Complete Personal Statement Guide for Pre-OT Occupational Therapy School Programs

 

Introduction

This detailed guide will provide you with tips, do’s, don’ts, examples, and other helpful things along the way to write your personal statement for OT school.

You may be thinking:

• Where do I even start with writing a personal statement?
• Maybe I can look for some more examples online.
• My story does not seem as exciting as these examples.
• These examples don’t really relate to me.
• I don’t like the writing style or “feeling” that these examples give me.
• How do I even go about this?

Or maybe you didn’t have any of these thoughts and you are just looking for some extra tips to polish up your personal statement before you send it to the world. This guide will still help!

Audience

While this guide was written with Pre-OT’s for occupational therapy personal statements in mind, it of course can apply to other professions such as physical therapy, speech therapy, PA, RN, even undergraduate programs.

Disclaimer

I am not part of any admissions committee or affiliated with them in any way. However, as a graduate of an occupational therapy program, I also read and edited many other personal statements for friends and family. This guide is not a guarantee that you will get accepted or a guarantee that you will produce the best personal statement. This is just my opinion and unfortunately, the writing is all up to you!

Fortunately, you already have the hard part done – building your education, experiences, personal character, and goals!

Not quite there yet, that’s okay too – this guide will give you a preview of how to prepare to write your personal statement.

The Process

The process of writing a personal statement may involve something like:

Reflecting, getting something typed on the screen, getting writer’s block, getting distracted, taking a break, editing it, reflecting, typing some ideas, deleting those ideas, repeat, have it proofread, reading it out loud, reflecting, make more edits, and you’re done! While this sounds like a lot, it’s doable.

Set-up and Preparation

Start Early

When you feel like you are ready to write your personal statement, start writing! Don’t wait until the last minute to write. Personal statements require editing, giving it some time for your mind to clear to re-read, having it proofread by someone else, and making more edits.

Install Grammarly

We use Grammarly as a browser extension for its spellcheck and grammar check. It is really good at catching mistakes as you go and the free version is all you really need to get some basic editing done. This allows you to focus on the writing and not the spelling. Software like Grammarly also helps if you especially have a hard time with writing in general. While it can suggest edits for errors, it is up to you to write the content. AI is not quite there yet, but we are close!

Cheating & plagiarizing

I just have to say it. Don’t cheat or plagiarize. Don’t hire someone to write for you. I hear stories of students cheating here or there, so it must still be happening. Grad school is not the time to jeopardize all the hard work you put in.

Have a back-up system for your document

It would be a huge set-back to lose all your hard work. These days, you can easily use the cloud such as Dropbox or Google Drive/Docs for storing your files. This goes for your personal statement document as well as your graduate school application files such as notes, deadlines, resumes, etc. All it takes is a coffee spilled on your laptop for you to lose all your hard work (it happened to my classmate in OT school). Better yet, back up all your data that is important to you. Lectures, recordings, assignments.

Write in a place you feel productive

It doesn’t have to be a quiet library. It just has to be what works. If it’s a coffee shop, then go there. Write in a place you associate with positive work (but also don’t get distracted too easily, e.g. a cat cafe) – like to your favorite study area.

It’s okay if it doesn’t seem perfect or even good at first

After all, you are writing something like this probably for the first time, with a unique set of experiences for a specific intention of impressing the OT’s admissions panel. It can be difficult for artists to create art or music, or write a book in one session. So don’t stress it!

