Do I take chance on a Wait-list or attend a program I am not crazy about? (2025)

Hi,everyone! I am just really conflicted and just decided let me ask a bunch of people who may or may not be in my position. I was originally waitlisted to three schools for DPT - Dominican, Seton Hall, and Touro-Manhattan. I was recently given admission to Dominican College's DPT program. Although, It was very last minute and given one day to send in a deposit for my spot. I am technically enrolled at Dominican. But out of the three schools I was waitlisted to I really wanted to attend Seton Hall. I am on their wait list but since their program starts later than Dominican. I am unsure of what to do.

I went to orientation/accepted students day for Dominican. I am not sure what felt off but to put it simply it did not feel like where I was going to for the next 3 years. I just don't know what to do. I'm not sure if its because I am nervous about DPT in general or their specific program. I just feel like I am somehow making the wrong choice. I'm not crazy about Dominican and their weekend program but it's the only school I was accepted to.

I would love to get thoughts and perspective on this, if anyone has any.

Why would you apply to a school you're uninterested in attending? I understand you are on a waitlist for other schools but be thankful you have gotten in somewhere as there are many applicants who haven't.

Also a side not since Seton halls begins after Dominican technically you can stay on the waitlist while you being school and if you do get in off the waitlist you can switch over in the middle of the semester...but I think thats kinda crummy to do since that means you leave a program with an empty seat that someone else could have filled.

aroszko said:

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Why would you apply to a school you're uninterested in attending? I understand you are on a waitlist for other schools but be thankful you have gotten in somewhere as there are many applicants who haven't.

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This comment is completely unhelpful. The situation is what it is, regardless of why they chose to apply there. I am also 100% confident that this person is aware that there are many people who do not get accepted to PT school and repeatedly stating the obvious provides no constructive feedback.

The reality is this: Based on your success rate this year, if you withdraw your application and reapply your chances will be no better next year. We can't really make this decision for you, but I wonder how much time and tuition you would lose if you started at Dominican and then got in off the waitlist somewhere else later and bailed and started there. If this was only a few thousand dollars and 5 or 6 weeks of studying for a summer term or something I might consider it as an option given the right circumstances. But if you are going to be paying many thousands and studying for many tests before the other programs start, probably not worth it, unless the other school was significantly cheaper to begin with. From an altruistic standpoint as was pointed out above, it also really sucks to leave a seat permanently empty that someone else could have had. But that probably isn't the real sticking point here.

This is all dependent of course on the slim chance that you actually get in somewhere else. Other more proximal questions to consider: How much time do you have before Dominican starts? Will you be moving to go there? Do you know your position on the waitlist at the other schools? Do you know how quickly you have been moving up the waitlist? Although even if you can answer these questions, you still have no way of knowing. At the end of the day you have to assume you won't get in anywhere else and make the decision to either go to Dominican now or seriously risk never going to PT school at all.

I think in your situation, I would just tell myself "ok, this sucks....it's not where I wanted to be....but this school IS going to get me to where I want to go". All you have to do is keep your head down, pass your classes and pass that board exam at the end. This might be a great time to work on some personal goals (pick up a hobby that doesn't require too much time, plan a vacation you have always wanted to take at one of the breaks, spend time with friends). Another thing that really has helped me when I find my self in places I don't want to be (I was military, so there were a few) is to get SUPER involved there. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but immersion works. Sign up for extra clubs, projects, research and just get every penny worth from your tuition money. This is also called the "Fake it until you make it" strategy and it also really works. We can all be adaptable people and make even a less than ideal situation work. And sometimes those situations turn out to be surprisingly perfect.

I also had my heart set on another school, but for various reasons couldn't go there. Sometimes I catch myself griping about what could have been and I just have to close that door. This is where I am now. I'm happy and doing well and my career looks bright. There are positives about my current school that I didn't know when I was applying. When I graduate, then all choices are on the table again and I can make new decisions from there. It does go by quickly!!

(Yes you can absolutely change schools if you get into a school that starts later. But I would only do that if it is a HUGE cost savings.)

One more thought for you: I also got in very last minute off the wait list to my current school. I think you have to give yourself a bit of time to reframe your idea of the next year. You were probably thinking you weren't going to head to PT school this year. Maybe you had other plans. Maybe your plan B looked really different. I think it takes a bit for our brain to catch up with reality sometimes. You have to process your new future versus a previously planned one. Different just feels awkward...especially when you have to change so quickly. I felt totally unprepared to start school when it was time. I thought everyone else had all this time (6 months or more) to plan or prep and I had a few weeks to play catch up after I got in off the wait list. It was stressful to get all the required paperwork in and do student orientation and try to re-learn everything about the program that I wasn't expecting to go to.

