General Admissions & OTCAS USC OT 2020-2021 Applicants Stats/Updates/Q&A

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I just got accepted as well! So happy!
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I was accepted with a bit of scholarship, and my last name starts with M! Good luck everyone!!☺️
 
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The letter noted that I have until February 22 to make a decision- so I'm assuming that maybe they'll reach out to people on the waitlist within/around that time? I personally know a number of applicants from the past who were accepted off USC's waitlist, even up until the first day of the program so there is still a very good chance of being accepted!

I hope this provides some hope and reassurance for those who are worried <3
 
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OT_FTW said:
The letter noted that I have until February 22 to make a decision- so I'm assuming that maybe they'll reach out to people on the waitlist within/around that time? I personally know a number of applicants from the past who were accepted off USC's waitlist, even up until the first day of the program so there is still a very good chance of being accepted!

I hope this provides some hope and reassurance for those who are worried <3
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Did the links in the letter work for you? The welcome website we’re supposed to check looks like a hyperlink but doesn’t work for me
 
I’m a first year student. I think at LEAST 25% of my class was waitlisted...maybe more. Don’t stress...there’s still hope!
 
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KumabellaOT said:
I’m a first year student. I think at LEAST 25% of my class was waitlisted...maybe more. Don’t stress...there’s still hope!
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Thank you so much! That eases my worries a little bit... I've been checking the student ambassador's blogs to see if any of them were waitlisted and reading them really helped.

I was reading Calvin's blog (Seeing Rejection as Redirection) and felt a lot better after reading it.. he even included other blogs/videos of other students too, so I think I'm going to look over those later
 
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For those who are waitlisted, did you guys get any follow up email after sending in your waitlist confirmation form?
 
somehowfunctional said:
For those who are waitlisted, did you guys get any follow up email after sending in your waitlist confirmation form?
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I emailed the admissions director my form and clarified something with a prereq class they said needed a clarification. After that, she said I was good. That was all for me. How about you?
 
heyitsolil said:
Oh. She said the exact same thing to me 😅
Yeah for a sec. I felt maybe special, but I also had a feeling maybe it was something generic she says... I’m sorry if that bums you out! 🥲
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All good. Just didn't want to get ahead of myself haha.
 
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Congrats to those who got accepted! did those who get accepted have any outstanding pre-req classes or apply during the "late deadline"?

For those on the waitlist, how are you signing and returning the form?
 
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otdoll23 said:
Congrats to those who got accepted! did those who get accepted have any outstanding pre-req classes or apply during the "late deadline"?

For those on the waitlist, how are you signing and returning the form?
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Thank you! :) I did not have any outstanding prerequisites and I applied in late September so not during the late deadline
 
heyitsolil said:
I’m not sure how the admissions committee at USC Chan pick which waitlisted students
occupy the spots that become available. However, I have some insight that may offer a positive or just a different perspective for some of us waitlisted students.

After reading around the internet, I’ve learned that a school either has a waitlist rank
OR they already have some pre-selected waitlisted applicants to choose from if a certain accepted student refuses their seat.

How the latter is determined is usually influenced by their objective to fill the cohort with students who offer diverse skills, students from diverse demographic backgrounds such as gender, ethnicity, geographic location, etc. For example, if at this moment 4 male accepted students refuse their seats out of the 10 males who got accepted, then the admissions committee will probably be influenced to pick male waitlisted applicants to fill those 4 spots so that the program doesn’t lose diversity on gender .

With this case, it’s not really about “how good enough you are” to be off the waitlist but more of them trying to create a diverse cohort for the program because diversity always make a program and school look good).

I obviously don’t know how they go about it but main point is - we never really know, it could really be out of our control, not that we’re not good enough 😂
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Whoa this totally makes sense and thank you so much for sharing all of this! I agree that they may have some sore of diversity quota to fill... and that it isn’t entirely based on our “skills”. Hopefully, with all that information, we can still join this next class of 2023!!!
 
