Program-Specific Info / Q's Elmhurst College

[OTgirl29]

I received an acceptance email to Elmhurst College today. Although I'm excited to finally have some sort of acceptance letter somewhere, there are a few things that concern me about this program. 1) This will be the first cohort to matriculate into Elmhurt as this is a brand new program. I'm concerned about being the "guiene pigs" for the program. 2) This program is not yet accredited and the program director said she excepts accreditation right before we would start our level 2 fieldwork. 3) she was very honest in saying that fieldwork sites will be very limited for both level 1 and 2 because of how new the program is and not having enough time to make agreements with facilities. She said that out of state field work will most likely not be an option for either fieldwork levels for this cohort.

Anyone have any thoughts on this program? I have applied to other schools so waiting to here back from those as well. I have to give Elmhurst a $200 deposit next week, which I will most likely do, just incase I don't get in anywhere else and decide to go there.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[othopeful92]

I received an acceptance email to Elmhurst College today. Although I'm excited to finally have some sort of acceptance letter somewhere, there are a few things that concern me about this program. 1) This will be the first cohort to matriculate into Elmhurt as this is a brand new program. I'm concerned about being the "guiene pigs" for the program. 2) This program is not yet accredited and the program director said she excepts accreditation right before we would start our level 2 fieldwork. 3) she was very honest in saying that fieldwork sites will be very limited for both level 1 and 2 because of how new the program is and not having enough time to make agreements with facilities. She said that out of state field work will most likely not be an option for either fieldwork levels for this cohort.

Anyone have any thoughts on this program? I have applied to other schools so waiting to here back from those as well. I have to give Elmhurst a $200 deposit next week, which I will most likely do, just incase I don't get in anywhere else and decide to go there.

Congrats on your acceptance! When did you interview with them? I'm still waiting to hear back.

 

[OTgirl29]

I interviewed with them yesterday and found out 2 hours later I was accepted lol kind of weird I thought...

 

[othopeful92]

I interviewed with them yesterday and found out 2 hours later I was accepted lol kind of weird I thought...

Haha that's awesome though! I interviewed probably 6 weeks ago and haven't heard anything, so I'm starting to think they're not interested. But if I were to be accepted and got in no where else, I would seriously consider going. I don't think they'll have problems getting accredited, it is a risk though :/

 

[OTgirl29]

Well....I officially put down my deposit for this school today since it is due on the 1st. I wont be hearing back from my top choice schools until March, so I figured I better secure my spot if Elmhurst is the only school I get into. This is my second year applying, and I don't want to go through a third round of applications again, this process has been stressful and brutal and I'm ready to get going with my OT education/career! If anyone else decides to go to Elmhurst, let me know here

 

[WMUOT]

I'm in the same position as you OTgirl29. This is also my second round of applications and I have been accepted and put down my deposit to Elmhurst! If I don't get into my top choices I will be going to Elmhurst.

 

[knash27]

Hi guys! I have my interview with Elmhurst on Thursday. Any tips on the interview?

 

[PRot18]

Hi guys! I have my interview with Elmhurst on Thursday. Any tips on the interview?

Hey! How long did it take for you to hear if you got an interview after turning in your application?? Or does anyone else in this thread have an answer??

 

[knash27]

Hey! How long did it take for you to hear if you got an interview after turning in your application?? Or does anyone else in this thread have an answer??

I turned my application in in early November and am just now having my interview Thursday!

 

[PRot18]

I turned my application in in early November and am just now having my interview Thursday!

Dang that's a long time. How long did it take for you to get an invitation for an interview after you turned it in? But that's awesome you got one. I'm sure you'll do great! Good luck!

 

[knash27]

I didn't receive an interview request until early Feb. I had my interview last Thursday but have yet to hear anything back. How long did it take for everyone else to hear back on their decision?

 

[othopeful92]

I just received notice that I was waitlisted. However, I will remove my name from the waitlist. Good luck!

 

[OTgirl29]

I found out I was accepted two hours after my interview. I will be attending a different program which should open up a spot for someone.

 

[PRot18]

Does anyone know if Elmhurst has been getting a lot of interest from applicants or if anybody has an idea of how many interviews Elmhurst has conducted so far?? Any answer is greatly appreciated!!

 

[knash27]

I went to their info session in November and they said they were expecting around 500 applicants. And they only accept 16 students. I'm not sure how many interviews they've conducted so far, but from my understanding they're in the final rounds of interviews and I don't think they'll be having anymore after Feb 29

 

[ABOT5532]

I applied as well, but decided not to go. Fall 2016 will be the first class at Elmhurst and the school is NOT accredited and it will NOT be until the end of fall (Oct/Nov/Doc) 2017 at the earliest according to the director and AOTA. Since each year is roughly $30,000 in tuition, you would be at least 4 semesters (including summer) and $45,000 invested in the program (plus over 1 year rent) before you find out if you can even use your expensive graduate degree in the field. You cannot become licensed until they become accredited!! I will highly advise against starting here until at least fall 2017. I would suggest to either work one year to save for OT school before starting at this school or, better yet, to apply elsewhere for fall 2016 . Think VERY hard before starting at a brand new program. Plus they only accept 14 students, but next year they plan to add more to over 20 students. Connections is very important in graduate school. Also- since in fall 2017 they will have more students, they will likely have more staff, which would be a huge advantage for the second class. Hope I helped some.

