The Road to OT School

I can remember the day I found out I got into occupational therapy school at UTHSC. I was THRILLED! I couldn't wait to finish up my last day of work so that I could finally pursue my dreams of becoming an occupational therapist. At that point, I had already been out of school almost a year and was ready to get back to the grind. Almost a year went by and before I knew it, I was packing up my life in Nashville and heading 3 hours west to the 901! I was scared at first, because I have never lived in a big city before. I tell people I am from Nashville, but really I am from the small town outskirts of Nashville (where the tourists can't find me, haha)! It has been quite an adjustment moving here. I am used to the small town life, where the grocery store is less than 5 minutes from my house. I don't have to pay anywhere to park, and I can feel safe being out at night by myself. It's different here. I never would have imagined a small town girl like me would end up in this big, metropolitan city. 

Even though it was scary at first, I'm glad I've taken not a step, but a LEAP outside of my comfort zone. At first, my parents weren't so sure about me moving to Memphis. After explaining to them that OT schools (and offers into their programs) are few and far between, they couldn't let me pass up this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There are other OT schools in Nashville and East Tennessee, but something about UTHSC stood out to me, and I knew I just had to come here. On my interview weekend, I fell in love with the OT Department and the faculty. I already had a couple of friends in the Memphis area, and one friend in the program, so the adjustment to a new school in a new city wasn't so bad. 

It is such a blessing to get to go to school at UT every day. Most days are long and tiring (especially when I was taking gross anatomy) but I wouldn't trade being here for the world. I have made some really great friends, and have connected with some really great professors in our program. They truly care about our success in the program, as well as our overall wellbeing. They are molding and shaping us every single day into becoming great occupational therapists. Every day I get a little bit closer to achieving my dreams. I can't wait to see what my future holds and where my degree will take me! Go Vols!