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My daughter is looking into Ithaca as they have a 5 yr Occupational Therapy andPhysical Therapy Program that is supposed to be excellent. We don't know much about the school but have requested info. Does anyone know anything about it, college life, How Cold does it get?-she is a desert rat. Anyone know much about the area, saftey,finaid. Any info would be appreciated.The program itself sounds wonderful!

By Arizonamom (Arizonamom) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 08:48 pm: Edit

Sorry, it's been a very long work day. Should be, Looking For Info.

By Arizonamom (Arizonamom) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 09:54 pm: Edit

bump

By Monkey (Monkey) on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 11:12 pm: Edit

The only info I have about Itahca is in reference to their musical theatre program so I'm not sure it will help much. A good friend of my daughters just finished her freshman year there and loved it. Yes, it gets mighty cold but she is from the northeast so it didn't bother her. I would think the school would be responsive to your request for info. They definately were accomodating to us when we were looking into the MT program. Good luck!

By Julibean008 (Julibean008) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 12:56 am: Edit

Hey... my friend will be attending that program for physical therapy next year. I live in Vermont, which is kind of close with very similar weather. Expect it to be very cold in the winter. Winter is late November to late March. At least. It gets below zero. Average winter temp is probably around 25 or 30... this is just estimate from my experience.
Good school tho. It's pretty well-known where I live. It's in the same town as Cornell so there's lots of fun college kids around in addition to the Ithaca kids.
My friend is top 25% of our class... good public high school. She has probably about 5 AP classes total and plays lots of sports and has OK (not great) ECs. It's expensive, so watch out! Hope this helps!

By Arizonamom (Arizonamom) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 01:03 am: Edit

Thanks for the info! Do you know how they are with fin aid? My D runs crosscountry and track-should be interesting in that weather!

By Dcmom3 (Dcmom3) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 09:06 am: Edit

I lived in Ithaca and worked at IC--did not own anything sleeveless while I lived there so that should give you an indication of the weather. From what I have learned about PT (youngest child is considering that as a major) the field is moving toward a 2 or 3 year DPT degree (after obtaining a bachelor's degree) rather than the 5 year program that Ithaca offers.

By Shennie (Shennie) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 11:44 am: Edit

My son applied and was accepted, wanting to major in biology. His stats put him well above the middle 50% as far as scores go. He was also accepted into their honors program. He did not have significant ECs. Of the 6 schools where he was accepted he got the least amount of overall FA from Ithaca. For overall percentage of total costs it was second from the bottom. (This is strictly grant and scholarship money, not loans.) However, they may have more merit money available in their other schools or for students with stronger ECs. He chose to attend another school but Ithaca was probably his second choice.

The campus was built in the 70's so it does not have that "ivy covered walls" feeling. It is on the top of a hill removed from the downtown area of Ithaca but there is regular bus service. I didn't get the impression that safety was much of an issue. They do have security phones all over the campus. The Ithaca area is lovely.

By Llama_Llama (Llama_Llama) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 04:28 pm: Edit

I've got nothing but good things to say about Ithaca. My wife and I are both graduates of the communications program there.

Coming from Arizona the weather will definetly be an adjustment. Winters can get ugly. You're just over an hour south of Syracuse, NY, king of the snowbelt.

One other consideration. Ithaca is serviced by a VERY small airport. I had a 6 hour drive to Ithaca from my hometown. I had friends who came from Texas, Colorado and Florida who flew in and out. Sometimes things went smoothly, sometimes it was an ordeal.

Other thoughts -- yes, many building were built during the "who needs it to look pretty" 1970s, but several new, more attractive buildings have been added to campus in the past few years. And the natural beauty of the area overshadows it anyway.

PT is regarded as one of the most academically rigorous programs on campus. "How come we never see your roommate?" "She's PT." "Ahh."

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 05:34 pm: Edit

If your daughter is looking for a good PT program on the west coast, you might take a look at Pacific University in Oregon. Dominican University near San Francisco has an occupational therapy program. The University of Puget Sound in Washington state also has one I believe. The weather at all three places would be a lot more palable to a desert rat!

By Arizonamom (Arizonamom) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 08:06 pm: Edit

Thanks Carolyn, They all have masters programs which require 4 yrs undergrad so around 6 1/2 years. She would love to do a 5 yr program if possible-most of these programs are phasing out the BA programs as by 2020 Physical Therapists will all need their doctrate. We have found Azusu Pacific which has Occupational Therapy 5 yrs and USC which is a reach. She is still trying to decide between the 2 disciplines and will do some work and shadowing with both OT's and PT's this summer. It also wouldn't kill her to do 4 yrs undergrad and then get into a program. Itaca is unique in the fact that you do not have to take the GRE to get in if you maintain a 3.25 GPA. If anyone knows of other 5 yr programs in Therapy please let us know. It is difficult to determine from some of the web sites.

By Arizonamom (Arizonamom) on Tuesday, June 08, 2004 - 08:13 pm: Edit

Also thanks for all the great info on Ithaca . Sounds like fin aid will be an issue as well but it is worth a try. As far as merit she will need to get her stand tests up. She has good grades and great leadership and activities, jobs etc. She will try and just see if it is possible. My son got merit money and aid at places he didn't expect and nothing at places such as Emory that have huge endowments so who can figure.