Other OT-Related Information I have no chance of getting into MOT... T.T some advices?

[otot1313]

Hello all,

I have been posting here and there for a while...

During undergrad, I had no goals in life really... Got into state school and went for a 5 years bachelors in Psychology where I really regret and there is nothing to do...

I was so naive and i didn't go for any help... I am that guy who sits in the corner of the classroom and don't pay attention and pass with minimum grades...

Even though this forum may be anonymous, I am still embarrassed by my undergrad GPA... it's 2.40...
I am very envious of you whom say that they have low GPA but it's all above 3.0s and hopefully you guys can make it

I'd figure the cut off line for graduating from a 4 year college was 2.0 so i never tried in any of my classes because all I got to do was to get a C... and never retook classes that I failed (2 F in the transcript)...

I know my educational life is messed up and finally I found a goal in life... Becoming an OT!!
Some of you may be laughing at me but I want to make it work and make miracle happen

I have thought about OTA but I want to try applying to OT schools first then I will move on.

GPA is something that I can't take back so I am trying to show schools that what I am capable of...

SO, I started by doing some observational hours.. Although I did about 150 hrs at this clinic that consisted of both PT and OT, I stayed with them for a year because I did like 3-5 hrs a week.

Now, I am working on my pre-requisites classes where I never took any of the sciences...
Here is what I have so far based on schools in CA... not looking elsewhere yet because I know I have lot more work to do...

First off, I needed anatomy but its pre-req was to take Biology 1... but I got an A somehow.. lots of work...

Anatomy - A
Physiology - B
Life Span - A
Abnormal Psychology - A
Sociology - A
Stats- A (retook them)
Med Terminology - Not yet...

These are the pre-reqs for the schools that i was looing at... so this is all i am going to take as of now...
I didn't take any of these classes except for stats and sociology... It took me a one year, I did like 2 classes per semester...

In physiology, I could have had an A but I mistakenly taken 5 week summer course thinking that I wanted to experience some overload of work so when I do get into OT school, I can say that I can handle those kind of workload.... but apparently not... haha... so planning to retake physio at different CC...

And for LOR, I have asked an OT from the clinic, psyche prof, pastor that I know very well, and planning to ask anatomy professor whom I took both Anatomy and Phyio with... He seems to know me and i often visited his office hours for help..

For GRE, I am planning to take the first one this winter... I am not a great test taker but I did fairly well on SAT or SAT II when i was in high school... but still going to study hard...

And I think think this is pretty much it right?

It's funny how I was never interested in school before but now when I do have my vision now, I am not discourage by any... I know there are hills that I need to climb but I am enjoying what's ahead of me..

Please help me or give me advice on what to do... I don't mind hearing y'alls opinion because i know it will help me

thank you for reading

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[Marie12]

Looking at your prerequisite grades, you definitely seem capable and passionate. Unfortunately, OT schools tend to be strict on the overall gpa and won't even look at the rest of your application if they see you have a low gpa. Some schools will concentrate on your last 60 credits. If its at least a 2.7 in your last 60 credits, you might be able to get into some schools. Also, some schools allow you to boost your overall gpa after you have completed your bachelors degree if you take upper level 300 courses. I know you said you said you want to try the OT path first, but you can go to an OTA school, do well there and bring up your grades, and then apply MOT programs. I think a decent amount of OT schools offer an option for COTAs to apply. That last option will take longer, but if your really passionate about OT, you can definitely do it

 

[alansda]

If I was in your situation, I'd make sure to make a list of 1) less competitive OT schools, and 2) schools that consider your last 60 credits. Since GPA is probably the lowest factor in your application, you need to both find ways of increasing it (retaking those classes in which you got bad grades or researching if eligible for academic renewal and if accepted by grad schools), and finding ways of making the rest of your application stellar. You know what you need to do: get the best GRE score possible, get the best letters of rec possible (not just 'good enough' letters), and present the best essay possible.

Once you find less competitive OT schools, set up a meeting with the coordinator of the program and go over your situation and plan of action. They'll tell you if there's a chance in their program. Good luck

 

[mamadealex]

I would also recommend looking at "soon to be" accredited schools. Often times, the more competitive students are not considering these, and the application pool is less. I did that and got into a school that will soon to be accredited, and I had a similar situation to yours. I also looked into getting an OTA first but spoke with the director at an OTA school and she recommended that I just go straight to a master's if at all possible.

