General Admissions & OTCAS Making hard decisions, cheap or dream?

[emily23ot]

Hi everyone,
I officially have heard back from all the schools I applied to and am having an incredibly hard time making a decision and wanted to see if anyone else is in the same boat or has any advice. I’m open to hearing it all!
I’m from CA and turned down my dream undergrad program to attend community college/then local state school to save money. I lived at home and worked throughout (and still) and have managed to pay all my undergrad degree off because I sacrificed moving away and having the “college experience”. I have told myself that grad school is my chance to get out and go somewhere new and exciting all along, however, I have now unexpectedly been accepted to to a local state school SJSU (25kish) and feel I can’t turn it down. I have also been accepted to university of puget sound and waitlisted at UW, two schools that excite me so much. SJSU is not too far away from me now, but I would still be moving closer so whatever I choose I will need loans for living expenses as well as tuition.
I know the practical choice is going to SJSU. It’s a great program and you can’t beat the price. WA schools are more my dream but would cost me an additional 50-75k just in tuition. It should be an easy choice, but for some reason I’m having a rough time. Thoughts?

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[deleted939094]

SJSU all the way! Get your degree, get your license, look for jobs in the Pacific Northwest!! If your area is saturated with OTs, you will probably have to move anyway. Also consider taking fieldwork placements out of state so you can explore other possible places to live after school! CONGRATULATIONS!!

 

[hopefulotd21]

I'm in the same boat! I was accepted to an instate school in VA about 2 hours away from home, and of course, is a lot cheaper than my dream school in Boston that I was just accepted to! Boston would be so cool to live in, but I am also having a hard time with the financial side of things. I truly am not sure what to do either, so you're not alone!!

 

[janensea]

Man, this is such a dilemma and I totally relate. Right now I am debating between two schools and at the crux of it, it boils down to affordable/modest school vs. dreamy/prestigious school. Ultimately only you can decide but it may be helpful to dig into what appeals to you about the 'dream school' program.

In my case, I am reminded of a few moments as a teenager when I had opportunities to apply to big deal schools (Cornell was my dream) and I didn't even apply because of cost/limiting beliefs/social pressure and rather chose a sensible, affordable school for my undergrad. I don't regret it because I learned from it and thereafter decided I would aim for the stars just to see if I could reach them, rather than not even try.

What do you love about the dream school? Is there a way (as CSU-OT suggested) of incorporating, for example, the city it's located in into your future plans? Is it the prestige? Consider that you may one day be working there, or at a facility it partners with closely. Is it the network or the strength of its partnerships and reputation? Maybe you could choose a fieldwork placement that's commonly occupied by students of that program, especially if you vocalize the desire early on to your FW coordinator. Pull apart the pieces you like and see if you can fulfill those needs by way of the cheaper program and a little extra legwork. If you can't, go with the dream school!

Logically, you know the answer, but logic isn't the only factor at play here. For some people (really, really rational ones I think), this decision is easy, but for me it was NOT! We humans aren't just little logic machines so spend some time on unpacking the why of it all. Then make your decision and don't look back. Leave no room for doubt. Commit and become an amazing OT

 

[deleted939094]

Ask yourself how it's going to feel to pay $1200+/month for the next 10 years. Imagine how much pressure you will place on your "OT school experience" to be "worth it!" The funny thing is, I know anyone who got in to any of the low-cost OT programs with good NBCOT pass rates (SJSU being one of those) is a badass. Seriously. That's not an easy thing to accomplish and you should be very, very proud of yourself.