General Admissions & OTCAS How can I make my application stand out when applying to a Masters of Occupational Therapy program?

[razzles33]

I am a junior Marketing major.

That being said, I am 100% committed to being an Occupational therapist. (My school makes us declare majors as freshmen. It's too late for me to change it now so I'm going to try to show commitment other ways.)

Extracurriculars: VP/Treasurer of Hillel, VP and Head New Member Educator of my sorority, member of ENACTUS & active in projects

However, I have a 3.52 GPA. I've taken Chemistry and received a B in lecture and an A in lab. Additionally, I got A's in both general psych and sociology. The prerequisites for MOT programs also require a statistics class; I got an A in Business Statistics but am willing to take another statistics class if it is viewed better by schools. There's also a plan to finish the rest of my prerequisites.

I still have time (around 1.5 years) before I have to apply and would like to make sure I utilize it as beneficially as possible.

How else can I stand out? I am going to make shadow appointments with OTs and volunteer at my local hospital. Would you say my chances are decent? I'm afraid that my major may be negatively viewed by admissions committees. Any advice you can offer is welcome and I thank you for taking the time to help me.

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[RedHeadOT]

I would not worry about your major. It should not impact your chance at admissions.

 

[hbroth]

Hey @razzles33! Let me start off by saying that I agree 100% with @RedHeadOT...programs care more about how well you do in your prerequisite courses than what your undergrad major is. I majored in nutrition, which is also a somewhat "nontraditional" undergrad major in terms of being related to OT. However, I found that I was able to find ways to relate my nutrition coursework to OT when I wrote my personal statement and went for school interviews.

One way that I tried to stand out in my application was through my personal statement. This is really where OT programs learn about you and why you want to be an OT. Your shadowing and volunteer/work experience is important here because you can really show programs how these experiences have impacted your love for the profession, and how you will be a great addition to the field!

I think you have a solid GPA, so as long as you continue to do well in your prerequisites, you should be fine. Good luck!

 

[razzles33]

Thank youguys for your help! I have personal experiences influencing my decision that I can definitely reference in statements/interviews as well. @hbroth if you don't mind my asking, what schools did you interview for? Do you have any advice to that end?

I appreciate your insight!

 

[Kidamnesiac]

I would write my PS VERY carefully. Most people write a few stories about how they became interested in OT...so if you only do that, then you'll be like every other applicant. Try mixing in research from articles on OT (mostly by the faculty of the target school). Use other scholarly sources (I tied in my interest in philosophy), and show the readers that you're erudite. It's tough to be both personal and scholarly...just keep in mind that most applicants write their PS according to a certain narrative formula, so it's a good opportunity to stand out!

 

[razzles33]

That's very good perspective!
I'm sure you're right; how many similar papers can people really enjoy reading?
I'll definitely tie in some outside research. Thanks so much!

 

[7461]

Your GPA is not bad at all. My cumulative is actually a little lower, but I got waitlisted at 3 schools and interviewed at 5. My suggestion is to try to bring your GPA up as much as possible (both cumulative and pre-req) because I found that the reason I didn't get into these schools was because my grades weren't high enough (with the exception to one that said I didn't do well on the on-site writing sample). With that being said I would also suggest taking more English classes if your writing is not up to par because 3 of the schools I interviewed at had on-site writing samples. Also, try to volunteer in different OT settings. E.g. peds, SNF, rehab hospital, etc. They like to see that you have experience working with different populations. This will also give you an edge if you can narrow down which population or what type of setting you would want to work in. I would use the time volunteering to really try and get a good feel for where in OT you want to go. I heard that schools like to hear that because it shows them that you are prepared and have a plan of what you want to do. Also, make sure you do well when you're volunteering because you will need to find someone who can write you a stellar letter of recommendation. I suggest trying to shadow someone who can see your capabilities and see your drive and I guess in a way the type of OT you would want to become. Depending on what schools you apply to you also need to do well on the GRE. I tried to apply to schools that don't require it because I didn't do too well. Hope this helps.

 

[razzles33]

Thanks for your insight!

 

[tm143]

Your GPA is not bad at all. My cumulative is actually a little lower, but I got waitlisted at 3 schools and interviewed at 5. My suggestion is to try to bring your GPA up as much as possible (both cumulative and pre-req) because I found that the reason I didn't get into these schools was because my grades weren't high enough (with the exception to one that said I didn't do well on the on-site writing sample). With that being said I would also suggest taking more English classes if your writing is not up to par because 3 of the schools I interviewed at had on-site writing samples. Also, try to volunteer in different OT settings. E.g. peds, SNF, rehab hospital, etc. They like to see that you have experience working with different populations. This will also give you an edge if you can narrow down which population or what type of setting you would want to work in. I would use the time volunteering to really try and get a good feel for where in OT you want to go. I heard that schools like to hear that because it shows them that you are prepared and have a plan of what you want to do. Also, make sure you do well when you're volunteering because you will need to find someone who can write you a stellar letter of recommendation. I suggest trying to shadow someone who can see your capabilities and see your drive and I guess in a way the type of OT you would want to become. Depending on what schools you apply to you also need to do well on the GRE. I tried to apply to schools that don't require it because I didn't do too well. Hope this helps.

Hey @7461, if you don't mind me asking...what were the on-site writing samples like? Were you given different topics to choose from? How much time did they give you to complete it?