I was accepted into the second cohort of Stanbridge's MSOT program and was checking to see if anyone else on here has been. I'm excited to meet everyone.
Program-Specific Info / Q's Stanbridge
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Hello,
I am currently on the wait-list, fingers crossed that I am given a spot in the program! Were you accepted via early enrollment?
I am currently on the wait-list, fingers crossed that I am given a spot in the program! Were you accepted via early enrollment?
I'm pretty sure it was standard enrollment, not early. I found out on the 25th of July. I would call them, everyone had to confirm their spot by August 3rd for the class that starts Sep 8th, so at this point they should have a better idea of where you stand.
I think they are accepting 3 cohorts a year though, so if it doesn't work out this semester you wouldn't have to wait very long to apply again. The program is still so small they might even save some of your application materials.
I think they are accepting 3 cohorts a year though, so if it doesn't work out this semester you wouldn't have to wait very long to apply again. The program is still so small they might even save some of your application materials.
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I am wait-listed for the cohort that begins September 15th. I contacted admissions, and they do not know my rank on the wait-list. Perhaps I should contact Dr. Janis Davis? Have you gone to orientation yet?
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I got pulled from the wait-list! Yay! Will be seeing you at orientation on Monday 
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Hi!
Not sure if any of you follow this thread still but I'm hoping to get some feedback about the MSOT program at Standbridge college.
Thanks!
Not sure if any of you follow this thread still but I'm hoping to get some feedback about the MSOT program at Standbridge college.
Thanks!
Hi jjhale0787,
I'm actually not a student at Stanbridge College, but I did some extensive research on it when I was applying for schools. I can give you some feedback.
I actually applied for the 3rd cohort, was accepted into the cohort, then turned down the admission offer. I decided to accept another admissions offer from a fully-accredited OT program for this upcoming academic year.
Some general pros about Stanbridge that I saw:
1. Stanbridge has all the tools you need to succeed as an occupational therapist. If I didn't get into another program, I would of chosen to attend the school and try my luck, even though they're pending accreditation. It seems like it has potential to grow.
2. It's two days a week - so they market it where you can have a balance between OT school and real life (meaning PT work, family, kids, etc.)
3. I really liked how helpful the admissions advisors are. My admissions advisor was Karen Myhra and she was simply amazing. She followed up on the things I needed, answered all my questions fully, and really made sure my application was complete. I generally kept in contact with her through email and received responses almost immediately. After calling her to decline the admissions offer, I actually kinda felt bad. (lol)
4. Financial aid was simple and I liked the payment options Stanbridge offered.
5. The labs are all up-to-date, and you work closely with the OTA students (as what I was told) to facilitate an inter-disciplinary approach.
6. Dr. Janis Davis is a known figure in the OT profession. If you google her name, she has publications, worked at Dominican University of CA, and seems like a strong leader for a growing program.
Cons - These were the "red" flags that stood out to me
1. The school itself is accredited, but pay attention to the type of accreditation. The "institution" is NATIONALLY accredited, not regionally accredited. On the website the school says its accredited by the "accrediting commission of career schools and colleges". I did a google search of this and it shows up as a "national" accrediting body. Please note that according to AOTA accrediting standards on the AOTA website, it states that an MSOT program must be on a "regionally" accredited institution, or simply a "university". Stanbridge College kind of falls under a technical/vocational school. This really bothered me when I was applying for OT schools. Since Stanbridge College is in the candidacy stage of accreditation, this means that the school is doing something right by AOTA standards and is going in the right direction towards full program-accreditation. If your still confused, look at the accreditation of USC, CSUDH, Loma Linda, West Coast, etc. You will see that all their accreditation of the institution itself is "regional", or by WASC. You should really look into this before deciding Stanbridge College. Please note that program accreditation and institution accreditation are completely different.
