Coursework & Fieldwork My Chances of getting into OT School?

[KnightOT]

Hi all...

I am in the process of applying to some OT schools and I am super nervous... There is nothing that I want more than to get into school so I was just curious if some of you could look at my stats and tell me what you think based on your experience.

I will be graduating in August with my Bachelors in Sport and Exercise Science: Human Performance.

Overall GPA: 3.2
Pre-Req GPA: 3.2
Last 60 GPA: 3.6
GRE: Taking next month, wish me luck
Observation Hours: 50 hours in a Rehab Clinic under an OTR/L, CHT
200+ hours in a school setting working with children with cerebral palsy and other motor and neurological disabilties
**still continuing with hours; about to start shadowing a pediatric OTR/L, ABA
Rec Letters: 2 from OTR/L, 1 from a respected professor, 1 from internship supervisor

Thanks in advance!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[calling4color]

I don't really have any experience to offer, I only know its extremely competitive. I would say that hopefully your GRE's are high and see if you can boost your pre-req GPA! If you have any C's in a pre-req, I recommend retaking it! Your hours seem great, and you probably have great letters of rec. I too, graduated with exercise science, and most people don't understand the vigor of that kind of program. (I am assuming your lower GPA is because of those classes and not something else) In your case and mine, I am hoping that admissions understands the difficulty in an exercise science major versus something else.

 

[KnightOT]

I don't really have any experience to offer, I only know its extremely competitive. I would say that hopefully your GRE's are high and see if you can boost your pre-req GPA! If you have any C's in a pre-req, I recommend retaking it! Your hours seem great, and you probably have great letters of rec. I too, graduated with exercise science, and most people don't understand the vigor of that kind of program. (I am assuming your lower GPA is because of those classes and not something else) In your case and mine, I am hoping that admissions understands the difficulty in an exercise science major versus something else.

Well thank you for the input. My lower GPA is actually do the fact that I was at one point in time, an immature 18 year old freshman who didn't know what I wanted to do with my life... I have not made any grade lower than a B+ since my freshman year, but since I screwed up so early, it's been so hard to raise it back up. I do have 1 C in my prerequisites, but other than that, I have all As and Bs. But like you said, hopefully I do good on the GRE and admissions sees my incline in grades over the past few years.

 

[DMStudiezOT]

Well thank you for the input. My lower GPA is actually do the fact that I was at one point in time, an immature 18 year old freshman who didn't know what I wanted to do with my life... I have not made any grade lower than a B+ since my freshman year, but since I screwed up so early, it's been so hard to raise it back up. I do have 1 C in my prerequisites, but other than that, I have all As and Bs. But like you said, hopefully I do good on the GRE and admissions sees my incline in grades over the past few years.

Hi there. You sound just like me! I had a horrible beginning to my college education due to being immature. I actually went back in my mid 20's to finish school and am waiting to hear back from the 3 schools I applied to for OT. The best advice I have gotten is to find schools that take interviews or ask for the GPA of your last 60 credits. I also shadowed, volunteered, and did as much as I could for my hours to stand out (I actually have over a thousand).

 

[LAOT12]

I wanted to post here to tell you to never be discouraged by your past mistakes!
After my undergrad experience I thought I would never get accepted into any grad school whatsoever! I was actually dismissed from my university for my poor academic performance 2 times prior to graduating. But to make a long story short, I applied for the first time to OT programs this year and was accepted to one of my top choices last week and have been offered interviews by almost every school I applied. With that said, my pre-req gpa (which I earned after earning my bachelors) is usually 4.0, depending on the program, and my GRE scores were decent. My best advice to you is: retake the class you got a C in, study for the GRE, rack up plenty of hours shadowing so that you can show the schools you understand what OT is, and in your personal statement, reflect on your past mistakes and how they got you where you are today and why you're ready to do better! Good luck!!!

 

[just_smiley]

I wanted to post here to tell you to never be discouraged by your past mistakes!
After my undergrad experience I thought I would never get accepted into any grad school whatsoever! I was actually dismissed from my university for my poor academic performance 2 times prior to graduating. But to make a long story short, I applied for the first time to OT programs this year and was accepted to one of my top choices last week and have been offered interviews by almost every school I applied. With that said, my pre-req gpa (which I earned after earning my bachelors) is usually 4.0, depending on the program, and my GRE scores were decent. My best advice to you is: retake the class you got a C in, study for the GRE, rack up plenty of hours shadowing so that you can show the schools you understand what OT is, and in your personal statement, reflect on your past mistakes and how they got you where you are today and why you're ready to do better! Good luck!!!

Thank you so much for you post. I just received my denial letter for my top choice school. Yet, I am applying for OT school again this year. What schools did you apply to as well?

 

[LAtoSDtoOT]

If you are concerned with acceptances. I would apply to schools with "pre-accreditation" status as well as schools who do not use OTCAS. Fewer people apply to these programs and thus your chances for acceptance are higher.

 

[obsessedwithOT]

I would say retake the course you got a C in, and observe in some other areas (maybe geriatrics). Also, don't be discouraged if you don't get in the first time around. I did not, and my stats were similar to yours. I retook some classes and got more hours, and also spent the year volunteering at a hospital to help bulk up my resume, and this year I've been accepted to 3 schools so far. Good luck!

 

[surfnturf88]

You could try Towson as they take the last 60 credits for you GPA calculation. I did the opposite - I started out super strong freshman year and by senior year I was over it...wasn't thinking I was going to grad school as I was a film major, and it ended up biting me in the ass by .1 credit point for Towson...so as long as your last 60 credits are 3.25 or higher you could try there!