Do’s

• Re-research the profession, job description, duties, etc. BLS.gov is my favorite go-to for profession research. We have a video on it here.
• Follow the personal statement prompt and instructions. Read it several times to make sure. If there is a word limit, don’t go over. Double-check before you submit.
• Pay attention to the file format that is requested from the programs. Word doc? PDF? Make sure your file actually opens after you upload it and is not corrupt, if possible. If you are uploading to a central application like OTCAS, make sure you meet those guidelines.
• Write in the same tense and person throughout (“I”, first-person is fine).
• Write in an order that makes sense and flows to the reader, e.g. chronologically.
• Write with a purpose. Each sentence should be there for a reason and not be filler. Exclude extra information or too specific of information that doesn’t contribute to your story.
• Write succinctly and don’t be too wordy. This is a skill you will develop on your capstone project and hone in on in OT school and especially on the job. What do I mean?
  • Example: Nowadays, I want to be an occupational therapist first and foremost because I want to help people and really make a difference in each of their lives.
  • Better example: My goal is to become an occupational therapist who makes a difference in people’s lives.
  • Warning: I wouldn’t you use this specific example in your personal statement because it’s probably been overused. Try to be creative by saying how you want to “help” people in other ways.
• Be honest, try to copy an example’s voice, do not write over-the-top or fabricate the story.
• Be politically correct and culturally sensitive.
• Write something you would read (days, months, years) later. If you are having writer’s block, take a break and write when your thoughts or sentences come more naturally to you.
  • My personal statement didn’t have big GRE words or fancy syntax. It told a great story that was (in my opinion) to the point, compelling, persuasive, and driven.
• Describe your values and goals while highlighting your strengths.

Don’ts

• Don’t include an autobiography, only include what’s relevant. If what you did in high school or even grade school inspired you to become an OT then it could be included. Maybe you received OT services personally when you were a child – include it. If you overcame a hardship in your childhood that is relevant, then include it as well. Otherwise, leave the extra stories out.
  • In my opinion, it is best to talk about college, work, and other achievements and experiences in your “adulthood”.
  • Even traveling experience (shows cultural awareness) as an adult is more noteworthy than say winning a basketball game in high school (less relevant to OT)
  • Tip: think about when you first were motivated to become an OT and start from there, not earlier.
• Don’t use cliches or minimize them as much you can. Readers see this a lot and it does not make a big impact on their impression of you.
• Don’t use slang/informal speech, e.g. “sticking with it” -> perseverance.
• Don’t make jokes and be careful if you decide to use humor (what may be funny to you may not be to the reader). It’s safe to leave humor out and just get to the point.
• Avoid being sarcastic.
• Don’t overuse abbreviations. I know I am guilty of this too.
  • Pay attention to your use of OT – it can be occupational therapy or occupational therapist, but personally, I get confused when people use “OT” interchangeably.
  • In my final submitted personal statement, I only abbreviated “MSOT” and “EMT” and did not “OT” once.
• Don’t have mismatching verb tenses.
  • Example: I got accepted to shadow at [facility] and was observing observed patients do their rehab exercises.
  • Pay attention to these verbs in sentences that run longer. Consider shortening them to make it less tiring to read, avoiding avoid run-on sentences. (see what I did there?)
• Don’t abbreviate or hyphenate too often or incorrectly. If you do it one way, be sure you are at least consistent throughout. e.g. evidence-based, not evidenced based.
• Don’t capitalize nouns incorrectly (proper vs common nouns).
  • Occupational therapist is capitalized like this correctly.
  • However, an Occupational Therapist is not correct if capitalized like this.
  • This is the correct capitalization for an occupational therapist.
  • The same goes for the field of occupational therapy.
  • Occupational therapy is capitalized correctly in this sentence.
  • Abbreviations are always capitalized, e.g. OT.
• Don’t write anything negative about anyone, organization, place, etc.
• Don’t write in a negative tone, be a “Debbie Downer”
• Don’t be too arrogant/grandiose/assuming/inappropriate/rude/offensive.
  • “OTs make a lot of money.”
  • “I will be the best occupational therapist because…”
  • “I am the best candidate because”
  • “Since I am… , therefore”
  • “Unlike others”, or
  • “Other professions” talking down, avoid talking about other professions in general. No one profession is better than another, the same applies to OT. Think about why OT over other professions leading to your decision to become one).
  • Think about how someone in another profession, say a PT would feel after reading your personal statement. They should not feel offended after reading your personal statement, but instead think, “wow, such and such would make a great OT.” Not that OT is better than PT, that kind of thing.
• Don’t try to predict the future.
  • When I become an occupational therapist. If I become an occupational therapist.
• Don’t repeat yourself, you only need to say something once in its context. Of course, the bigger message can be repeated, e.g. intro and conclusion. Just don’t sound repetitive.
• Don’t use the same phrases (especially close to each other), try using different words. That doesn’t mean you should just look up words in a thesaurus. Really think about what’s the point you are trying to make.
• Don’t use profanity.
• Don’t use labels, judge, stereotype.
  • In everyday speech we say things like, “that’s crazy”. Someone with a mental illness who really is crazy could be offended. I had a teacher whose pet-peeve was people who said things were crazy. Remove crazy from your personal statement.
  • “He probably was abused since he was in a recovery program/”
  • I would avoid using “normal” too. “Occupational therapists help patients get back to their normal.” This implies the patient was abnormal before. Better words: recover, improve, rehabilitate, strengthen, adapt, overcome, etc.
  • Other labels: retarded, slow, crippled, mental, insane
• Don’t violate HIPAA or any privacy by including personal information, patient names (just say patient or client), or even sentences that could lead the reader to find out specifics based on context, e.g. the CEO of Apple – there’s only one, you can Google this
  • You can include a facility name, e.g. Standford hospital – as long as you don’t talk about it in a negative context.
  • “Standford hospital treats a lot of poor patients.” Standford hospital is a valuable asset to the community for the underserved.
• Don’t include anything that can be seen as a weakness, e.g. low GPA, took a semester off, DUI, unexplained career changes.
• Don’t talk about your job, GPA, college – items that are already mentioned in your resume already.
  • This is your chance to “say” what you want to say and include your story that is not apparent in the other pre-requisites. All the other candidates likely have high GPAs and had to take the same pre-requisite courses, but they did not shadow at your facility with your patient, so here’s your chance to distinguish yourself.
  • What experience may be unique to you?
  • For example, I included my experience of being an EMT to make myself stand out.
• Don’t assume your experience is the same for everyone in different settings. For example, a skilled nursing facility is different than hospital, than a pediatric clinic, than school setting.
  • This could backfire and show your lack of research into how broad OT can be. Don’t forget about mental health too! OT’s study to be generalists, not specialists.
  • While it’s okay to want to work with a specific population as a goal, don’t accidentally make it sound like you think OT’s only do one thing. Hope this one makes sense.