2. From what I saw, in 2025, the OT field is going towards a doctorate. I believe that every entry-level MS program in OT must then change their curriculum to fit an entry-level doctorate by this year (I may be wrong...but really look into this). According to the accrediting standards of AOTA, a Doctorate program must be on a "regionally" accredited institution. If Stanbridge is a nationally accredited...what does this mean in 2025? Will the program still exist? This really got me thinking, or maybe I'm over analyzing it.
3. If you wanted to go higher to a doctorate degree after obtaining an MSOT degree from Stanbridge, their might be some gray area here due to the national versus regional accreditations. From simple google research, many regional accredited schools may not accept credits from national accredited schools. Yet, im not sure how this works.
Here is the link:
http://www.aota.org/-/media/Corpora...rds/2011-Standards-and-Interpretive-Guide.pdf
On the link, find A.1.1, and look at the "masters" and "doctorate" requirements for accreditation. Also look at A.1.3 and compare the "masters OT" to the "COTA" requirements. You will see what I mean.
Overall, the program has all the tools you need to succeed in the field of OT and I would say is a great "backup" school. The program and courses were extremely organized, the faculty were all OTDs, seems promising. I feel the program is mainly geared to provide an education to get you a job. But, because of the Cons i discovered, I decided to just play it safe and choose a fully-accredited program on a regional institution.
Hope this helps!
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When you say you applied and got accepted to the 3rd cohort, is that the cohort beginning in Spring 2016?
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Wow thanks gntk for all the info! That is extremely helpful. I am going to research some of the stuff you mentioned. I'm sure I will have more questions after I do so! Thank you so much again. And congrats on getting into OT school!
No, it was the 3rd entering class (the one that started last April), so Spring 2015 I believe.
Glad it was helpful! there isn't much information on here about Stanbridge College's MSOT program. It has alot of potential and I would say much easier to obtain a spot in with decent stats. I was told by my advisor then that they had approximately 120 applications sent in, 75 interviews, for I believe 36 spots. I'm sure as time progresses those numbers will skyrocket.
No idea. You might have to ask one of the advisors on that. But, I remember my advisor stating that if you at least meet the minimum on the requirements you're pretty much guaranteed an interview, although, if you fall below one of the requirements, i remember thats when she said they send the information over to Dr. Davis to review, and she determines if you receive an interview or not.
But don't quote me on that, best to verify it with the advisors. Just keep in mind though the minimums are "preferred", and my advisor explained that they can take people who fall under those minimums.
From the 75 pre-qualified candidates, I suppose at the time when I applied there were 75 people who met all requirements. Im sure those numbers can fluctuate.
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Hello!
I am a current student from Stanbridge College and I am in cohort 3. I think I can be of some help to some prospective students that are thinking of applying to Stanbridge.
Firstly, only 32 students are selected for each cohort. There are only a couple of students on waitlist during the first 2 weeks of class. If any of the 32 accepted students drop during the class, then they will chose the next student from the waitlist (If you are on waitlist, be prepared to have some knowledge about neuroscience).
The lectures of the class are aligned with the standards of Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). AOTA is a part of ACOTE but ACOTE is the one that evaluates and accredits the program. Each of our classes have all the standards aligned with the ACOTE's requirements. We each students receives a checklist of the skills we learned in class and the professors sign off on it stating that you have learned it.
I took a screen shot of the AOTA link that @gntk provided with my course syllabus. Also the doctorate level standards are almost the same as the masters level degree standards.
Stanbridge College has been pre-accredited by ACOTE (which means all they need to do is come by the school and evaluate if our classes have the materials we need and see if current students are enjoying the program) and they will come by the school around in October/November 2015. The program will be notified if it has been accredited in the beginning of 2016. Also, Dr. Davis has been through the accreditation program with Rockhurst University & Dominican University (both are now accredited programs). I know a lot of people are iffy about the accreditation for this program but I look a risk by attending this program (there wasn't a lot of info about the program when I applied) and I do not regret my decision at all.
