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How to Choose the Right OT Program for You

by Jessica Broughton

Congratulations, my friend: you have finished applying to occupational therapy school!

You shadowed for many hours, studied for the GRE, and conquered the OTCAS beast. You are now on to the next step of the process and are faced with the decision of what OT program to choose. Now, before you go ahead and send in that deposit for the first school that accepts you, take a moment to consider your options. Choosing an OT program is a major personal, professional, and financial life decision.

When trying to decide which program is the one for you, consider some of the following factors.

Location

Program location can have a major impact on your graduate school experience. It can affect access to resources and fieldwork placements.

One of the most exciting parts of starting OT school is getting to go on fieldwork for the first time. In general, most Level I fieldwork placements will be local to your school. This means that your Level I placements will be at whatever hospitals and healthcare facilities are nearest to your program.

City-based programs often have access to many different Level I placements in top healthcare facilities. However, sometimes these sites can be overwhelmed with students. Programs in rural areas may have less access to nearby placements. You might have to travel farther to get to your Level I fieldwork, but there are some advantages. There is less competition from other schools for placements, which could lead to a Level II placement if you enjoy your experience at a particular site.

The location will also affect how much money you will be spending each month. It is important to consider how much it costs to live in a certain area and what it will be like to live there. It can be fun and exciting to live in a city, but sometimes the price of rent is just not affordable. Unfortunately, life is not like Friends, and a beautiful 2-bedroom apartment in the middle of Manhattan is a little out of reach on a waitress (or student!) budget.

Do some research on living options in the area around each school to get an idea of how much rent will be per month. It will also be important to like the area where you live while you are in OT school because you will be living there for the next two or three years of your life. You might even stay longer if you get a job there after graduation!

Cost

Program cost is another major factor to consider. OT school is a big investment. Depending on what program you choose, tuition can be anywhere from $30,000 to over $100,000 for some private and doctoral degree programs. This can lead to a lot of student loan debt down the line.

Calculate the full cost of attendance for each school that you are interested in and ask if they offer any scholarship opportunities. It is important to be up front with yourself about how you will pay for school and how much you can afford before making your decision.

Every OT program is going to prepare you to enter the field. What makes a program worth paying for is what opportunities that it offers and how it fits your goals, not how it is ranked.

Faculty Interests and Research

Take some time to research the professors at each school. What are their professional backgrounds? Are they currently involved in research? These are important questions to answer, because faculty experience and interests will shape a program’s curriculum.

Each professor brings their own clinical experience to the table when teaching a class. Professors who have specialized interests may also teach electives so that students can get a more in-depth understanding of a particular topic. If you are interested in learning more about specific areas of practice such as low vision therapy or assistive technology, see if a program has professors who specialize in those areas. They can be a great resource to further your understanding of special topics and can help you to explore your own professional interests.

It's also helpful to know what research projects the program is conducting. Some programs emphasize student involvement in research more than others. Doctoral programs will typically require students to do research during the course of the program. If research is something that you are interested in, ask about what opportunities are available for students and what research projects the faculty are working on. You will want their projects to match your own interests.

However, you may not be interested in research at all, and that’s ok. It is not for everyone and research is not a requirement for every program. Look through the curriculum to see whether or not research is an essential component of the program you are interested in.

Unique Program Assets

Now on to the fun part! What made you decide to apply to a program in the first place? Each program has something unique to offer, but some may have had opportunities that especially stuck out for you.

Many OT students are interested in being able to study abroad while in graduate school. Study abroad is not as typical in OT school as it is in undergrad. Not every program offers the opportunity to travel. However, many schools have partnerships with countries across the world and are able to send their students abroad for classes or even Level II fieldwork placements. Some schools may only offer opportunities every few years. If studying abroad is something that is really important to you, then choose a program that has international opportunities permanently built into their curriculum.

Programs also have unique partnerships with the communities that they serve. For example, a program may offer a free clinic where students are able to provide occupational therapy services to local clients in need. Programs also offer various opportunities to volunteer in the community.

Volunteering is a chance to gain exposure to many different types of clients and network for your future career. Volunteering can be a great way for you to explore your interests, whether that be adaptive sports, hippotherapy, working with the homeless, or more! Keep some of your extracurricular interests in mind when comparing schools. It can be helpful to know if a program has specific opportunities for students to get involved in areas that they are interested in.

4 tips to help you make a decision

Choosing an OT program can seem overwhelming, but . . .

Hopefully, for this information will be helpful when you are making your decision. Ultimately, it is about finding the OT program that fits in with your goals and where you see yourself being successful. Just remember that it will all be worth it in the end. No matter where you decide to school, you will be starting your journey of becoming an awesome occupational therapist!

Got any more tips on how to choose a program? Let us know in the comments below!

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