At Neumann University, we’re passionate about helping driven professionals find the educational environment that works best for them.

One of our key initiatives includes allowing prospective students to get a first-hand feeling for our campus and overall educational opportunities. That’s why we occasionally host on-campus information sessions, so that both graduate and degree completion students can learn more about our programs, network with faculty, and discover financial aid options. 

With this in mind, we interviewed Rami Ibrahim, a current student obtaining the Doctor of Physical Therapy at Neumann University, regarding how a recent NU information session helped him realize that Neumann was the right place for him.

Check out his thoughts and register for our next event!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What’s your name, age, location, and academic background?

My name is Rami Ibrahim. I’m 27 years old, originally from NYC, but I moved down to Philly to pursue my Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) at Neumann University. My academic background includes a double major in Religion and Psychology, which eventually earned me a Bachelor of Arts from CUNY Hunter College.

What field of study are you pursuing? What first interested you in the field?

I am pursuing my Doctor of Physical Therapy from Neumann University. I always knew I wanted to go into healthcare, especially after having spent a chunk of my childhood in hospitals because of kidney failure. Physical therapists are the type of healthcare workers who love to get patients up and moving, and they are often people-first and empathetic.

If you know me, you know I will come up and talk to anyone. I feel obligated to give back to the people who gave me their attention and care when I was in need. Becoming a physical therapist felt like the best choice to get me as close to my goal as possible.

What are your career goals post graduation? And how has NU prepared you to reach those goals?

The beauty of being a physical therapist is that it is a flexible field, and therapists can work in a variety of settings.

My career goals post-graduation are fluid. Somedays, I hope to work with the training and rehab staff of the New York Yankees (every day really). Another day, I might want to work with stroke and Parkinson’s patients because I find "Neuro" so interesting, and other days, I think about how I can help improve access to sports, rehab, and exercise for underserved communities.

If I had the time to do all these things, I would!

NU has done a great job of preparing me and my classmates to be clinicians through the rigorous material the DPT program brings. They make sure to tie in many aspects of the healthcare system in different hypothetical situations for us to get an overall picture of what needs to be done. These aspects include a patient’s social, emotional, psychological state of being, and social determinants of health.

Every patient is unique, and each presents their own set of challenges that we need to navigate as clinicians.

What ultimately persuaded you to choose NU for graduate school?

The versatility of the weekend format and the level of support from the faculty throughout the three year journey helped me ultimately choose to attend the DPT program at Neumann University.

The weekend format is a relatively unique way to structure a DPT program, but I knew it would work for my style of studying best. Getting all our lectures and materials done on Saturday and Sunday gives me Monday through Friday to divide and organize my time so that I cover all that material efficiently.

Before I put my deposit down, I reached out to my program director about visiting campus. He was gracious enough to have me come on a weekend they had class, give me a tour of the building where we have most of our lectures, and introduce me to some students so that I could ask them questions about the program.

I haven’t had many experiences like that with other programs or in my undergraduate career. I appreciated the friendliness and professionalism displayed by the faculty and students I met that day.

How did attending an information session help you make your decision?

Attending an in-person information session helped me make my decision because of how invested the faculty were in my learning as well as how open and friendly they were in the way they treated me as a person.

You can tell they want you to succeed in the program and don’t treat you like a number.

The information session also included some current students, so I got to ask them about their experiences so far in the program. I feel that their insight into the program was valuable and helped to calm my nerves about the prospect of starting a DPT program.

There wasn’t a question that was left unanswered!

What about the event did you find valuable?

Speaking with the students who attended was extremely valuable. They encouraged us to ask questions, and their insight provided valuable information on Neumann’s DPT program. There’s only so much that a faculty member can tell you and advertise about their program, but getting that information from a student currently going through it helps tremendously because that is what you can expect as a future student.

It definitely helped to calm the nerves that many of us were experiencing, as any prospective student of a graduate program might experience.

If you had advice for prospective students of NU, what would it be?

Network! Network! Network! You never know what doors will open for you.

Especially for me, as a weekend DPT student, everything happens during the week. Making those connections and talking to a variety of students on campus will break you out of the weekend bubble and enhance your graduate experience at Neumann.

Transform Your Career at Neumann University: 

At Neumann University, we are dedicated to giving you the sought-after tools and skills you need to launch your dream career. We hope you’ll join us on Saturday, March 18 for this unique information session to learn more about what Neumann can do for you.

You can also request more information or start your online application today! Or, if you want to talk to one of our admissions counselors, you can book some time for a meeting.

Click below to RSVP for our upcoming Degree Completion and Graduate Info Session on Saturday, March 18!