The Expectations and Realities of Grad School

Grad school is a completely different ball game than undergrad. At least for my discipline (it all depends on the area of focus) but for the U of U’s OT school there is a stark contrast between my undergraduate studies and graduate school requirements. For anyone wanting to pursue OT school, here are three things to know. 

Photo credit: http://www.rehabalternatives.com

1) there is a lot less busy work. Getting my degree in English, I was constantly reading, writing, and annotating texts. It was physically impossible to read everything that was assigned. One semester I had a compliation of novel and theory classes that ended the semester’s page count at nearly 10,000--I wish I was joking. Graduate school has a lot less between-class assignments. However, the expectation is that you are studying NON-STOP. I’m searching for the balance of learning everything I’m expected to learn, and also have a functioning life outside of school. I will fully admit, sometimes I feel guilty when I’m not studying. I’ve woken myself up in the middle of the night and thought, “ Why am I not studying?? Don’t I want to learn??” Then I realize what a lunatic sounds like and try to go back to bed. It’s a strange, and potentially destructive cycle that us grad students can fall into. I haven’t mastered the balance, and I’m not sure I ever will.

2) Your cohort will be your everything. You will spend more time with the people in your class than your spouse, friends, dog, or parents. The beautiful thing about this, is that you are surrounded by a bunch of other nerds who love the same stuff as you! You can talk about your obsession with OT 24/7 and no one will try and stop you! In fact, they will encourage this repetitive conversation. It’s a magical place to be. You will become really close with your class surprisingly fast. Plus, the first cadaver dissection really breaks down all social barriers. You will learn to depend on them, look for them when you need a moral boost, and miss them over school breaks. They will be your people when you feel like quitting. Plus, they’ll share their notes with you, which is pretty bitchin’.

3) You get to study your passion. No more GenEd requirements that make you question why you even decided to go to school. You get to study what you LOVE. The things you will learn about will light your fire. They will remind you why you worked so hard in undergrad to get into the program, and why you are paying twice the tuition. It’s all worth it. The opportunities you will have in graduate school will have you falling in love with OT all over again. To have the chance to learn from practitioners who know the field and who have so much knowledge to share with you, it's inspiring. You will be able to take advantage and learn from the best!

Trusting the Process

We have officially hit our mid semester point. As I think about what I have learned thus far, a lot of my current education seems disjointed. I have gained a solid understanding of human anatomy, kinesiology, conditions of the human body, as well as the history and foundation of OT. Currently, it seems like i’m learning the foundations of OT, but not necessarily seeing how they all connect. We hear snippets in class about patients our professors have worked with, and I can see the hunger in my classes’ eyes to get more hands-on experience. Now, I know what you are thinking. I’m putting the cart before the horse; you are absolutely correct. I want to be going 60 MPH before I can even walk. I realize this, and am working on accepting it. 

During orientation, our academic advisor conveyed that we need to trust the process of the program. Year one is about getting all the baseline information into our brains, while year two and three help us build more practical skills and treatments. As I fester in my own impatient wants, I keep thinking about how OT clients must feel. Whether they are seeing an OT because of an injury that impairs the independence that they are use to, or maybe they are a long-term patient who is working towards a big goal. As a future OT, I’ll need my patients to trust my judgement. I’ll ask them to go on a journey with me that they did not ask to be on. We’ll work together on achieving their goals, but they are going to have to trust that i’ll get them there. The practitioner-client relationship HAS to be symbiotic.

I think my impatience provides a good exercise to put myself in someone else’s shoes. Now, i’m not saying that my desire to get through school equates to the imposition and stress that a patient experiences. No, it’s not on the same level at all. I chose to be on this path, I decided I wanted to go to school for OT. I don’t think any patient would have made an active decision to participate in therapy, or undergo the injury or illness that landed them there. This is an exercise on trust. I am trusting in the education I am receiving, and I also have a personal responsibility to ensure that I learn what I need to learn. This is an exercise to push myself past the point of comfort, to feel really stressed, but know that the end goal will be well worth it. As an avid weight-lifter (Yes, I lift) I consistently lie to myself that the discomfort I endure while lifting a heavy set will all be over soon. That may be true for that set, or that exercise, but the stress that is experienced over the long haul does not end. You do not reach your fitness goals by going to the gym once and expecting immediate results. Gaining muscle is long, exhausting, and never ending. Right when i’m feeling good about one muscle group, I discover that i’ve been neglecting another area in my body. It’s a chronic headache, but also stupidly rewarding. Feeling uncomfortable means i’m doing it right. Discomfort is not a bad thing, and overcoming something that seemed so difficult is the best high you can feel.

I was talking to a friend who is an obsessive rock-climber a few weeks ago. He mentioned how euphoric it was to complete a line that was previously deemed impossible, or out of his reach. This is how humans thrive. We seek, challenge, and overcome our obstacles. We beat life each day we are alive and happy. We each have our own Everest. Mine currently looks like graduate school. Although we complain, stress, and want to quit, we have to persist. Once again, my life coach, and unofficially adopted mother, Amy Poehler, states, “You do it because the doing of it is the thing. The doing is the thing. The talking and worrying and thinking is not the thing.”

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some studying to attend to.

The Blog

“To care means to be affected, just as surely as it means to affect” (Yerxa 1967). Hello, my name is Liza. I am a first year occupational therapy student at the University of Utah. I am starting this blog for a few different reasons. First, as an occupational therapy student, the most commonly asked question I receive from family, friends and strangers on the bus, is “What is occupational therapy”. This is an excellent question! My definition and understanding of occupational therapy continues to grow and expand on a daily basis. I am hoping that this blog will provide and educational foundation in the incredible field of OT. Second, I am hoping  my experiences that I share with you will inspire other people towards this field. As a pre-OT student I was hungry for a closer connection to understand what was ahead of me in the graduate school world. I want other pre-OT students to get just as jazzed about the wonders (and anxieties) that they will experience in graduate school. Lastly, I want to gain a better understanding and be able to measure what I am learning. I have decided to cultivate an occupation that I love (writing) into something that would be directly meaningful to my studies. My wish is that I can build a more thorough understanding and practice of OT by writing freely and unforgivingly.

I have no plans for the direction of this blog. That is intentional. I may choose to focus purely on academia, other times it may get a little more personal. I ask you to bare with me, I am learning and not entirely sure what I am doing. I desire to grow. My sole desire is to be the BEST OT student, and future practitioner I can be. I have ideas and doodles about what I want to write about. I want you to participate with me. Share with me your thoughts, regardless if they are OT related or not. Challenge me. If you disagree with something I write then (respectfully) tell me. OT is about interaction and involves some topics that may not be entirely black and white. I have my opinion, which may change, or stay the same. Amy Poehler has this incredible perspective on life, that I have indoctrinated into my own. It’s a very simple philosophy of “good for you, not for me”. I promise, as author, and fellow human being to respect any opinion thrown my way, as long as I am not judged for my own. I want this to be an open forum, a positive learning space for us to breath in each other's air and share it mutually.

I have so many ideas that I am stoked to write and share with you.


Yerxa, E.J. (1967). 1966 Eleanore Clarke Slagle Lecture. Authentic occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 21, 1-9