Also I know OT will eventually will require a doctorate program but the MSOT program at Stanbridge prepares each student to work on a thesis project throughout the 2 year program. I am only in my first term but looking at cohort 1, four of the thesis groups were invited to present their thesis project at OTAC (Occupational Therapy Association of California). The doctorate program are either more research based and you have to declare residency within a clinic (we had OTD students from USC speak at our school about their experience in the doctorate program). Some of our instructors that have their Doctorate in OT, some graduated and received their doctorate from USC, and one of our professors is the Region 1 coordinator for OTAC. Currently, you don't need a doctorate to be an OT practitioner yet. In my opinion, I think it would be better to practice as an OT for a bit and then pursue a doctorate in OT (i'm just thinking about all the loans that would be accumulated after graduating). But if anyone is itching to do research in OT, have the extra time and money to pursue a doctorate, go for it!
If anyone has any questions about Stanbridge's program, feel free to comment or send me a message. I will try to answer any questions as fast as I can (I am getting ready for my papers, presentations, and finals within the next 5 weeks).
Good luck to those who have interviews!
I am a current student from Stanbridge College and I am in cohort 3. I think I can be of some help to some prospective students that are thinking of applying to Stanbridge.
Firstly, only 32 students are selected for each cohort. There are only a couple of students on waitlist during the first 2 weeks of class. If any of the 32 accepted students drop during the class, then they will chose the next student from the waitlist (If you are on waitlist, be prepared to have some knowledge about neuroscience).
The lectures of the class are aligned with the standards of Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). AOTA is a part of ACOTE but ACOTE is the one that evaluates and accredits the program. Each of our classes have all the standards aligned with the ACOTE's requirements. We each students receives a checklist of the skills we learned in class and the professors sign off on it stating that you have learned it.
I took a screen shot of the AOTA link that @gntk provided with my course syllabus. Also the doctorate level standards are almost the same as the masters level degree standards.
Stanbridge College has been pre-accredited by ACOTE (which means all they need to do is come by the school and evaluate if our classes have the materials we need and see if current students are enjoying the program) and they will come by the school around in October/November 2015. The program will be notified if it has been accredited in the beginning of 2016. Also, Dr. Davis has been through the accreditation program with Rockhurst University & Dominican University (both are now accredited programs). I know a lot of people are iffy about the accreditation for this program but I look a risk by attending this program (there wasn't a lot of info about the program when I applied) and I do not regret my decision at all.
Also I know OT will eventually will require a doctorate program but the MSOT program at Stanbridge prepares each student to work on a thesis project throughout the 2 year program. I am only in my first term but looking at cohort 1, four of the thesis groups were invited to present their thesis project at OTAC (Occupational Therapy Association of California). The doctorate program are either more research based and you have to declare residency within a clinic (we had OTD students from USC speak at our school about their experience in the doctorate program). Some of our instructors that have their Doctorate in OT, some graduated and received their doctorate from USC, and one of our professors is the Region 1 coordinator for OTAC. Currently, you don't need a doctorate to be an OT practitioner yet. In my opinion, I think it would be better to practice as an OT for a bit and then pursue a doctorate in OT (i'm just thinking about all the loans that would be accumulated after graduating). But if anyone is itching to do research in OT, have the extra time and money to pursue a doctorate, go for it!
If anyone has any questions about Stanbridge's program, feel free to comment or send me a message. I will try to answer any questions as fast as I can (I am getting ready for my papers, presentations, and finals within the next 5 weeks
). Good luck to those who have interviews!
Hello!
I am a current student from Stanbridge College and I am in cohort 3. I think I can be of some help to some prospective students that are thinking of applying to Stanbridge.
Firstly, only 32 students are selected for each cohort. There are only a couple of students on waitlist during the first 2 weeks of class. If any of the 32 accepted students drop during the class, then they will chose the next student from the waitlist (If you are on waitlist, be prepared to have some knowledge about neuroscience).
The lectures of the class are aligned with the standards of Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). AOTA is a part of ACOTE but ACOTE is the one that evaluates and accredits the program. Each of our classes have all the standards aligned with the ACOTE's requirements. We each students receives a checklist of the skills we learned in class and the professors sign off on it stating that you have learned it.
