Hello! I'm a sophomore in highschool, and I'm trying to base my undergrad major on what my interests are and what would be best for an OT program. I'm stuck between psychology and getting my BSN. I'm leaning towards BSN because if I don't get into OT school, I can still do something with that degree. Where with a psychology degree, I'm told there's next to nothing to do with that unless you go beyond getting a BA in it. What is your recommendation? Does one look better than the other? Does the BSN set me up for a better backup plan than the psychology? Thank you!
I am finishing up my undergrad in psych. I chose it because, as Bokonomy stated, it overlapped the most with the prereqs for most programs (Lifespan psych, Abnormal psych, Statistics, Neuroscience, etc.). The only thing that was challenging was finding ways to squeeze in A and P, but I would advise choosing a minor that requires this as well. Mine is in Wellness, so I have had classes in Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology, Nutrition, Health psych, etc. that I would not have had otherwise but are clearly helpful for OT.
BSN would definitely set you up for a more secure future if you don't want to go to grad school unless it is OT. There are tons of subfields within psychology that require a master's degree, but are very rewarding professions. Also, psych is probably WAY easier than BSN as Bokonomy said. I was able to supplement my classes with research experiences with faculty members at my university as well as a summer research program. These research endeavors were directly related to OT (exercise intervention for older adults, infant perception, and attitudes toward students with disabilities) which made me feel like I hadn't strayed too far from my end goal.
All this to say, I have a high GPA, average GRE scores, and shadowed the minimum required and had no problem getting into the program I wanted. If you have more questions about specifics, you can message me.