General Admissions & OTCAS Chances for OT school?? Recent grad

[wannabeOT2]

Hi everyone so here's my prospects so far:

University: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Major: Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.5
Pre-Req GPA: 3.2
Major GPA: 3.5

GRE: Haven't taken it yet. Plan to this April

Extra-Curric: Currently working as a Nurse Aide through a home care company
- Also working at a nursing center in their activities department
- Will also be working with autistic children through a private behavioral health company
- Was in the honors program for 2 years in college (obtained a certificate)
- Member of psi chi honor society
- was in Pre-med club and HOSA club
-Dean's list in college
-Honor roll for most of high school career (if that counts towards anything)

Volunteer: 50 shadowing an OT in a hospital setting, 55 in a nursing and rehabilitation center and 40 in an outpatient pediatric setting

Acceptances:

Rejections:

Interviews:

I'm new to this website and would like to hear about my possible chances for getting into OT school!!! Im looking to take the GRE soon and would like any tips from you guys! Thanks!

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[Kidamnesiac]

Where are you thinking of applying? Some schools go by your hard numbers (GPA, GRE, volunteer hours), some will take the other pieces of your application into more serious consideration (variety of shadowing experiences, personal statement, other life experiences). I find that schools with higher cohort numbers, as well as schools without interviews tend to focus mainly on numbers, while schools with lower cohort numbers and without interviews tend to focus on the whole person/application. Depending on your personal statement and GRE, I think that you would be fine for some schools, but at the more number-focused, you might have a hard time getting in (unless your GRE is stellar, but even then, the GRE isn't normally a huge piece of the puzzle).

 

[wannabeOT2]

Trying to apply to St. Augustine, USC, San Jose State, Samuel Merritt, Domincan university, California State University Dominguez Hills, Pacific University, Touro University Nevada and University of North Dakota (in Wyoming)

 

[wannabeOT2]

I'm not totally sure if I'm gonna stay in Hawaii because yes, the cost of living here is ridiculous. OT's get paid much more in most other states and it's something I guess I'm gonna decide after the program. I was thinking of volunteering at a mental health setting and a pediatric setting? I have volunteered at various soup kitchens in a more run down part of my town. And what exactly is OTCAS??? I see a lot of that all over the forum.

 

[beestrng]

Trying to apply to St. Augustine...

You prereq GPA is pretty good for USA. I had a ~3.6 or so.

Like @MOT4ME says, last 60 counts a ton.

I was initially rejected due to my GRE, I retook it and got in.

Minimum of 80 hours observation of OT.

USA places people in Hawaii for fieldwork, not sure how many though and I would not count on it. If you want to stay in state (at least in FL) be prepared to travel like 2 hours away from campus due to many OT schools in FL. FW2 can be anywhere but better than your PT colleagues location wise. You will be mixed in with the PT class for many core classes...so you will have a bunch of info that PTs use in their practice.

Its a private for profit so you don't get a certain federal loan, I forget what it is. With the other federal loans, plan to p̶l̶a̶y̶ pay monthly with a payment plan.

Remember USA has 3 campuses. TX, CA and FL.

 

[wannabeOT2]

I was mostly just applying to California because the weather is most like Hawaii lol. I hate cold weather but I'm willing to relocate to colder areas if I have better chances at getting into other schools. I'm mainly wondering what schools I have the best chances at with my stats. But yea...I think I'm eliminating USC out of my options. I also added Chicago state university to my options.

And I'm not sure about working in either of those places. I'm just going to try and volunteer there just to put on my application that I've volunteers at a variety of places?

Eastern Washington? I'll check that out

And yikes...ok I guess I have to register for that site then.

 

[wannabeOT2]

Where did you go to school? And what was your GRE scores the first time?

 

[wannabeOT2]

So OTCAS you pay a fee and it gets your transcripts from your college that you got your bachelors and sends them where?? the OTCAS headquarters? And then they add in all the coursework and GPA and everything? I'm looking at the process right now.

Okay! I'll try and apply to those.

And yea, not gonna do USC. Lol yeah I have a friend that lives in Chicago so I might live with her (not as sketchy of a place) and commute to school. If I get in there.

