General Admissions & OTCAS Sub 3.0, chances?

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OThopeful_*

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Hi all!

I'm having a career path change from Social Work. I have been out of school for around 5 years. I did poorly during my undergrad, (undiagnosed MDD and anxiety is my assumption). I have taken a couple pre requisites which I have gotten As in and plan to take the rest this upcoming year. I have read the rare postings about the sub 3.0's being accepted and am hoping my persistence and diligence coupled with my work experience will speak about my growth and devotion to the helping profession.

Here are my stats:
Undergraduate: Sociology- Emphasis in Law and Society 2.9 (i know..)
Last 60 units - around 3.0, currently
Pre requisites - Still need to take Anatomy, Physio, Abnormal Psych & Statistics. As well as Neuroanatomy, Kinesiology and an Arts for other programs.

GRE
:
Quant: 145
Verbal: 158
AWA: 4.0
(definitely going to re-take soon, using magoosh)

Work:
Special Education Instructional Assistant
- Special Day Classroom (2 years)
Play Specialist & Mentor- play therapy with children with developmental delays using DIR/Floortime to teach social skills, communication skills and develop play skills. (3 years)
Program Evaluator - Developed goals, conducted evaluations and parent interviews to asses for the program. (^promoted - 4 months)
Child Care Worker - Adolescent males on probation in group home setting, severely emotional disturbed, gang affiliated, sex offenders, mental illness (2 years)

Volunteer:
Case Manager
- worked with homeless women, dual-diagnosed at a drop in center. (6 months)
Domestic Violence Prevention - Child care and community awareness , 40 hour training (one year)
Reading Tutor - tutored underprivileged children in underserved communities (6 months)
Scholarship committee: Developed criteria and selected recipients for a 5k award to high school students in an underserved community(2 months to develop and select)

Awards:
Specialist of the year - 2014
President's Volunteer Service Award (Silver) - 2011

My plan is to take as many classes as I can (while maintaining my GPA, of course) to boost my last 60 units as I know some of the programs focus on this. I have a lot of confidence I will do well in the classes given my passion for this work and and my growth since undergrad.

Sorry for the long post, I really wanted to paint a clear picture.
Constructive feedback is welcome! :)

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Hello, I am with you on this one...

I also submitted for 2016 cycle and I am not optimistic about it but still submitted my app... I also want to hear those who got accepted sub 3.0
 
I should clarify, I haven't submitted yet. I will be submitting next fall, but good luck! Do you mind sharing your stats and which schools you applied to?
 
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Replying to these posts is probably unhelpful, because it really is all speculation. But I think you sound like a great applicant. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders and your experience will shine. Your GPA will certainly improve once you've completed your prereqs, and the GRE can easily be improved on also. You seem like you're on the right track, imo. I also did somewhat poorly in undergrad for a multitude of reasons (it is what it is), and I think it's still worth trying. And frankly, I think your experience looks good! You've worked extensively with people (including those going through pretty rough stuff). And you seem like you have a lot to contribute to the field of OT.

So yeah. Go for it!!
 
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I was in the same boat as you last year, but did not get in. We actually have very similar professional and volunteer experience as I was a special education teacher, a hotline volunteer (crisis and domestic abuse), and currently volunteer at a homeless shelter. Anyhow, I was stuck at a crossroad between increasing my GPA by taking more classes or pursuing OTA. Ultimately, I decided to take OTA classes because increasing my GPA still would not be a guarantee into a program. I figured signing up for an OTA progam would not only boost my GPA, but get me working in the field sooner as well as provide me more options of whether I wanted to bridge or complete an entry-level masters program. If I'm signing up for classes already, I might as well make the most of it! It is a roundabout way, and definitely not my plan A, but I am glad to be heading in the right direction.
 
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Bummer on not getting accepted, were you able to get feedback on the reasoning why?

I have definitely thought about COTA, but I'm curious to see if this route will payoff. Worth a try. Would you mine sharing your stats with me and which schools you applied to? Feel free to PM me. Good luck in your studies!
 
