McMaster vs UofT (Mississauga) Occupational Therapy programs

[OT1998]

Hi everyone,

I have been fortunate to be accepted into UofT (Mississauga), McMaster, and UAlberta for OT. I ruled out UAlberta but beyond that, I am struggling to decide between UofT and McMaster. I have heard great things about both programs. My main concern is which school will better prepare me for the working environment as I have heard from many OTs that they learned everything in practicums and the actual schooling portion is not that helpful. Does anyone have any further insight they could offer about either school that they found particularly helpful?

[Bambi]

You need to be in contact with graduates of both programs.

The other issue is one of networking, where would you prefer to be working? Undoubtedly, your placements will result in job opportunities and you need to decide both the physical region where you wish to work and the area of concentration.

[reallywannaOT]

On 5/20/2024 at 12:05 PM, OT1998 said:

Hi everyone,

I have been fortunate to be accepted into UofT (Mississauga), McMaster, and UAlberta for OT. I ruled out UAlberta but beyond that, I am struggling to decide between UofT and McMaster. I have heard great things about both programs. My main concern is which school will better prepare me for the working environment as I have heard from many OTs that they learned everything in practicums and the actual schooling portion is not that helpful. Does anyone have any further insight they could offer about either school that they found particularly helpful?

Congratulations on all your acceptances!

Looking at the CAOT website, McMaster has been awarded an exemplary accreditation standing, whereas UofT has not (they are still accredited; just not "exemplary"). This would imply that, based on CAOT's most recent evaluation, McMaster better prepares students for the workforce. However, UofT is up for accreditation evaluation this year; and given that accreditation only occurs once every 7 years, UofT's program may have improved since it's last evaluation, and it simply has not been reported yet. McMaster was re-evaluated for accreditation last year.

McMaster has a very distinct teaching/ learning style which involves a lot more self-directed learning; I've heard mixed things from students about this, and it would likely be in your best interest to explore how their teaching style works with how you learn. I personally did not apply to McMaster, as I felt taking a self-directed approach to foundational knowledge (such as anatomy and neuro) would not work well for me. Many have mentioned that problem based learning (PBL) prepared them for the real world, as it mirrored working on teams in hospital settings. Others have said they dread it. It is truly up to personal preference! McMaster has also mentioned that they will not be allowing students to complete placements outside of their catchement area, and you must be able to take placements anywhere you are assigned (and relocate) in any of their catchement locations. Their catchement area is quite broad--generally from Mississauga all the way to Niagara, with other obscure areas such as Perth and Orangeville--and you will most likely need access to a vehicle (and possibly need to relocate) for your fieldwork. McMaster students do 28 weeks of fieldwork across four placements.

One clear advantage of attending UofT is the access to Toronto placements, especially if you hope to work in Toronto in the future. I agree with the other poster about deciding on a school that will provide you access/ networks for future employment. Mississauga is not as accessible as Toronto for transit, but it is doable, and you have access to the train/ GO bus if you wish to do placements downtown/ in the GTA. You can get by without a vehicle, but it may be preferable to have one for some placement options. The downside I have heard with UTM in particular is that guest speakers rarely attend the mississauga campus, and the in person lectures occur slightly more often at St George than at UTM. UTM boasts a smaller, more intimate cohort size, and newer campus buildings surrounded by nature. Sometimes, the UTM cohort willl to travel downtown for labs at St. George, which can be done for free using the UTM - UTSG shuttle included with your tuition (the Mississauga transit pass is also included!). UofT also has "LEAP" placements, which place you into settings with emergent or non-existent OT roles and allow you to take the lead in providing care. UofT students do 30 weeks of fieldwork across 5 placements (one is an "introductory" placement in fall of first year, lasting 7 days).

Both McMaster and UofT have their fall 2023 information sessions uploaded to their websites. It may be in your best interest to watch them to gain more insight!