I hope any of that helps! Good luck in your decision.

In my opinion you can't look at this as Seton Hall v Dominican. Because currently Seton Hall is not an option

If I were you I'd be looking at is Dominican v reapply. If you'd rather do Dominican begin preparations. If you do get into Seton hall last minute, that's the time I'd make a decision between the two because only then are they both options

starrsgirl said:

One more thought for you: I also got in very last minute off the wait list to my current school. I think you have to give yourself a bit of time to reframe your idea of the next year. You were probably thinking you weren't going to head to PT school this year. Maybe you had other plans. Maybe your plan B looked really different. I think it takes a bit for our brain to catch up with reality sometimes. You have to process your new future versus a previously planned one. Different just feels awkward...especially when you have to change so quickly. I felt totally unprepared to start school when it was time. I thought everyone else had all this time (6 months or more) to plan or prep and I had a few weeks to play catch up after I got in off the wait list. It was stressful to get all the required paperwork in and do student orientation and try to re-learn everything about the program that I wasn't expecting to go to.

I hope any of that helps! Good luck in your decision.

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Feels! I had this plan of what it would be and when I got off the waitlist to a school I wasn't expecting it took a while for my brain to catch up. As adaptable as we are, change is scary until our brains rationalize what the new beginning will look like.

Dj2PT said:

I suggest you search this school on the PT forums before making a decsion I've seen some scary reviews about it on here, not sure if you want to weather that storm...

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Great point

starrsgirl said:

One more thought for you: I also got in very last minute off the wait list to my current school. I think you have to give yourself a bit of time to reframe your idea of the next year. You were probably thinking you weren't going to head to PT school this year. Maybe you had other plans. Maybe your plan B looked really different. I think it takes a bit for our brain to catch up with reality sometimes. You have to process your new future versus a previously planned one. Different just feels awkward...especially when you have to change so quickly. I felt totally unprepared to start school when it was time. I thought everyone else had all this time (6 months or more) to plan or prep and I had a few weeks to play catch up after I got in off the wait list. It was stressful to get all the required paperwork in and do student orientation and try to re-learn everything about the program that I wasn't expecting to go to.

I hope any of that helps! Good luck in your decision.

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this is me right now. got off the waitlist 6 weeks before school starts. stressful getting all of my paperwork completed! but more so excited!

steveyk said:

this is me right now. got off the waitlist 6 weeks before school starts. stressful getting all of my paperwork completed! but more so excited!

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what school did you just get into? If I remember correctly, you were applying to GA schools right?

LongDistanceGirl said:

Hi,everyone! I am just really conflicted and just decided let me ask a bunch of people who may or may not be in my position. I was originally waitlisted to three schools for DPT - Dominican, Seton Hall, and Touro-Manhattan. I was recently given admission to Dominican College's DPT program. Although, It was very last minute and given one day to send in a deposit for my spot. I am technically enrolled at Dominican. But out of the three schools I was waitlisted to I really wanted to attend Seton Hall. I am on their wait list but since their program starts later than Dominican. I am unsure of what to do.

I went to orientation/accepted students day for Dominican. I am not sure what felt off but to put it simply it did not feel like where I was going to for the next 3 years. I just don't know what to do. I'm not sure if its because I am nervous about DPT in general or their specific program. I just feel like I am somehow making the wrong choice. I'm not crazy about Dominican and their weekend program but it's the only school I was accepted to.

I would love to get thoughts and perspective on this, if anyone has any.

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I understand your dilemma. A weekend program sounds very intense, a lot to pack into a weekend for 3 years. I would make a pro's and con's list for starters. And speak to someone about how your feeling. I don't think you want to gamble however on the off chance you are not accepted to Seton Hall and missed your opportunity with Dominican. On the other hand if PT is what you really want to do, waiting a year (if you decided to not go to Dominican but also didn't get into Seton Hall) to reapply may offer you better perspective and maybe allow you to strengthen your application so you can get into the school you really want to go to.

I know a couple of people that went to Dominican, and I used to live literally 15 mins away from it before I moved to Miami last Winter.

After hearing personal experiences about it I don't think I ever once considered it slightly. Just food for though