Do I Have A Chance??

[lilsweetpie]

Hey all this is my first post ever, as i just registered today!!

I am graduating Stony Brook University this may and will receive my BS in psychology. However i have an upsetting GPA
My overall gpa when i graduate will be around 2.85 and i really do not have anymore semesters to bring it up since i will be graduating.
My last 60 credits gpa is around 3.1 and
my pre-reqs gpa is around 3.34-3.6

I will be taking off a year and getting as many volunteer and shadowing as much as i can. However do i have any chance at getting into any OT program? Almost all school require a minimum of a 3.0 gpa and i do not have that.

I also have about 25 credits at farmingdale college and also 42 credits at City College. Do these Gpa and grades have any effect on my overall gpa??

&& also i have not taken my GRE and Physics- do you recommend that i take it???

HELP ME PLEASE!!! I REALLY WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE AND BECOME AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST.

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[mlc54]

Are there any pre-reqs you can take to boost your GPA? Particularly Anatomy and Physiology (if necessary), since many programs especially consider your grades in these classes.

I think most schools count each GPA separately by school (but don't quote me on that). If I remember correctly, schools that you apply to through OTCAS will average all the grades from all institutions together into one GPA.

Whether or not you decide to take the GRE and Physics will depend on what school(s) you eventually end up applying to. I took the GRE (since a few of the schools required it, although not all did), but none of the schools I applied to required Physics, so I never took it. Make sure you do plenty of research for different programs you are interested in, since every program has different pre-req, observation hours, GPA, personal statement, etc. requirements

My recommendations would be to retake pre-reqs to boost your GPA if possible, get plenty of observation hours in a variety of settings, and get really good recommendation letters from people who know you personally (versus just getting one from a professor in a class where you got an 'A', but the professor can't say much more about you than that).

Once you decide where you will ACTUALLY be applying to, you will be able to figure out what direction to go in/what you need to do from there. Good luck!!

 

[dobber]

most schools actually do factor all the grades from all colleges attended into one GPA - thats how im banking on getting into OT schools. Stay away from OTCAS schools.

 

[prodigiousflame]

most schools actually do factor all the grades from all colleges attended into one GPA - thats how im banking on getting into OT schools. Stay away from OTCAS schools

but isn't that what OTCAS does? factor all the grades into one overall GPA?

 

[mlc54]

most schools actually do factor all the grades from all colleges attended into one GPA - thats how im banking on getting into OT schools. Stay away from OTCAS schools

but isn't that what OTCAS does? factor all the grades into one overall GPA?

Applying to schools through OTCAS was actually a heck of a lot easier (to me) than applying to schools without it

 

[mgOT]

Also, I saw that OTCAS schools are more competitive due to convenient centralized system. I only applied to one OTCAS school and still waiting for decision but got into other non-OTCAS schools. Plus, OTCAS is expensive ($125 for first school).

 

[dobber]

OTCAS schools are:
1. more competitive because it's easier to apply to a butt ton of schools
2. terrible for people with low GPAs because they factor EVERY grade ever (including original grades prior to re-takes) and that may actually mess up people's GPA haha. People with high GPAs don't have to worry about it.

Yeah schools will factor the GPA from every university you've ever attended. Some schools like Chatham will only look at your institutional GPA (which blows) but a lot of other schools will look at everything. That's where im trying to get at haha

 

[228]

So basically the non-OTCAS schools would probably be more ideal for those of us with sub-par GPA's? Like in the 2.8-3.0 range..I'm considering not even applying to OTCAS schools if this is the case, except for some of the Florida schools where i think i might have a shot

 

[lilsweetpie]

i understand what you all are saying, but do you guys think that i will get accepted into any programs?

 

[Sunny324]

i understand what you all are saying, but do you guys think that i will get accepted into any programs?

We can't answer that for you because every school has unique acceptance criteria, and only the admissions committee truly knows how those decisions are made.

My recommendation would be to call some of the schools that you are interested in and ask them what the typical GPA/GRE score is for the students they admit. You could also make a phone appointment with an advisor at the school to discuss your application - that's what they're there for. They will tell you how they calculate GPA and give you a clear picture of the minimum requirements.

Also, take a look at the GPA's, GRE's, XTRA's, ACCEPTANCES thread on this forum to see admission outcomes for people with a variety of statistics. Then you can decide for yourself if you think your application is competitive. If you think you need to make some changes, this forum is full of posts with suggestions.

 

[c2902]

I wouldn't even go so far as to say that "OTCAS schools take x,y,z" while "non-OTCAS schools don't". For example, VCU is an OTCAS school whose minimum GPA is only 2.7, but I know people ( and no, not myself - I did not apply there) who applied with way better stats and were still rejected. On the flipside, I applied to a non-OTCAS school in upstate New York with a 4.0 Prereq GPA and a way better regular GPA than their minimum 3.0, and was wait-listed (which is fine, because I got into my top choice anyway and only applied there because my parents still live there and I'd have a place to live for free).

I'd agree that you should call the schools to see what they say - none of us can say for sure, since we aren't admissions officers.