5 Tips for Students Applying to Occupational Therapy School
Two words perfectly describe the period of time when I was applying to OT school: stress and hope.
I remember feeling so overwhelmed with the OTCAS application and wondering if my application was strong enough to get me into the schools I wanted to attend. I also remember feeling so hopeful that I was finally pursuing the career of my dreams.
Now let’s fast forward 7+ years from that point of time in my life and I now have 3 years of experience as a pediatric occupational therapist under my belt and loving my profession. It comes with its set of challenges and of course, student loan debt, but I honestly feel that I have made the best decision by pursuing OT.
Currently, I am frequently asked by students interested in applying to OT school for advice regarding the application and interview process. This is part of the reason why I started my student mentorship program in order to assist students navigating this difficult process as well as address the inequities that exist within the profession by also mentoring students of underrepresented backgrounds in their path to occupational therapy.
Below I have outlined 5 tips for students interested in applying to OT school.
1. Thoroughly research the schools you are interested in
When researching schools, be sure to pay special attention to cycle dates and deadline requirements, application fees, and prerequisite requirements for each school. Prerequisite courses vary from program to program, but typically most schools require courses like: medical terminology, Biology w/ Lab, Kinesiology, Statistics, Anatomy & Physiology w/ Lab, Abnormal Psychology, Physics, Human Development, and Sociology.
Also, be sure to consider your priorities and values when selecting a school. For example:
Do you value staying close to your family?
Would you like to travel to a new city for graduate school?
Do you want to save as much money as possible to avoid taking out a large amount of student loans?
Are you interested in an OTD vs MSOT degree?
All of these factors will play a large role when narrowing down your search for OT schools. This excel spreadsheet is a great tool for organizing and ranking your top schools.
2. Write a Strong Personal Statement
The personal statement is an area I heavily focus on when working with my mentees/students applying to OT school. Some occupational therapy schools are realizing that standardized testing and GPA scores may not necessarily reflect the skills required for students to become great occupational therapists. This may mean we will start to see schools placing increased weight on personal statements as this may be more of a reflection of the student’s personality, motivators, and personal background.
When writing your personal statement, this is the time to let your personality SHINE.
Highlight what makes YOU stand out and the reasons you are pursuing OT. Personally, I made sure to include my passion for working with the Latine/x community and addressing health disparities in this population as this was an area I focused on when pursuing my Bachelor’s in Public Health degree and is extremely relevant for ANY healthcare profession in the United States.
MyOTSpot has an amazing resource on personal statement writing, so I will link it here.
3. Complete a Competitive Amount of Shadowing Hours
The typical minimum requirement for shadowing hours for OT school is around 40 hours total (and sometimes with the requirement to be completed in 2 different settings).
That being said, having significantly more shadowing hours CAN make you a stronger applicant especially when accompanied with doting letters of recommendation from your supervisors. If possible, try to shadow different settings you are interested in like outpatient pediatrics, hand therapy, inpatient rehab, or skilled nursing facilities.
NOTE: During the pandemic, shadowing has been increasingly difficult. However, some therapists allow virtual shadowing through the increasingly popular service delivery method: teletherapy. LinkedIn and Facebook groups are great platforms to reach out to potential supervisors.
4. Highlight Your Relevant Volunteer and Extracurricular Activities
Were you the president of your university’s student Pre-OT or healthcare sciences association?
Did you volunteer for Best Buddies or the special olympics?
Be sure to showcase experiences such as these that are extremely relevant to the field of occupational therapy and demonstrate a commitment to leadership.
Even non-traditional extracurriculars can make you stand out as an OT applicant. I have heard many stories of dance and drama majors utilizing their unique skillsets and backgrounds and applying them to the field of OT.
Check out this awesome resource from AOTA listing volunteer experiences that can strengthen your resume for OT school.
5. Prepare for the Graduate School Interview
Before being accepted into graduate school, most schools will want an interview to see if you are a right fit for the program. Interviews now come in various formats like traditional 1:1, video recording, group, and virtual interviews.
Regardless of the type of interview, it is important to prepare PRIOR to the interview so that you can feel confident and ready for anything the interviewers throw at you.
Here are some recommendations I usually provide with students to prepare for the interview:
- Go in knowing 10000% you can answer what occupational therapy is and why you want to pursue the profession (NON GENERIC ANSWERS)
- Review common OT interview questions
- Research the school you are interviewing for and highlight why this specific school is your top (or one of your top) choices
- Don’t be afraid to show some of your personality, as long as you stay professional
- ALWAYS have questions prepared for the interviewers. This shows that you have interest in the school. Some questions you can ask can be regarding professional development opportunities, any research you are interested in, interdisciplinary opportunities, community involvement, etc.
