edinOT: Thanks for such a detailed, thought-out reply! It is great to hear so much about the program from someone who is attending it now.
That all sounds fantastic. And wow, especially the part about the Mars Resource Deprivation Study! That's something I'd love to become involved in, personally...
But let me ask you, a bit more specifically, about your take on the cost of attendance vs. the end product (if you have the time!). My understanding is that, as long as you get an OT degree and pass the exam, it doesn't matter where you go to school - you still end up having about the same job prospects with the same pay rate. And given that WashU is the most expensive school out there at $91,000 before scholarships, it will take a lot longer to pay back those student loans.
I'm trying to rationalize why, if given the option, someone wouldn't go to a school that costs about $40-50k, instead. At least if their primary interest is in clinical practice. I understand that some students will want to go on to do research and/or teach, and WashU will be a better choice in that case. But for those of you at WashU who are more interested in clinical practice, how/why did you decide on WashU?
Thanks again for your time and help!
Apologize in advance for typo's
Right - So, this is an extremely fair question, YogaOT. The answer I can offer is my PERSONAL OPINION - so please, take it all with a grain of salt. For fairness sake, I believe USC, Creighton and BU (especially with the costs of living for USC and BU) has us beat as the "most expensive school out there" but, I digress. Just so you know where I'm at, I went to undergrad and graduated with loans. Worked for awhile, paid off some of them (not all of them!) and knowing very well what student loans are like out there in the real world - still decided it was worth the extra $ to come here. Furthermore, I'm doing the OTD, which we're looking at more than your $91,000 figure. I had the very same dilemma years ago. A lot of why I feel like I made the right decision, and why it's worth the cost, is above. So my answer has many parts, however, I'll do my best.
Here you get options. MANY options as I stated above. Options are incredibly valuable to me.
To the "everyone gets the same license and starting salary - especially if their primary interest is in clinical practice" argument I would say this:
While you're still in school, you get experience others don't until after they graduate. You get to explore and have exposure to areas of practice where you have an interest in. Many of them specialities. Every program has fieldworks, but you will absolutely have a more diversified and individualized experience, via the labs and resources at the school.
The program boasts over
500 fieldwork sites all over the country. On top of that - the sites are incredible: Mayo Clinic (#1 hospital in the us), Cleveland Clinic (#2), Johns Hopkins (#4), UCLA (#5), Northwestern (#8), NYU Langone (#10), we have an incredibly intimate relationship with BJC (WashU's teaching hospital #11)...The list of sites goes on..Cedar Sinai in LA...Cincinnati Children's Medical Hospital & The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (#2 and #3 children's hospitals)..sorry for all the rankings but I'm really just driving home a point..these sites are priceless opportunities that can open incredible doors.
You can go into the work force with specialized experience, and use this as leverage for a higher starting salary. You can also use this experience as a window for starting your first year of practice at a top tier hospital or in a specialty such as the NICU, hand therapy, low vision and many others (or both). Typically, many of these specialties pay more. Now compound this with the fact that many of the professors (whom one of which will be your personal mentor - one you choose) are leaders in their specialty and connect their students with jobs - you will go where you want to go. How much is this worth to you? You really have to ask yourself.
Through these additional opportunities, you will know what you like and what you don't like. You can do fieldworks in acute care but focus your masters/doctorate project on pediatrics, cancer survivorship, adaptive equipment, virtual reality, etc (all with labs, professors and researchers within the program to support you). You can diversify yourself, learn about nuances of settings and populations. Maybe a certain amount of money is worth your happiness for your first few years in clinical practice, or being sure of your direction. Typically, it looks bad if you start somewhere and change jobs in under a year. How much is being sure worth to you? How valuable is your first year or two of working?
You will practice clinically for the next ~40 years. Are you ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN at 20 something years old you don't want to go into management, academia or research further down your career path? Or maybe just have the skills to do program development or write a grant? What if you did? Would you want this option open for you? How much is keeping those doors open worth to you? And whether or not you use the experience directly, it will only add to your abilities as a clinician. It will shine through when your a clinician, setting you up for success.
You go to graduate school once, once in an entire lifetime. 40k (talking about the difference of!) over a lifetime isn't all that bad. Buckle down and be smart with your money while you're in school, and be smart your first few years out and you will be able to more than handle it. Yes, there will be interest but spread that 40k out over your 40 years of practice and it's not so scary. You will be putting your entire life's work into being an OT, hopefully the best one you can be. For me, that's worth 40k any day. I will never second guess myself, never ask "What if?" - to me, that's worth A LOT. You worked hard, you're passionate about OT, you got in, why sell yourself short?
Cost of Attendance vs End Product:
Bottom line: Monetarily, I believe in some cases, yes, Wash U WILL pay off immediately / upfront. In regards to satisfaction of education and your competence as a practitioner, it will definitely pay off upfront. And I am extremely confident saying Wash U will definitely pay off in dividends, both monetarily (due to additional marketable skills / experience others will not have - especially in emerging practice areas! and networking) and in many other aspects of your career as a clinician. Personally I'm excited because I'll graduate as both a clinician and a published researcher in my specialty. That has immense worth for me personally, and having the built the skills to do that again makes that value last a lifetime.
It's an expensive and difficult decision, but If I had to invest in one thing for the rest of my life, it might as well be what I'll be doing for the rest of my life.
Let me know if you guys have any other questions!