Program-Specific Info / Q's SJSU or Samuel Merritt for MOT?

[cppp103]

I am very excited that I have just been accepted to SJSU and Samuel Merritt-- but now I am struggling to decide which school to choose! Does anyone have any opinions about which school is a better choice?

Samuel Merritt is a 7 minute walk from my house, and SJSU is a horrible 2.5-3 hour round trip commute in rush hour traffic. I have 2 kids and a husband/house so relocating really doesn't work. If it was just me, I'd probably suck it up and do the commute, but I'm afraid of the toll the long commute hours would take on my husband and kids. On the other hand, SMU is 3x the price of SJSU! Anyone have any light to shed? Better job outcomes with SJSU? Better prep for future OT research from SMU? Help!!

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[NotinKansasAnymore]

Personally, price would be my main motivating factor, but you're right about how much the commute can affect you. I would just think about the long term affects of both. 2 years of annoying commute or the difference between $20k and $60k over the long term. When did you receive your acceptance?

 

[cppp103]

I heard from both schools the same day: 12/19.

Yes, I really like the Samuel Merritt program, but the massive tuition difference is hard to swallow.

 

[CAots]

My situation is different than yours in many ways, but I'll give you my perspective as a SJSU student. If I were you I'd really break everything down:
Calculate the exact dollar amount that you expect to pay at each school. For me, SJSU is going to cost way less than 1/3rd of what SM would cost, but I got financial aid you might not get and probably shouldn't count on.
Think about how you are going to pay for each school. Most people seem to really underestimate how hard it is to pay back high interest student loans that start acruing interest immediately. This could seriously impact your family's financial future for years to come (or it might not depending on your circumstance).
Think about that commute. Personally I commute, and it causes me a lot of added stress (and costs a lot of money). Try to find out about how many days per week you'd actually have to get down to SJSU because it won't be 5 days a week (and that is all that has kept me sane). Also, factor in if you'll have to drive, or if there will be a way to take public transit (sounds like a drive though). If driving, you might be able to carpool.
Career outlook should be the same at both. I think SJSU is a better thought of program, but it probably won't make a difference. On the flip side, will it upset you to pay so much more for SM if there is no career benefit?
I have no idea about future research. If you want to do research, you probably need more than a masters anyway.
Just some things to consider, but congratulations on getting accepted to both programs.

 

[cppp103]

Thanks for such a detailed and helpful answer, CAots.

Yes, I have been trying to estimate costs for transportation and childcare, as well as taking a detailed look at the class schedules for the required classes from previous semesters of both schools. One surprise I found was that SJSU had approximately 6 hours less of in-class time per week (for the 1st year Fall semester) than Samuel Merritt. This means that weekly class time + commute time for SJSU is not so very much longer as SMU's after all. I wonder what the difference in instruction time means for the two programs?

Do you (or any other SJSU OT students) have a ballpark figure for how much out of class time OT SJSU students need for studying? Or know if group projects might require extra trips down to SJ?

 

[CAots]

Yes, one of the huge plusses to SJSU in my mind was that we had less class time. For instance, we had the first summer completely off, whereas most programs have you in class paying tuition during that time. Now double-check on that, because the curriculum has been changing, but that is huge for someone with kids. As for what the difference in instruction time means, go look at NBCOT pass rates, because that is all that really matters. Personally, once in the program, all I've wanted to do is get through as painlessly and cheaply as possible.

I can't really give you a ballpark figure on how much out of class time is needed for studying and projects, but expect a lot. There are a ton of papers, group assignments, and tests, so you're always busy. I almost never have taken extra trips to school for group work since it can usually be done after class, or through shared documents online. I can tell you that some of my classmates have families, young kids, or other obligations, and they do just fine. Just prepare yourself to put in the study time no matter what program you are at.

 

[cppp103]

Thanks again CAots. I feel much more confident about making this decision. Looks like SJSU! Yay!

 

[CAots]

Definitely weigh your options, having two solid choices is nice. Good luck!

 

[MT2bNOT]

Hey

I am very excited that I have just been accepted to SJSU and Samuel Merritt-- but now I am struggling to decide which school to choose! Does anyone have any opinions about which school is a better choice?

