Student Blog

Hit the ground running! ⟩
September 4, 2019, by Marilyn R

Life Hacks

Summer is officially over and hello second year of grad school! Whether you are a prospective student or current student in the Division, I hope that you are remaining present as you return to school, work, or are managing everyday life. In order to get prepared for the fall semester, here are 5 tips that helped me hit the ground running.

1. Develop a weekly schedule

This visual weekly schedule provides me with the opportunity to get adjusted to the layout of classes, fieldwork, ambassador work, leisure, and play! I begin to work on this schedule the week prior to classes starting and readjust accordingly during the first week of school.

2. Use a planner

I love planners! Being able to have a monthly grid and daily breakdown of weeks, helps me recall important deadlines and keeps me up to date on tasks that need to get completed. I know this sounds very structured, but I have seen other peers use this strategy successfully. As the semester progresses time seems to go by quicker, so forgetting to do a reading, missing an assignment or not submitting a work project can induce some anxiety. Some alternatives to getting a planner are creating a daily to-do list on a sticky note or setting reminders on your phone. Figure out what will be best for you to remain organized during the semester!

3. Learn to say no

Trying to have a healthy balance in school is critical to my well-being. During my first year in the program, I definitely spread myself thin. I was a graduate housing resident assistant, volunteered in my ministry, encouraged family and friends during important milestones, studied for the adult rehab and mental health immersion, was the maid of honor for my best friend’s wedding, and much more. After the completion of my first year, I realized that in order to be an effective student I could not say yes to everything. I needed to set boundaries with how many times to go out with family and friends, how to devote my time to extracurricular activities, and I needed to determine what my priorities were. It is okay to protect your time and sanity, so you can excel in the program. After all, that is why you are here!

4. Create a conducive environment for studying

Moving back home for my second year, I realized that my environment would be changing and thus it would impact where I would be studying for the semester. I began to trial areas in my home and nearby coffee shops, to determine what environment would support me with remaining focused. I ended up finding a great hole in the wall coffee spot and organized my dining room table as a plan B. Have you considered which environment is conducive to maximize your productivity?

5. Ask for help

My go to tip! I see myself as a lifelong learner, so being able to ask for help provides me with guidance and awareness to be an informed person. Even though I am a second year student, I still do my best to reach out to faculty, mentors, and peers for support to navigate school. Faculty at the Chan division truly want to see every student succeed, so I try my hardest to visit professors’ office hours if I have questions. Mentors help remind me of my mission with OT and remind me in moments of uncertainty that I am where I need to be. Peers hold me accountable to working hard in the classroom and help me find a balance between work and play.

Whether you are a current or prospective student, feel free to reach out to the ambassador’s email to receive further support to navigate student life. We are here for you and want you to feel confident when you hit the ground running!

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Finding Family in Diversity ⟩
September 4, 2019, by Japeth

Diversity International

Moving out of your comfort zone to attend a university away from home is a huge change and thus, very challenging. Although for some, it might be an exciting milestone, others may be very anxious about it. For me, I had to experience so many changes at once. However, what kept me going during my first few weeks in LA was the support that I constantly received from any family and their physical presence here in LA at my most crucial adjustment phase. When they went home to the Philippines, it felt as though everything now is on me. I must say that living far away from home is a tough choice to make.

Most of my cohort have the same sentiments with me. We all came from different parts of the world and we are now living on our own in this beautiful city. We have known each other for just a week now, but we found the comfort of our homes in the arms of one another. Isn’t it amazing when we just met new people but it feels like we have known them for so long? One week has passed but I am looking forward to a very exciting and fruitful year together with my cohort!

This is all of us during the White Coat Ceremony last August 23, 2019. Our cohort consists of students from the Philippines, India, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the US.

I would like to share our other photos too!

If you have questions about the Post-Professional Master of Arts Degree, feel free to contact me through my email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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What a Difference a Year Makes! ⟩
September 3, 2019, by Noelle

Life Hacks Videos What are OS/OT?

I introduced myself to someone at the main campus the other day and when they asked me what year I was in I was super excited to say “I’m a second year grad student!” I think I shocked him with my enthusiasm, but what he didn’t know was that my answer to that question used to be . . . complicated. Last year, I was straddling the identities of undergraduate senior and 1st year Master’s student; I was a grad student that hadn’t actually graduated yet. Entering my 5th year of the Bachelor’s to Master’s OT program, I have become very accustomed to explaining every aspect of my student identity — answering the questions: “What is Occupational Therapy? When do you graduate? Wait, so how old are you?” And now that I have officially graduated from undergrad, my spiel is much less confusing. More importantly, I’ve noticed a change in my attitude and feelings about my student identity.

