Program-Specific Info / Q's BU vs Duke vs Columbia

[otgirl24]

Hi all, I'm deciding between BU, Duke, and Columbia. Does anyone have any insight into these programs? BU is close to home, and #1 but not in med school, less impressive overall school than Duke and Columbia. Duke is a good school and in their medical school (huge + for me), but I am not so much in love with the area, and the program is new and unranked. Columbia is a great school NYC is always somewhere I've wanted to live also in med school but their MS-OTD vs entry-level OTD program is a bit weird, and it's ranked lower than BU for OT. What would you pick? The money situation is similar for all three schools so that's not really a factor.

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[CactusOT]

You are not going to Medical school, but rather to OT school, so why get hung up on the medical school? You could use the same logic regarding if they have a good engineering program or not. You will also not be in the medical buildings or medical classrooms, as most schools have their own OT space/building. Most OT field work and locations are not even in the medical school/hospital. Duke is in a fantastic area. I applied to UNC but not Duke. I got accepted to BU, Tufts, Pitt, USC, and a few others. Visiting BU and Tufts here soon. Do you not factor in the money/cost of living into the equation versus earning wages? BU is very expensive for what you get. Also, you need to factor in are you going into research, want to teach OT, work in a school district as an OT, work in a hospital department, or want to go into a clinic setting (some schools cater to all or just some, you would be surprised that some target just some). Just some thoughts to chew on.

 

[OTTP]

I totally understand the desire to go to a medical school. I denied a couple of places because I also wanted to learn in more of a medical school hospital/setting. Which one are you most excited about? At the end of the day, you're investing in yourself here and if you're going to be in the same amount of debt for all of them, your gut might be speaking. Sure there are some logistical considerations but at the end of the day, it's a huge accomplishment to get accepted to any of these programs and you should do what will make you happiest!