General Admissions & OTCAS Applying for OT for 2016 Cycle. What do you think my chances are?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

ColorGuardLove

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
58
Reaction score
9
Hi everyone!! I am planning on applying for OT school for the 2016 cycle. I am wondering how qualified of an applicant I would be and what my chances of getting accepted into a good program would be.

School: Ashland University
Total Undergrad GPA: 3.56
Major: Music Education
Minor: Religion
Prereqs: Still need to take most. Currently taking medical terminology and have an A. Got an A in general psychology. I took developmental psychology back in my freshman year and got a C due to an awful professor. I definitely plan on taking lifespan human development to make up for this.

I plan on doing a lot of observation hours in different OT settings this summer. I am also about to start a job which will end up being over 1000 hours of experience working with ID/DD population, teaching them independent living skills and community integration and socialization.

Extracurriculars include: Flute, piccolo, the ability to teach beginning piano and all band instruments to children/adult beginners, performing in and working with several drum corps from drum corps international, performing in and teaching for winter guard international, color guard instructor and designer, Ohio Collegiate Music Educator's Association, being a performer and captain/section leader in several groups including marching bands, orchestra, pit orchestras, wind ensembles, etc., Alpha Phi Sorority, Kappa Delta Pi Education Honorary. I also have over 4 years of additional work experience in unrelated positions.

I also serve part-time in the military as a member of the Army National Guard.

The main places I am considering applying to are University of Toledo, University of Findlay's weekend program, Grand Valley State University, Chatham University, IUPUI, Ohio State, and Eastern Michigan University.

What do you think my chances are of getting into any of these schools? Do you have any suggestions of things I can do to build up my application or do you have any suggestions of other schools I should also consider applying to? My preference is to go to a school either in or near Ohio.

Thanks!!

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
I couldn't tell you specifics about the programs you are considering, but I will say that doing well in all of your prereqs will help overshadow the fact that you have a music degree. I have a BFA in musical theatre and a Masters in Literature and I was accepted into OT school (I'm in my second year right now), so I'm not knocking it at all, and many admissions committees like diversity, but I also know some schools are more selective in who they accept, in that everyone has a science-based degree. The field in general is also becoming more competitive. Make sure you ace Anatomy and Physiology for sure, as that will show that you can handle a rigorous science-based course. The new job sounds like a great experience, and I would definitely diversify your observation hours - try to get hours in a couple of different settings; ie, a hospital, SNF (skilled nursing facility), pediatric clinic, etc.

I would definitely visit the schools you are planning to apply to and see what types of people are also considering the school, as well as the overall feel you get from the faculty. I visited a couple of schools, and everyone was very nice and welcoming, but it was very clear that some schools tended to draw more applicants from "outside the box" (ie, those of us changing careers with weird degrees in seemingly non-applicable backgrounds). Honestly, it's less about going to a "big name" school for most of us, than it is about finding a program that will be a good fit. I think this is true for all higher ed, but that's not a perspective many people consider.

Also, as a side note, the term "mental ******ation"/MR has been discontinued in its use from the DSM as of this past edition (the DSM-V). Even though from a clinical perspective, "******ation" is not inherently a derogatory term, because of all the hoopla about it being used as such, it has been replaced with "intellectual disability" or ID for short. DD, or developmental delay is still fine, though :)
 
I couldn't tell you specifics about the programs you are considering, but I will say that doing well in all of your prereqs will help overshadow the fact that you have a music degree. I have a BFA in musical theatre and a Masters in Literature and I was accepted into OT school (I'm in my second year right now), so I'm not knocking it at all, and many admissions committees like diversity, but I also know some schools are more selective in who they accept, in that everyone has a science-based degree. The field in general is also becoming more competitive. Make sure you ace Anatomy and Physiology for sure, as that will show that you can handle a rigorous science-based course. The new job sounds like a great experience, and I would definitely diversify your observation hours - try to get hours in a couple of different settings; ie, a hospital, SNF (skilled nursing facility), pediatric clinic, etc.

I would definitely visit the schools you are planning to apply to and see what types of people are also considering the school, as well as the overall feel you get from the faculty. I visited a couple of schools, and everyone was very nice and welcoming, but it was very clear that some schools tended to draw more applicants from "outside the box" (ie, those of us changing careers with weird degrees in seemingly non-applicable backgrounds). Honestly, it's less about going to a "big name" school for most of us, than it is about finding a program that will be a good fit. I think this is true for all higher ed, but that's not a perspective many people consider.