 

[wannabeOT2]

Yeah I think that's my next step for organizing the schools. I'm applying to like 10 schools because I just wanna be accepted SOMEWHERE!! lol

Got it. Grand rapids. Sounds good. My friend lives in a decent part of Chicago too.

Ok. Can someone explain to me about the OTCAS system? I'm looking at it right now and for a fee they do all the coursework/gpa stuff and send it to where??

 

[beestrng]

It should tell you when you sign up and go through the process of sending your transcripts and where to send it. They will calculate it all up and tell you what your gpa is etc.

Have not done it for a while so others might comment.

 

[LAtoSDtoOT]

I would not eliminate USC from your list. They do not interview so they do go "by the numbers". BUT it is prohibitively expensive (120k for the masters, 180l for OTD) so there may be people who decline due to costs. CSUDH and SJSU are only ~$36k since they are public schools and I would say are much more competitive. As for the other schools you listed, they are fairly similar in price 80 - 90k. I am from socal so I applied to every school in California and then some.

You might want to also consider West Coast University and Stanbridge if you are looking at socal, both these programs are fairly new and newly accredited.

If you are looking at Chicago, I would also consider Midwestern.

As for OTCAS: you sign up and send all your transcripts, request your LOR's, and upload your personal statement, volunteer and observation hrs and other specific schools docs. Pay a fee for each school to send your info. Some schools require a supplemental application and fee. Not too crazy, but you need to manage your time. It takes a while to verify your info during the busy season.

PS. since you are in Hawaii I wanted to let you know that USC's OT campus is NOT on the main campus and that CSUDH has a mandatory info session where you are supplied certificate to include in your application and requires that ALL prereq's be complete before applying.

Let me know if you have any other questions, this is my first year applying and was accepted to Belmont University and Huntington University; waiting to hear back from USC.

 

[FriskySloth]

According to my calculations, you have a 63.4728% chance of getting in.

Good luck.

 

[wannabeOT2]

Thanks for your input. Hmmm.....makes me reconsider USC, but still I don't think my numbers are good enough for them. Yeah Cali is most similar to Hawaii in weather so that's why I applied to all of the ones in Cali.

I'll check those two out.

CSUDH requires an info session before or after you are accepted? If it's before I need to definitely cross them off. I can't be taking expensive flights to the mainland for information sessions with no guarantee of getting accepted. I'll go for interviews but not info sessions... I need to do all the interviews in one swoop. It's very costly to fly from Hawaii to the mainland and back.

Thanks! Let me know about your acceptances

 

[wannabeOT2]

Phew! I sure hope so

According to my calculations, you have a 63.4728% chance of getting in.

Good luck.

 

[LAtoSDtoOT]

Thanks for your input. Hmmm.....makes me reconsider USC, but still I don't think my numbers are good enough for them. Yeah Cali is most similar to Hawaii in weather so that's why I applied to all of the ones in Cali.

I'll check those two out.

CSUDH requires an info session before or after you are accepted? If it's before I need to definitely cross them off. I can't be taking expensive flights to the mainland for information sessions with no guarantee of getting accepted. I'll go for interviews but not info sessions... I need to do all the interviews in one swoop. It's very costly to fly from Hawaii to the mainland and back.

Thanks! Let me know about your acceptances

You maybe be able to get an exception from CSUDH for the info session, I would contact them directly, I know people who have gotten the exception bc of hardship . But yes typically, they require the certificate as part of the application process.

 

[ANJALU]

I'm not sure about the quality of instruction personally. I know it's very affordable and I was told when I applied there to mark that I am "in state" even though I am not. It's cheap. cheap cheap.

Chicago State is a state funded school and has not received any funding for 6 months now. I live here
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-illinois-higher-education-funding-20160119-story.html

 

[NavyLady88]

Hey everyone! Does anyone know any individuals who have went to either Saint Kate's or the U of Minnesota program? I was just accepted into Saint Kate's, and waiting on the U, but want to weigh my options and compare the programs a bit! (I applied to the weekend program at Saint Kate's)

 

[julianac4]

Hey everyone! Does anyone know any individuals who have went to either Saint Kate's or the U of Minnesota program? I was just accepted into Saint Kate's, and waiting on the U, but want to weigh my options and compare the programs a bit! (I applied to the weekend program at Saint Kate's)

I worked with a graduate from St. Kates, she said the program was good overall and prepared her well for being an OT. However she said that she did not feel prepared to pass the national board for certification. She said she took a preparation class with several other students from around the midwest and felt the most ill prepared compared to other students. I also have a good friend currently a student at the U and said she enjoys it very much. However, she said the hybrid set up is not for everyone and several of her peers are struggling to actually learn the material necessary to succeed. She is not struggling so it definitely would depend on your learning style. Of course, these are two individual situations and could vary in your situation. Both have a good rep and which is "better" would depend on your needs and preferences Good luck!

