General Admissions & OTCAS We are what we think - student mindset and GRE advice

[Deelovely30]

Hi, OT fam! My name is Deanna. I am going to try my best to be vulnerable on this thread in the hopes that someone might feel the same as I do. I started on this long and bumpy journey of pursuing OT as a career whenever I was 19. At first, I didn't have the best GPA, I barely had a 3.0 before I transferred to a University. It took two years of hard work and dedication to finish with a BS in psychology with a GPA of 3.5. I am so close to applying to an OT program this year. I have everything I need to apply except my GRE scores. I have a lot of stress, anxiety, and resistance towards taking this test. I have only taken it once and I majorly bombed the test, but I am going to retake it in the middle of May. I think over the years of trying my best to "stand out" over other applicants I subconsciously built this mindset that my worth is based on how well I perform. It's hard not to self-identify with the numbers we accomplish (ie. GPA, GRE, observational hours) especially when these numbers are a major factor in whether we are accepted into a program. It's even easier to feel discouraged on this website when you compare other applicant stats with your own. I know in my mind that the GRE test (and the numbers) does not represent who we are as individuals or our abilities to be a great Occupational Therapist, but I'm also feeling so much resistance to tackling the GRE because of the pressure I put on myself to do well.

I was wondering if anyone has/is feeling the same way as me? Did anyone have a difficult time with the GRE and if so, what were your methods of studying and getting over anxiety?

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[Bernice22]

Hi, OT fam! My name is Deanna. I am going to try my best to be vulnerable on this thread in the hopes that someone might feel the same as I do. I started on this long and bumpy journey of pursuing OT as a career whenever I was 19. At first, I didn't have the best GPA, I barely had a 3.0 before I transferred to a University. It took two years of hard work and dedication to finish with a BS in psychology with a GPA of 3.5. I am so close to applying to an OT program this year. I have everything I need to apply except my GRE scores. I have a lot of stress, anxiety, and resistance towards taking this test. I have only taken it once and I majorly bombed the test, but I am going to retake it in the middle of May. I think over the years of trying my best to "stand out" over other applicants I subconsciously built this mindset that my worth is based on how well I perform. It's hard not to self-identify with the numbers we accomplish (ie. GPA, GRE, observational hours) especially when these numbers are a major factor in whether we are accepted into a program. It's even easier to feel discouraged on this website when you compare other applicant stats with your own. I know in my mind that the GRE test (and the numbers) does not represent who we are as individuals or our abilities to be a great Occupational Therapist, but I'm also feeling so much resistance to tackling the GRE because of the pressure I put on myself to do well.

I was wondering if anyone has/is feeling the same way as me? Did anyone have a difficult time with the GRE and if so, what were your methods of studying and getting over anxiety?

Long story short I was in the same boat. Psych degree in 2014 with a minor in neuroscience. The pre reqs took down my overall gpa to make it around 3.3. Retook the a and p's and a couple others to boost it up. I was worried about having a competitive gpa but working in a related field, valuable volunteer experiences, and getting solid letters really helped. The gre was terrible, no way around it. The material you study for the most part won't help you in your career as an ot but see it as a necessary evil you have to overcome. Just take it day by day and try to find a tutor for the subject you really struggle in and focus on that. What really helped me was researching schools, calling them, and asking about their emphasis on the gre. You may be surprised at what you hear. My math and vocab were low, but my writing was high. The school where I got in only looks at the writing portion. So luckily I only had to take it once. I rushed in writing this so please don't hesitate to contact with further questions. Know that there is that figurative light at the end of the tunnel you just have to take one step at. Time and keep a positive outlook. Doors open for people who follow their path. Good luck to you

 

[Babybluentexas]

