This has got to be the worst OT program out there. My advice to you is to apply somewhere else, whatever you do DO NOT go to Clarkson. I am speaking from personal experience and you will not be happy spending $100K on student loans for a program with unprofessional faculty and students, the area (super depressing! Nothing to do, weather is terrible, no diversity (a lot of racist people in the community), and no public transportation. This program has lost it's department chair that started the program and was taken down by a student who started a google document and opened an investigation on her merely because she did not like her. This student also took part in getting our anatomy professor fired. Take my word for it people are not what you would expect here and I would suggest you really looking into your program before making that commitment.
Program-Specific Info / Q's DO NOT GO TO CLARKSON UNIVERSITY!
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I am so sorry to hear that! Clarkson is a relatively new program isn't it? are you the first cohort?
Honestly, they are accepting ANYONE because no one wants to come to this program. Trust me when I say go to a school that's already accredited. If you come to this program and end up not liking it you will not be able to transfer to another program because we're not accredited and you will not get your tuition back. This program has so many flaws and so much drama with the faculty and students. The department chair is here for ~12 hrs out of the whole week so she's not even here to see the problems in the program or available to talk to. She is a very cold and heartless person and not what I wanted in a department chair. She does not care about her students and is not understanding or empathetic. I honestly don't know how Clarkson is allowed to have a chair that isn't even here to run the program. I have noticed this school in general lacks professionalism and likes to sweep issues under the rug. We have lost our department chair, secretary, anatomy professor, and a few other faculty because of the problems in this program and we haven't even completed the program. Fieldwork is another issue that we are having and the first years are having the same problems. The fieldwork coordinator is VERY unprofessional, she doesn't respond to emails and fails to turn in the necessary paperwork on time, thus leaving us with little to no options in fieldwork sites. 4 fieldwork sites have dropped out and we're supposed to start level II fieldwork in May and some of us are still looking for placements. Others have told me they know a year in advance where they will be going and are allowed to contact fieldwork sites themselves to setup agreements and we were rudely told NOT to. The fieldwork coordinator is very unorganized too and even though they hired an assistant for her she is still not able to fulfill her responsibilities as a fieldwork coordinator. I also feel like we learned nothing and you will have to do a lot of independent studying to pass the NBCOT. I wish I knew this before coming to this program because I would have chosen a different program. Research the school there are other people who make the same complaints. It seems the problems go beyond the OT program. https://www.unigo.com/colleges/clar...r-the-worst-thing-about-your-school-why-673/1
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This is such a disappoint for me, considering the fact that Clarkson is my #1 choice for schools. I plan on moving to the Lake Placid, NY area after graduation and loved that this was such a close program. The facilities seem really great and the people I've been in contact with have been nothing but helpful and friendly. My current university is going through a lot of growing pains and I'm a little hesitant to attend a university in the same position. It worries me that you are discouraged from taking initiatives to communicate too. This isn't the first time I've heard negative things about the program.
I'm honestly not looking for any kind of "college experience" out of a program. The fact that Potsdam is a dinky little town doesn't bother me. I mostly just want to go to school and get it done. Do you think there's a chance that the program might not become accredited this year? Or have they told the students about any changes that they plan on making? Is there anything that you like about the program?
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I'm honestly not looking for any kind of "college experience" out of a program. The fact that Potsdam is a dinky little town doesn't bother me. I mostly just want to go to school and get it done. Do you think there's a chance that the program might not become accredited this year? Or have they told the students about any changes that they plan on making? Is there anything that you like about the program?
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You're a student in the program right now?
Whoa.. thank you for your insight. I think I'm going to decline the interview
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Typically, I'd encourage students to attend a program that isn't accredited - do your research, ask questions, and talk to current students. Based on that, follow your gut! If it feels right... go for it. Typically AOTA holds these schools hands until full accreditation.
Now, if all of what this user said is true... RUN LIKE THE PLAGUE! I'd be scared to cash in on Clarkson and then find out all this **** is happening. Scary stuff
Now, if all of what this user said is true... RUN LIKE THE PLAGUE! I'd be scared to cash in on Clarkson and then find out all this **** is happening. Scary stuff
Go for it then, maybe this program is perfect for you. Experience it for yourself, you will only be wasting $100,000. If you think I or others have not communicated in this program then go there and experience it for yourself. You are making assumptions. We have lost 2 student in the 1st year and 2 students in the 2nd year. We have lost our chair and a FULL investigation was held, we lost our anatomy professor, we lost our secretary, and we lost another faculty member. If you think this happened because no one was communicating then you have no idea what you're talking about. Everything is very political at Clarkson and if you think a student should feel comfortable voicing their concerns when more than half of the people that started the program have left or been fired then you're in over your head. I along with others have talked to MANY people at Clarkson, HR, the Dean of Students, Dean of Arts and Sciences (dept. chair's boss), advisers, the Dept. Chair (both the new and old) and honestly only the old Dept. Chair and my advisers have had the integrity to do the right thing. Sadly, they are no longer here.
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Yes I am and you would think all your problems and stress will stop once you're out on fieldwork and have your own job, but it doesn't. We were told we had partnerships with big reputable facilities in NYC and this was not true. Our fieldwork coordinator only had sites in 6 states, most of which are peds and none of them are well-known facilities. In fact a therapist that came in to teach the 1st years said the reason why the facility she works at didn't accept students from Clarkson was because the paperwork wasn't turned in on time. I find this to be true with out new fieldwork coordinator. She is very unorganized and lazy. Can you believe she's going on vacation when she hasn't even set fieldwork placements for the 1st years and they start their fieldwork in the summer! I don't think she cares at all about students and is just here because of the money. All of the faculty are peds therapist (except the chair, she's a hand therapist) and that can also be a problem if you're not a peds therapist. Our program did not cover phys dys or adults very much and we all feel like we're doomed for fieldwork and the NBCOT. I have other friends in new programs that aren't accredited as well and they do not have the same problems as our program. I just wish I knew this school/program was like this before wasting $15,000 a semester.
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