Good luck, and don't give up!

 

[TexasMOT]

I would also recommend looking at "soon to be" accredited schools. Often times, the more competitive students are not considering these, and the application pool is less. I did that and got into a school that will soon to be accredited, and I had a similar situation to yours. I also looked into getting an OTA first but spoke with the director at an OTA school and she recommended that I just go straight to a master's if at all possible.

Good luck, and don't give up!

How do you find which schools are "soon to be" accredited?

 

[mamadealex]

On the AOTA website, you'll see a link for "Find a school": http://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Find-School.aspx

This will show a list of accredited programs, and those in various stages of the accreditation process.

Also, AOTA sent out an email to its email list and it had the latest from ACOTE's accreditation decisions made in April. This provides further detail. http://www.aota.org/-/media/Corpora...nouncements/Actions/April2015ACOTEActions.pdf

 

[Bokonomy]

You can apply, but don't feel bad if you don't get in anywhere...OT school is so expensive! You can go to a CC for 2 years, have no loans, and work while at a program that is part time. Salem state in mass, for example, is only a part time program.

 

[otot1313]

Well... I'll guess I'll have to try first... I already have BA... thanks for the feedbacks

 

[GonnaB.OT]

I read your story and thought I might share my story to hopefully give you some encouragement. This reply is long, but hopefully you can get some enlightenment from someone who has been in similar shoes:

Like you, I played around in undergrad. In 2008 I was accepted to West Chester university and dropped out that same year to attend a local community college. I still couldn't find my "golden path" on what I wanted to do with my life nor could I figure out why I was struggling so hard to finish college when I didn't have a goal in mind. So after 3 years of stopping and starting (remember this is a 2 yr college) back up again, I FLUNKED OUT OF COLLEGE in 2011 with an awful gpa of 1.9. Smh I was numb to the fact that I failed because I wasn't passionate about it nor could I see a goal in mind. So anyway, I worked full time at a s**ty job for the next 2 years. Over those 2 yrs I've grown more prone to life and finally came across something that I loved. OT!!!! So by this time my loans were defaulted, I had no way to pay for school, and I had to write a hefty letter to my cc for re admission. This whole entire process really taught me who I was! People told me then and there to give up and stop because I wasn't going to do nothing but fail again. But I new it was going to be different because I was different. So I started a new journey in Fall 2013 and I had to pay some more dues:
-Pay 1000 up front to register
-Academic probation for 1 complete year which made my transition even longer because I could only take up to 2 classes a semester
So by the time my first year was done in spring 2014 I looked at my grades(staright A's in all my prerequisites) and seen my gpa grow 2.5 (not quite there but a major difference), I made a decision on where I wanted to apply come next cycle (14-15 otcas). There were so many basic options and schools I could have chose from but I decided not to because I have worked so hard to get to that point and I hadn't planned on stopping. So I took a leap of faith and prepared (not submitted yet) the almost perfect application for one of the most competitive ot schools in the country. Thomas Jefferson University (rated #6 ot program). I studied their application process for 8 months, up until it was verified in December 2014 (by this time my gpa was competitive 3.2). Also my personal statement was geared toward honesty and logic. Because I was a non tradirional student I wanted to show growth and transition in my life. Being that I attended a cc I only applied to that one school. I was sooo scared, nervous, and petrified of failing again and this time with a goal in mind. But I kept on pushing. There were these thoughts always in the back of my mind:
-Was my observation time enough? (no where near 100 hours)
-Were my references to their liking?
-would they even look at my application once they see I checked yes for being dropped and failing out of school?
Idk, but I left it in God's hands. So January rolls around, I don't hear anything. February and March comes and goes, still nothing but clueless answers from the Admissions office telling me that they are still reviewing it. April creeps around and Im literally lifeless. I'm thinking, I graduate next month and I don't have any plans for next year if I get rejected. But...By the end of April I get a call back from the office and the guy tells me nice and slowly that I am invited to an interview in May. I cry from excitement because at this moment all I feel that all I have to do is show them how much ot need me and how much I need tju in order to do that. So I study again, yet differently. Now Im in the mindset of studying myself. Why tju is for me? Why is ot for me? How can I contribute? How can I make a difference? I had great faith in my success in the interview. I believed that I was well prepared. The day after my interview I received a CONGRADULATIONS email from them and a Dean's scholarship! (gpa was now at 3.5) I will officially be starting a 3 year bs/ms program at tju starting Fall 2105!
REMEMBER:
All things are possible!
Believe in yourself!
Take control over what it is that you can control!
And learn life through everything you do!
I'm a full believer in dreams now. Im not just a traditional student who had it all together at first. I bumped my head several times and had to work for everything just to be where I am today. This message is for the sole purpose of encouragement only! Hope you enjoy and succeed with whichever option/path you decide to take!