 

[wannabeOT2]

You maybe be able to get an exception from CSUDH for the info session, I would contact them directly, I know people who have gotten the exception bc of hardship . But yes typically, they require the certificate as part of the application process.

Thanks! I'll try and ask

 

[wannabeOT2]

Wish you the best of luck. If you're committed to this you can get in. Be careful with tuition costs of programs; don't value the weather over a lifetime of debt you can't pay.

USC is hard, but I guess you never know?

True....being in lifetime debt wont be worth it.

 

[NavyLady88]

I worked with a graduate from St. Kates, she said the program was good overall and prepared her well for being an OT. However she said that she did not feel prepared to pass the national board for certification. She said she took a preparation class with several other students from around the midwest and felt the most ill prepared compared to other students. I also have a good friend currently a student at the U and said she enjoys it very much. However, she said the hybrid set up is not for everyone and several of her peers are struggling to actually learn the material necessary to succeed. She is not struggling so it definitely would depend on your learning style. Of course, these are two individual situations and could vary in your situation. Both have a good rep and which is "better" would depend on your needs and preferences Good luck!

Thank you so much for the input! I am comfortable with the hybrid model as I had to earn my associate's all online in the military, so in that sense I feel very at ease. I'm still a bit torn on which school, but thanks again!

 

[HopefullyOTer]

for anyone who's applied to the California campus for St. Augustine, how long did you wait to get a reply after you applied to the program?

 

[LAtoSDtoOT]

for anyone who's applied to the California campus for St. Augustine, how long did you wait to get a reply after you applied to the program?

Quite a while. I submitted my application by October 1st for the May start and did not hear back for an interview until Feb. 1st.

 

[LAtoSDtoOT]

I hope you're applying to other places that cost less. That program totals out to the 6 figures just for the tuition. If you love the program, go for it, but be aware of what the cost is.

Judgemental much? I hope you respond to others on this forum with a little more tact. The question was merely about timetables, nothing regarding cost, value, or affordability. Thanks for your two cents though. I applied to multiple programs, every school in California, other than the two state/public schools the tuition is very simular across the board.

 

[tiger5]

Hi everyone so here's my prospects so far:

University: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Major: Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.5
Pre-Req GPA: 3.2
Major GPA: 3.5

GRE: Haven't taken it yet. Plan to this April

Extra-Curric: Currently working as a Nurse Aide through a home care company
- Also working at a nursing center in their activities department
- Will also be working with autistic children through a private behavioral health company
- Was in the honors program for 2 years in college (obtained a certificate)
- Member of psi chi honor society
- was in Pre-med club and HOSA club
-Dean's list in college
-Honor roll for most of high school career (if that counts towards anything)

Volunteer: 50 shadowing an OT in a hospital setting and another 55 in a nursing and rehabilitation center

Acceptances:

Rejections:

Interviews:

I'm new to this website and would like to hear about my possible chances for getting into OT school!!! Im looking to take the GRE soon and would like any tips from you guys! Thanks!

I have similar stats.. Applying this summer. Any luck so far!?

 

[wannabeOT2]

I have similar stats.. Applying this summer. Any luck so far!?

I'm applying right now actually! I've applied to about 4 programs so far. Im waiting on the other 7 because I'm waiting on another letter of rec to be finished and want to add in some more volunteer hours I'm currently doing. The deadlines aren't for a bit but I wanna try and have everything out by October at the latest.

