Makingmoves...I can tell that you're anxious to get into an OT school. You've started more threads in the past two weeks than I saw in the first few months of reading this board!
I speak as someone who found the profession last summer, fell in love with it, and realized that I had all of 3 months to prepare for the admission process. One of the OT's I observed had the exact same experience, and she got into my dream school, so she showed me that it's possible to get it all together in a short time. I also had been preparing for a few years to try for a PhD in Philosophy, so I knew a bit about the process already. FWIW, I can share some of what I know, but this thread has a ton of good advice in general:
New to OT: GPA, GRE, Shadowing etc.
You're already doing what I found to be an important step in the process: ask a TON of people advice, and try to discern what would be most helpful in preparing. My biggest rule in this process has been: no matter what I'm doing (I work 40 hours a week on top of taking my pre-reqs), take any and every opportunity to strengthen your application. I talk to just about everyone about OT now, and anytime someone offers me an opportunity, whether it be a conversation, or to observe, or anatomy flashcards, or to read my application essay, I take everyone up on it. The more help you can get, the better. When you take pre-reqs, put everything you can into it...dress sharply, come early, study often. Treat it like you would a job.
In terms of GPA, I've heard that schools with interviews take the GPA a little less seriously. Basically, they have another step to evaluate you, so the GPA is not as big a factor. If you don't meet minimums, then you might be in trouble, but I got an interview at my dream school and my GPA was below their average (not the minimum). I know you're trying to avoid the GRE's, but that would be a nice way to show that you're more academically gifted than your GPA shows. I put some tips on the above thread about doing well on the GRE. If you want to knock it out of the park, study hard for 3 months with no other classes to get in the way. I was a good bit above the GRE scores for my dream school, and I think that might have helped detract from my less than stellar GPA.
One bit of advice I got for applying for PhD programs (with respect to my not so attractive GPA) was to really strengthen every other aspect of my application. In terms of observations, don't just put a ton of hours in, but go to a lot of different types of settings. I think I ended up with 7 types of settings and about 50 hours total. Seeing the variety shows a greater depth of interest and understanding in the field than simply observing 100 hours at 2 similar types of settings. Spend a great deal of time on your SOP, and REVISE it...again and again! You should work on it for at LEAST a month. Don't just talk about how much you want to be an OT (we are all excited about that possibility
)...paint a picture of yourself as a unique applicant. What do you have to offer the field? What possibilities do you see contributing to or creating in the field? What influences sent you to the field, and how do you understand OT better now because of those influences? Also, show that you are academically capable of entering the field: write well. Good grammar, good spelling, and if the prompt hasn't already told you to: cite some sources that show that you're reading research in the field. It's probably good to show that you're reading specific scholars from your target schools.
Which leads me to the key for most graduate programs these days: fit. Grad schools want to know that students will succeed in their program, want to be there, will be interesting to interact with, and will carry on the tradition of the program into the field. Know the philosophy and approach that the school takes. Who do they read? What are their influences? Where have their scholars come from? Find any way you can to communicate that you fit with them (of course, don't lie, but you can emphasize what's necessary to make this point). Talk to scholars in the department. Most scholars are happy to interact with you to some extent. Ask questions about their research. Learn the vocabulary of the program. You can then develop a reading list and learn more about what it would be like to be in the program. I think that professors are much more comfortable accepting and interacting with applicants who have taken the time to learn their unique contributions, and aren't just using the spray/pray method of applying to get a job one day. You'll also be more prepared to enter the program, and probably will be more likely to succeed there (vs. entering a program that's not suited to your own approach to the field).
On a side note, my cousin and her husband attended Milligan college, and it seems like an awesome college. They're both very intelligent, and eloquent. I think that it's situated up in the hills of Johnson County, Tennessee, so if you like a small town, it's a beautiful little place to live. I have fond memories up there!
I will say that if you pour your passion into working on your application, I'm sure that you'll end up somewhere, because you seem very passionate. Another of my mottos during this process has been: you can't control certain things, but the ones that you can, do everything possible. That way, when it's all said and done, you can't regret leaving anything on the table. Good luck!