 

[otot1313]

Wow..... I read your post GonnaB.Ot...

It's inspiring very much and i hope to take your step as well

But it seems like that since I have already graduated, I can't do anything about my GPA... I do have 2 fails... And if I had repeated those classes, I would have at least 2.8 though... seems enough, I do have hope along the way...

I hope to touch and get back to ya

 

[otot1313]

I had some poor performance issues as an undergrad due to significant family problems that I had going on (I had a precipitous drop in my GPA during the last year and a half of undergrad due to it). A few years have elapsed since then and I went back to a community college/local university and took classes to address any possible concerns that an admissions counselor might have. I took in excess of 70 credits and I earned over a 3.8 in them. Some of the courses were very challenging and were at a very well respected 4 year university.

I applied to schools that considered the last 60 credit hours and I managed to get in. It helps that I could explain the drop in my GPA from a 3.4 to an abysmal situation that last 1+ yr. If you have poor grades due to not caring before you knew what you wanted to do with your life and you want to prove yourself, you can get in and I am proof.

These are courses I took:

Taken at a community college (I had nearly a 3.9 in these courses):

Intro to Biological Chem, Medical Terminology I, Bioethics, Life Span Development, Introduction to Art Therapy, Art Therapy II-Methods & Media, Anatomy and Physiology I, Occupational Therapy Principle, Abnormal Psychology, Ceramics I, Anatomy and Physiology II, Psychology of Personality, Adolescent Psychology, Fitness and Wellness Coaching, Cultural Anthropology, Child Growth-Development, Behavior Modification, Health Psychology, Task Analysis, Fundamentals-Devleop Dis, Critical Thinking, Honors Social Justice, Honors Ind Study: Psychology, Honors Fundamental Speech Communication, Gross Anatomy with cadaver lab (got a B in this very very hard class)

Taken at a prestigious 4 year univ. which had an agreement with my community college charging me community college tuition:

* Race and Society in the United States (A)
* Healthcare policy (B)

If you are determined to get in to a program you can do a similar schedule of post bach coursework to the above and apply to programs which consider your last 60 hours.

Schools that consider your last 60 exclusively are: Western Michigan University (1st tier, no GRE needed), Eastern Washington Univ (don't bother applying here unless you have near a 4.0 in your last 60 hrs), Rockhurst University, University of Wisconsin, Chicago State University (no GRE needed), Wayne State University (willing to take you with *marked* improvement-though they don't only consider last 60 strictly), Texas Woman's Univ., Shawnee State University, St. Augustine University (super expensive), Samuel Merritt (very expensive), Dominican University, Dominican College, NYIT, LIU, and West Coast University (in process of accreditation).

Volunteer work: Taught English to new immigrants, rape crisis center volunteer, rotation with lgbt community center as volunteer, Catholic Charities & Jewish Community center. I created a group for returning veterans at my college to express emotional issues through creative writing.

Shadowing: 80 hours with two very solid references from great OTs in pediatrics and acute care in a first class hospital.

I am sure there are a few others to add to this list.

thanks for the post

I will keep a note of your lists... but unfortunately, today I received a rejection letter from Loma Linda University...

It didn't say much but it says that my gpa was low...

I had a plan B and which is to enlist in the army... since i have a bachelors, it might be not so bad... then when I have discharge from it, i will resubmit my application or go take a OTA path... thanks everyone who took a look at my post and gave a very good perspective and your stories... very inspirational!!