I took a screen shot of the AOTA link that @gntk provided with my course syllabus. Also the doctorate level standards are almost the same as the masters level degree standards.
Stanbridge College has been pre-accredited by ACOTE (which means all they need to do is come by the school and evaluate if our classes have the materials we need and see if current students are enjoying the program) and they will come by the school around in October/November 2015. The program will be notified if it has been accredited in the beginning of 2016. Also, Dr. Davis has been through the accreditation program with Rockhurst University & Dominican University (both are now accredited programs). I know a lot of people are iffy about the accreditation for this program but I look a risk by attending this program (there wasn't a lot of info about the program when I applied) and I do not regret my decision at all.
Also I know OT will eventually will require a doctorate program but the MSOT program at Stanbridge prepares each student to work on a thesis project throughout the 2 year program. I am only in my first term but looking at cohort 1, four of the thesis groups were invited to present their thesis project at OTAC (Occupational Therapy Association of California). The doctorate program are either more research based and you have to declare residency within a clinic (we had OTD students from USC speak at our school about their experience in the doctorate program). Some of our instructors that have their Doctorate in OT, some graduated and received their doctorate from USC, and one of our professors is the Region 1 coordinator for OTAC. Currently, you don't need a doctorate to be an OT practitioner yet. In my opinion, I think it would be better to practice as an OT for a bit and then pursue a doctorate in OT (i'm just thinking about all the loans that would be accumulated after graduating). But if anyone is itching to do research in OT, have the extra time and money to pursue a doctorate, go for it!
If anyone has any questions about Stanbridge's program, feel free to comment or send me a message. I will try to answer any questions as fast as I can (I am getting ready for my papers, presentations, and finals within the next 5 weeks
Good luck to those who have interviews!
This is a really good point! Stanbridge College does have a great OT program in the making. From my experience, I had a really great initial vibe and Dr. Davis explained the layout of the program nicely. @c0ffeel0ver has some great points and is probably the best resource for incoming Stanbridge students. The courses look completely aligned with accreditation standards. I guess I kind of fixated on that one accreditation standard, but I'm sure Dr. Davis will clear any misconceptions up. As from what I found out about Stanbridge, there just merely assumptions, so I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from applying! The whole national/regional institutional accreditation gets confusing, but as long as the OT program is moving towards full program-accreditation by ACOTE, there should be nothing to worry about!
Good luck!
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I had my interview on Friday. It went well! Has anyone heard back if they have gotten in or not? They said we should know by August 14th. Fingers crossed!!
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Hi jjhale0787,
I interviewed on 7/24, got a call that I got accepted 8/4, and got my official acceptance letter via email 8/5. Hope this helps and crossing my fingers for you!
Hi everyone, congrats on those who got accepted! and good luck to all of you still awaiting a decision!
For the benefit of others on this forum, those of you who have already received admission decisions, do you mind sharing your stats too? Thanks!
and good luck to all of you still awaiting a decision!For the benefit of others on this forum, those of you who have already received admission decisions, do you mind sharing your stats too? Thanks!
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Hi jjhale0787,
I interviewed on 7/24, got a call that I got accepted 8/4, and got my official acceptance letter via email 8/5. Hope this helps and crossing my fingers for you!
Congrats RunnerOT!
Yes, knowing that does help! Thank you. Are you for sure going to attend the program?
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Thank you! Yes, I will be attending Stanbridge this Fall.
Thank you, aluan150! Congratulations to you as well
. Can't wait to meet you and all of our classmates at orientation next month!I will be coming from the Bay Area. Currently looking for places to live down there, anyone else on the same boat?
Thank you! Yes, I will be attending Stanbridge this Fall.
Thank you, aluan150! Congratulations to you as well
I will be coming from the Bay Area. Currently looking for places to live down there, anyone else on the same boat?
Hi runnerOT87!
I am also in the same boat. Are looking for a place for in Irvine or near the area?
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Congrats
! I've been looking around Irvine and some areas north of Irvine. How about you?
