Our graduates

Sam Brock spent three years at Messiah instead of four. Sound odd?  He’s part of the 3+2 master’s program, which provides students a chance to streamline their undergraduate and advanced degrees. Students spend three years at Messiah working toward a bachelor’s in applied health science and then two years at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to receive an MSOT in occupational therapy.

Although he spent his entire “senior year” at Jefferson, he returned to Grantham to receive his B.S. at Commencement.

“I was excited to come back, because it meant a lot to me, being able to walk with my class and share that day with them,” he said.

What does he miss about Messiah? Spontaneous excursions with friends. “If you needed a study break or were bored, you could always find someone who was doing something fun and interesting: going for hikes, participating in pick-up games or Messiah-sponsored events, or just playing a round of campus golf.”

One year away from becoming an occupational therapist, and he’s reflective about the duality of his 3-2 degree. “It’s definitely been a transition going from Grantham to the city, in an apartment, into a secular environment,” said Brock. “Academically, it’s a different type of focus, too, because it’s all occupational therapy, focusing on application. Everything is focused into one class.”

Brock is busy working through his level one clinical field work, a series of exposures to the multidimensional fields of occupational therapy.

“You gradually get patients on your caseload that you’re responsible for,” he said.

“It’s an interesting transition. There’s a sense of community within our major and our cohort at Jefferson, but there’s a little less cohesion overall. The campus is only a couple city blocks.”