 

[OT10616]

I read your story and thought I might share my story to hopefully give you some encouragement. This reply is long, but hopefully you can get some enlightenment from someone who has been in similar shoes:

Like you, I played around in undergrad. In 2008 I was accepted to West Chester university and dropped out that same year to attend a local community college. I still couldn't find my "golden path" on what I wanted to do with my life nor could I figure out why I was struggling so hard to finish college when I didn't have a goal in mind. So after 3 years of stopping and starting (remember this is a 2 yr college) back up again, I FLUNKED OUT OF COLLEGE in 2011 with an awful gpa of 1.9. Smh I was numb to the fact that I failed because I wasn't passionate about it nor could I see a goal in mind. So anyway, I worked full time at a s**ty job for the next 2 years. Over those 2 yrs I've grown more prone to life and finally came across something that I loved. OT!!!! So by this time my loans were defaulted, I had no way to pay for school, and I had to write a hefty letter to my cc for re admission. This whole entire process really taught me who I was! People told me then and there to give up and stop because I wasn't going to do nothing but fail again. But I new it was going to be different because I was different. So I started a new journey in Fall 2013 and I had to pay some more dues:
-Pay 1000 up front to register
-Academic probation for 1 complete year which made my transition even longer because I could only take up to 2 classes a semester
So by the time my first year was done in spring 2014 I looked at my grades(staright A's in all my prerequisites) and seen my gpa grow 2.5 (not quite there but a major difference), I made a decision on where I wanted to apply come next cycle (14-15 otcas). There were so many basic options and schools I could have chose from but I decided not to because I have worked so hard to get to that point and I hadn't planned on stopping. So I took a leap of faith and prepared (not submitted yet) the almost perfect application for one of the most competitive ot schools in the country. Thomas Jefferson University (rated #6 ot program). I studied their application process for 8 months, up until it was verified in December 2014 (by this time my gpa was competitive 3.2). Also my personal statement was geared toward honesty and logic. Because I was a non tradirional student I wanted to show growth and transition in my life. Being that I attended a cc I only applied to that one school. I was sooo scared, nervous, and petrified of failing again and this time with a goal in mind. But I kept on pushing. There were these thoughts always in the back of my mind:
-Was my observation time enough? (no where near 100 hours)
-Were my references to their liking?
-would they even look at my application once they see I checked yes for being dropped and failing out of school?
Idk, but I left it in God's hands. So January rolls around, I don't hear anything. February and March comes and goes, still nothing but clueless answers from the Admissions office telling me that they are still reviewing it. April creeps around and Im literally lifeless. I'm thinking, I graduate next month and I don't have any plans for next year if I get rejected. But...By the end of April I get a call back from the office and the guy tells me nice and slowly that I am invited to an interview in May. I cry from excitement because at this moment all I feel that all I have to do is show them how much ot need me and how much I need tju in order to do that. So I study again, yet differently. Now Im in the mindset of studying myself. Why tju is for me? Why is ot for me? How can I contribute? How can I make a difference? I had great faith in my success in the interview. I believed that I was well prepared. The day after my interview I received a CONGRADULATIONS email from them and a Dean's scholarship! (gpa was now at 3.5) I will officially be starting a 3 year bs/ms program at tju starting Fall 2105!
REMEMBER:
All things are possible!
Believe in yourself!
Take control over what it is that you can control!
And learn life through everything you do!
I'm a full believer in dreams now. Im not just a traditional student who had it all together at first. I bumped my head several times and had to work for everything just to be where I am today. This message is for the sole purpose of encouragement only! Hope you enjoy and succeed with whichever option/path you decide to take!

WOW! I just read your post and it really gives me hope. I was in the same boat. I graduated from UD with a 2.4 and a degree in Nutrition. NO clue what I wanted to do with my life until I came across OT last year. Since the, I've been taking prereq at a CC and have gotten straight A's (4.0). I applied to TJU and Philadelphia Univeristy and recently got denied from both. I'm lost as if I should keep applying or just do the OTA program which doesnt make sense because I already have a Bach degree. Phil U basically told me that it looks bad to retake classes and basically give up and do the OTA program. I also only have 50 obs hours but plan on doing more for next years application. I was just curious if in your personal statement did you touch a lot on your low gpa and how you brought it up? I wasn't sure if I should write about that in mine or not. Basically wrote about my passion for OT and things in my life that led to me wanting to do it / why I would be good for it.

