Program-Specific Info / Q's UIC Acceptance

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OT_2015

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I received my acceptance into UIC yesterday. Is there anyone else that is planning to attend in the Fall?
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futurechicagoOT said:
Congrats!!! Do you mind sharing your stats? Do you know how many people were accepted?
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Thanks! When I attended UIC's Applicant Visit Day last January, they mentioned that they were likely to increase this year's cohort to 46 students (up from 38 last year).

Graduate GPA (2 Masters degrees completed already): 3.7
Pre-requisite GPA: 4.0
GRE: V- 155, Q- 153, writing - 3.5
Observation hours: 60 hours (rehab) and 16+ hours (pediatric) at time of application
Work history: 5+ years in private and public sector and 8 years leading a healthcare organization with an average of 300 patients and over 80 allied health professionals
Additional info: Father to a child on the autism spectrum
Applied: UIC, Midwestern IL
Accepted: UIC, Midwestern IL

I'll be attending UIC in the Fall.

Note that I am not complete with my prerequisites yet but I will be before Fall term starts. I am currently taking Anatomy & Physiology I and Statistics. In the summer I'll take A&P II. In addition, my undergraduate GPA was comparably underwhelming (under 3.0) but my last 60 hours were calculated using the GPAs from my graduate degrees and prerequisites.

I have an extensive work history and multiple degrees which on the surface do not automatically relate to Occupational Therapy. I used the Personal Statement to show how I can use everything I learned towards the benefit of my future career as an Occupational Therapist. Also I submitted 4 Letter of Recommendations. Two were from OTs that I shadowed with, one was from the Director of a therapeutic day school that I am interning for and the last was the Director of Student Services from my last graduate program that I still keep in touch with after 8 years.
 
Has anyone heard back from UIC (acceptance or rejection) for Fall 2016?
Thanks!!
 
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chicagoOT23 said:
Has anyone heard back from UIC (acceptance or rejection) for Fall 2016?
Thanks!!
Click to expand...
I was accepted at the beginning of January, but I'm not sure if I will be attending yet. Still waiting to hear back from a couple more schools.
 
Just got my rejection email from UIC.. not too surprised. I'm registered to go to Applicant Day on Feb. 15th but am assuming that doesn't apply anymore.. Is anyone else in the same boat?

I'm always interested in reading people's stats so I'll post mine.
University: Indiana University
Major: Finance, Economic Consulting
Overall GPA: 3.2
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: Verbal 161, Quantitative 154, Analytical 5.5

Volunteer/OT Shadow: 105 hrs PT/OT peds outpatient
Applied: UIC, Midwestern IL, Rush, Winston Salem, LSU New Orleans
Acceptances:
Rejections: UIC
Interviews: none (so probably nos from Rush and MW at this point)

Most likely will be applying again next year. I can take my GRE overto get above 60% on Quant, but now I'm worried that I'll never be able to get my GPA high enough to get into a school. I was hoping they'd look at my Pre-req GPA more because my undergraduate classes were irrelevant (business major) but the more I'm learning about the process, I'm worried about my chances of ever getting in. I also know that I need more volunteer/shadowing hours in different settings. Any other recommendations on what I can do in the next year?

Thank you! Good luck and congratulations to all that have been accepted!!
 
Still waiting...

:(
If I went to UIC I'd graduate with like no debt thanks to my GI bill and IVG.
One can dream.
 
chicagoOT23 said:
Just got my rejection email from UIC.. not too surprised. I'm registered to go to Applicant Day on Feb. 15th but am assuming that doesn't apply anymore.. Is anyone else in the same boat?

