Student Blog
Living in LA

Camping with my childhood friends ⟩
July 22, 2021, by Arianna

Living in LA

When I was younger, my older brother was in Cub Scouts. There were three other boys in his troop that he became close friends with, and inevitably, the moms became close as well. Two of the boys had sisters my age, and we became inseparable. In 2007, our parents planned a camping trip to Refugio State Beach, just a few miles north of Santa Barbara. This trip soon became a tradition, and we have been camping there every summer for the past 14 years (not including 2020 for obvious reasons)!

Every year more and more people join the group. In fact, about 14-16 different families come with us now! This vacation has always been my favorite because I’m constantly surrounded by my friends and family. There are no electrical outlets there so we have to conserve our phone batteries. As a result, we get to spend real quality time together without being distracted by technology. When we camp, we usually spend all day at the beach. For dinner, we have a giant potluck and eat together at the picnic tables. At night, we typically have a campfire, play a giant game of hide and seek, watch the kids goof around, and just enjoy each other’s company.

Here are a few pictures from our most recent trip and the trips we made in the past!

This year’s trip was especially meaningful for me. I felt a little sad after the school year ended because I realized this was my last summer break EVER before I start having fieldwork every summer and eventually a full time job. I also realized that I only had one full year at USC’s main campus. My sophomore year was cut short, my junior year was entirely online, and my senior year will be at the Health Sciences Campus (HSC). I began to feel like I lost too much time and that I missed out and will miss out on so many opportunities to make lasting memories with my friends from undergrad.

However, after going on this trip, I realized, friendship has no time limit. I only see my camping friends a few times a year, yet every time we meet, it feels like nothing has changed. I know the same will be true for the friends I’ve made at USC. Although I am excited to meet new people and make new friends at HSC this fall, I know I will stay close with my friends at main campus. One day, I hope to introduce both groups to each other, and maybe I can even bring them camping!

Thank you all for reading and I hope this blog inspires you to reach out to old friends!

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A Day in the Life (Hybrid edition) ⟩
April 28, 2021, by Yna

Classes International Living in LA Videos

“What’s a typical day of a master’s student look like?” “How are your classes being held?”— these two must be some of the top questions that I get asked by students. That is why I decided to make a vlog called A Day in the Life—Hybrid edition, because we are currently employing a combination of in-person and virtual formats for some of our courses. Safety measures are observed to ensure safe delivery of in-person instruction, such as weekly COVID-19 tests, completing the Trojan Check before coming to campus, physically distanced classroom seating arrangement (one student per table), and wearing of face shields whenever we needed to get closer than 6 feet with each other. In this video, you will see me go to campus for our in-person class for OT500: Clinical Problems in OT, Special Topics and Emerging Practices, wherein we learned from Jane Baumgarten OTR/L proper techniques when performing physical transfers and mobility on a variety of client populations. I also included steps on how to do the Trojan Check and how to make a reservation to use the library. Watch the video here:

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CA Fun — Yosemite Edition ⟩
April 14, 2021, by Liz

Living in LA

Restorative occupations week was exactly one month ago. At the time fieldwork kept my roommates and me super busy. Yes, we did do things that were restorative — however, this weekend we decided to take part in a belated restorative occupations weekend! As you all know USC is located in the best state in the world, California. We are lucky enough to have amazing weather nearly all year round!

For our restorative occupations weekend we decided to take a day trip to Yosemite National Park. California is full of beautiful national parks. So, if you decide USC is the right fit for you — definitely take time to enjoy nature’s beauty!

The drive to Yosemite from LA took us around 5 hours. Of course this included making a pit stop for food and several bathroom breaks. Our first stop was paddle boarding at Bass Lake. This was close to the city of Oakhurst, which is where we were staying for the night. After a fun afternoon in the water, we checked into our Airbnb and went stargazing later that night.

The following day we were back on the road at 7 AM to head to the national park. There was barely any snow left, but the views were breathtaking! We hiked to Mirror Lake and Lower Yosemite falls. By 3 PM we were listening to our girls trip playlist as we drove back to LA.

As the school year comes to an end and everyone in my friend group is worried about the OTD/getting started with work, it was nice to take a break from the stress and enjoy ourselves. Here are some pictures from the trip!

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The A-Z’s of USC OT: Part II ⟩
March 22, 2021, by Bethany

Admissions Classes Living in LA What are OS/OT?

In a previous post, I began The A-Z’s of USC OT: Part I. So continuing right where we left off . . .

Occupation — Occupation is, of course, the focus of our profession and one of the focuses of our schooling. We do not compare ourselves to other professions, but rather learn how to advocate for the inherent value of our distinct perspective as OTs.

Program interconnectivity — As a BS-MA student, we get to meet a lot of OS minors through classes and the Pre-OT club. We join up with Entry-Level students for the graduate level curriculum. We get to learn alongside Post-Professional Master’s students and OTD students in our electives, and have PhD students as our TAs. From my experience, students get to interact with OTs in all programs.

Questions and answers — Questions about fieldwork? Scheduling? Applying to the OTD after finishing the Master’s? Clinical experience? Our faculty and staff (and student ambassadors!) are responsive to all of our queries. We are also paired with faculty mentors, who are matched based on our interests.

Rehab lab — In the Center for Health Professions, we have a lab for Adult Physical Rehabilitation that includes a hospital setting, a bedroom, bathroom, and fully-functional. We can practice creating and implementing interventions in a real space. You can check out the room on our virtual tour!

Shuttle — There is free transportation between campuses! The shuttle is accessible to everyone, not just students. And shuttle time is great for conversations, naps, or watching shows on your phone. One of the previous ambassadors, Noelle, recorded her shuttle trip.