Samuel Merritt is a 7 minute walk from my house, and SJSU is a horrible 2.5-3 hour round trip commute in rush hour traffic. I have 2 kids and a husband/house so relocating really doesn't work. If it was just me, I'd probably suck it up and do the commute, but I'm afraid of the toll the long commute hours would take on my husband and kids. On the other hand, SMU is 3x the price of SJSU! Anyone have any light to shed? Better job outcomes with SJSU? Better prep for future OT research from SMU? Help!!

'

Hey! I'm a last semester (graduate in May 2015) SMU student and know people who have gone to SJSU that are very close to me...

IF you live that close to SMU- go there that's my opinion. The cohort is half of the size and the faculty really really care about all of the students and helping you answering emails a 11PM....

At SJSU you'd be lucky if they show up to office hours- huge budget cuts, and a huge cohort.

If you have children and a family (even if you didn't) commuting that far everyday would put you in great great danger of failing out of the program- so the money saved would not be worth it in the long run.

I would've preferred a bigger cohort personally (which SJSU has) BUT for you the commute will be hell and will likely cause you great distress trying to stay afloat- keeping sane and takin care of yourself is already hard enough. I live 5 min from SMU and only have a dog and a boyfriend and it's hard.

****OT school is not intellectually impossible- the hard part is ALL OF THE GROUP WORK lol, interpersonal relationships (imagine a cohort of 75% women or more at very high stress levels spending 40 hours a week together mostly seated haha)***

Now considering what I just wrote- many people who work in groups work at different paces (some are okay with just using Google docs but many like to meet in person)- imagine if you lived here in Oakland and people wanted to meet for a project?

Or imagine if people wanted to go for drinks after class to bond (very important).?


Just consider those things... And feel free to ask q's on my SMU Q n A thread!!

MT2BNOT

 

[MT2bNOT]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/samuel-merritt-q-a-session-replies-needed.1115697/

 

[MT2bNOT]

Yes, one of the huge plusses to SJSU in my mind was that we had less class time. For instance, we had the first summer completely off, whereas most programs have you in class paying tuition during that time. Now double-check on that, because the curriculum has been changing, but that is huge for someone with kids. As for what the difference in instruction time means, go look at NBCOT pass rates, because that is all that really matters. Personally, once in the program, all I've wanted to do is get through as painlessly and cheaply as possible.

I can't really give you a ballpark figure on how much out of class time is needed for studying and projects, but expect a lot. There are a ton of papers, group assignments, and tests, so you're always busy. I almost never have taken extra trips to school for group work since it can usually be done after class, or through shared documents online. I can tell you that some of my classmates have families, young kids, or other obligations, and they do just fine. Just prepare yourself to put in the study time no matter what program you are at.

Yes, at Samuel Merrit for example we do pay for the summer semester but we also do fieldwork during this time and we took a documentation course which is very unique to Samuel Merrit. No other university offers this extra class on documentation and this is how as occupational therapist we get reimbursed. Most novice OT's have to work extra hours at the end of their shift for free just to get the documentation right (without pay)- we get this class.


I do like the idea of being able to study independently. But for some having all the information that you need inside of class is really nice. It just depends on a lot of things. Commuting for 2hrs a day is killer.

The ultimate difference in cost is around $20k. So it is a decision! I personally would not commute especially if I already had housing nearby- school is already stressful enough.

 

[CAots]

MT2bNOT, how is the ultimate difference in cost 20k when SMU charges 100k in tuition and fees?

https://webapps.samuelmerritt.edu/t...&desc= Master of Occupational Therapy Program

That doesn't include housing, food, transportation, or anything else. I love that we are just supposed to accept that six figures of debt is normal for an OT degree. If someone feels that prioritizing a short commute is right for them, then that is a personal choice. I don't know why you would tell someone that commuting to school would put them in danger of failing out of the program, especially considering there are plenty of people in my cohort that commute and no one has been in any danger of failing out. Being close to your school for a couple of years is nice, but you are not guaranteed a short commute when you get a fieldwork placement or an actual job. Commuting is very stressful, but so is graduating with a ton of high interest student debt.