 

[OTgirl29]

I agree with the above post which is why I chose not to attend this school. Also when I talked to the program director I got a huge red flag about field work. It's going to be VERY limited on where you get placed which scares me.

 

[ABOT5532]

That is strange ChicagoOT. More importantly, how many faculty members do they have now in the OT department? According to their website they only have TWO faculty members. http://www.elmhurst.edu/admission/graduate/master_of_occupational_therapy/324193651.html
This scares me immensely, especially in a brand new program. Also- only the department chair has OT graduate level level teaching experience, which doesn't help.

I would want to to go to a school with more faculty members and students. 14 is such a small class. It would also be nice to hear from members of the first class to see how the professors are like as well. But, like I said my biggest concern is that it's a brand new school that is NOT accredited. Are you planning to attend? Unless you are from a rich family, who is paying for your education I would strongly advice NOT to attend. Even if you are from a wealthy family, you could end up wasting 2 years of your time and energy to get a degree you cannot actually use!!! Not to mention over $45,000 in tuition, a couple thousand in books/transportation, and another $12-20,000 in rent. So you are looking at at least $60,000. I would rather use this $60,000 and work for one year to have enough for 3/4 of a nice house. Or-.... frankly I would rather start at a college that is $80-100,000 in tuition for 2 years for that is accredited!! The worry of my school not being accredited would be awful. All in all it's a huge risk to start this program. Can you imagine if after Dec of 2017 you find out they didn't receive accreditation?

Transferring graduate credits is very difficult (and sometimes impossible) from what I've heard, not to mention having to relocate and spend another 1-2 years in school. Also, what if you miss school admission deadlines and have to wait until the following year to even apply? You could end up wasting 6 years of your life to get one masters you can use!! Not to mention spending extra money on the tuition of the new school and rent!! Elmhurst College may be a great location (right next to Chicago), but there are way too many red flags about this program. If you cannot get into any other school, it's OK to take a year off or to take extra college classes that you didn't have time for in undergrad or better yet take some time to travel.

If it helps my argument this is found verbatim on their website-

"Note: The master of occupational therapy program does not accept transfer credits toward the fulfillment of course requirements."

http://www.elmhurst.edu/admission/graduate/master_of_occupational_therapy/324196831.html

Sorry if I sound pessimistic, but I hope my insights have helped others. I would love to hear others opinions, which is why I am writing so much as well.

 

[ABOT5532]

a

 

[ABOT5532]

This is a question for everybody-

If you enroll in a program (such as this) and it doesn't get accredited after 1.5 years or so, do you get refunded for tuition? My educated guess is NO, but then again I am not a college admissions director. I also think your time invested is equally as valuable as the tuition cost, if not more. (which of course you can never get back)

 

[OTfromIT]

@ABOT5532 no, I will not be attending Elmhurst. It was my back-up plan if I did not get in to any other schools. I am from the suburbs, so I was originally excited to hear that Elmhurst was starting a program. I wanted to go to a school in the area so that I could live at home to save money. However, after going to the info session in November, I was a little alarmed because some things seemed very unorganized. For example, at the time of the info session, they had not secured any other faculty members besides the program director. I think I recall her saying that she was hoping to have two faculty members before the program started, making 3 total including herself. Still, that seems like a low number. There were also many questions from prospective students about fieldwork, but not many concrete answers were given. This could be due to the fact that it is the school's first time going through this process, though. After all, every OT school has started without the accreditation.

Future,
I was excited, too - I live within walking distance. I concur with others, though = too many red flags at this point. Based on what people have said about the fieldwork, I looked up the course descriptions - my impression of fieldwork I is getting initial experience in clinical settings. But at Elmhurst, the first two fieldworks seem to be simply class projects on campus...maybe because they couldn't get sites. And I wonder about only having 2 faculty - this is a hybrid program, meaning you only have to come to campus for portion of the time, so is it hybrid because they knew they might not have enough faculty, or do they not need as many because it is hybrid? And 14 seems like a low cohort number...
I hope that the program does well, and maybe they have some innovative ideas as a new program, but ultimately I just couldn't take the chance.

 

[SoonToBeOTMe]

Future,
I was excited, too - I live within walking distance. I concur with others, though = too many red flags at this point. Based on what people have said about the fieldwork, I looked up the course descriptions - my impression of fieldwork I is getting initial experience in clinical settings. But at Elmhurst, the first two fieldworks seem to be simply class projects on campus...maybe because they couldn't get sites. And I wonder about only having 2 faculty - this is a hybrid program, meaning you only have to come to campus for portion of the time, so is it hybrid because they knew they might not have enough faculty, or do they not need as many because it is hybrid? And 14 seems like a low cohort number...
I hope that the program does well, and maybe they have some innovative ideas as a new program, but ultimately I just couldn't take the chance.

