Student Blog
School/Life Balance

What Might My Schedule Look Like? ⟩
September 3, 2020, by Liz

Classes School/Life Balance

There’s so much that comes to mind when asking yourself, “what’s grad school like?” What will my schedule look like? Will I have time to do things I enjoy outside of school or is it super intense? Will I be able to work while enrolled in the program? Will I be able to take care of additional responsibilities? I wanted to share a little bit more about that through this post. To start off, here’s my Google calendar!

This reflects what my schedule looks like as a second year student. The pink squares are the times I am at work and the blue squares show when I am in class. The Hand Rehabilitation and PAMS courses are both the electives I chose for the semester. So, the schedule may look a little different for other students depending on their elective choices.

As you can see, for the most part my days start at about 9 AM, with 8 AM being the earliest. I am not really a morning person, however as I shared in one of my previous blog posts I took Lifestyle Redesign over the summer. Well, one of my goals while taking that elective was to switch my workout routine from the evening to the early morning in order to have more time to do other things later on in the day. Yes, it was definitely a struggle to try and do this, but staying active is something that is important to me! Anyway, I usually wake up at about 6:30 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays to get a little exercise in before class. I also work out on Friday and Sunday mornings, but wake up a bit later on those days to get some sleeping in. On the days that I do not exercise in the mornings, I wake up about an hour before class starts to make breakfast, tidy up my room, and get ready for class. So, be ready to start the day early in order to make it in time!

It’s only been two weeks since the fall semester started, and I already have a lot of readings to do for adult rehab. Adult rehab is one of the three practice immersions offered in our program. I’ve successfully completed pediatrics and mental health, so now I am tackling the final immersion! We have a quiz every week, which is first taken individually and then with our group. It’s important to get these readings done in order to be prepared for the quizzes, but also to get the most out of the learning experience. In addition to those readings, I also have readings for my other classes to get through.

As you can see from my calendar, I have Fridays and Sundays entirely free. I am also free Saturdays after 11:30 AM. I do most of my work during the weekend, but I also do some work during the week so as not to overwhelm myself. I would say I engage in roughly about 10 hours a week of study time. This includes reading for classes, any sort of presentation I have to work on, writing papers, reviewing class material and working on asynchronous assignments. This may sound like a lot, but it is doable. I will say, grad school is not like undergrad where you can maybe get away with not doing the readings! I find that actually reading for class has made me feel so much more prepared to engage during lecture and also to ask questions. Although I spend a lot of time doing stuff for school outside of class, I make sure to give myself little breaks throughout the day!

As far as work goes, as a student ambassador I am currently working 10 hours a week. Luckily, the job is very flexible. For example if I needed extra study time on Monday to review for an exam for Tuesday morning’s PAMS class I can shift my work time over to Friday. As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of time that goes into studying during the week in addition to attending class. So, I think working while enrolled in the program is doable if your job is flexible and won’t interfere with schoolwork. I wouldn’t recommend working any more than 10 hours a week so that you don’t overwhelm yourself. But again, no one knows you better than you do and only you know what you can handle! If money is a huge stressor, there are several scholarship opportunities available within the Division, USC, and through outside sources that can help lift a little bit of that financial stress. There are also student worker positions available that can also help.

When I am not in class my schedule does allow me to spend time with the people I love! My partner and I enjoy ordering Shake Shack for dinner and watching movies. I also have time to visit my parents and my younger sister for a few hours during the weekend. I am also able to spend some time outside, watch Netflix, and hang out with my roomies. And as an update, I did get a new roomie, Max, who I am completely obsessed with! Here he is ready to take on the UCLA football team!

So, to wrap things up, definitely expect to put in a few hours into studying outside of class. You really do get what you put into it! But, also keep in mind that there’s time for you to do the things you love. It’s all about time management and really planning out your week/month in advance. You can do this!

