Choosing OT programs to apply to...

[OT or Bust]

I am interested in applying for MOT programs. Does anyone have any suggestions on choosing which programs to take the time to apply to? I would like to narrow my search down to 5-10 programs to apply to but have no idea how to I should go about doing that. I am fairly open to most things like geographical area, length of program, etc. The biggest concern I have is the cost (I would prefer not having $100,000 in loans )

Does anyone have words of advise about how they narrowed their search down when they didn't have any particular preferences?

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[gymnastau]

I am interested in applying for MOT programs. Does anyone have any suggestions on choosing which programs to take the time to apply to? I would like to narrow my search down to 5-10 programs to apply to but have no idea how to I should go about doing that. I am fairly open to most things like geographical area, length of program, etc. The biggest concern I have is the cost (I would prefer not having $100,000 in loans )

Does anyone have words of advise about how they narrowed their search down when they didn't have any particular preferences?

It's really hard and I even find myself narrowing my choices down to the last minute including after an interview invitation from the school!

The AOTA website lists all the accredited programs. I started there and then made a list of all the schools I matched (or could realistically match) their criteria. The pre-reqs are not consistent at schools minus A&P and generally psych classes. After that it seems to be fair game about what they pick or choose... anything from ethics, to hands on art, neuroscience, chemistry.... Perhaps all relevant but it becomes frustrating while applying unless you are narrowed into a specific school and take exactly what you need.

You also end up having to be realistic about how many volunteer/shadowing hours you can complete. Schools require anywhere from 0-100 hrs. (1 setting to various settings). Some people have 500 plus hrs (and tend to do well receiving acceptances) and some have 30 hrs. I struggled finding places where I could volunteer because I am currently in a more rural area. Yet I know people who were in big cities who found the process of finding places to volunteer tough too.

Cost wise it becomes hard. I didn't consider cost at 1st because I wanted to be open. First I completed my FASFA even if I wasn't ready to begin school in order to get a realistic picture of what my federal loan options were. However, I looked at schools financial aid pages to see how many options they also had. Many schools can be expensive but may offer a lot of grants, merit aid, scholarships. Out of state public schools (unless regionally partnered with your home state) can cost you the same as a private school. Also where you end up living can add immensely to the cost. I lived in LA for 10 years and knew that my cost of an apartment shared would be about $800 or more a month, alone at least $1100.

Finally I used Google often and checked the name of the school and "OT" to see if I could find student blogs or anything like that to gauge how the student felt overall about their classes, experience, and so on.

There is also of course tons of good information on this website from people's experiences. Good luck!

Where would you like to go? Any ideas?

 

[OTforMe]

Good points. For me, I was going to go to the cheapest school tuition wise. Then, realizing it was a 3 year program, I started calculating the book and housing costs and it costs almost the same as a school in an area I like better.

Looking at prereqs is sooo important! Like gymnastau said, there are no standardized prereqs. It was maddening during applications to realize if I got into some of these places, I might have to do 3 or 4 more classes. It would have been easier to get those done had I still been working on my undergrad. With any prereqs you still have left, I'd suggest doing them at a community college. MUCH cheaper! Just make sure they count at the schools you're applying to.

 

[lizzo76]

Well, right now I am no longer mobile for school, but fortunately I am in the Boston area so I have several options. But for my last masters degree, I was totally mobile. I suggest picking schools in areas where you'd really want to live - if you're going to be going to school somewhere for 2-3 years, why not enjoy the area? And, of course, cost of living (particularly rent) varies GREATLY from one area to another, so that might be a factor depending on your financial situation. Also, consider where you might want to live AFTER you graduate - it's easiest all around if you're settling down in the area in which you've graduated... so make sure you like the area and that the job market seems decent. Of course that will change in a few years, but areas with a lot of hospitals, etc., are always good bets.

Then, just start checking the websites of the schools in the areas which interest you, to see what each one requires... if, for example, one school requires something like Gross Anatomy as a prereq, and NO other schools to which you might apply require that, you'll probably not want to put in the time and effort, and might cross that school off your list. (Unless of course you absolutely want to go to that one school.)

ETA - check all your options for taking the prereqs...I'm taking mine at the Harvard Extension School, which costs only slightly more than my local community colleges, but is WAY higher quality. If you can avoid taking community college classes, I'd do so, not just for admissions reasons, but to make sure you genuinely get the best education you can for your money.