I'm always interested in reading people's stats so I'll post mine.
University: Indiana University
Major: Finance, Economic Consulting
Overall GPA: 3.2
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: Verbal 161, Quantitative 154, Analytical 5.5

Volunteer/OT Shadow: 105 hrs PT/OT peds outpatient
Applied: UIC, Midwestern IL, Rush, Winston Salem, LSU New Orleans
Acceptances:
Rejections: UIC
Interviews: none (so probably nos from Rush and MW at this point)

Most likely will be applying again next year. I can take my GRE overto get above 60% on Quant, but now I'm worried that I'll never be able to get my GPA high enough to get into a school. I was hoping they'd look at my Pre-req GPA more because my undergraduate classes were irrelevant (business major) but the more I'm learning about the process, I'm worried about my chances of ever getting in. I also know that I need more volunteer/shadowing hours in different settings. Any other recommendations on what I can do in the next year?

Thank you! Good luck and congratulations to all that have been accepted!!
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I have a 3.23 with a BS in neuroscience and have a 155, 155, 4.0. I got into PhilU and UofSciences so far.
Keep at it. Don't lose hope.
 
I also got the "UIC Checking in email". I'm guessing it means that we are decently competitive for the program, but they want to hear back from all the people the already sent acceptances to before accepting anymore off of whatever list we are on.
 
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OTwah said:
I also got the "UIC Checking in email". I'm guessing it means that we are decently competitive for the program, but they want to hear back from all the people the already sent acceptances to before accepting anymore off of whatever list we are on.
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I hope you're right.
If I got accepted I'd legit poop my pants out of happiness. I'm not sure I'd that's even a thing but I'd do it.
 
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OTwah said:
I also got the "UIC Checking in email". I'm guessing it means that we are decently competitive for the program, but they want to hear back from all the people the already sent acceptances to before accepting anymore off of whatever list we are on.
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I got that email too!! I suppose it's better than a rejection! But the waiting is horrible!! For those of you that got that email, what're you're stats?


I'm at overal gpa 3.27
Prerequisite gpa= about 3.6
GRE: quant= 153, verb= 150, writ=4.5
About 100 hours of observations with various OT
 
Has anyone heard anything else since the "checking in " email. I know they said March 15th at the latest so I am just curious. :)
 
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I got an acceptance email yesterday! On cloud 9 since then. I'm 95% certain I'll be accepting. #1 public OT school , #4 in the nation overall = no brainer for me. Chance of a lifetime. Feeling blessed and incredibly grateful. Good luck to everyone still waiting.

.ot.2016 said:
Has anyone heard anything else since the "checking in " email. I know they said March 15th at the latest so I am just curious. :)
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SoonToBeOTMe said:
I got an acceptance email yesterday! On cloud 9 since then. I'm 95% certain I'll be accepting. #1 public OT school , #4 in the nation overall = no brainer for me. Chance of a lifetime. Feeling blessed and incredibly grateful. Good luck to everyone still waiting.
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Congrats! You'll love the program. I'm a current student there so let me know if you have questions.
 
SoonToBeOTMe said:
I got an acceptance email yesterday! On cloud 9 since then. I'm 95% certain I'll be accepting. #1 public OT school , #4 in the nation overall = no brainer for me. Chance of a lifetime. Feeling blessed and incredibly grateful. Good luck to everyone still waiting.
Click to expand...


Awesome ! I hope to hear soon. What are your stats? Of course, if you don't mind sharing.
 
OT_2015 said:
Congrats! You'll love the program. I'm a current student there so let me know if you have questions.
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.ot.2016, I do have questions! I'm so glad to hear you are happy in the program. The people in the department I have corresponded with have been nothing but kind and helpful. I've gotten a really good vibe from that. My specific question is what the daily/weekly schedule looks like. I have kids, one of them a 9yo who will probably need after-school care. I'm feeling incredibly guilty about that, but this seems like the chance of a lifetime, right?

So, what does a typical week look like? Am I really needed on campus from 8:30-5:00 every single day of the week? Am I in classes all day? How many days a week can I duck out by 2:30 or 3:00? Are you meeting other students on campus a lot to do projects? Anything you can offer would be great. Being accepted is honestly a dream that I did not think would come true, and the fact that it is now reality has been a bit of a shock, albeit a good one. Now, I just need to arrange the logistics.