 

[tobat-ot]

If you're from Hawaii, l hope you applied for WICHE. You can get reduced tuition at several colleges from states that participate.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[OTschoolpickme]

Thanks for your input. Hmmm.....makes me reconsider USC, but still I don't think my numbers are good enough for them. Yeah Cali is most similar to Hawaii in weather so that's why I applied to all of the ones in Cali.

I'll check those two out.

CSUDH requires an info session before or after you are accepted? If it's before I need to definitely cross them off. I can't be taking expensive flights to the mainland for information sessions with no guarantee of getting accepted. I'll go for interviews but not info sessions... I need to do all the interviews in one swoop. It's very costly to fly from Hawaii to the mainland and back.

Thanks! Let me know about your acceptances

Hello! CSUDH waives the information session in certain situations

 

[CSU OT Student]

For any students considering applying to Chicago State University's OT program please be aware that it is unlike any other in that most of their faculty has no regard for their student's success. This is apparent in the way the interact with students and the graduation rates/lengths.

read post below:

"Be aware that only about half of the students accepted to this program actually graduate. scroll to the bottom of this link to see that stats yourself from Chicago State's OT department website:https://www.csu.edu/occupationaltherapy/dept.htm

This is not an error and the statistics have been the same the previous 3 years and look to be on track for the following/current 3 years. I know this because I am in the program and have seen my class size particularly decimated from about 35 students the 1st semester to 12 continuing full time this, our 2nd year. of those 12 only about 8 or 9 are actually on track to graduate on time. This is another thing to point out the majority of the students accepted do not graduate this program on time with many being pushed to part time after their 1st or 2nd semester. This means if you decide to attend this program you are taking a massive risk. Yes this program is less expensive than other private universities however a typical private university or any MOT program for that matter has a 90%+ graduation rate within 2 years. Thats right only 2 years not 3 or 4.5 years if your lucky. Do the math attending this program is not worth the incomprehensible risk of being saddled with unforgivable student loans that you will have no way of paying back if you do not graduate not to mention the ridiculous amount of stress that comes with every test and assignment knowing these ludicrous odds. This program should be an absolute last resort heck I would not recommend applying at all. I have yet to hear anyone in my class say that they would recommend this program to a friend, not a single one."

 

[wannabeOT2]

For any students considering applying to Chicago State University's OT program please be aware that it is unlike any other in that most of their faculty has no regard for their student's success. This is apparent in the way the interact with students and the graduation rates/lengths.

read post below:

"Be aware that only about half of the students accepted to this program actually graduate. scroll to the bottom of this link to see that stats yourself from Chicago State's OT department website:https://www.csu.edu/occupationaltherapy/dept.htm

This is not an error and the statistics have been the same the previous 3 years and look to be on track for the following/current 3 years. I know this because I am in the program and have seen my class size particularly decimated from about 35 students the 1st semester to 12 continuing full time this, our 2nd year. of those 12 only about 8 or 9 are actually on track to graduate on time. This is another thing to point out the majority of the students accepted do not graduate this program on time with many being pushed to part time after their 1st or 2nd semester. This means if you decide to attend this program you are taking a massive risk. Yes this program is less expensive than other private universities however a typical private university or any MOT program for that matter has a 90%+ graduation rate within 2 years. Thats right only 2 years not 3 or 4.5 years if your lucky. Do the math attending this program is not worth the incomprehensible risk of being saddled with unforgivable student loans that you will have no way of paying back if you do not graduate not to mention the ridiculous amount of stress that comes with every test and assignment knowing these ludicrous odds. This program should be an absolute last resort heck I would not recommend applying at all. I have yet to hear anyone in my class say that they would recommend this program to a friend, not a single one."

Yikes!!! I guess i'll use it as an absolute resort. I have a friend that lives very close to the school so that is the main reason I was going to apply since I could live with her. But maybe not!! Thank you for the information! Why is it that the program is so terrible? The teachers just don't give a damn?

 

[CSU OT Student]

The faculty/director are more concerned with the school's reputation than anything else. Much of the material we cover is irrelevant to real world practice(at least the 1st year's was). Despite this the faculty makes the classes really challenging to the point where the graduation/retake rate is where its at. The faculty doesn't care to work with you they just hand you a **** grade that basically forces you to stay another year. No all faculty is bad but their is a real lack of empathy and understanding for students that struggle, which is a decent percentage of the class.