General Admissions & OTCAS opinions, thoughts, suggestions please :D

[clooneylover]

Hi Guys,

I am a Canadian who recently decided to embark on the path of occupational therapy. Unfortunately, my grades are not good. I am at a 2.9 GPA and I am too afraid to even count my pre req GPA. I am planning on doing my GRE late this year or early next year. I think I have a strong application when it comes to extracurriculars and hopefully a good GRE score. What are your guys' thoughts and suggestions?

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[bOTp]

sent a pm

 

[MusicalOT14]

You may want to consider retaking some classes as from what I have read getting your gpa up in to the 3.0-3.25 could be a help. The fact that you have a lot of extracurriculars is good. Most certainly focus on that, increase your number of volunteer hours, get some good letters of recommendation and write an awesome personal essay! Most schools will say there average gpa or will have a gpa range on their website, be sure to check that out. I would also apply to a wide range of schools as the applicant pool grows each year making the limited number of spots that much more difficult to obtain. If it is your dream, stick with it and you will find a way to make it work. Best of luck to you!

 

[OTledo]

If OT is really what you want to do for your career, I definitely think you should pursue it. I would retake some pre-reqs to try to boost your GPA, but I've seen someone post on here that they were admitted with a 2.9 so don't count yourself out. The GRE, experiences, and ability to compose an impressive personal statement are all important.

Also, have you considered OTA? I work with both an OT and an OTA in a pediatric facility and I can honestly say their jobs are so similar- the OTA just doesn't do evals. Then, assuming you do really well in an OTA program and want to go further, you could apply to one of the OTA-to-OT bridge programs.

Good luck!

 

[dobber]

Look at programs that only look at your last 45-60 credits. Retake any pre-requisites you got below a B in. Shadow, shadow, shadow, and shadow some more. Give the MOT a go. Apply to COTA programs as a back up. Look into schools that are in candidacy or pre-accreditation status. Not fully accredited yet, but they try to before they complete their first class.