As far as my stats, I am an older student (over 40) with lots and lots of diverse life experiences. I am certain that's why I was accepted. However, that said, I do have decent GPAs and all but one of my GRE scores were competitive. I also have a masters in another field and have done lots of volunteering in the community over my years as a stay at home mom. I also observed for about 50 hours in a variety of settings (geriatrics, pediatrics, hand, rehab).

overall GPA: 3.68
prerequisites GPA: 4.00
GRE: Analytical: 5.00 / Verbal: 162 / Quant: 147 (Math is not my strong suit and I did zero prep for the GRE.)

For what it's worth, I think being older helps, being male would make you a given for acceptance, volunteer work, life experience, etc. All ways to distinguish yourself. They are still looking at applications, so keep the faith. There's still hope!
 
SoonToBeOTMe said:
.ot.2016, I do have questions! I'm so glad to hear you are happy in the program. The people in the department I have corresponded with have been nothing but kind and helpful. I've gotten a really good vibe from that. My specific question is what the daily/weekly schedule looks like. I have kids, one of them a 9yo who will probably need after-school care. I'm feeling incredibly guilty about that, but this seems like the chance of a lifetime, right?

So, what does a typical week look like? Am I really needed on campus from 8:30-5:00 every single day of the week? Am I in classes all day? How many days a week can I duck out by 2:30 or 3:00? Are you meeting other students on campus a lot to do projects? Anything you can offer would be great. Being accepted is honestly a dream that I did not think would come true, and the fact that it is now reality has been a bit of a shock, albeit a good one. Now, I just need to arrange the logistics.

As far as my stats, I am an older student (over 40) with lots and lots of diverse life experiences. I am certain that's why I was accepted. However, that said, I do have decent GPAs and all but one of my GRE scores were competitive. I also have a masters in another field and have done lots of volunteering in the community over my years as a stay at home mom. I also observed for about 50 hours in a variety of settings (geriatrics, pediatrics, hand, rehab).

overall GPA: 3.68
prerequisites GPA: 4.00
GRE: Analytical: 5.00 / Verbal: 162 / Quant: 147 (Math is not my strong suit and I did zero prep for the GRE.)

For what it's worth, I think being older helps, being male would make you a given for acceptance, volunteer work, life experience, etc. All ways to distinguish yourself. They are still looking at applications, so keep the faith. There's still hope!
Click to expand...

I just sent you a PM.
 
I received my acceptance email from UIC yesterday afternoon and will be attending. Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear back!!
 
ChiTownOT said:
I received my acceptance email from UIC yesterday afternoon and will be attending. Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear back!!
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Congratulations ! What are your stats if you don't mind sharing.

Anyone else hear anything- either way?
 
.ot.2016 said:
Congratulations ! What are your stats if you don't mind sharing.

Anyone else hear anything- either way?
Click to expand...

Sure, see below.

Poor GRE scores- 153 Verbal, 148 Quant, 4.o AWA
I also had a poor overall GPA, just over 3.1.
Prereq GPA was 3.7.
LOR- 3 hand therapists/OTs from previous and current work, 1 professor.
Bachelors in Rec Therapy.
Experience- Over 1000 hrs. of experience in settings such as hospital outpatient OT, OT clinics, nursing homes, day centers serving people with cognitive impairments and physical disabilities, trauma center, and more. I also have experience working with orthotics.

I really think several things helped my case tremendously. I wrote the supplemental essay and owned up to the poor GPA. I also think I wrote a very strong personal statement. Those things combined with the LORs and my experiences did the trick. Btw, this is my second year applying, though first time applying to UIC.
 
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Thanks for sharing ! It's good to know that they're looking past numbers. Hope to hear soon! :)

Congrats again!



ChiTownOT said:
Sure, see below.