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Why I Decided to Run a Half Marathon ⟩
July 9, 2020, by Savi

Life Hacks School/Life Balance

Making time for something other than work during graduate school can seem like a daunting task. Your days are filled with classes, exams, projects, essays, and more. I quickly found myself stuck in an unhealthy routine of going to class all day, driving directly to work, eating late at night, and staying up late to finish assignments and readings. After transitioning to studying and working from home, I found myself not only justifying my lack of self-care engagement to myself but also my extremely caring and somewhat concerned roommates. Although I had gained more time because I no longer had to commute, I continued to convince myself that wasting time on non-school or work-related endeavors was lazy and not worthwhile. After a few weeks of using this mentality, I gradually noticed my productivity declining and my energy depleting. As occupational therapists, we are supposed to help our clients engage in adequate self-care in order to live a more balanced, healthy, and productive lifestyle. I, therefore, knew deep down that it was time to make a change! I needed to enjoy my daily occupations and find ways to feel accomplished and energized once again, so I decided to train for a half marathon.

This was a practical decision for me, but it was not an easy one. To say it bluntly, I do not like running. I know what you might be wondering . . . why would you voluntarily decide to run a half marathon then Savi? Great question! I needed to change my tiring routine and add in an occupation that would increase my energy and productivity. As Dr. Laura Cox and Dr. Kelcie Kadowaki taught me in our OT 534: Health Promotion and Wellness course this semester, physical activity can promote psychological wellbeing, elevate cognitive functioning, and enhance self-esteem. In hopes of improving my overall wellbeing, I decided to listen to my professors’ advice and embark on a journey that I wasn’t initially enthusiastic about.

I created a strict training schedule and I sought out the advice of my friends who had already run a few half marathons. If I’m being completely honest, the first four runs were tough. I was out of shape and I was still in the mindset that training was taking time away from my studying. By the end of the second week, I had become so used to integrating the runs into my schedule that I would immediately stand up after class to go put on my running gear. My runs became easier and they allowed me more time to step away from my computer, breathe some fresh air, and listen to good music. Every time I came back home I felt as though I had more energy to engage in schoolwork and even socialize with my roommates during dinner. Checking the run off of my to-do list gave me a sense of accomplishment and increased my motivation to tackle the next item on my list. I found myself counting down the minutes before I could go on my run in order to increase my self-esteem and drive.

Many of you reading this currently work or want to work in the healthcare field and are, therefore, laughing at this epiphany of mine. You may be saying to yourself . . . well of course you are feeling this way! Exercise has proven to have many physiological and psychological health benefits. My response is that you are right! Although I knew the benefits all along, I had trouble finding a way to integrate it into my hectic lifestyle. I soon came to realize, though, that by adding this time for self-care, I was even more productive than before. I felt more confident in my ability to succeed academically, and I was more excited to engage in all my other occupations. So to those who need to hear it: Self-care is important and should not be left out of your schedule due to time constraints. The time you spend working on yourself allows you to tackle any obstacle in your way with more confidence and enthusiasm, so find the occupation that reminds you how strong, hard-working, and successful you truly are. Take the leap and “run that half-marathon” because I promise that you won’t regret it. I’ll meet you at the finish line!

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9 to 5? Working in Grad School ⟩
February 10, 2020, by Noelle

Life Hacks Living in LA School/Life Balance

Whether you are looking to earn a little spending money or pay next month’s rent, having a part-time job in grad school is definitely a possibility and reality for students here at Chan. On top of managing their coursework, I know babysitters, bartenders, and tutors, people who teach tennis lessons, pick up ride-sharers on their daily commute, and run their own businesses (check out Kevin’s side hustle if you haven’t already). Amazing right?!

As for me, I was a waitress during my first year and now work as a student ambassador. I remember applying for the waitressing job back in September 2018, nervous about having never held a tray in my life before, but more so, unsure of how I was going to maintain both a job and school. My only prior work experience was a low key student worker position that fit nicely into my flexible undergrad schedule, so I felt way in over my head just a couple weeks into grad school.

I was hired and started right as my first level one fieldwork began (great timing I know 😬). It was definitely a challenge at first to find a reasonable schedule and really, to learn how to be a waitress from scratch. But once I started getting into the groove (stopped spilling drinks and forgetting orders), it got way easier and dare I say fun? I worked on the school nights before fieldwork (because no homework was due the next day), weekends, and picked up extra shifts if it was a slower week at school. It was helpful that the restaurant was close to home/shuttle stop and my employers were pretty flexible about my schedule.