Trojan Family — Whether it be cheering our team on to victory, ending up at a fieldwork site with USC alumni, or of course networking through the Trojan Network site, the Trojan Family is inclusive, extensive, and supportive.

Undergraduate Study — USC is one of the few schools to offer an undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy, which helped me claim my identity as an occupational therapy student and learn to advocate better for the field. We also offer a minor in Occupational Science.

Vibrant student life — Around campus, you will find a bustle of students, whether they be grabbing food at the farmers market or Trader Joe’s or going to football games amidst a sea of cardinal and gold.

Well-established — USC’s OT program lives up to its name. We were the first Master’s degree in OT and the first PhD in OS. We developed Lifestyle Redesign, and we continue to be a top-ranked OT school.

X-amine yourself — Within our classes, we are given opportunities for introspection about how our own beliefs, communication styles, and backgrounds can affect how we come into a client-therapist relationship. For example, we complete a values checklist and share our results with our classmates, leading to (1) introspection, (2) learning to understand and listen to other perspectives, and (3) understanding the position of vulnerability we ask of our clients.

You’re not alone — Whenever I needed help, I had support from faculty. They worked with me to make sure I could participate in band for my senior year while taking classes. They looked at which fieldwork placements best suited my preferences and transportation needs. I’m happy to have resources to go to for anything I need in the program.

Zeal — One thing I have always admired about USC students is their passion. And now, I get to pursue my passion in occupational therapy alongside others who share that zeal to find ways to creatively help others do what they love.

Whew! 26 letters. Felt like a long list, but even so. It cannot sum up the passion for OT and the community that I found these past years. Regardless, I hope that I was able to give you a good glimpse into the program. 😊

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Why I Chose to Attend USC ⟩
February 17, 2021, by Savi

Admissions Classes Fieldwork Getting Involved Living in LA

During the past few weeks, a plethora of admitted and prospective students have reached out to get a student’s perspective on why we chose to complete our Master’s degree at USC. This simple question has made me reflect on all the wonderful reasons I have enjoyed my time in the program. I have decided to create a list of the reasons I chose to complete my Master’s degree at USC below. I hope this list helps admitted students reading with your decision during this overwhelming and exciting time! This list can also be a great resource for students deciding whether or not to apply to this program in the coming years.

1. The USC community and connections: Going to USC immediately connects you to a very large group of OTs around the world. With around 130 OT students graduating from the Master’s program each year, the quantity of USC OT alumni is exuberant. This allows current USC students the opportunity to have resources and connections both within and outside the division. Whether you are looking to find a job after graduating or get advice about your career path, you have an extremely high chance of finding USC alumni in your field of choice. This can be really helpful since OTs can work in such a wide range of practice settings and it can get tricky deciding what path may be right for you. During your various fieldwork placements, you are also bound to run into or be mentored by USC alumni and it is great to make those connections with other trojans who understand the curriculum, program structure, etc.
2. The faculty and resources: As a student, you get the opportunity to learn from some of the most amazing and world-renowned OTs. All of the faculty members have dedicated their lives to OT through clinical work, teaching, and research. These clinicians, researchers, and educators all have an open door policy and capitalize on any opportunity to chat with and get to know students. You can go to them for casual conversation, assistance with schoolwork, guidance in life and your career, and more. This team, along with all of the outstanding cutting-edge research being conducted within our division, gives us the unique opportunity to be some of the first to learn about the most up-and-coming techniques and discoveries. This environment encourages every student to challenge themselves, work hard, and become a leader in the OT field.
3. The students: As mentioned before, USC admits around 130 students into their Master’s program. This larger class size has given me the opportunity to meet a plethora of different learners and future practitioners. After spending the first summer semester learning from all of these different perspectives in a larger class setting, everyone is split up into three different cohorts of about 40-50 students. The cohorts are small so you get to know everyone really well, but you also get the chance to socialize with the larger group of around 130 students outside of the classroom to learn about their experience in different practice immersions before you take them. The cohorts are further split into 2 groups to make lectures and labs even smaller. The two groups will switch off the order in which they attend lectures and labs, which allows for more individualized attention from the professors during class.
4. Hands-on work: USC integrates fieldwork into each semester. As an extremely hands-on learner, I was really excited to discover that USC allows students to work at a fieldwork I site once a week during each practice immersion semester. We, therefore, get the chance to go into class three times a week and then apply what we learn in real-time with clients. We can come back each week and debrief with each other and our professors. By doing so, I didn’t feel like I was just a student sitting in class trying to absorb information. I really got the chance to take that knowledge and apply it every week. On top of that, we also are provided with the typical fieldwork II experience, in which we work as full-time OTs for 12-weeks during each summer in a setting of your choice. We have connections with over 950 fieldwork sites across the globe, so the opportunities to work in any field of your choice before graduating are endless. Students also have access to Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital Occupational Therapy and the Faculty Practice, which is the birthplace of Lifestyle Redesign®. Students, therefore, have the opportunity to be mentored in a number of existing and developing practice areas at the outstanding USC hospitals and at the Faculty Practice in order to gain clinical experiences during their program of study.
5. Los Angeles: Los Angeles is a city with endless OT opportunities. Whatever you may be passionate about in the OT realm . . . you can find it in LA. Outside of OT opportunities, LA is an amazing place to live. Anything you want to do, see, or eat is in this city. You can go hiking in the morning, sit on the beach in the afternoon, and grab a bite to eat in downtown all in one day! Comedy shows, outdoor adventures, etc. It is ALL here.

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