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otdoll23 said:
Congrats to those who got accepted! did those who get accepted have any outstanding pre-req classes or apply during the "late deadline"?

For those on the waitlist, how are you signing and returning the form?
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i just filled it out on my laptop since i dont have a scanner!
 
Congratulations to everyone accepted!! And to those of us waitlisted lets stay positive...it's not over yet! 🍀
 
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I'm not going to lie, I was pretty bummed about being waitlisted but reading this chat really helped me stay positive. Also, I didn't have a chance to return the waitlist letter to accept my spot until today. Do you guys think this will affect my chances? I feel like not but what do you guys think? Also how many people on average do they accept into the cohort?
 
OT_Ali808 said:
I'm not going to lie, I was pretty bummed about being waitlisted but reading this chat really helped me stay positive. Also, I didn't have a chance to return the waitlist letter to accept my spot until today. Do you guys think this will affect my chances? I feel like not but what do you guys think? Also how many people on average do they accept into the cohort?
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Hello, I do not think it matters. I believe they accept around 120+
 
Hi everyone. Congrats to those that were accepted! I was too and accepted the offer! So excited :) Does anyone know if there is a Facebook group for our cohort?
 
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For those who are planning to go to USC if they are accepted, what are your reasons for choosing USC over a cheaper school and do you think that the tuition is worth it?

USC was the only school I applied to this year because it is my dream program, but now I am starting to have second thoughts because of how expensive it is. I may even defer or take a gap year to try applying to cheaper schools. I would appreciate any insight/advice please!! Thank you :)
 
OT_FTW said:
For those who are planning to go to USC if they are accepted, what are your reasons for choosing USC over a cheaper school and do you think that the tuition is worth it?

USC was the only school I applied to this year because it is my dream program, but now I am starting to have second thoughts because of how expensive it is. I may even defer or take a gap year to try applying to cheaper schools. I would appreciate any insight/advice please!! Thank you :)
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Hey so as a fellow student who also got accepted and plan on accepting my admission at USC, I totally understand. The price is hefty but, the level of access and immense amount of opportunity that is waiting for us is almost boundless. I know a couple friends that are studying various disciplines is different masters programs and they say the networking is amazing. Being that our program is such a heavy name then of course we are all capable and we will have good jobs post graduation from this program but, I think the degree is honestly what you make it. Addendum, USC has a large endowment so that means lots of scholarships. Find scholarships that align with yourself and just apply endlessly. Get a creative side hustle. At this level loans are just a must sadly but, remember it is an investment.
 
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OT_FTW said:
For those who are planning to go to USC if they are accepted, what are your reasons for choosing USC over a cheaper school and do you think that the tuition is worth it?

USC was the only school I applied to this year because it is my dream program, but now I am starting to have second thoughts because of how expensive it is. I may even defer or take a gap year to try applying to cheaper schools. I would appreciate any insight/advice please!! Thank you :)
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It is really expensive compared to other state schools. I think a major decision for me is because I'm already from LA and I really can't afford to go to a state school due to housing. I also feel like the state schools are even harder to get into because they're so stats heavy and smaller programs. I have heard from multiple people that it really doesn't matter for license purposes if you went to an expensive school versus a state school. However, I do think there are a lot of opportunities by going to USC because there is so much research being conducted there, USC has a lot of partnerships to get you fieldwork opportunities/ OTD residencies if you're interested, and because of the courses and electives you can take. Be sure to look at the scholarship tab on the Chan website but also you.usc.edu has a scholarship portal where you can see a ton of scholarship options. I also noticed there's a few division scholarship and job opportunities for second year students.

In the end, only you can decide if the financial investment is worth it or not. While it is an investment, it may not be the best investment to you depending on your financial situation and expectations for the future. I've already accepted that I'm going to be slumming it and living well below my means post-grad to pay off all my student loans from undergrad + grad
 
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OT_FTW said:
For those who are planning to go to USC if they are accepted, what are your reasons for choosing USC over a cheaper school and do you think that the tuition is worth it?