Hi, OT fam! My name is Deanna. I am going to try my best to be vulnerable on this thread in the hopes that someone might feel the same as I do. I started on this long and bumpy journey of pursuing OT as a career whenever I was 19. At first, I didn't have the best GPA, I barely had a 3.0 before I transferred to a University. It took two years of hard work and dedication to finish with a BS in psychology with a GPA of 3.5. I am so close to applying to an OT program this year. I have everything I need to apply except my GRE scores. I have a lot of stress, anxiety, and resistance towards taking this test. I have only taken it once and I majorly bombed the test, but I am going to retake it in the middle of May. I think over the years of trying my best to "stand out" over other applicants I subconsciously built this mindset that my worth is based on how well I perform. It's hard not to self-identify with the numbers we accomplish (ie. GPA, GRE, observational hours) especially when these numbers are a major factor in whether we are accepted into a program. It's even easier to feel discouraged on this website when you compare other applicant stats with your own. I know in my mind that the GRE test (and the numbers) does not represent who we are as individuals or our abilities to be a great Occupational Therapist, but I'm also feeling so much resistance to tackling the GRE because of the pressure I put on myself to do well.

I was wondering if anyone has/is feeling the same way as me? Did anyone have a difficult time with the GRE and if so, what were your methods of studying and getting over anxiety?

Using Magoosh was a huge help for the GRE cause they break down the types of questions you will see and clues to look for.

Also— numbers aren’t everything. My GRE quant was so low I may as well have not even answered any of the questions. To be fair I haven’t done geometry since the late 90’s.. and didn’t practice at all. I still got interviewed and an offer/waitlist spot.

All you can do is try.

 

[waoshi]

Hey, so I didn't do that well when I first took the GRE but did considerably better the second time I took it. These are things that I did to study. As for anxiety, I took a bunch of practice tests, which helped me get an idea of what score I would probably get. Also, when I'm anxious I tend to listen to some calming music and work on breathing deeply or listen to a podcast.

The books I used:
1. Princeton Review: Cracking the GRE with 4 Practice Tests (I found the tips and tricks for understanding and solving questions very useful)
2. 5 lb Book of GRE practice problems (I really liked this book as I got to do a bunch of practice problems for things I needed the most work on)
3. ETS Official GRE Superpack (3 books): (These are made by ETS so they are actual past questions)
I also went to my local library and checked out the prep books they had.
If you don't want to spend a lot of money on books, you can find pdf of some prep books.

Memorize a couple of vocab words regularly. Vocab is the section where the more you know the better you will do. I like using mnemoicdictionary to help me memorize words and used the flashcards that memrise and vocabulary have.

For the essays, memorize the templates that I think Princeton Review provides. I found it very useful especially for the argument essay. Look through the list of questions on the ETS website. Those are all of the possible prompts that could be on the test. Unfortunately, there is no way to study for all of those prompts but look through them anyway and identify the ones that you are the weakest in. Also for the issues essay based on the prompt you want to use historical/political/education etc examples. Prepare beforehand examples that you would use so you don't have to scramble to think of them during the test. For example, for historical examples, I prepared South African Civil War, Napoleon, Watergate and Byzantine Empire. I then went through the essay prompts and looked at which questions I could answer with these examples.

For mathematics, I used Khan academy to help build up the basics again.

For reading comprehension questions, I read some news articles, journals, book reviews, opinion pieces each day to build up my ability to parse through information and to come across any info I could perhaps bring into my essay. The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Economist are good for this.

Also, get some GRE phone apps like the Magoosh Math and Vocab flashcards. Galvanize is also good. When I was sitting on the subway, I would go through these.

A week or so before the GRE take the timed practice tests that the ETS provides.

Sorry, this is a bunch of information.

 

[gOT2beOT]

Hi, OT fam! My name is Deanna. I am going to try my best to be vulnerable on this thread in the hopes that someone might feel the same as I do. I started on this long and bumpy journey of pursuing OT as a career whenever I was 19. At first, I didn't have the best GPA, I barely had a 3.0 before I transferred to a University. It took two years of hard work and dedication to finish with a BS in psychology with a GPA of 3.5. I am so close to applying to an OT program this year. I have everything I need to apply except my GRE scores. I have a lot of stress, anxiety, and resistance towards taking this test. I have only taken it once and I majorly bombed the test, but I am going to retake it in the middle of May. I think over the years of trying my best to "stand out" over other applicants I subconsciously built this mindset that my worth is based on how well I perform. It's hard not to self-identify with the numbers we accomplish (ie. GPA, GRE, observational hours) especially when these numbers are a major factor in whether we are accepted into a program. It's even easier to feel discouraged on this website when you compare other applicant stats with your own. I know in my mind that the GRE test (and the numbers) does not represent who we are as individuals or our abilities to be a great Occupational Therapist, but I'm also feeling so much resistance to tackling the GRE because of the pressure I put on myself to do well.