The transition to graduate school is major for anyone whether it happens before, immediately following, or several years after completing undergrad. And last year, I felt it acutely. I missed all of the elective courses I used to take, not starting class until 11 am on some days, the freedom to take naps during the week!!! It’s not that I didn’t love the course material we were learning or the people in the program, it was just at times I wished I had one more year of all of that like the rest of my undergrad friends. But as my mom always says, nothing lasts forever!

I’ll be honest and say that I was very anxious to start this year. I have the responsibilities of this position as an ambassador and the demands of all of my courses, not to mention the huge decisions regarding the OTD coming my way (I’ll leave that for another entry though!). Although I’ve been studying OT for 4 years now, I’m still unsure where exactly I want my path to lead. Despite this uncertainty about my future (which is quite recent by the way), I came home from the first day of class this semester with unexpected peace of mind. I have my bachelor’s degree and a level 2 fieldwork under my belt, and I am just as thrilled to be an OT student as I was my freshman year. This year is sure to bring more changes and surprises that will influence this path I’m always talking about, and I just have to keep reminding myself how wonderful it is to be where I am and that the best is yet to come.

P.S. I originally wanted to title my entries with song titles (yes, like Grey’s Anatomy), but that was going to be harder than I imagined. So instead I’m going to include a song recommendation that may or may not relate to the entry 😊 This week’s pick happens to: “Ooh Child” by The Five Stair Steps.

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Why Occupational Therapy? ⟩
September 3, 2019, by Kevin

What are OS/OT?

Why did I choose occupational therapy? This is a question that I have been asked countless times during my time at USC. While I usually have a quick one-line statement to summarize my decision to pursue this career, here is the full story:

After graduating from San Diego State, I moved up to Los Angeles and began looking for jobs. Quickly, I found a position working at a company that provides behavioral therapy to children with a variety of diagnoses. While I found that work rewarding and I loved the population, there was something missing from the experience that I couldn’t quite put a finger on. Then one day at work, I shadowed my client’s occupational therapist and had a lightbulb moment that this was what I had been missing. The way the client responded to the therapy and the nature of using occupation as a means of therapy was the piece of the puzzle that I was searching for in a career. To be able to build authentic relationships with people while assisting their development was my idea of a perfect profession. Since attending USC, I have experienced the joy of aiding others to participate in the activities that bring meaning to their life. Each day I feel lucky to have discovered this gem of a profession and to be surrounded by instructors and peers who truly share the same passion and drive for occupational therapy.

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Why Occupational Therapy? ⟩
August 29, 2019, by Kaho

What are OS/OT?

I’ve always thought that I would pursue a career in the health field, but I thought that I was meant to become a doctor. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I started to question whether I was pursuing a career as a doctor because I was actually passionate about it, or because I had never learned much about the other existing health professions. As I started to explore and research more options, I fell upon occupational therapy.

The first thing that pulled me towards it is the deep, personal relationship that OTs build with their clients. They get to know their clients as a unique human being in various contexts and they are dedicated to helping people engage in activities/roles that are meaningful to them. I love that occupational therapy integrates mental health with physical health because I am passionate about both. The more I learned about the profession, the more I fell in love with it and the more I felt like this was truly what I was meant to be. (Also worthy to mention that occupational therapy is ranked #13 by U.S. News as one of the best jobs of 2019!) I began the process of looking up potential schools and the prerequisites for applying to those schools. I began volunteering in various hospitals in order to see real OTs in action. For example, I observed a hand therapist during my junior year of college and over the summers when I would fly home to Japan for several months, I volunteered in the geriatric department at several hospitals. I still had trouble explaining to people what exactly occupational therapy is and I now know that my knowledge of the profession at that time was still very limited, but I was confident that I had found my dream job.

Occupational therapy is truly an incredible and beautiful profession and this past year in the program has expanded my interests on what population I want to serve in what setting. I am very fortunate to be studying occupational therapy at one of the leading universities of the profession and I am thrilled to continue learning and growing and see what all is in store for my last year in the program!

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