Other OT-Related Information Chances of getting into schools?

[katieOT23]

Hi everyone! I'm super new to this forum and apologize for any mistakes I made in posting. I am super fearful about my chances of getting into OT schools. I plan on applying this summer and would appreciate any feedback on my stats. Thank you in advance!!

Undergraduate University: Wagner College (small liberal arts school in Staten Island)
Degree: Biopsychology
Minor: Cultural Competency for Allied healths
Cumulative GPA: 3.62
Prerequisite GPA: 3.9-4.0

Misc: Varsity swimmer for the past four years on a division 1 program, team captain, dean's list 3x, Psi Chi member (psychology national honor society) and treasurer, member of the National Honor Society for Leadership and Sucess, CPR/First Aid/Lifeguard certified, spent the last semester doing research in the social psychology field

Employment: Beach lifeguarding, camp counselor, and currently giving swim lessons at a day camp

Volunteering: Tunnels for Towers, Special Olympics, Breast Cancer/Sexual Assault Walk, and a program in NYC that allows you to watch children with special needs

Observation experience: I will end up with about 80+ hours in three peds facilities and one adult outpatient facility

Schools: Kean, Stockton, Seaton Hall, Columbia, NYU,

Thank you for the help!!!

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[deleted517237]

Your academic background and extra curriculars are great! The only thing that can really differentiate you from other candidates is your personal essay and interview (if applicable). Some good OT talking points for the essay could be creative problem solving (a tough real life situation or circumstance you were able to succeed in), collaboration (teams you were on or led and what skills you gained), or how you have been patient/client centered. For example, if you are interested in working with children, you could talk about your experience giving swimming lessons. Was there a particularly challenging student you were able to really connect with? How did you do it? What did you learn about yourself? You will encounter challenging kids/situations everyday as an OT, so proving you have done so already says a lot about your potential.

For the interview, I learned it's ok to not be humble. You are selling yourself so bring a lot of good examples of your successes/struggles. If you can articulate why you are a great candidate without sounding arrogant, you will do fine. Good luck!

 

[katieOT23]

Your academic background and extra curriculars are great! The only thing that can really differentiate you from other candidates is your personal essay and interview (if applicable). Some good OT talking points for the essay could be creative problem solving (a tough real life situation or circumstance you were able to succeed in), collaboration (teams you were on or led and what skills you gained), or how you have been patient/client centered. For example, if you are interested in working with children, you could talk about your experience giving swimming lessons. Was there a particularly challenging student you were able to really connect with? How did you do it? What did you learn about yourself? You will encounter challenging kids/situations everyday as an OT, so proving you have done so already says a lot about your potential.

For the interview, I learned it's ok to not be humble. You are selling yourself so bring a lot of good examples of your successes/struggles. If you can articulate why you are a great candidate without sounding arrogant, you will do fine. Good luck!

Thank you so much! Your insight really meant a lot and was super helpful!!

 

[gOT2beOT]

Hey there!
I think everything looks great. If anything, add a little more variety to your observation to get some more exposure. I had around 230 hours and that definitely helped in my opinion. I found I was able to draw experiences from shadowing to support why I wanted to be an OT and was able to apply them to situational based questions during my interview. Write a killer personal statement, add in some great LOR and you're set.

 

[deleted967957]

Hello!! You seem like an awesome candidate!! I felt the same as you when I began the application process. I ended up getting into one of the best OT programs I applied to and rejected from ones I thought I'd for sure get into. The entire process is a crapshoot. Make sure you apply to a wide range of schools. I majored in Exercise Science at a liberal arts university; my undergrad GPA was a 3.2 and pre-req GPA a 4.0. I had awesome recommendation letters, diverse volunteer gigs (surpass the min required hours as much as you can without burning yourself out), and I spent months working on my personal statement.

On the topic of personal statements you can expect to answer the question "how have your life experiences (professionally, academically & personally) led you to the field of OT." It's a broad question and hard to know where to start. As you write it don't forget to ask yourself: why OT, why am I attracted to OT, what will I do as an occupational therapist? A lot of people focus on what they have done (which is important) but also make sure you talk about what you want/hope for as an OT.