Once a student, always a friend

April 29, 2016
by Jodie

Community School/Life Balance

Last night, I officially finished my last academic course as a master’s student here in our graduate program. This entire journey towards becoming an occupational therapist has been the most rewarding, inspiring and memorable experience of my life. This has been my biggest dream ever since middle school and it still feels so surreal that in just a few months, I can proudly call myself an occupational therapist!

In my hands rehabilitation elective course last night, my professor ended the lecture by telling my class “once a student of mine, always a friend.” At this moment, it really hit me how tremendously lucky we are to have such supportive and brilliant faculty not only sharing all their knowledge with us, but also supporting us every step of the way towards becoming the best occupational therapists possible. So many thoughts flooded my head as I was driving home from school last night so I decided to write them all down as soon as I got home and share some thoughts/advice with you guys!

1. Get to know our faculty from the very start of the program! There’s so much more that we can learn from our faculty than just what is taught in lectures. I promise you, they don’t bite. 😛
2. Immerse yourself in each and every experience throughout the program: lectures, tailgates, conferences, mixers, guest speaker seminars, etc. Every experience opens a door to new possibilities and you’ll never know what’s out there if you don’t put yourself out there first.
3. Keep your class notes organized either electronically or in binders/folders. You will need all your study guides and notes at the end of the program for the comprehensive exit exam!
4. Take the time to get to know all of your classmates — MAIs, MAIIs, Bachelor’s to Master’s students, OTD and PhD candidates, and everyone else in between! Especially during your first summer semester before you split up into different cohorts but even after you’re separated into cohorts too!

Those were the main thoughts that came into my mind during my drive home (I’m sure if I lived further or took a detour route home, this list would have been exponentially longer!) I hope you find them helpful as you begin your journey towards becoming an OT. I am so excited for you guys and hope to hear about your adventures through these blogs in the years to come.

I also just wanted to share a picture from our last recruitment team dinner tonight at the San Antonio Winery! 

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