USC was the only school I applied to this year because it is my dream program, but now I am starting to have second thoughts because of how expensive it is. I may even defer or take a gap year to try applying to cheaper schools. I would appreciate any insight/advice please!! Thank you :)
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Hi there!! I’m honored to have been accepted but I turned down USC’s offer. I personally barely got any scholarship and I really can’t justify spending that much on tuition especially since most programs that are equally as good are MUCH cheaper than USC. All the OTs in the field I’ve connected with unanimously said the school you attend doesn’t matter, it’s the NBCOT that matters. Many OTs I’ve shadowed graduated from no-name schools less than five years ago but are currently earning well over 90k a year.

I don’t mean to bash USC or anyone who chooses to attend USC but it just seems like you’re spending big bucks just to say “I went to USC” which won’t even matter when you start working. I do have a friend who wants to ultimately become a professor at USC, and if that’s the case GO FOR IT! My priority is not to form connections rather I just want to start working in a hospital setting asap so any school will do for me. My tuition for the entire program will be around 20k (vs 150k at USC).

Hopefully this gives those on the waitlist some hope but a lot of my friends turned down USC too :) Good luck y’all!!
 
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OT-21 said:
Hi there!! I’m honored to have been accepted but I turned down USC’s offer. I personally barely got any scholarship and I really can’t justify spending that much on tuition especially since most programs that are equally as good are MUCH cheaper than USC. All the OTs in the field I’ve connected with unanimously said the school you attend doesn’t matter, it’s the NBCOT that matters. Many OTs I’ve shadowed graduated from no-name schools less than five years ago but are currently earning well over 90k a year.

I don’t mean to bash USC or anyone who chooses to attend USC but it just seems like you’re spending big bucks just to say “I went to USC” which won’t even matter when you start working. I do have a friend who wants to ultimately become a professor at USC, and if that’s the case GO FOR IT! My priority is not to form connections rather I just want to start working in a hospital setting asap so any school will do for me. My tuition for the entire program will be around 20k (vs 150k at USC).

Hopefully this gives those on the waitlist some hope but a lot of my friends turned down USC too :) Good luck y’all!!
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20K for an entire OT program is beyond amazing and I believe this price makes the most sense for an OT program. Do you mind sharing which school this is?
 
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heyitsolil said:
20K for an entire OT program is beyond amazing and I believe this price makes the most sense for an OT program. Do you mind sharing which school this is?
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SJSU! I received a huge scholarship as well so I'll basically finish without any student debt since I plan to work part-time while studying :)

I found this resource you can check out as well:
www.organizationalpsychologydegrees.com

Top 40 Most Affordable Master’s in Occupational Therapy 2022 -

Occupational therapists help people across the lifespan perform tasks at home, work, and school. The demand for occupational therapists with graduate level training is expected to grow much faster than average. Read to find the most affordable Master’s in Occupational Therapy.
www.organizationalpsychologydegrees.com www.organizationalpsychologydegrees.com

Good luck!! :)
 
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OT-21 said:
SJSU! I received a huge scholarship as well so I'll basically finish without any student debt since I plan to work part-time while studying :)

I found this resource you can check out as well:
www.organizationalpsychologydegrees.com

Top 40 Most Affordable Master’s in Occupational Therapy 2022 -

Occupational therapists help people across the lifespan perform tasks at home, work, and school. The demand for occupational therapists with graduate level training is expected to grow much faster than average. Read to find the most affordable Master’s in Occupational Therapy.
www.organizationalpsychologydegrees.com www.organizationalpsychologydegrees.com

Good luck!! :)
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Congratulations on both acceptances!!!
 
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Did anyone who was accepted to USC have to put down a deposit when they accept their spot? I am still waiting on answers from a few universities, and I'm not sure how much money I'll need to put down for USC to save my spot.
 
hi all! i was also admitted to the program last week and am likely attending! i took the liberty of creating a groupme for the cohort - excited to connect with everyone!

