Ok.. Here's my detailed response:
The most common majors for OT (besides pre-OT) is psych followed by the other various social sciences (sociology, anthropology, etc). Biology also seems to be another popular major. Kinesiology/exercise science is another common major for OT, although that is more commonly found with PTs. I'd guess that probably only about 10-20% of current MOT students have majors outside of the one's I just listed.. I've also read that there are also a great deal of nurses that have their BSN who have made a career change over to OT. Actually, one of the OT's I observed was a nurse for about 10 years prior to moving to OT.
I have a Pre-OT program at my school but personally, I decided to combine psych and sociology as a double major with the end goal on going to grad school for OT. I figured this way if I do decide later that I don't want to do a MOT, I could instead pursue a PhD or PsyD in clinical psych or go for a MSW as I will have all of the prereqs needed for either of those programs.. and on the far opposite spectrum, I felt that I would have a far better chance of getting my MBA, MPA, or MAT with a BA in psych and soc VS a BA in "pre-health studies" (which is the name of the BA degree at my school if you go pre-OT). Actually, psych and soc are both very common undergrad degrees for people who enter into these, and many other grad programs as well.
If you do decide to take the "pre-OT route," some people may believe (me included) that in a way you are kind of limiting or at least lowering your chances of getting into other grad programs aside from OT... I've seen the core courses for pre-OT at my college, and aside from covering all the prereqs that most MOT programs require, most of the classes in the pre-OT program seemed like something you would ultimately end up retaking in a MOT program. classes like "OT205 devices and aids in rehabilitation." -Don't get me wrong, this is good, because if you did do the MOT you would have a leg up on a lot of your fellow classmates who just majored in something like psych. lol. However, these undergrad OT classes just don't have a lot usefulness outside of the field of OT. People may argue that a BA in psych and sociology is "to broad," and are useless as BA's which is true to an extent, but I would say that "pre-OT" is too specific and useless as a BA! lol. Most liberal arts BA's may be useless today in an economic sense, but an undergrad in even something like English, History, or Philosophy makes you an appealing candidate for other higher ed programs past the BA level.
And if I was forced to go out into the job market prematurely, I would rather take my chances finding a job with a BA in psych and soc VS having a BA in "pre-health studies." My wife has her BA in psych and she works in a finance dept at JPMorgan.. doing something totally unrelated to the field of psychology. But I doubt she would of landed that job or even an interview if she had a BA in "health studies." on the website where she applied to the position, they had a list of degrees that they wanted applicants to have, and I can tell you "pre health studies" was not on that list, but psychology and business admin definitely were. See, I would try to pick a BA that could have applications in other fields aside from OT, because like you said, you may not get into grad school, you may not like OT anymore after you get your BA, or you may just want to do something else! ..All are important things that should be considered!
So I would ultimately say, if you are 10000% positive you want to do OT, the pre-OT route would more than likely give you an advantage if you get into a MOT program. .......Otherwise, it just may end up lowering your chances of getting into other grad school programs or putting you in a tough spot if you end your college career after getting your BA. Just some things to consider... I personally felt like it was better to not put all my eggs in one basket so to say. It really is a gamble if you think about it. I know some people may disagree with me, but for me it really seemed like the safest and smartest choice not to go pre-OT.
