Coursework & Fieldwork Just how challenging is OT school?

[wannabeOT2]

Hi everyone! I am excited to be starting a new chapter in life as an OT school student! I'm thrilled to be attending Pacific University's OTD program. I was wondering if I could get some insight into current student's day to day lives. How hard/challenging is your program? I feel pretty nervous about this because I am currently coming out of a gap year and have not been in a school setting for about a year and half now. I feel that maybe I'm rusty about getting back into the grind of school.
Do you feel that you have free time to explore the area/hang out with friends? Or is all your time being consumed by school? Do you find it is easy or hard to make new friends in the program? Are some of you able to take on a part time job to cover extra expenses?

I will be moving thousands of miles away from my hometown and have never lived on my own yet so this will be a brand new experience for me! Any and all tips are appreciated!!

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[RUNNING_OT]

Hi everyone! I am excited to be starting a new chapter in life as an OT school student! I'm thrilled to be attending Pacific University's OTD program. I was wondering if I could get some insight into current student's day to day lives. How hard/challenging is your program? I feel pretty nervous about this because I am currently coming out of a gap year and have not been in a school setting for about a year and half now. I feel that maybe I'm rusty about getting back into the grind of school.
Do you feel that you have free time to explore the area/hang out with friends? Or is all your time being consumed by school? Do you find it is easy or hard to make new friends in the program? Are some of you able to take on a part time job to cover extra expenses?

I will be moving thousands of miles away from my hometown and have never lived on my own yet so this will be a brand new experience for me! Any and all tips are appreciated!!

Congrats on getting into OT school! I actually went back to school 3 years after receiving my Bachelor's, and even though I was taking some pre-reqs in between, I still took a bit to get into that full-time student grind. My days highly depend on the classes I have that day. Some days are shorter than others so I get plenty of work done either before class or after. But on the days I have long days I feel burned out and don't do anything school-related. I know some people can't work like that but it works for me. Honestly, do what fits you best! Don't worry about what other people are doing. I make free time to run and explore new areas and making friends wasn't difficult. Everyone in my program is super friendly and willing to go and take a break.

I actually moved from California to Connecticut so I understand that whole move you're about to experience. I highly recommend getting used to cooking meals at home and get any apps that send coupons to your phone. You will be thankful later when grocery shopping. I noticed many people in my program lack those life skills and spend so much money eating out almost every day. Eating healthy, maintaining a clean apartment/house, money management are SO important at this stage in your life, and as OTs it is something we work on (IADLs!!!!).

 

[lilbunnies]

Congrats on getting into OT school! I actually went back to school 3 years after receiving my Bachelor's, and even though I was taking some pre-reqs in between, I still took a bit to get into that full-time student grind. My days highly depend on the classes I have that day. Some days are shorter than others so I get plenty of work done either before class or after. But on the days I have long days I feel burned out and don't do anything school-related. I know some people can't work like that but it works for me. Honestly, do what fits you best! Don't worry about what other people are doing. I make free time to run and explore new areas and making friends wasn't difficult. Everyone in my program is super friendly and willing to go and take a break.

I actually moved from California to Connecticut so I understand that whole move you're about to experience. I highly recommend getting used to cooking meals at home and get any apps that send coupons to your phone. You will be thankful later when grocery shopping. I noticed many people in my program lack those life skills and spend so much money eating out almost every day. Eating healthy, maintaining a clean apartment/house, money management are SO important at this stage in your life, and as OTs it is something we work on (IADLs!!!!).

What are some good coupon apps to look for? I've been working on the eating at home thing. It's hard sometimes when I'm really craving food from a certain restaurant, but my bank account is so much happier.

 

[RUNNING_OT]

What are some good coupon apps to look for? I've been working on the eating at home thing. It's hard sometimes when I'm really craving food from a certain restaurant, but my bank account is so much happier.

I use SnipSnap, Ibotta, and the Cartwheel App from Target. I recommend getting a store rewards card. You will save so much money and sometimes you get rewards points for gas so you end up saving money twice!