Question’s to address or reflect on

Reflect. Write. Take a break. Repeat.

• What is your experience with other backgrounds and cultures in your pre-OT journey?
• How did you realize that OT was for you? Why not PT? (Reflect, but don’t answer this directly.)
• What or who were the influence(s) or influencers?
• How did your shadowing experience contribute to you wanting to be an OT?
  • This is a rich opportunity to mention your specific OT shadowing experience at the stage in which you want to be an OT.
  • I would include at least 1 example from this, 2 is better, but not too much either.
• What is your goal after becoming an OT?
  • Not just becoming an OT (graduating) but afterwards. e.g. 1 year post-grad, 5 years, where you see yourself 10 years out.
• What challenges did you overcome in your pre-requisite pre-OT journey?
• What sets you apart from other applicants? Why should I not pick person A or person B over you?
• If applying to a specific program – Why would you be a valuable asset to the cohort, program, school, faculty? What is your fit?
  • Tip: research the school’s website for their mission statement, OT program background, etc. to get familiar with the specifics. If you can include and relate to some of this, even better!
  • “My motivation to help others and my passion for occupational therapy will guide me to be successful in the [program].” or

  • Since [school] strives to “[OT program mission statement]”, I firmly believe that [school] will help me reach my goals of becoming a successful occupational therapist.