I was wondering if anyone has/is feeling the same way as me? Did anyone have a difficult time with the GRE and if so, what were your methods of studying and getting over anxiety?

Ugh, I felt the same way toward the GRE And you are so right. It does not define us! I feel so down on my chances sometimes because I have an average cumm GPA, will have an average GRE (hopefully) and I can only get about 120 hours of observation and volunteer due to working full-time. I see all of these people who are still in college with ample free time to better their apps and it does nothing but lower my confidence.

I did well on the verbal and writing but math, as expected, was not good enough. I dread taking this again. This time I plan to study word groups and math formulas more so I know what to use when I see a problem on the test. There was a ton of Geometry on my GRE and while that may not happen again, I definitely was not prepared to see all of that. Hoping this next time is my last!

 

[Deelovely30]

No, don't say sorry. I loved all this information. Thank you!

Hey, so I didn't do that well when I first took the GRE but did considerably better the second time I took it. These are things that I did to study. As for anxiety, I took a bunch of practice tests, which helped me get an idea of what score I would probably get. Also, when I'm anxious I tend to listen to some calming music and work on breathing deeply or listen to a podcast.

The books I used:
1. Princeton Review: Cracking the GRE with 4 Practice Tests (I found the tips and tricks for understanding and solving questions very useful)
2. 5 lb Book of GRE practice problems (I really liked this book as I got to do a bunch of practice problems for things I needed the most work on)
3. ETS Official GRE Superpack (3 books): (These are made by ETS so they are actual past questions)
I also went to my local library and checked out the prep books they had.
If you don't want to spend a lot of money on books, you can find pdf of some prep books.

Memorize a couple of vocab words regularly. Vocab is the section where the more you know the better you will do. I like using mnemoicdictionary to help me memorize words and used the flashcards that memrise and vocabulary have.

For the essays, memorize the templates that I think Princeton Review provides. I found it very useful especially for the argument essay. Look through the list of questions on the ETS website. Those are all of the possible prompts that could be on the test. Unfortunately, there is no way to study for all of those prompts but look through them anyway and identify the ones that you are the weakest in. Also for the argument essay based on the prompt you want to use historical/political/education etc examples. Prepare beforehand examples that you would use so you don't have to scramble to think of them during the test. For example, for historical examples, I prepared South African Civil War, Napoleon, Watergate and Byzantine Empire. I then went through the essay prompts and looked at which questions I could answer with these examples.

For mathematics, I used Khan academy to help build up the basics again.

For reading comprehension questions, I read some news articles, journals, book reviews, opinion pieces each day to build up my ability to parse through information and to come across any info I could perhaps bring into my essay. The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Economist are good for this.

Also, get some GRE phone apps like the Magoosh Math and Vocab flashcards. Galvanize is also good. When I was sitting on the subway, I would go through these.

A week or so before the GRE take the timed practice tests that the ETS provides.

Sorry, this is a bunch of information.

 

[Deelovely30]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is having a hard time! Yeah, I'm praying this will be my last time too. I think Math is also my weakness more than the verbal and writing section. 120 hours is still A LOT of volunteering. Try not to sell your self-short or compare to other people, I'm sure when the time comes you'll have a competitive enough stats to get an interview!

Ugh, I felt the same way toward the GRE And you are so right. It does not define us! I feel so down on my chances sometimes because I have an average cumm GPA, will have an average GRE (hopefully) and I can only get about 120 hours of observation and volunteer due to working full-time. I see all of these people who are still in college with ample free time to better their apps and it does nothing but lower my confidence.

I did well on the verbal and writing but math, as expected, was not good enough. I dread taking this again. This time I plan to study word groups and math formulas more so I know what to use when I see a problem on the test. There was a ton of Geometry on my GRE and while that may not happen again, I definitely was not prepared to see all of that. Hoping this next time is my last!