4 Things To Do Before Starting OT School
So you’ve been accepted into OT school! Congratulations! This is such an exciting time. I remember that feeling like it was yesterday, I only had a few months to prepare and my head was spinning trying to do all the things. Let’s talk about a few things you can do to help start OT school off on the right foot, shall we?
Make a Budget: If you know me, you should have already expected this to be on the list! Start by listing all of your expenses. Not sure where to start? Think about your fixed expenses first. This might include: housing/rent, car payment, car insurance. You’ll also need to think about groceries, gas (or other related commuter fees if you’re taking public transportation). If you are taking out loans, you may get a “refund” amount but the goal is to use the least amount possible. Having a budget before starting will help you know just how many of those Sunday brunches you can say yes to with your cohort!
Get Organized: I’ll start with electronic organization: go ahead and start creating your “Grad School” folders and subfolders on your computer. If you know your classes already, you can create folders for each class. That way once those dozens of files start rolling in on Day 1 you can easily move them to where they belong. I loved using “Google Calendar” to keep track of class times, working, assignment due dates etc. You can go ahead and start filling out an electronic calendar - and do the same thing if you prefer a paper planner!
Brief interjection because these last 2 may look a little different with COVID but still wanted to include them for our *hopefully sooner than later* post-COVID times...
“Meet” your cohort: I connected with my cohort a few weeks (or maybe it was months?) before we started our program. We had a facebook group and it was really nice to already “know” some people before we met in person. We chatted about what neighborhoods we’d be living in and helped each other map out how we planned to get to campus (public transportation is popular in Boston).
Explore your neighborhood: I moved to Boston a few weeks before I “needed” to be there because I wanted to be able to explore my new home! If you’re having to move for school, I encourage you to map out where the nearest essentials are such as: grocery store, urgent care, pharmacy, post office, gas station and of course...Target! Even if it’s just the weekend before starting your program, take some time to get a nice “lay of the land” so to speak.
Notice I did not mention studying anatomy on this list. This is probably the top question I’m asked. I did not study anatomy prior to starting my program - though some in my cohort certainly did. We all ended up doing just fine, even the ones who took some time off before starting OT school. There’s a lot to get done before your program starts. But my biggest tip? Focus on what will make you feel prepared, and in the best possible mindset before starting. You want to go into your program feeling clear, confident, and ready to rock your first semester!