General Admissions & OTCAS Best course of action for pursuing an OTD?

[djsbaseball2014]

Hey everyone, I am writing this post on behalf of my cousin who is in the process of deciding where she wants to go to college. I am in medical school right now so she is reaching out to me for advice and while I know about other professional programs, OTD is one of those that I am unfamiliar with.

That being said, she is interested in pursuing an OTD degree. She is currently trying to decide between a few schools and had some concerns. She is about to graduate high school and is from California.

1.) University of Southern California
-she was admitted into the 5 year B.S./M.S. for Occupational therapy at USC
-it would enable her to get everything done within in 5 years but the cost of attendance is roughly $80k/ year over the 5 years including tuition and housing which is really expensive
-it is a very prestigious program but is it worth taking out that much undergraduate debt

2.) University of California, Irvine
-here she would be coming in as a psychology major but UCI has an exercise and sports medicine B.S. program that you can apply into during your 2nd/3rd year of UG
-she would just have to take the pre-reqs for the major and the switch into it
-there is no linked masters program but I think the prestige of UCI combined with her goo grades (provided she does well) she will be fine
-She did not get any money for UCI but it is cheaper than USC and still has all the perks being a research institution, etc

3.) several small religious private colleges in CA
-they are alot smaller, not as many resources
-lesser known schools
-but she has a full ride at one of the schools I believe in Fresno, but I am worried that the access to resources is going to be limited and the religious culture of the school might leave her wanting more out of her college experience

If anybody can weigh in on the options, I would greatly appreciate it. I am leaning towards recommending UCI just because it is a quality education, for a relatively low price and would keep alot of door open for her

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[Skeletonia]

Most people will say cost should decide, especially for the initial four years of undergraduate, and I ultimately agree. Going to USC (or any prestigious school) does not automatically give anyone a leg up career or education wise. Though, I hear that USC is going tuition free for lower income families.

If she truly dislikes the Fresno full ride option, she may find herself performing poorly academically, transferring later, or even dropping out. Those consequences would negate any cost saving benefits. I wouldn't worry about access to resources, but four years in an environment or city that someone hates does not seem worth it when there are other options.

UCI would be a fine choice--but has she considered community college first and then transfer to UC? Or even a Cal State school for two or four years? Those options would save even more. She would also have her choice of several CA cities. Heck, I even had a friend who went to community college for two years and transferred to USC for the last two (still too expensive, I think).

I am a non-traditional student but after high school did two years of community college in CA before transferring to a Cal State. I majored in English. I had several acceptances to MOT and OTD programs this year (my first attempt). I had very little debt (and paid it off years ago). No one cared where I had gone to school, just that I had completed it with a decent GPA.

If she wants to complete a BA and MOT/OTD program in five/six years without any gaps, then she should choose a major that includes the most common prerequisites and start volunteering/shadowing at least by junior year. That and good grades should put her in a position for acceptance into several OT programs regardless of where she goes for undergrad.

 

[OTD620K]

From my own personal experience of going to a smaller private university with very little to no connections to bigger universities, I would encourage her to try and find a program like USC where they have a combined program or maybe even a school that has connections with a school that offers an OT grad degree.

 

[beestrng]

80k year is too much for OT. The name recognition may not matter much depending on where she would like to work. SNF or a big-name hospital.

I am not too familiar with the CA schools besides St. Augustine. They will teach you well, but it is too expensive. It should be your last choice.

Avoid OTD if you can unless your cousin wants to go into school systems or govt. You may get a couple of grand a year for having a doctorate level of education. There is always the post-professional OTD. Work while you study. Pretty sure most of it is fluff online.

 

[OTOTOT98]

I would say UC Irvine sounds like the best option out of all of those! It also gives her flexibility in case she changes her mind later on becoming an OT, but gives her a great resume if she does decide to pursue it.

 

[djsbaseball2014]

I would say UC Irvine sounds like the best option out of all of those! It also gives her flexibility in case she changes her mind later on becoming an OT, but gives her a great resume if she does decide to pursue it.

