Unless you are planning to take an online course of acupuncture, the best place to start looking for acupuncture schools is your local area. Take a look at some pros and cons of going to local vs. out of state acupuncture schools.

Pros of local acupuncture schools:

• One of the prime benefits of local acupuncture schools is the reduced costs of taking their courses. Some such schools may have night classes, so you can go on with your job.

• You also do not have to move to a new location attending a local school. This contributes to reducing your training costs.

• Another benefit of local acupuncture schools with post graduate consultation program is that you can easily contact your ex teachers and ask them questions on your cases or patients. This provides you with a great advantage in your acupuncture career, especially at its early start.

These advantages are valid. However, the truth is that some states have no or only one or two local acupuncture schools; while other states have dozens of them. This limits your choice to almost nothing. And, there are many other factors besides the costs of your tuition to consider, when looking for the best acupuncture school.

So, here are the possible cons of local schools:

• Large classes. This means, you ratio of students to teachers is huge. The smaller are the groups, the better, because it gives you more freedom and time to ask questions and start discussions. So, if you local school has lots of people in one class, it is a significant con of it.

• Lack of resources. A great acupuncture schools would have extent library of relevant literature. This is important for making the most out of your tuition time.

• Poor clinical training program. This is another problem, you may encounter. You cannot possibly get skilful at acupuncture without a significant amount of practical clinical training. So, carefully study the curriculum of your future alma mater and see, if they provide you with enough of such onsite training.

• Teachers’ expertise. Make sure to find out, if the teachers have enough of clinical training and expertise. Teaching only theory is not enough. You want the teachers, who have personal experience in acupuncture and can pass it on to you.

If your local school does not provide you with all these advantages, you should consider other acupuncture schools out of your state.