 

[FutureOT2013]

I am interested in applying for MOT programs. Does anyone have any suggestions on choosing which programs to take the time to apply to? I would like to narrow my search down to 5-10 programs to apply to but have no idea how to I should go about doing that. I am fairly open to most things like geographical area, length of program, etc. The biggest concern I have is the cost (I would prefer not having $100,000 in loans )

Does anyone have words of advise about how they narrowed their search down when they didn't have any particular preferences?

The best advice I was given was to try and go to a school that is accredited and makes financial sense first. After all, in the end we will all be OTR's once we pass the NBCOT. By being accredited, it is in their best interest to teach the same information that a top program is teaching. Second criteria is think about where you would like to practice after you graduate, many of the OT's I shadowed and the OT's who are friends of mine were offered jobs by the last place they did their fieldwork.

Attending a program that is near where you want to end up practicing can be very advantageous as many of the fieldwork sites have well established relationships with your program. Even being a student at a top program like USC, they said that getting fieldworks in the Bay Area would be hard because they had to compete with SJSU, Samuel Merritt, and Dominican grads.

As far as advice about narrowing your search, it is really about where you can picture yourself working afterwards. I only applied to two schools (USC and SJSU) because I lagged, but I happened to get into both. My plan was to apply to major metro areas that I would want to work at though, (NYU, Columbia, BU, UWash, Puget Sound, UIC, and UNC). Right now I am trying to limit my costs because total costs of going to some OT programs are ridiculous compared to what an OT can expect to be making for the first few years out. If you are trying to not be 100k in debt, only apply to public schools in your state of residency and hope for the best.

 

[lizzo76]

The best advice I was given was to try and go to a school that is accredited and makes financial sense first. After all, in the end we will all be OTR's once we pass the NBCOT. By being accredited, it is in their best interest to teach the same information that a top program is teaching. Second criteria is think about where you would like to practice after you graduate, many of the OT's I shadowed and the OT's who are friends of mine were offered jobs by the last place they did their fieldwork.

Attending a program that is near where you want to end up practicing can be very advantageous as many of the fieldwork sites have well established relationships with your program. Even being a student at a top program like USC, they said that getting fieldworks in the Bay Area would be hard because they had to compete with SJSU, Samuel Merritt, and Dominican grads.

As far as advice about narrowing your search, it is really about where you can picture yourself working afterwards. I only applied to two schools (USC and SJSU) because I lagged, but I happened to get into both. My plan was to apply to major metro areas that I would want to work at though, (NYU, Columbia, BU, UWash, Puget Sound, UIC, and UNC). Right now I am trying to limit my costs because total costs of going to some OT programs are ridiculous compared to what an OT can expect to be making for the first few years out. If you are trying to not be 100k in debt, only apply to public schools in your state of residency and hope for the best.

Good advice - I wasn't aware there even WERE unaccredited programs. Can you sit for the national exam, and meet state licensing requirements if you've gone to an unaccredited program? I wouldn't imagine so, but then again, what would even be the point of the program if you couldn't?

 

[FutureOT2013]

Yea usually new OT programs are not accredited yet but will be eventually, or programs which fall out of compliance go on a probationary accreditation before they have it withdrawn. http://www.aota.org/Educate/Schools/EntryLevelOT/38119.aspx
Let's you know which schools are on probationary accreditation. Howard, Tuskegee, and UTEP currently from what I saw. I don't know of any unaccredited schools either, but I hear them being talked about like mainly online OT programs or something.

 

[OT2Be2013]

The best advice I was given was to try and go to a school that is accredited and makes financial sense first.

This.
The financial part is extremely important. I would make a list of all in-state schools with OT programs and their prerequisites and go from there. Personally, I worked on a specific set of pre-reqs that was required for my local state school, as that school was my first choice because it made the most financial sense. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about what would happen if I didn't get in, but I wanted to try that first and then, if I didn't get in, re-evaluate my options and possibly reapply.

And just wanted to add, for what it's worth, going to a school in a specific area doesn't necessarily restrict you from doing fieldwork elsewhere. You'd have to ask the school about their fieldwork agreements, but I know my school sends students out of state on a regular basis (at their request).