Congrats and thanks!

 

[proapplicant]

The 2.4 definitely hurts. I didn't take undergrad seriously either so I can relate to where you're coming from- you finally figure things out and your past comes back to haunt you. Our own faults but still a bitter pill to swallow. I think what you should do first, before you spend anymore money on classes, is call the schools you are interested in to see if they would consider you. A lot of schools use gpa to filter out all the apps they get. I applied to a school this year that required a 3.0 but really didn't look at applications that had below a 3.4 (wish I had known that before sending them that application fee) so I think you need to do some hardcore investigating. After doing that, focus on the gre. A high gre score can help offset a low gpa. You seem solid everywhere else.

Hope you keep us posted!

 

[scubagator87]

What is your upper division GPA? Some programs don't even look at cumulative, instead focusing on upper division and/or pre-req, so knowing what your upper division GPA is, is very very important. And don't be so scared of all the over 3.0's....I have a 2.8 cumulative and way more than two E's on my transcript (was accepted to 2 programs), but similar to you I did very well in my pre-reqs. Some programs make an effort to look at applicants holistically and not just purely from stats; I know people with better stats than me that were flat out rejected from the programs I was accepted to. BUT, you will need to apply to programs that won't just throw your application away b/c you didn't meet their minimum qualifications. Be willing to go anywhere in the country. You must work twice as hard on all the other things you CAN change (GRE, observations, outstanding letters of rec, rocking interview) to give yourself any advantage.

I totally empathize with the frustration of having your past mistakes follow you everywhere; I'm certainly not at all the same confused freshman I was 10 years ago.

 

[OT10616]

What is your upper division GPA? Some programs don't even look at cumulative, instead focusing on upper division and/or pre-req, so knowing what your upper division GPA is, is very very important. And don't be so scared of all the over 3.0's....I have a 2.8 cumulative and way more than two E's on my transcript (was accepted to 2 programs), but similar to you I did very well in my pre-reqs. Some programs make an effort to look at applicants holistically and not just purely from stats; I know people with better stats than me that were flat out rejected from the programs I was accepted to. BUT, you will need to apply to programs that won't just throw your application away b/c you didn't meet their minimum qualifications. Be willing to go anywhere in the country. You must work twice as hard on all the other things you CAN change (GRE, observations, outstanding letters of rec, rocking interview) to give yourself any advantage.

I totally empathize with the frustration of having your past mistakes follow you everywhere; I'm certainly not at all the same confused freshman I was 10 years ago.

Okay, thank you! How do I exactly calculate my upper division my gpa??

 

[scubagator87]

Your upper division GPA starts being calculated the semester after you reached 60 credit hours; so basically any class you took after your first 60 credit hours factors is your upper division GPA (i.e. When you started being classified as a junior). Note that some programs let you factor in classes you took after you completed your bachelors, and some don't. It's always best to ask how they calculate since it varies.

I have below a 3.0 cumulative if I don't factor in my pre-reqs I took post-bacc, so I mostly only looked at programs that used upper division GPA (which for me is higher than my cumulative), not cumulative.

 

[beestrng]

Last 60 credits count a lot more. Maybe even have separate GPA for last 60.

 

[Liv2lov]

What is your upper division GPA? Some programs don't even look at cumulative, instead focusing on upper division and/or pre-req, so knowing what your upper division GPA is, is very very important. And don't be so scared of all the over 3.0's....I have a 2.8 cumulative and way more than two E's on my transcript (was accepted to 2 programs), but similar to you I did very well in my pre-reqs. Some programs make an effort to look at applicants holistically and not just purely from stats; I know people with better stats than me that were flat out rejected from the programs I was accepted to. BUT, you will need to apply to programs that won't just throw your application away b/c you didn't meet their minimum qualifications. Be willing to go anywhere in the country. You must work twice as hard on all the other things you CAN change (GRE, observations, outstanding letters of rec, rocking interview) to give yourself any advantage.

I totally empathize with the frustration of having your past mistakes follow you everywhere; I'm certainly not at all the same confused freshman I was 10 years ago.

Which school did you get accepted into

 

[scubagator87]

Which school did you get accepted into

USA (St. Augustine campus) and UF