She also just told me she got into SDSU which I told her might be the best option to consider. The issue I have with UCI is 1.) she is a psych major which is not considered science and so in order to take the pre-reqs she needs for OT programs, she would essentially have to take a pre-med courseload which speaking from experience at a UC school is not FUN. She will potentially not be able to enroll in those science classes because there are so many people who are biology or life science majors so her coursework might be delayed. I agree if she decides to change her mind about OT later on then that is the best option and I told her that or even USC for that matter if she chooses law or business or something.

However, she is pretty determined for OT and has already observed an OT. The reason i recommended SDSU was because 1.) they have their own PT program which she can potentially network with/do research with which will help her app. 2.) It is WAY less academically rigorous and in a process that focuses on GPA so heavily and undergrad not so much, she will be able to maintain a higher GPA there than at UCI having to compete with thousands of pre-meds 3.) It is close to UCSD so she can reap all the benefits of being near hospitals, research labs, health offices, etc. 4.) She wont be missing out on the college experience as SDSU is a very work hard, play hard environment and I just told her to make sure she keeps her priorities in check but to also have fun in college.

 

[KPMVNGFWD]

She also just told me she got into SDSU which I told her might be the best option to consider. The issue I have with UCI is 1.) she is a psych major which is not considered science and so in order to take the pre-reqs she needs for OT programs, she would essentially have to take a pre-med courseload which speaking from experience at a UC school is not FUN. She will potentially not be able to enroll in those science classes because there are so many people who are biology or life science majors so her coursework might be delayed. I agree if she decides to change her mind about OT later on then that is the best option and I told her that or even USC for that matter if she chooses law or business or something.

However, she is pretty determined for OT and has already observed an OT. The reason i recommended SDSU was because 1.) they have their own PT program which she can potentially network with/do research with which will help her app. 2.) It is WAY less academically rigorous and in a process that focuses on GPA so heavily and undergrad not so much, she will be able to maintain a higher GPA there than at UCI having to compete with thousands of pre-meds 3.) It is close to UCSD so she can reap all the benefits of being near hospitals, research labs, health offices, etc. 4.) She wont be missing out on the college experience as SDSU is a very work hard, play hard environment and I just told her to make sure she keeps her priorities in check but to also have fun in college.

For what it's worth: I am currently in my 3rd term as an OTD student. I was a Psych major for undergrad (at UCLA) and yes the hard science courses were rigorous there. Psychology is a social/behavioral science but I know that many of the UC's upper-division courses for Psych will also have other sciences (i.e., neuroscience, cognitive science, etc.) integrated into them as well. UC's are also primarily research-oriented universities so there are professors that are there for research and teaching is a part of that commitment. There are amazing professors that are brilliant and can teach, but there are also many that are smart but that aren't necessarily the best teachers.

That being said, I think the Psych undergrad curriculum prepares you well for OT school in terms of having a strong foundational understanding of mental health, gaining a good understanding of the BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL dynamic and a holistic understanding of people which will help her to accept the common answer of 'IT DEPENDS' to many questions/situations in OT. Also, completing a Psych degree can technically be done sooner than 4 years because the core class are not as much as some of these other majors. One of the best things about undergrad (in addition to learning from your peers outside of the classroom setting, through events, campus life, diversity) is that there are ELECTIVES you need to take to gain credits towards your degree. That leaves you to explore other academic fields that she finds interest in which will broaden your perspectives on life (and that is so important). Some of the classes I remember taking and enjoying were courses in film/cinematography, screenwriting, gospel choir (ethnomusicology), bioterrorism, medical sociology, epidemiology, cultural competency in nursing, language classes. So yes, have fun. Explore other areas and expand your interests outside your/her field of study, it will all be valuable down the road because people are into different things and having an open mind and insight into different things will help her to relate and exercise her 'therapeutic use of self.'

In regards to the pre-requisites, since she has already decided on OT, she can start knocking out pre-requisites during her lower-division classes as well --> "Feed two birds with one biscuit." Essentially choose classes that fulfill both degree requirements & pre-requisites for the OT programs she wants to aim for. Anatomy & Physiology are the 2 main pre-reqs she can take during summer or at a community college. She doesn't have to take a pre-med courseload, as most of the other pre-reqs should be fulfilled through her Psych degree plan.

Kinesio or exercise science majors will have a leg-up on the kinematics and human movement portions of OT, but locking in during her ANATOMY pre-req will prepare her well for OT school.

Hope that's helpful.