 

[wannabeOT2]

Congrats on getting into OT school! I actually went back to school 3 years after receiving my Bachelor's, and even though I was taking some pre-reqs in between, I still took a bit to get into that full-time student grind. My days highly depend on the classes I have that day. Some days are shorter than others so I get plenty of work done either before class or after. But on the days I have long days I feel burned out and don't do anything school-related. I know some people can't work like that but it works for me. Honestly, do what fits you best! Don't worry about what other people are doing. I make free time to run and explore new areas and making friends wasn't difficult. Everyone in my program is super friendly and willing to go and take a break.

I actually moved from California to Connecticut so I understand that whole move you're about to experience. I highly recommend getting used to cooking meals at home and get any apps that send coupons to your phone. You will be thankful later when grocery shopping. I noticed many people in my program lack those life skills and spend so much money eating out almost every day. Eating healthy, maintaining a clean apartment/house, money management are SO important at this stage in your life, and as OTs it is something we work on (IADLs!!!!).

Ah I see, the school has yet to send our schedules yet so hopefully I get an extra day off to catch up on all the work! I'm sure I'll need it Good! I'm excited to meet some new people so hopefully the people in my cohort are open to new friendships as well.
Wow! That's quite the move! Weather must be so different for you. Yes I need to learn some recipes because I barely cook now! I still eat things that only require microwave preparation lol Omg yes I cannot be spending that much money on eating out everyday I financially won't be able to.
Thank you for your tips!!

 

[c2902]

OT school is challenging and time-consuming, so if you are not used to taking care of yourself, you may want to focus on learning some life skills ASAP; cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. If you have your own car, know how to maintain it, or at least stay on top of oil changes, and yearly inspections. Make a list of when your bills are due to ensure you pay them on time each month - or opt for auto-pay if you can so you don't have to worry about it (as long as the account from which you are paying is always full enough not to overdraw and bounce a payment). Trust me, those things were hard enough to stay on top of during OT school as a full-fledged adult who'd had 15+ years of independence behind me.

Be sure to prioritize yourself and your school work, before friends and fun. You will have plenty of time for friends and fun when you are finished working hard, but you don't want to put all of your hard work at risk because you spent too much time socializing. This is not to say not to make some time for those things - you will need the occasional breather to de-stress. But don't make it your focus.

Additionally, do not expect to have things handed to you. Do your work, and do your work yourself. If you do not understand something, try to find the answer yourself before relying on someone else to give you the answer. If your school uses an online platform like Blackboard, learn how to use it, learn where dates and deadlines are posted and where assignments are uploaded. It is your responsibility to stay on top of those things and your professors will not hold your hand. I don't mean to be harsh, but as an older non-traditional student in my program, the inability of the younger members of my cohort to manage their own workload was astounding. Always whining about how "unfair" things like deadlines and grading policies were. Just don't do it. Learn to take responsibility for your own work, and hold yourself accountable.

 

[elischeesecake]

Ah I see, the school has yet to send our schedules yet so hopefully I get an extra day off to catch up on all the work! I'm sure I'll need it Good! I'm excited to meet some new people so hopefully the people in my cohort are open to new friendships as well.
Wow! That's quite the move! Weather must be so different for you. Yes I need to learn some recipes because I barely cook now! I still eat things that only require microwave preparation lol Omg yes I cannot be spending that much money on eating out everyday I financially won't be able to.
Thank you for your tips!!

I highly recommend you learn some basic cooking with fresh ingredients-- it is AMAZING how cheap produce, raw meat (if you are a meat eater) and a grain (rice, potato, noodles) can be! Microwave foods have their place in life, but can get pricey and tend to have all sorts of additives and preservatives. Cooking large quantities so you have leftovers saves time and money-- valuable resources during OT school!

 

[wannabeOT2]

OT school is challenging and time-consuming, so if you are not used to taking care of yourself, you may want to focus on learning some life skills ASAP; cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. If you have your own car, know how to maintain it, or at least stay on top of oil changes, and yearly inspections. Make a list of when your bills are due to ensure you pay them on time each month - or opt for auto-pay if you can so you don't have to worry about it (as long as the account from which you are paying is always full enough not to overdraw and bounce a payment). Trust me, those things were hard enough to stay on top of during OT school as a full-fledged adult who'd had 15+ years of independence behind me.

Be sure to prioritize yourself and your school work, before friends and fun. You will have plenty of time for friends and fun when you are finished working hard, but you don't want to put all of your hard work at risk because you spent too much time socializing. This is not to say not to make some time for those things - you will need the occasional breather to de-stress. But don't make it your focus.