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Hi everyone, congrats on those who got accepted!
For the benefit of others on this forum, those of you who have already received admission decisions, do you mind sharing your stats too? Thanks!
I interviewed on 7/24 and received my acceptance on 8/13
California State University Monterey Bay
Major: Psychology
Graduated with honors (cum laude) and distinction in major
GPA: 3.716
Prerequisite GPA: 3.27 (Based on Stanbridge's prereqs)
GRE: 154V 147Q 4.0W
Volunteer hours: Over 200 OT observation/volunteer hours in the schools, pediatric clinics (majority of my hours), and a Kaiser outpatient clinic. Over 100 hours volunteering at a special education school in a preschool classroom where I sometimes observed an OT and I also participated in an adaptive swim program with that class as well.
XTRAS: Distinction in major (For completing an experiment with my professor and presenting our results at the 2013 Western Psychological Association Conference), Psi Chi member (The international honor society for Psychology)
Letters of Rec: 1 professor that I did research with as an undergrad, the main teacher of the preschool where I volunteered, and 2 OT's that I observed for about a year at the same pediatric clinic.
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For those who got into cohort 4, PM me so I can add you to the FB group!
Hey there! I'm part of the first cohort at Stanbridge and am currently in my 5th and last didactic term! Woohoo!!
So to address the accreditation situation, Stanbridge is indeed nationally accredited. So what is happening it that we will receive accreditation from ACOTE first and then the school will receive regional accreditation. This obviously sounds like it's a hard process, but remember that we are now 4 cohorts in; they would not recruit 4 full cohorts and operate full steam without having known and addressed that issue and being sure that accreditation is achievable.
To keep you all informed, ACOTE is coming in late October do interview students and we will hear definitely before the end of 2015 year as some fieldworkII sites require accreditation before taking in students.
Let me know if anyone has any other questions!!
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Hello! I was curious about how the accreditation went? On the Stanbridge website it says that graduates can now sit for the NBCOT & take the exam to get licensed. Do you mind confirming this or not please? I'm seriously considering this school & the only thing holding me back is the accreditation.
Thank you!
UPDATE:
We are fully accredited and officially on the AOTA website as an accredited school, listed as of December 2015! Apply away! Good luck
Yes
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I sibmitted my Stanbridge app through OTCAS earlier this week. Does anyone know if they interview potential students? I couldn't find anything on their website. also, for stduents who are in the program, do you mind showing your stats please?
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Hello! I am currently a student in the MSOT program at Stanbridge. When I applied they interviewed all potential candidates that met the minimum requirements as far as I know. I'm not sure if this method has changed at all since the accreditation was finalized but you might be able to contact the admissions department to find out.
Here are my stats:
California State University Monterey Bay
Major: Psychology
Graduated with honors (cum laude) and distinction in major
GPA: 3.716
Prerequisite GPA: 3.27 (Based on Stanbridge's prereqs)
GRE: 154V 147Q 4.0W
Volunteer hours: Over 200 OT observation/volunteer hours in the schools, pediatric clinics (majority of my hours), and a Kaiser outpatient clinic. Over 100 hours volunteering at a special education school in a preschool classroom where I sometimes observed an OT and I also participated in an adaptive swim program with that class as well.
XTRAS: Distinction in major (For completing an experiment with my professor and presenting our results at the 2013 Western Psychological Association Conference), Psi Chi member (The international honor society for Psychology)
Letters of Rec: 1 professor that I did research with as an undergrad, the main teacher of the preschool where I volunteered, and 2 OT's that I observed for about a year at the same pediatric clinic.
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Hi everyone,
I was accepted into the program and now I am having second thoughts due to Stanbridge College institution being only nationally accredited as opposed to regionally accredited.
Now keep in mind that institution accreditation is different from program accreditation (Stanbridge's MSOT program is newly accredited by ACOTE but the institution itself is not regionally accredited, it is only nationally accredited). Regional accreditation is regarded as the standard in America.