GroupMe

The free, simple way to stay connected with those who matter most.
groupme.com groupme.com
 
2school said:
Did anyone who was accepted to USC have to put down a deposit when they accept their spot? I am still waiting on answers from a few universities, and I'm not sure how much money I'll need to put down for USC to save my spot.
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Theres no deposit! I had emailed asking about the deposit a while ago and they said there isn't one for the program
 
hello! for those who have been accepted last week, did you receive your certification letter through you.usc yet? I've been checking everyday this past week to certify my admission but I still don't see mine
 
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ot-23 said:
hello! for those who have been accepted last week, did you receive your certification letter through you.usc yet? I've been checking everyday this past week to certify my admission but I still don't see mine
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I just got mine so, check your you.usc now.
 
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Congrats to everyone who was accepted! I was curious if any of the current USC students on the forum could give us some insight on the program as a whole. What does your weekly schedule usually look like? Have classes been all virtual and is there any plan to return to in person next semester? What is the course load like? Is it manageable and do people ever work during the program? What is the consensus on fieldwork opportunities? Does being a USC student seem to come with an advantage as far as fieldwork, networking and potential job opportunities? Any other relevant info would be super helpful! Thanks!
 
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An email update was sent out today by Dr. Anvarizadeh about the decision making process on classes being online/hybrid, class schedules and COVID-19.
 
Did people on the waitlist receive the latest email update on classes being online/hybrid?
 
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Do you guys think they’ve already made contact to some waitlisters?
I’m feeling no, but I’m only basing it off of responses from this forum. This year’s admission process doesn’t seem to follow the timelines from previous years.
 
heyitsolil said:
Do you guys think they’ve already made contact to some waitlisters?
I’m feeling no, but I’m only basing it off of responses from this forum. This year’s admission process doesn’t seem to follow the timelines from previous years.
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I feel like they might have...I know from a previous years thread someone said they didn't accept the offer, then 1 day later, someone on the waitlist posted saying they got off. It's definitely a possibility!
 
justOT said:
I feel like they might have...I know from a previous years thread someone said they didn't accept the offer, then 1 day later, someone on the waitlist posted saying they got off. It's definitely a possibility!
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Just saw on Twitter someone did get accepted assuming from the waitlist as their letter was dated from a few days ago
 
How is everybody feeling/trying to move forward with the waitlist situation?

As for me, it’s like a mental battle between “I’ll stay hopeful” and “ok I guess imma just have to try again” lol
 
otdoll23 said:
I know someone that has gotten off the waitlist last week
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And here I was thinking it has to be after February 22nd which is the due date from those accepted/wailisted to reply. Looks like there's hope for us all :)
 
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heyitsolil said:
How is everybody feeling/trying to move forward with the waitlist situation?

As for me, it’s like a mental battle between “I’ll stay hopeful” and “ok I guess imma just have to try again” lol
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Honestly, I'm feeling the same...I have another program option but I feel like usc is the dream :(.. I'm telling myself like April is the latest i'll wait to hear back so just praying
 
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heyitsolil said:
How is everybody feeling/trying to move forward with the waitlist situation?

As for me, it’s like a mental battle between “I’ll stay hopeful” and “ok I guess imma just have to try again” lol
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Don't lose hope! They moved the deadline to make a decision to March 1st so students could attend their virtual welcome reception before making a decision! People who have been accepted off the waitlist may have been based off whatever responses they've received so far, but I would bet there will be more available spots when March 1st passes.
 
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DisneyK02 said:
Don't lose hope! They moved the deadline to make a decision to March 1st so students could attend their virtual welcome reception before making a decision! People who have been accepted off the waitlist may have been based off whatever responses they've received so far, but I would bet there will be more available spots when March 1st passes.
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Thank you for this information!
 
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