Additionally, do not expect to have things handed to you. Do your work, and do your work yourself. If you do not understand something, try to find the answer yourself before relying on someone else to give you the answer. If your school uses an online platform like Blackboard, learn how to use it, learn where dates and deadlines are posted and where assignments are uploaded. It is your responsibility to stay on top of those things and your professors will not hold your hand. I don't mean to be harsh, but as an older non-traditional student in my program, the inability of the younger members of my cohort to manage their own workload was astounding. Always whining about how "unfair" things like deadlines and grading policies were. Just don't do it. Learn to take responsibility for your own work, and hold yourself accountable.

Thank you for your honest answer. I will definitely be trying to cook more from here on out until school starts. Anyone know any good, quick recipes for me to try out? ^__^ Fortunately I won't be having a car to take care of up there as I will be utilizing the rail system. Yes auto pay sounds like a very helpful tool!

Oh yes of course school comes first. I've been socializing a lot during my gap year so I'm ready to get back into the nitty gritty of school. But I am looking forward to finally meeting some people in my field. I don't know anyone here in my hometown that is doing occupational therapy nether the less even knows what occupational therapy is lol But yes definitely focusing on school is more important.

Mmm yeah I tend to only ask people for help when I really need it or really don't understand something. I try to figure things out on my own before bothering others. Unsure if my school will be using a platform but most likely.

Anyways thanks for the tips! I am expecting OT school to be difficult but rewarding at the same time. I'm excited to start my career already!

 

[wannabeOT2]

I highly recommend you learn some basic cooking with fresh ingredients-- it is AMAZING how cheap produce, raw meat (if you are a meat eater) and a grain (rice, potato, noodles) can be! Microwave foods have their place in life, but can get pricey and tend to have all sorts of additives and preservatives. Cooking large quantities so you have leftovers saves time and money-- valuable resources during OT school!

Yes! I was thinking stir fry!! I could make a weeks worth and then just package them for every day of the week? Maybe this way I can lose weight too haha

 

[c2902]

Thank you for your honest answer. I will definitely be trying to cook more from here on out until school starts. Anyone know any good, quick recipes for me to try out? ^__^ Fortunately I won't be having a car to take care of up there as I will be utilizing the rail system. Yes auto pay sounds like a very helpful tool!

Oh yes of course school comes first. I've been socializing a lot during my gap year so I'm ready to get back into the nitty gritty of school. But I am looking forward to finally meeting some people in my field. I don't know anyone here in my hometown that is doing occupational therapy nether the less even knows what occupational therapy is lol But yes definitely focusing on school is more important.

Mmm yeah I tend to only ask people for help when I really need it or really don't understand something. I try to figure things out on my own before bothering others. Unsure if my school will be using a platform but most likely.

Anyways thanks for the tips! I am expecting OT school to be difficult but rewarding at the same time. I'm excited to start my career already!

Budget Bytes is a great website for cheap and delicious recipes! I discovered that one while I was in OT school - recommended to me by a fellow student. I still cook things from it. Also, if you don't have a crock pot, get one - they're easy to use, you can make big batches and freeze them, so you always have food available. Even now, as I work pretty significant hours, the crock pot is a time-saver.

I didn't mean to sound harsh about looking stuff up on your own, it's just something I've noticed from some of the younger folks I come into contact with, whether that was cohort members during school, or fieldwork students who do placements where I work, etc. A lot of entitlement without a lot of agency, work ethic or self-motivation. I wouldn't generalize except that it's been a common theme. Of course, there are exceptions!

 

[Futurenjot]

Bumping because I'm curious as well

Budget Bytes is a great website for cheap and delicious recipes! I discovered that one while I was in OT school - recommended to me by a fellow student. I still cook things from it. Also, if you don't have a crock pot, get one - they're easy to use, you can make big batches and freeze them, so you always have food available. Even now, as I work pretty significant hours, the crock pot is a time-saver.

I didn't mean to sound harsh about looking stuff up on your own, it's just something I've noticed from some of the younger folks I come into contact with, whether that was cohort members during school, or fieldwork students who do placements where I work, etc. A lot of entitlement without a lot of agency, work ethic or self-motivation. I wouldn't generalize except that it's been a common theme. Of course, there are exceptions!