I understand that there have been some discussions about this on the forums, so I was wondering if there was any recent update on this?
I believe this is a serious topic to discuss because when OTD schools and employers say under the qualifications section when applying/looking for a job, "applicant must have graduated from an accredited college or school", they usually mean regionally accredited (with some exceptions of course).
I don't mean to grim about Stanbridge College, because I do believe it is an upcoming decent program, however national accreditation vs regional accreditation is a very important matter to look at. Although Dr. Janis is in charge of the MSOT program, I don't know if she has any power/control over if the institution as a whole gets regionally accredited. Has anyone heard any news?
Thank You!
I was accepted into the program and now I am having second thoughts due to Stanbridge College institution being only nationally accredited as opposed to regionally accredited.
Now keep in mind that institution accreditation is different from program accreditation (Stanbridge's MSOT program is newly accredited by ACOTE but the institution itself is not regionally accredited, it is only nationally accredited). Regional accreditation is regarded as the standard in America.
I understand that there have been some discussions about this on the forums, so I was wondering if there was any recent update on this?
I believe this is a serious topic to discuss because when OTD schools and employers say under the qualifications section when applying/looking for a job, "applicant must have graduated from an accredited college or school", they usually mean regionally accredited (with some exceptions of course).
I don't mean to grim about Stanbridge College, because I do believe it is an upcoming decent program, however national accreditation vs regional accreditation is a very important matter to look at. Although Dr. Janis is in charge of the MSOT program, I don't know if she has any power/control over if the institution as a whole gets regionally accredited. Has anyone heard any news?
Thank You!
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Hello everyone!
I was just accepted to the Stanbridge OT program starting September 19th, 2016. I was hoping to reach out to other people who have been accepted. I'm from New Jersey so will be making quite a move in a few months! I was wondering if anyone was looking for a roommate. Lets get in touch! I can't wait to meet all of you.
I was just accepted to the Stanbridge OT program starting September 19th, 2016. I was hoping to reach out to other people who have been accepted. I'm from New Jersey so will be making quite a move in a few months! I was wondering if anyone was looking for a roommate. Lets get in touch! I can't wait to meet all of you.
Those of you who have been accepted to Stanbridge can you plz share stats?
I'm applying for schools this cycle for 2017.
Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
I'm applying for schools this cycle for 2017.
Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Congrats!! Me too!! I am looking for a roommate as well, so I just messaged you Check your inbox
I've read from other postings that Stanbridge College is regionally accredited, but is not accredited at the national level. Does anyone know if this is true? And if they are only regionally accredited, would this affect student's employment opportunities after graduating? Thanks!
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Its the other way around. Stanbridge is national accredited, it is NOT regional accredited.
Despite the name "national" accreditation, REGIONAL accreditation is the gold standard recognized by all employers/other colleges/ other universities. So if you're planning on attending Stanbridge, you want it to have REGIONAL accreditation, not national accreditation.
I know it sounds confusing, but REGIONAL is 100x better than national in terms of recognition by employers/other colleges/other universities.
Regionally accredited schools are those such as: USC, Loma Linda, CSUDH, UCLA, CSULB, Harvard, Stanford, etc
Nationally accredited schools are those such as: trade and vocational schools
A school that is initially nationally accredited can eventually become regionally accredited if that school felt like it wanted to apply for regional accreditation. Once a school becomes regionally accredited, there is no point in keeping its national accreditation since regional accreditation is the universal gold standard.
Now considering OT is an in demand job, a lot of employers won't care whether you got your OT degree as long as you have an OT license. But there may also be a small percentage of employers who may turn you down because of you got your OT degree from a nationally accredited, instead of a regionally accredited school, it is unlikely that they will turn you down as of now, but I can't say if that will be the case a few years from now.
If you're planning on getting you're OTD, some schools also may think twice about admitting you into their program because your OT degree is from a non-regionally accredited school. I'm not saying that you won't get into these OTD programs, but there is that small risk of possibility, since I know for some nursing schools in order to get into a MSN program, the person's BSN usually must be from a regionally accredited school.