And I LOVED it. It was a great fit for my personality, gave me a little break from my student identity, and provided a whole different education and skill set. Second to my Level II fieldwork, it is my most prized bullet point on my résumé. It wasn’t all peaches and cream though. There were lots of late nights, crammed weekends, missed events, and several moments I had to remind myself that school was the priority. But I am so glad to have done it . . . and not just for the tips!

Of course, working during grad school looks very different from person to person. And my experience is just one example of how to make it work.

For this week’s song rec, let’s throw it back to 1973 with “For the Love of Money” by the O’Jays, a song I would frequently blast on my way home after a long day at the restaurant.

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Summer is For Traveling ⟩
June 28, 2019, by Anijah

International School/Life Balance

My dad always tells me that it is very important to travel if you have the opportunity. My dad believes that traveling allows a person to see more of what the world has to offer. However, when the summer comes around my sister and I always go to the same places, such as Sacramento or Las Vegas with family. We go to these places because we are comfortable there. But this summer I decided to go to some new places.

Luckily, my sister was studying abroad this summer in Paris, so that was my first stop. During our time there we went to the usual tourist places such as the Eiffel Tower and various Museums. One of my favorite places that we visited, while in Paris, was the Saint Chappelle chapel because of the vibrant colors. If you ever get the chance to go to France, make sure you stop by to see the amazing glass work in the chapel. We also tested out some really cool restaurants, which allowed us to broaden our palettes and our waistlines.

We also got a chance to visit Amsterdam. This has now become one of my favorite places to visit. We had a great time there. Amsterdam is known for a variety of things. But the main things we enjoyed were the canal system and their Holland fries. We also had the opportunity spent most of our time with our cousins. Surprisingly, I found out that one of my cousins is studying to become an Occupational Therapist. It was amazing to hear about the similarities between our adaptive tools and procedures.

Europe is different from the US for many reasons, but one of the main differences that I enjoyed while there was the transportation system. Since it was the first time traveling internationally without any family, we had to learn how to get around and, it was so easy to figure out. By the end of our trip, I became a pro at using the trains to get to our destinations, with a little help of maps and the people, who were so nice and helpful. Europe is a great place to travel. I hope to go back soon.

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Spring Semester Shenanigans ⟩
April 26, 2019, by Jessica P.

Getting Involved School/Life Balance What are OS/OT?

Happy last day of classes Trojans! It’s hard to believe that today was already my last day of classes in the Master’s program here at USC. Every semester always seems to fly by but this semester especially has gone by so fast I’m not sure where the time has gone.

Fall semester may get a lot of hype because of football season but I’m a big fan of spring semester also. The past few months have been packed with all different events from traveling internationally for my externship to attending my first AOTA national conference. Here is a sneak peek into what I’ve been up to the past few weeks.

AOTA Conference
In April I was able to attend my first AOTA conference and visit New Orleans for the first time. It was a jam-packed few days attending different workshops and speaker sessions. In between sessions, my friends and I explored New Orleans and of course tried beignets!

At AOTA, I really saw the power of the Trojan Family. From hearing one of my former clinical instructors and USC alumni, Laura Ferrari, speak on her work in forensic mental health to exploring posters, like the one above by Dr. Janice Rocker.

LA Times Festival of Books
This year I had the opportunity to help plan the OT booth at the LA Times Festival of Books Health Pavilion. The Festival of Books is such a fun event to spread OT to the greater Los Angeles community and celebrate OT month! We had stations for stress management, weight management, research recruitment, and sensory integration play.

Tours
The past few weeks have been busy with tours! We’ve had visitors from all over, including freshman from a local high school who are interested in pursuing occupational therapy.

Desert X
While things can get busy in the spring, I always try to make time for occupations outside of school that are meaningful to me. One of my favorite things to do is to explore various art museums so this year my friend and I spent a weekend in Palm Springs. We drove around the various Desert X art installations and ate tons of delicious food!

I hope you all had an amazing semester, I know I did! Good luck on finals and don’t forget to take time for self-care and engaging in your favorite occupations!

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