Also, as a side note, the term "mental ******ation"/MR has been discontinued in its use from the DSM as of this past edition (the DSM-V). Even though from a clinical perspective, "******ation" is not inherently a derogatory term, because of all the hoopla about it being used as such, it has been replaced with "intellectual disability" or ID for short. DD, or developmental delay is still fine, though :)

Thanks :)

I changed it do ID! I already knew it had changed...I'm not sure why I still put MR! Probably lack of sleep!

Yes I am planning on doing as well as possible, hopefully 4.0 but we'll see, for my prereqs. I'm also trying to find schools who seem to value diversity because they would probably be more likely to look at someone with a music degree, and I think having military experience could help add a little diversity as well. Maybe. I have no idea how some schools view military service!

I don't particularly care about a "big name" school, but I am most interested in something in Ohio for in-state purposes. I'm just curious--where do you go now?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I'm at a hybrid program in Virginia. It was the best fit for me for multiple reasons; location, program structure, student population, etc. I love it!
 
I'm at a hybrid program in Virginia. It was the best fit for me for multiple reasons; location, program structure, student population, etc. I love it!

Are you working full time then, also? I am planning on applying to at least one hybrid program, and I was just wondering how well that actually works out in terms of working at the same time!
 
No, I don't work full-time. That's not really doable, even with a hybrid program. We are on campus one full day a week, and in our first year, we had a course that required another weekday commitment, for multiple weeks (that may not be the case for other programs, but just as an example, you may have other obligations outside of typical class meeting times). Then once fieldwork starts in your second year, that will occur on a weekday as well. I work part-time as a nanny a couple of afternoons a week, and I teach a music class for young children and their caregivers on Sat/Sun mornings. That's about as much as I can do, simply due to volume of work we have. A lot of my classmates work part-time, but I don't know of anyone who works full-time, and I wouldn't advise it.
 
Last edited:
No, I don't work full-time. That's not really doable, even with a hybrid program. We are on campus one full day a week, and in our first year, we had a course that required another weekday commitment, for multiple weeks (that may not be the case for other programs, but just as an example, you may have other obligations outside of typical class meeting times). Then once fieldwork starts in your second year, that will occur on a weekday as well. I work part-time as a nanny a couple of afternoons a week, and I teach a music class for young children and their caregivers on Sat/Sun mornings. That's about as much as I can do, simply due to volume of work we have. A lot of my classmates work part-time, but I don't know of anyone who works full-time, and I wouldn't advise it.

Thanks for the insight! I will keep that in mind!
 
Can anyone give me any insight or words of encouragement. I am applying for the 2016 year. I must say I am a bit nervous as I look through the threads here and the admissions seem to be all over the place on what the schools go with. My under grad gpa is a 3.84. So far in my prereqs I've gotten all A's and one B (statistics isn't my forte). I have 100 volunteer hours with a foundation that works with kids, and then I have 65 hours in a Pediatric Facility and 50 in a Veterans long term care facility. I am an adult and kids certified yoga instructor. I also am a special education instructional assistant at a public school. While that sounds pretty good, my gre scores the first go around were 149v- 145q- 4.0 Analytical. I am taking the GRE's again tomorrow though but just have not had enough time to study in my opinion. Can anybody shed some light on their thoughts on the likelihood of schools accepting me with those gre scores?
 
Sounds as if you have a solid profile. OSU is absolutely an awesome program. If you get in, go there hands down, especially if your tuition is in state. I am considering military service as an OT.

Thanks, that makes me feel better! It would be in-state, so OSU is definitely one of my top choices. My current MOS in the National Guard isn't related to OT at all, but I'm also considering doing OT in the military, specifically Army. I've been doing a lot of research on it lately and it seems like a really great idea! Do you/did you go to OSU? I'm just curious what your stats are and where you ended up!
 
Can anyone give me any insight or words of encouragement. I am applying for the 2016 year. I must say I am a bit nervous as I look through the threads here and the admissions seem to be all over the place on what the schools go with. My under grad gpa is a 3.84. So far in my prereqs I've gotten all A's and one B (statistics isn't my forte). I have 100 volunteer hours with a foundation that works with kids, and then I have 65 hours in a Pediatric Facility and 50 in a Veterans long term care facility. I am an adult and kids certified yoga instructor. I also am a special education instructional assistant at a public school. While that sounds pretty good, my gre scores the first go around were 149v- 145q- 4.0 Analytical. I am taking the GRE's again tomorrow though but just have not had enough time to study in my opinion. Can anybody shed some light on their thoughts on the likelihood of schools accepting me with those gre scores?

I can't really say for sure because I don't really know how admission teams decide, but it seems like you've got a pretty strong GPA and background to me. My guess is that you would probably be fine with schools that don't require the GRE, and as long as you bump up your v & q scores a few points (like at least 150) you'll probably be fine. That's just my guess--don't take my word for it! :)
 
I went to OSU yep.. and now I go to Western Michigan University. The OT program here is really awesome, seriously. Everyone is so friendly and supporting, it's great. It's a top 20 program in the country.

