# of programs you applied to?

[ukegal]

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Just out of curiosity, how many schools have you all applied to? Also, what is most important to you in a school (rank, tuition, location, etc.)?

 

[LCR]

Hi! I completed applications for 6 programs this past year. (After I got accepted to where I wanted to go, I did not finish the last three). The most important thing to me was the rank and location. I wanted something close to my family and that had a good reputation. My understanding from discussing with O.Ts in the field, is that fieldwork is very important and a school should have a large data base of fieldworks. This is my own opinion, tuition was not as important because even though I am taking out a lot of loans, I know I will be able to get a good job since there is such a high need.

 

[JavOT10]

I applied to 4 schools, and the most important was the rank and location as well! Glad I got my first choice!

 

[MOTstudent]

I only applied to 1 (good thing I got in!).
Most important to me was location - I picked a school not only near family, but an hour from the beach, an hour from skiing... great location.
Reputation was of second importance.
Third importance was actually that it was a Christian school. I'm very excited to get out of a trashy public party school and go somewhere with higher expectations.

 

[babygirl476]

I applied to one school and got accepted.

 

[ajilli]

I applied to three. Factors were: prerequisites (did I have time to complete them?), location (near free housing a-la my parents), cost (when applying this wasn't so important but now that I have a choice it is.) and faculty interests (also much more important after getting in).

I didn't pay too much attention to rankings because I couldn't tell what those were based on and they seem to change dramatically year to year. I'd also strongly recommend going to info sessions to get a feel for the school.

Good luck!

 

[heart4OT]

I applied for 3 and was going to apply for 2 more. Mine all depended on where my husband was looking for a job and where we both had good opportunities. I got accepted into 2 schools and it was VERY hard to choose (considering I liked BOTH schools). I was going back and forth for a long while! One was in a great location (closer to family/friends, and southern comfort atmosphere) with AWESOME faculty/staff (I had a chance to meet with students and faculty at 2 of their preview days) and it's a straight 3 yr doctorate program. The other was a masters program with an option to transition into the doctorate. It didn't have a preview day therefore, I didn't get comfortable with the school but found it had a great reputation and an overwhelming # of surrounding opportunities (i.e. research opportunities, fieldwork opportunities, volunteering, city life, etc.). Nevertheless, my decision was a mutual decision with my husband...so it made my decision a little easier 😉 He encouraged me to choose one over the other (because of the school's high ranking and reputation). On the other hand, he didn't have as good of an opportunity at our #1 pick based on location. So, it all worked out for the best - now we're VERY excited about moving to a new, vibrant & diverse city 😀

As far as tuition goes...I've always been told, don't let money keep you from following your career dreams! I let it stop me before and wasn't going to let it stop me this time. Therefore, it was either now or never for me - I've put it off for too long. That's why we have student loans 😉

 

[Marine07]

I wish I had the opportunity to apply to multiple schools. My situation really only allows me to apply at the local university, which thank God has an MOT program. I will be applying for the fall 2011 program. So I guess I just have to cross my fingers, pray and hope for the best.

 

[vinganca]

I only applied to 1 (good thing I got in!).
Most important to me was location - I picked a school not only near family, but an hour from the beach, an hour from skiing... great location.
Reputation was of second importance.
Third importance was actually that it was a Christian school. I'm very excited to get out of a trashy public party school and go somewhere with higher expectations.

That's great. 🙂 I'm with you there. I would love to go to a Christian school; it would be such a different scene from what I've been dealing with in undergrad.

 

[teacher2PT]

I applied to only one school and luckily got accepted. I was going to wait and apply for fall 2011, but I realized that for this program, I'd actually have all the pre-req's done as of this summer. So I decided to go ahead and apply and see what happened. They accepted me with both A & P I and II in progress. The other schools around me require more pre-req's like physics and chem, so I'm thrilled I got into the program I did, for this year.

 

[OT2bhopefully]

I'm applying to 11 schools this year! I really need to get into an OT school and get this done and over with!!!! This will be my second year applying. Last year I only applied to two schools. One put me on the alternate list and the other rejected me. Hopefully this year I will hear good news soon!!! Applying to schools this year cost me a fortune 😱 but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end!