So these are some points to think about, especially considering that you're paying a high tuition to attend a school that is not regionally accredited, whereas schools as like Loma Linda, USC, Samuel Merritt etc, are all regionally accredited. Stanbridge is the only OT school in California that is not regionally accredited.
West Coast 1st started out as just only nationally accredited, but it eventually became regionally accredited. So Stanbridge definitely has the possibility of being regionally accredited in the future if they choose to do so, but when and if that will happen is up to them.
Also, I'm not saying don't go to Stanbridge. Stanbridge has an up-and-coming wonderful OT program. But if your plans involve getting a OTD in the future, definitely think about if it is the right school for you and contact prospective employers and other universities to see if they care about regional vs national accreditation.
Good Luck!
Despite the name "national" accreditation, REGIONAL accreditation is the gold standard recognized by all employers/other colleges/ other universities. So if you're planning on attending Stanbridge, you want it to have REGIONAL accreditation, not national accreditation.
I know it sounds confusing, but REGIONAL is 100x better than national in terms of recognition by employers/other colleges/other universities.
Regionally accredited schools are those such as: USC, Loma Linda, CSUDH, UCLA, CSULB, Harvard, Stanford, etc
Nationally accredited schools are those such as: trade and vocational schools
A school that is initially nationally accredited can eventually become regionally accredited if that school felt like it wanted to apply for regional accreditation. Once a school becomes regionally accredited, there is no point in keeping its national accreditation since regional accreditation is the universal gold standard.
Now considering OT is an in demand job, a lot of employers won't care whether you got your OT degree as long as you have an OT license. But there may also be a small percentage of employers who may turn you down because of you got your OT degree from a nationally accredited, instead of a regionally accredited school, it is unlikely that they will turn you down as of now, but I can't say if that will be the case a few years from now.
If you're planning on getting you're OTD, some schools also may think twice about admitting you into their program because your OT degree is from a non-regionally accredited school. I'm not saying that you won't get into these OTD programs, but there is that small risk of possibility, since I know for some nursing schools in order to get into a MSN program, the person's BSN usually must be from a regionally accredited school.
So these are some points to think about, especially considering that you're paying a high tuition to attend a school that is not regionally accredited, whereas schools as like Loma Linda, USC, Samuel Merritt etc, are all regionally accredited. Stanbridge is the only OT school in California that is not regionally accredited.
West Coast 1st started out as just only nationally accredited, but it eventually became regionally accredited. So Stanbridge definitely has the possibility of being regionally accredited in the future if they choose to do so, but when and if that will happen is up to them.
Also, I'm not saying don't go to Stanbridge. Stanbridge has an up-and-coming wonderful OT program. But if your plans involve getting a OTD in the future, definitely think about if it is the right school for you and contact prospective employers and other universities to see if they care about regional vs national accreditation.
Good Luck!
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Hi Meadow10:
You posted this awhile back, but I had the same question in mind when I wanted to be an OT 5-6 years ago when I started my undergrad.
I considered Stanbridge at first. However, when I asked the financial advisor how long it would take me to pay off the loans, she said 10+ years.
However, SHE ALSO TOLD ME THAT if I had a RICH uncle or a family member who had extra money to give me, I would have no problems paying it off.
Coming from a low income socioeconomic status, and with many people today graduating with horrendous loans, I did not appreciate what she said. Her statement deterred me from applying to any private school.
I love the OT profession, and many people say that if it is something you truly want to do, you would pay whatever amount to go to school and figure out how to pay for it.
However, I am realistic. Yes, follow your dreams, but be mindful of your own reality. I personally knew that I would not be able to shoulder that much loans, granted I was nearly homeless at one point.
If you can get extra financial help though, or can afford it, Stanbridge is a great program. Great parking, nice staff and faculty.
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Stanbridge's deadline states that it is in March? So if I were to apply now, how long does anyone think it would take for them to get back to me? I see a lot of people saying that they got accepted or whatnot in like July.