Awesome! May I ask what your stats are?
 
WMU only counts your last 60 credit hours during your BA or post BA. I had a 3.8.
OSU is extremeeeeely competitive you may not get in. So what. try. If you do, great. If you don't have plenty of backsups.

My friend tried to get into OSU, he had a 3.7 and he didn't.

I've seen multiple people with lower stats than mine who got accepted to OSU as well as people with higher stats who did not. It'll just depend on how they view the whole application and how well-rounded it is. OSU apparently likes diversity as well, so at least I've got a couple of aspects to include which they may view as adding diversity. If I apply to schools that only count last 60, I'd have at least a 3.9. So who knows what will happen!
 
As I said, you never know. You may you may not. Apply around. I'd suggest you apply to WMU- give it a shot - it's a top 20 program, and by the sound of it you would get in likely.

Thanks, I will certainly consider WMU as well!!

I just have a couple questions that you may or may not be able to answer for me. Do you know by any chance if the ENGL 1050: Thought and Writing prereq would be covered by the College Composition I/II classes I've taken, or would that have to be covered with a different specialized English class? And I'm guessing that if I take a Lifespan Development class, it would cover the HSV 2250: Growth, Development and Aging requirement. How would it work exactly to take the Orientation to OT class through WMU? I wouldn't really want to pay to take it only to not get accepted into the program, but of course I would just make it work if necessary. Also, on the website it says that all prereqs must be complete by the time the application is due--doesn't say by the time it is submitted--so does that mean I can submit the application before they are complete, or does it really mean that I should wait to submit anything until the classes are actually done?

Thanks!!
 
Normally they have you take the intro to OT course before classes start IF admitted. At least that's what I've seen so far when I come across schools that require that.
 
sb0106: At your local community college the cost of that course is likely to be a fraction of the cost it would be at any graduate school. I say take it and add it at a community college... as a supporting course for your admission to any program.
Oddly. Enough I just found out I overlooked this pre-req for a school I applied to. Anyone know where I can take this course online for cheap? It's not offered at my local community college. Ugh
 
Color Guard Love- I think your "well-roundedness" will make you a great candidate for an OT program. Use your military experience as a way to emphasize your strength and dedication to this career path both in your interviews and essays. And make sure to use all your VA benefits too! I was able to have all of my program covered as an Army Reservist- HOOAH!
 
Color Guard Love- I think your "well-roundedness" will make you a great candidate for an OT program. Use your military experience as a way to emphasize your strength and dedication to this career path both in your interviews and essays. And make sure to use all your VA benefits too! I was able to have all of my program covered as an Army Reservist- HOOAH!

HOOAH!!! Thanks, that definitely makes me feel better!! I certainly plan to use my experience and benefits as much as I can! Where did you go for your program?
 
Hi everyone!! I am planning on applying for OT school for the 2016 cycle. I am wondering how qualified of an applicant I would be and what my chances of getting accepted into a good program would be.

School: Ashland University
Total Undergrad GPA: 3.56
Major: Music Education
Minor: Religion
Prereqs: Still need to take most. Currently taking medical terminology and have an A. Got an A in general psychology. I took developmental psychology back in my freshman year and got a C due to an awful professor. I definitely plan on taking lifespan human development to make up for this.

I plan on doing a lot of observation hours in different OT settings this summer. I am also about to start a job which will end up being over 1000 hours of experience working with ID/DD population, teaching them independent living skills and community integration and socialization.

Extracurriculars include: Flute, piccolo, the ability to teach beginning piano and all band instruments to children/adult beginners, performing in and working with several drum corps from drum corps international, performing in and teaching for winter guard international, color guard instructor and designer, Ohio Collegiate Music Educator's Association, being a performer and captain/section leader in several groups including marching bands, orchestra, pit orchestras, wind ensembles, etc., Alpha Phi Sorority, Kappa Delta Pi Education Honorary. I also have over 4 years of additional work experience in unrelated positions.

I also serve part-time in the military as a member of the Army National Guard.

The main places I am considering applying to are University of Toledo, University of Findlay's weekend program, Grand Valley State University, Chatham University, IUPUI, Ohio State, and Eastern Michigan University.

What do you think my chances are of getting into any of these schools? Do you have any suggestions of things I can do to build up my application or do you have any suggestions of other schools I should also consider applying to? My preference is to go to a school either in or near Ohio.

Thanks!!

*Update*

I also just recently landed a job as a rehab tech working with OT's, PT's, and SLP's. Do you think this will be helpful for my applications?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top