Replying to these posts is probably unhelpful, because it really is all speculation. But I think you sound like a great applicant. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders and your experience will shine. Your GPA will certainly improve once you've completed your prereqs, and the GRE can easily be improved on also. You seem like you're on the right track, imo. I also did somewhat poorly in undergrad for a multitude of reasons (it is what it is), and I think it's still worth trying. And frankly, I think your experience looks good! You've worked extensively with people (including those going through pretty rough stuff). And you seem like you have a lot to contribute to the field of OT.

So yeah. Go for it!!

thank you! I know its difficult to say, because its very subjective and well, only an admissions committee can really tell me my chances, but optimism is always welcome!
 
Applicants need to convey two things. First is whether or not that person will make a good OT. The second is whether or not that person balance the academic load. I say that your work experience and professionalism does more than make it up to be considered as an applicant. I say look into schools that conduct interviews. Schools that do not do interview rely on stats alone when comparing applicants. Your overall GPA will not change much but your pre-req and last 60 will if you do well in your upcoming courses. It is really important for you to excel in anatomy, physiology, and other core classes. That would reflect your ability to meet graduate school demand and will be more reflective on your performance opposed to your undergraduate gpa from five years ago. COTA is also not a bad option as it will allow you to practice as an occupational therapy practioner. The difference is that they are not allowed to assess independently.
 
I have covered this - many times on here: apply to schools which only look at your last 60 credit hours. We have lists of them on here.
Go to the cheapest program you can find, period. You are being mislead if anyone tells you to go and spend the extra 40k for a degree that won't earn you even one red cent more depending on where you go to school. From my post:
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

I think suggesting the OP take in excess of 70 credits post-bacc is excessive and somewhat unrealistic (not for everyone, but for many people). Some programs certainly have high expectations for GPA and will weed out applicants, but based on acceptance info (from looking at what other members of SDN have posted), many programs truly look at the applicant as a whole. High test scores and great experience certainly stand out and require less time and money than taking multiple unrequired and extraneous classes.
 
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1- Last 60 GPA is a 3.0. The OP could take 20 credit hours and pull that GPA up to a 3.5 if she gets a 4.0 on those 20 credit hours (5-7 classes). It is a suggestion not a prescription.
2- If you have a crappy GPA and you want to get into a OT program, and you don't want to take classes at a community college to ameliorate the GPA, then the OP doesn't stand much of a chance. Programs are competitive. 20 credit hours would be about $2000 and 1/2 a year at a community college. If you can't invest that into a dream to be an OT then you need to find another field. Our programs are competitive for a reason, many people want to do it.

I'm happy that worked for you for your program of choice. There are many different programs out there that look for many different things in applicants. We'll agree to disagree.
 
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Thank you everyone for all your wonderful input! I definitely agree that gpa, more so the ability to handle a heavy course load including field, is very, very important. But definitely not the only indicator of success [insert spiel avout the human spirit]. Which is why I will spend the next year taking pre requisites and relevant classes. I'm glad that you all agree that my experience is relevant and mat help me become a stronger candidate!
Alas, each committee varies year to year as well as the applicat pool which dictates a lot as well. All I can do at this point is be optimistic, work hard, gather strong LORs and write a stellar SOP.

If anyone of you have any additional classes worth taking outside of the required ones, I'd truly appreciate it!!
I'm thinking of taking ASL, but sounds tough.
 
Yes I did read it. I was asking for any additional suggestions.
 
I say focus on the pre-req and avoid taking unnecessary courses unless you know you can excel. You can replace some pre-req with alternatives. For example, intro to sociology and anthropology are equivalents for many schools. Another may be physics and kinesiology. It really depend on the schools that you apply to. Boosting your GPA is good but schools won't take the time to consider individual courses. OT applicants has backgrounds/ degrees from all types settings. This is why undergraduate degree doesn't really matter (sciences or humanities). Foreign languages are wonderful but require lots of effort. I think it may be more worthwhile to shadow different OT to show understanding the role of OT in different settings.
 
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Awesome advice guys! Seriously, THANK YOU! You all gave me far more than I could have asked for. I hope this thread helps others in similar situations. :)
 
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