Welcome OTD Class of 2024!
Class of 2024, congratulations on completing your first semester of OT school. You did it!!
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You are one step closer to becoming an occupational therapist! You have accomplished so much already, but there is more to come! Your journey through this program will be filled with learning, growth, exhaustion, friendship, excitement and so many more emotions. It won’t always be easy, but it will be worth it! Embrace the challenges you may face and use them to drive you. Remember, that you have peers, mentors, and professors on your side. Fall back on this support system. We are a team that must work together to better the field of occupational therapy. This program will provide you the skills, tools, and experiences to become an outstanding OT!
Welcome to the TWU School of Occupational Therapy, we can’t wait to watch you flourish!
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Don’t forget to enjoy the ride!
SOTA and the Class of 2023
Things we wish we would have known....
Organization is Key
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​Get yourself a planner and or look into assignment organization tools and apps., sticky notes, page tabs, highlighters, bookstands are also helpful.
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Schedule and plan study time into your days.
Study Tips
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Make it a habit to review what you have read/learned each week so you’re not stuck reviewing it all just before exams.
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Go to the tutoring classes that are offered, organize study groups and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
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Learn the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF) and Activity Analysis NOW. You will need to these throughout your first semester, but will continue to use the knowledge throughout the whole program. The OTPF can be downloaded through AOTA once you become a member. Activity Analysis is covered in Texture of Life by Hinojosa in Chapter 4.
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Find a good group of friends who you study well with - not everyone will compliment you and that's okay.
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Don't compare yourself to others - you know best how you study!
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At first the material will be very overwhelming and you may not be able to pick out what is "important." This will come with time but until then ask your mentor or any of the Grad 4's. They have been there, done that and are glad to help.
Read, Read, Read!
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Grad school has higher expectations. Reading all of the assigned readings is expected and will be key to your success in this program.
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Purchase your books. They will be used for more than one semester and will be useful study tools for the NBCOT.
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Rolling backpacks are cool in Grad-school! You’ll have lots of books and they get heavy. Save your back, you’ll need it for transferring patients.
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When the professors make the class syllabi available, start reading the chapters and preparing for your first weeks of class.
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Start reading your neuro book now (you’ll read the entire book semester 1 and read some more in semester 2!)
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Try to stay ahead of the readings. Once you get behind, it's hard to catch up.
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The professors refer to the textbooks by the author names.
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You may not have time to take notes on every chapter. In this case use highlighting as your note taking. Highlight what's important and read over your highlights.. over and over again.
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Some of the quiz questions are repeated on the midterms and finals. Although you cannot copy the questions, it is helpful to highlight them in the textbook, then write the concepts on notecards to study throughout the semester.
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Keep your highlighting consistent. Highlight your notes in one color and the quiz topics in another color. Always use the same colors because after a while you will forget which is which!
Campus Hacks
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You will live in the MCL building
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The OT students refer to the small lot by the MCL as "Princess Parking." Get there fast because spots usually fill up by 7:30 a.m. Worth it if it's a rainy day or you have a lot of stuff to carry in. Other parking closest to the MCL is located on the corner of Vine St. and Pirtle St. There is also a big lot behind the Mary Gibbs Jones Hall dorms!
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Utilize the school printers - it's free! However, printing more than 20 pages at once is not allowed so you might have to send your items to the printers in sections.
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The second floor of the MCL has a computer lab great for printing. The Library is also a good spot to print.
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The 8th floor contains an OT student workroom which is a great place to study, meet with friends, or take a quick nap!
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The 6th floor also contains a student workroom but it is shared with the speech department.
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The library has three floors - the 3rd floor is the quiet floor if you need a quiet place to study.
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The library also has rooms that you can reserve through the TWU library website - great for group projects and studying for midterms and finals. Reserve early for midterm and final weeks because they fill up fast!
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There is a coffee shop in the MCL building, Which Wich in the CFO (directly across the street from the MCL), Starbucks in the library, and Chic Fil a in the student union.
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The second floor of the MCL has a room with a microwave, and vending machines.
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There is a refrigerator in MCL 646 where students can store their lunch! There is also a microwave to heat your lunch!
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Teamwork makes the Dreamwork
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Know that you’re no longer competing with each other. You all made it and belong to the same Team, team 2019. Lean on and support each other.
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Google docs/slides/sheets are a lifesaver! Make a folder for the cohort and share study resources with each other!
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Utilize the Facebook page for everything - questions, comments, encouragement, etc. The best tool y'all have is each other!
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Group projects are unavoidable at this point. Learn to love them! You can't possibly do all the work on your own and will find that everybody who made it to OT school, earned there spot. They won't let you down when it comes to group projects. Trust each other and lean on each other.
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It may be easier to form groups for group projects based on your lab sections because they have the same schedule as you do.
Open Yourself to New Opportunities
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Start thinking about where you want to do your fieldwork experiences NOW!
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Be open to new areas of clinical practice, don’t limit yourself, and explore the possibilities.
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Try and go to the National AOTA conference and TOTA conference. They are expensive but scholarships are available to help out with funds and the experience is more than worth it!
Professionalism
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From this point forward you are not only representing yourself, but also the OT profession and TWU. It is time to start acting professional!
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Clean up your social media accounts, employers and fieldwork sites really do check them.
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Scrubs are considered professional - not short shorts, tank tops, short dresses, open toed shoes, leggings, or yoga pants. Follow the dress code.
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It's okay to go out, but don't wear your OT shirts while doing so!
Don't Forget to Make Time for Yourself
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It's all about occupational balance. Make time for what makes you, you.
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Take it one day at a time.
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Work with time, not against it. There are only so many hours in a day. Plan strategically and realistically. Take one hour of you a day and do something for yourself. Watch your favorite netflix show, work out, or hang out with friends. Regardless of what you do for that hour make sure it is something that will put any thoughts about school on hold, make you present in the moment, and in the end reenergize you. You deserve it, you're worth it, and your success depends on it.
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Don't forget about your support system outside of the OT world - your friends, loved ones, and family members.
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Know your priorities before starting the program. List them out if necessary so that you can look back at them when things get "cloudy" and super hectic.
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Set boundaries for yourself. It's okay to say no to things. Don't push yourself beyond what you can tolerate. You don't have to belong to every club, organization, etc. Pick 1 or 2 (once again, prioritize!) that you are passionate about. Don't spread yourself too thin.
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Don't lose sight of why you wanted to be in this profession to begin with.
From one Mommy/Daddy to another...
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Use good time management skills. If your child is at daycare/school, do your homework while they are there. Then, when you're together, you can have high quality time together and not be trying to do homework at the same time.
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Work ahead! Don't leave things to the last minute!!!
Commuting From Dallas?
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Trains come from Fort Worth area (I think) and then Lewisville, Carrolton, the Colony area. Bus routes 4 and 5 take you very close to right in front of MCL from train station. About a 15-20 minute walk if you miss the bus, but there are multiple times. You get a significant student discount for the train pass and bus pass. Purchase the regional pass to use train and bus.
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Pros: Avoid horrible traffic on I-35. Save money for gas and mileage on your car and likelihood of an accident. If you live near a station, saves time driving the car. Very reliable. Can read and do homework while on the train: efficient use of time. There is lots of reading so 30 minutes on the train/bus versus the car twice a day means an hour of reading a day that you don't have to do at home which is super nice!
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Cons: No fun when it's raining or bad weather. Buses don't always connect perfectly, so you have to walk sometimes (can be a pro too :) ) . Little flexibility. If your class gets over early, you might have to wait for a train or bus - can use it as time for homework.