules, maybe the occasional 13 exams in a week, but that's if you count all the easy bird exams as an actual exam (word on the street is Queen's had 14 OSCE stations in a row AT ONCE for their December final, Western had about 10 OSCE stations over 6 days. We have it easy). Lots of people sleep through class for the 5 weeks leading up to an exam and can cram for 2 days without pulling all nighters and still get 80s no problem. Breakdowns occur everywhere, school, work, etc... it really depends on the person and many other factors. FYI, everyone passes everything in the program. Compared to every other program, Western has it easy. Great profs, great manuals, easy schedule. Go to class for a few hours, F*ck Sh*t up, go home, sleep, study, gym, do what you've been doing for the past 4 years in undergrad, enjoy life. Stress for a week during exams but still survive. Doesn't get any better. Word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinKid8 Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Much different scene at Western. Generally 5 hours a day on average, pretty much like undergrad, 8:30 to 3:30 with long breaks in between for lunch/gym/shenanigans. Overrated exam schedules, maybe the occasional 13 exams in a week, but that's if you count all the easy bird exams as an actual exam. Lots of people sleep through class for the 5 weeks leading up to an exam and can cram for 2 days without pulling all nighters and still get 80s no problem. Breakdowns occur everywhere, school, work, etc... it really depends on the person and many other factors. FYI, everyone passes everything in the program. Compared to every other program, Western has it easy. Great profs, great manuals, easy schedule. Go to class for a few hours, F*ck Sh*t up, go home, sleep, study, gym, do what you've been doing for the past 4 years in undergrad, enjoy life. Stress for a week during exams but still survive. Doesn't get any better. Word. ^I concur, I may be biased but I honestly think Western is the best physio school in Ontario...amazing profs, smaller class size (55) compared to other PT schools, great social life (we love to PARTY!), and we end class on Mondays at 12:30! P.S. word on the street is that U of T kids end up buying our manuals to study for the PNE lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idreamofpt Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 I have been in the same boat as I've been accepted at Western and UofT. Here is Best way to get more information is to contact current students AND physio's that have been through the programs From my understanding both are great programs.. Here is what I have been basing my decision on UofT has a stronger neuro and cardioresp program, top notch medical facilities for placements and you can live downtown. Western has a stronger ortho program, great medical facilities as well, smaller class size and an amazing student experience (those students are extremely proud of their school). The fact that all the PT students will be closer to campus helps with respect to having a support network. The greater toronto area is huge and students likely commute all over. I know I will get a fantastic education wherever I go. Based on my previous work experience, I have a strong feeling I will end up in orthopaedics. Also, the university where I completed my undergrad was more of a commuter school, so I never got that full on student community experience. Another thing you should consider is where you want to work after you graduate. Placements provide excellent opportunities to network. That being said, there is so much demand for physio, even if you don't network theres so many jobs out there. I am from Vancouver, so I am not worrying about the networking aspect too much. For these reasons, I will be going with Western!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eLg701 Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 Hey could you explain how the labs work (ex. how many times a week, how many students per lab, what kinds of labs are there, etc.). Thanks. Labs vary in number every week but usually around 1-3 times/week, sometimes more. Also depends on the unit...for example, there are more labs in MSK than for cardioresp. Generally the class is split in half between two lab rooms, or go on separate days/times. We usually work in pairs and theres enough beds for everyone. They also have TA's who are physios in the community that volunteer their time at every lab to help out and answer any questions we have. I will mention that the profs/faculty are extremely responsive to feedback and use it to constantly improve the program. If there are any criticisms/complaints, they usually get fixed pretty quickly or are completely overhauled for the following year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erebakish Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Which school has the strongest emphasis on neuro? When I apply in the future that's the field I'm most interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Physio101 Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 Which school has the strongest emphasis on neuro? When I apply in the future that's the field I'm most interested in. What makes u interested in Neuro? You could be taught how to work in Neuro field in like a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobk714 Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 I've been accepted to the PT programs at Mac, Toronto, and Western, and am having a hard time trying to decide between the three schools. I did my undergrad at Mac, so I'm pretty familiar with the city and the campus. However, I don't know too much about the PT program itself aside from it being more PBL-based than Toronto and Western. There doesn't seem to be much discussion about this topic, but below are three threads I dug up through the search forum. http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62371&highlight=choosing http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63192&highlight=choosing http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92948&highlight=pt+school If anyone can shed light into how they arrived at their decision (some people already seem to have decided between Toronto and Mac!), that would be great! found a video for uoft pt..seems a few years old.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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