Recommendations

• Talk about why you want to be an OT, but not just to “help” people. How? Which population/community/background? Conditions? Why? Tip: three major categories of OT are: mental health, pediatrics, and adults/older adults. Nurses help people too. How is OT different for you?
• Why are you applying to an OT program and not say PT or PA? While you shouldn’t compare to other specific programs, try to highlight why OT is unique as a profession and why it appeals to you above all the others.
  • Hint: occupations! meaningful, client-centered.
  • Check out the OTDUDE Podcast and other podcasts for ideas; Episode 1: What is OT
• Show your understanding of what OT’s do – and how your story and examples lead you on a path to becoming an OT. Sure, your narrative could fit a doctor, nurse, social worker. So you’ll have to wrap it all up to fit OT.
  • Reflection tip: other professions may be based on the medical model or helping people become healthy, but OT is different because…
  • Check out AOTA.org for some phrasing of the profession to inspire you.
• If you are comfortable, use OT related terminology or phrases, but don’t go overboard, e.g. occupation, intervention, treatment, activities of daily living, evidence-based, collaborative, interdisciplinary, client-centered, holistic, functional. Plain English is fine, you don’t have to sound like a journal article.
• As mentioned, highlight why you would be a valuable candidate (fit) to their program. Think about not only your experience but your character and quality traits. Examples: creativity, leadership, patient, resourceful, reliability? Teamwork and communication?
• Show indirectly through your stories or experiences why you will be successful in the program and not “drop-out”. Perseverance.
• End strong and on a high note. Be sure to think big picture and not be too specific in this last part. Something along the lines of wanting to be or why you’ll make a great OT may be effective.
  • Psychologically, readers tend to remember the beginnings and end more than the middle.
  • How will being an OT help you achieve your goals, career? Not just short-term, but think bigger. While this sounds cliche – OT is not just a job, it will become your life. A person’s job (and career) is a large part of their identity.
• The reader should feel like they read about a person they would want to meet in the program and in real life, someone who can contribute something to the cohort, school, faculty, alumni – long term relationship. You will not only graduate as a student but a colleague in the field of occupational therapy to the faculty.

Template

Here is a template I created to get you started. This is of course not a magic template that works for everyone or neither was it created by any OT entity for students. Copy & paste this into your favorite word processing program and write away.

Paragraph 1

Sentence 1: Attention-grabbing sentence. Hook into your story.

Supporting sentences: Support the above story with specifics.

Concluding sentence: “Thesis statement” stating why you chose (or) may be a successful OT.

Body Paragraphs (2, 3, 4, 5, etc.)

Opening sentence: As a , I [did this, and that] at [place or company or school]

Supporting sentences: strengthen your narrative in the opening sentence. These sentences should not deviate from the opening sentence topic or story, otherwise start a new paragraph. Should answer a [Question’s to address or reflect on] section (see above).

Concluding sentence(s): wrap everything in this story up, optionally include a transition sentence.

Concluding Paragraph

Opening sentence: restate why you will be a successful OT.

Supporting sentences: start wrapping things up. Big picture. If applying to a specific program, consider answering why this program (e.g. does its mission statement appeal to you?).

Final sentence: end strong stating that you want to be an OT. Mention because it is in your long-term goals. Consider ending everything with the words “occupational therapist” (identity), e.g. “…be a successful occupational therapist” OR “occupational therapy”, e.g. “… to pursue a career in occupational therapy”.

Examples

Here are some examples. All identifying information and some facts were fabricated for example sake.

Example 1

• This excerpt, although really did happen, sounds cliche with phrases like soul searching, take it to the next level.
• While the reflection part and figuring out what to do may seem important, it can be shortened to and still get the message across.
• Using the family member is a good example especially since it related to a story with an occupational therapist.
• The last two sentences highlight that I know what OT is (and why I want to become one) but can be cleaned up.

• Mentioning ADL’s shows I know what OT’s do.
• Shows my direct involvement with OT intervention.
• Shows my understanding of OT’s holistic approach.
• Words like “value” are strong. The word caregiver is often used in OT documentation.

Example 2

• How would you improve this example?
• Lots of specifics can be taken out like employer name, city.
• Role as EMT is well-known, better to include more significant things such as experience, outcome, or relevance to OT.
• Being bilingual is nice, but more for a resume than a personal statement as it does not add to the story.
• Leave out specific thought process of thinking about quitting (weaknesses). Perseverance was also already shared in a previous example – talk about another quality instead, e.g. stress management, working with diverse population, fast-paced environment, patient education as an EMT and how it translates to OT.
• Reflect on how one story can share multiple strengths you have not mentioned so far in previous examples.
• The example does not translate or relate back to OT in a clear manner, but alludes to the qualities of one. This can be written to be more obvious because EMT and OT have very similar qualities that are needed to be good practitioners.

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