Glad I found this thread on Elmhurst College. I too live within walking distance and love the idea of going to school locally. However, I am very concerned about the lack of accreditation and the possibility (even if small) that I would not be able to sit for my NBCOT exam and go on to practice. I also don't like the idea of being the very first cohort. Since I'm in a holding a pattern with them (got a check in email recently but still no interview), it's kind of a moot point for me. Plus, I got my acceptance from UIC this week. That was my first-choice school, so I guess the decision is made. If I decide for some reason to put off my degree for a few years (because I'm struggling with how I'll manage childcare and my household while commuting to UIC and being a FT student), I could see looking at Elmhurst again, assuming they get accredited by then.

 

[WMUOT]

I will not be going to Elmhurst anymore either as I have gotten into another school that is more established and is cheaper.

 

[OTmorg]

Of everyone going to Elmhurst for the MOT program Fall 2016, is anyone looking for housing or roommates?

 

[OT-TSS]

For the people that that started at Elmhurst this fall, how has it been going? Any news on the accreditation?

 

[Lexi64]

Hi guys!

I have a group interview at Elmhurst College for their MOT (OT Master's Program) this upcoming week.

I was wondering if you guys could give me any insight on what to expect during this interview process? Possibly current Elmhurst OT students or others who interviewed at Elmhurst in the past.

This will be my first group interview so any and all information is greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Lexi64]

I received an acceptance email to Elmhurst College today. Although I'm excited to finally have some sort of acceptance letter somewhere, there are a few things that concern me about this program. 1) This will be the first cohort to matriculate into Elmhurt as this is a brand new program. I'm concerned about being the "guiene pigs" for the program. 2) This program is not yet accredited and the program director said she excepts accreditation right before we would start our level 2 fieldwork. 3) she was very honest in saying that fieldwork sites will be very limited for both level 1 and 2 because of how new the program is and not having enough time to make agreements with facilities. She said that out of state field work will most likely not be an option for either fieldwork levels for this cohort.

Anyone have any thoughts on this program? I have applied to other schools so waiting to here back from those as well. I have to give Elmhurst a $200 deposit next week, which I will most likely do, just incase I don't get in anywhere else and decide to go there.

I received an acceptance email to Elmhurst College today. Although I'm excited to finally have some sort of acceptance letter somewhere, there are a few things that concern me about this program. 1) This will be the first cohort to matriculate into Elmhurt as this is a brand new program. I'm concerned about being the "guiene pigs" for the program. 2) This program is not yet accredited and the program director said she excepts accreditation right before we would start our level 2 fieldwork. 3) she was very honest in saying that fieldwork sites will be very limited for both level 1 and 2 because of how new the program is and not having enough time to make agreements with facilities. She said that out of state field work will most likely not be an option for either fieldwork levels for this cohort.

Anyone have any thoughts on this program? I have applied to other schools so waiting to here back from those as well. I have to give Elmhurst a $200 deposit next week, which I will most likely do, just incase I don't get in anywhere else and decide to go there.

Hi!

I have a group interview at Elmhurst College for their MOT (OT Master's Program) this upcoming week.

I was wondering if you guys could give me any insight on what to expect during this interview process? Possibly current Elmhurst OT students or others who interviewed at Elmhurst in the past.

This will be my first group interview so any and all information is greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Lexi64]

I'm in the same position as you OTgirl29. This is also my second round of applications and I have been accepted and put down my deposit to Elmhurst! If I don't get into my top choices I will be going to Elmhurst.

Hi!

I have a group interview at Elmhurst College for their MOT (OT Master's Program) this upcoming week.

I was wondering if you guys could give me any insight on what to expect during this interview process? Possibly current Elmhurst OT students or others who interviewed at Elmhurst in the past.

This will be my first group interview so any and all information is greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Lexi64]

Hi guys! I have my interview with Elmhurst on Thursday. Any tips on the interview?

Hi!

I have a group interview at Elmhurst College for their MOT (OT Master's Program) this upcoming week.

I was wondering if you guys could give me any insight on what to expect during this interview process? Possibly current Elmhurst OT students or others who interviewed at Elmhurst in the past.

This will be my first group interview so any and all information is greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Lexi64]

Of everyone going to Elmhurst for the MOT program Fall 2016, is anyone looking for housing or roommates?

Hi!

I have a group interview at Elmhurst College for their MOT (OT Master's Program) this upcoming week.

I was wondering if you guys could give me any insight on what to expect during this interview process? Possibly current Elmhurst OT students or others who interviewed at Elmhurst in the past.

This will be my first group interview so any and all information is greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Zgroh]

Well....I officially put down my deposit for this school today since it is due on the 1st. I wont be hearing back from my top choice schools until March, so I figured I better secure my spot if Elmhurst is the only school I get into. This is my second year applying, and I don't want to go through a third round of applications again, this process has been stressful and brutal and I'm ready to get going with my OT education/career! If anyone else decides to go to Elmhurst, let me know here

Are you currently at Elmhurst?

 

[Zgroh]

Of everyone going to Elmhurst for the MOT program Fall 2016, is anyone looking for housing or roommates?

Are you currently at Elmhurst for OT?