Poor GRE scores- 153 Verbal, 148 Quant, 4.o AWA
I also had a poor overall GPA, just over 3.1.
Prereq GPA was 3.7.
LOR- 3 hand therapists/OTs from previous and current work, 1 professor.
Bachelors in Rec Therapy.
Experience- Over 1000 hrs. of experience in settings such as hospital outpatient OT, OT clinics, nursing homes, day centers serving people with cognitive impairments and physical disabilities, trauma center, and more. I also have experience working with orthotics.

I really think several things helped my case tremendously. I wrote the supplemental essay and owned up to the poor GPA. I also think I wrote a very strong personal statement. Those things combined with the LORs and my experiences did the trick. Btw, this is my second year applying, though first time applying to UIC.
Click to expand...
 
ChiTownOT said:
Sure, see below.

Poor GRE scores- 153 Verbal, 148 Quant, 4.o AWA
I also had a poor overall GPA, just over 3.1.
Prereq GPA was 3.7.
LOR- 3 hand therapists/OTs from previous and current work, 1 professor.
Bachelors in Rec Therapy.
Experience- Over 1000 hrs. of experience in settings such as hospital outpatient OT, OT clinics, nursing homes, day centers serving people with cognitive impairments and physical disabilities, trauma center, and more. I also have experience working with orthotics.

I really think several things helped my case tremendously. I wrote the supplemental essay and owned up to the poor GPA. I also think I wrote a very strong personal statement. Those things combined with the LORs and my experiences did the trick. Btw, this is my second year applying, though first time applying to UIC.
Click to expand...

so you're saying there's a chance....
 
Congrats! I still haven't heard either way. I'm not sure if I should count it out at this point or not. :sorry:
 
.ot.2016 said:
Congrats! I still haven't heard either way. I'm not sure if I should count it out at this point or not. :sorry:
Click to expand...

Don't count it out yet. I talked with Gail Fisher on Wednesday (regarding scheduling and trying to finalize my decision) and she said they are still deciding on some people and also haven't heard from some they've extended offers to. There are still spots. Have hope! I accepted the offer at the end of our phone call. So excited for the next 2 years of my life and my future career. Good luck to those still waiting. I know they place great value on diversity of their cohort, so one size doesn't fit all and your stats are not everything.
 
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futurechicagoOT said:
For those who have heard back and were accepted, congrats! Around what time of the day did you hear? Today is supposed to be the last day they send out decisions, and I have been checking my email every 20 minutes.
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I received my acceptance at 5:59 PM on a Tuesday in February. Hope that helps. I bet they are burning the midnight oil making last minute decisions, so it wouldn't surprise me if emails went out late. Good luck!
 
futurechicagoOT said:
For those who have heard back and were accepted, congrats! Around what time of the day did you hear? Today is supposed to be the last day they send out decisions, and I have been checking my email every 20 minutes.
Click to expand...

I got mine at 12:49 pm last Friday.
I don't think there's a certain time they send them out.
 
I still haven't heard anything either. Did anyone get an email, even a rejection?? I'm so confused.
 
I was denied this morning. Good Luck to you! Hopefully because you're still waiting its good news.
 
I got put on the alternate list. Just got an email. Sad but there's still hope!
 
futurechicagoOT said:
I was also waitlisted. At my position on the list, i dont think there is hope for me :(
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For those that were waitlisted don't lose hope. There were 7 people on the alternate list that were admitted into our cohort last year. Good luck!
 
windywaves said:
@ChiTownOT @FriskySloth Do you mind sharing your last 60?
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uhhhh, I honestly don't have my transcript around so I couldn't tell you.
Probably in the 3.4 range, if I had to guess. The only OT requirements I took in the last 60 were abnormal psych, developmental psych, and A&P 1 and 2.

I'm an outlier though. I'm almost certain I have one of the lowest GPAs of everyone that got in.:shrug:
 
Did anybody get an email to check their admission status on the UIC website even after they got a rejection?
 
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