Other OT-Related Information Importance of school ranking

[MortalOT]

Hi everyone!

As we are getting closer to make our final decisions on what schools we want to attend, I just wanted to hear from current OT's (or anyone knowledgeable for that matter) that went to either higher or lower ranked schools; do you honestly feel like it made a difference? Do you think by going to a top rated school, you had better opportunities for jobs? Counter to that, do you think by attending a lower ranked school, finding a job was harder, or public perception was not in your favor? Do people/colleagues typically ask where you went to grad school when you finish?

Interested to hear your thoughts. From my perspective, I would assume that for OT, it's really not that important, as we all take the same national licensing exam and OT is in high-demand. I know for some fields, like Law, if you don't go to a top 20 school, it can really affect your future prospects.

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[Psychgirl from VA]

It truly does not matter. I’m about to be done with my first year of OT school. I only applied to two schools, with no intent on ever applying to high end schools or super expensive schools. I currently attend Shenandoah University, which is a very small school in Virginia. I absolutely love it!

 

[OTAtoOTR]

All that matters is that you graduate from an accredited program, pass your boards and obtain state licensure.

 

[MortalOT]

It truly does not matter. I’m about to be done with my first year of OT school. I only applied to two schools, with no intent on ever applying to high end schools or super expensive schools. I currently attend Shenandoah University, which is a very small school in Virginia. I absolutely love it!

Glad to hear! It makes me happy to hear that you're enjoying your program. It definitely takes the pressure off... Thanks for the insight!

 

[MortalOT]

All that matters is that you graduate from an accredited program, pass your boards and obtain state licensure.

Yup, my thoughts exactly. Thanks for reassuring me!

 

[deleted517237]

While I agree that OT school ranking is much less important than other fields, I will say that graduates from highly rated schools have several advantages. They can often find it easier to get better quality fieldwork sites. For example, I jump at the opportunity to supervise OT students from the prestigious school in my area because the students are typically excellent. On the contrary, I am less inclined to take a student from a lesser known school or one with a spotty reputation. While that logic may seem petty, it's also pretty common. Also in my experience in hiring new grad therapists, most have similar fieldwork experiences, so the school can be one extra factor in differentiating candidates. I think once you have some OT work experience, the school has very little impact but it is definitely a part of the equation starting out, at least in my experience. I think you can definitely find a job coming from a lower ranked school, but just having a license is not a guarantee of your dream job.

 

[AustinOT]

I agree with werdna^ I don't think it will make or break you as an OT, but it may give you an advantage in terms of fieldwork and job opportunities. However, I think the more important thing is to find a school where the students have a really good reputation. Talk to some of the OTs you have observed and see what their opinions are on the students from different schools. If the students from a school aren't well known or don't have a great reputation, then it may make it harder to find good spots for FW & jobs.

 

[MortalOT]

While I agree that OT school ranking is much less important than other fields, I will say that graduates from highly rated schools have several advantages. They can often find it easier to get better quality fieldwork sites. For example, I jump at the opportunity to supervise OT students from the prestigious school in my area because the students are typically excellent. On the contrary, I am less inclined to take a student from a lesser known school or one with a spotty reputation. While that logic may seem petty, it's also pretty common. Also in my experience in hiring new grad therapists, most have similar fieldwork experiences, so the school can be one extra factor in differentiating candidates. I think once you have some OT work experience, the school has very little impact but it is definitely a part of the equation starting out, at least in my experience. I think you can definitely find a job coming from a lower ranked school, but just having a license is not a guarantee of your dream job.

Thank you for your insight! I appreciate another perspective. That's interesting, so you find there's a stronger correlation with lower known schools and the lower quality students?

Do higher ranked schools get the first pick at fieldwork sites? How do they decide where you go? Not really sure how that all works yet. Is it kind of like med school? where you give them a ranking of your top choices and then the school and the fieldwork site compares the applicants and gives you options? Are grades, location, etc. all factored in? Sorry for so many questions lol.

 

[MortalOT]

I agree with werdna^ I don't think it will make or break you as an OT, but it may give you an advantage in terms of fieldwork and job opportunities. However, I think the more important thing is to find a school where the students have a really good reputation. Talk to some of the OTs you have observed and see what their opinions are on the students from different schools. If the students from a school aren't well known or don't have a great reputation, then it may make it harder to find good spots for FW & jobs.

Good looks! You're definitely right about talking to OTs and getting their perspective. It's kind of strange because I did my volunteer hours in Northridge, CA, so most of the OT students were local, either from CSUDH (ranked #106) and USC (ranked #3). Many of the OT's would say the CSUDH students were so much better (esp with practical/hands-on stuff), whereas USC students were all just "theoretical". So hearing this stuff is confusing haha. It could be that CSUDH is also very competitive and they inherently have very serious students. It's just weird it's ranked so low if it is indeed that good.

I might choose a school that's in another state, so it's harder to know their "reputation", despite their ranking. Definitely, things to consider, though! Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[OTAtoOTR]

Good looks! You're definitely right about talking to OTs and getting their perspective. It's kind of strange because I did my volunteer hours in Northridge, CA, so most of the OT students were local, either from CSUDH (ranked #106) and USC (ranked #3). Many of the OT's would say the CSUDH students were so much better (esp with practical/hands-on stuff), whereas USC students were all just "theoretical". So hearing this stuff is confusing haha. It could be that CSUDH is also very competitive and they inherently have very serious students. It's just weird it's ranked so low if it is indeed that good.

I might choose a school that's in another state, so it's harder to know their "reputation", despite their ranking. Definitely, things to consider, though! Thanks for your thoughts!

The large state research university where I’m from is ranked as a top 40 OT school, but the students have tons of book smarts and theoretical knowledge and get good grades but often do not know how to apply it in real life. I’m on fieldwork in an OTA program at a local community college and we often hear comments about how our students are better prepared for hands on and real world situations. In our intraprofessional classes with the OT students, we usually knew a lot more than them when it came to practical applications and treatment interventions, and were more knowledgeable on the supervisory process in the OT/OTA relationship.

 

[deleted517237]

Thank you for your insight! I appreciate another perspective. That's interesting, so you find there's a stronger correlation with lower known schools and the lower quality students?

Do higher ranked schools get the first pick at fieldwork sites? How do they decide where you go? Not really sure how that all works yet. Is it kind of like med school? where you give them a ranking of your top choices and then the school and the fieldwork site compares the applicants and gives you options? Are grades, location, etc. all factored in? Sorry for so many questions lol.

I would say in general most OT students are well-prepared, but some therapists may be more hesitant to supervise students from a lesser-known school.

Typically, OT schools have contracts with a variety of fieldwork sites, and a school's reputation may just allow them to have a better selection of sites. Most sites work with a variety of schools so there aren't usually exclusive contracts per se. Your fieldwork site will not know your grades so that isn't an issue, but they may want to interview you or discuss your interests/career objectives. For example, a person in our class was placed in the NICU and interviewed with their supervising OT and mentioned that she didn't really see herself working with pediatrics, so the OT asked the school to select a different student who actually was interested in pediatrics. This is not very typical, but it's worth noting that the school must find you a fieldwork site no matter what, and it's not your job to do anything except show up prepared (or interview if need be).

Lastly, OT school is in no way anything like med school! OT school is fun, so enjoy it.