In 2010 I attended a community college and did HORRIBLE my freshman and beginning of sophomore year (5 d's and 5'cs 1 F). After 2 years, I was able to pull my GPA up to a 2.4 and transferred to a 4 year university. Ive been at my university for 3 years now and so far i've managed to maintain a 3.7 GPA. I was really dumb my freshman year and didn't really know what I wanted to do in life but now I am very focused on my studies which shows in my GPA. I graduate in May and now im starting to apply to OT schools but they require I send in transcripts from ALL INSTITUTIONS ATTENDED. Im scared that my community college transcript is going to automatically disqualify me from getting accepted into any program. Do OT schools put more weight on the school where you got your degree from? Do you think my community college grades are going to significantly hurt my chances?
General Admissions & OTCAS Will Bad Community College Grades Hurt My Chances At an OT Program?
- Thread starter ChrisC462
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I think those grades will count toward your overall GPA. OT schools really look at the prereq GPA but also do look at the overall GPA, so I'm not sure how much this would actually affect your chances. Have you calculated your overall GPA including the comm. college classes? I don't think it would automatically disqualify you, but just in case I would make sure to boost your application in any other way you can, like having solid references and observation hours!
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If I were you, I would apply to a few schools that mainly look at the GPA of your last 60 credit hours just to be safe.
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If you talk about it in your personal statement, it could be quite compelling. Everyone makes mistakes and clearly you saw something was wrong, found direction, and turned your academics around. If all else fails, you could always retake some classes to show how much you've improved and increase your gpa.
Also, grades are just one piece, if you have a good GRE score and have relevant shadowing or work experience it will definitely balance out the gpa. And like someone else said, references, especially one from your current school, will really help.
Also, grades are just one piece, if you have a good GRE score and have relevant shadowing or work experience it will definitely balance out the gpa. And like someone else said, references, especially one from your current school, will really help.
I didn't really want to talk about it in my personal statement because most schools have a specific question that they ask and I felt it would be a little off topic. When you say to retake classes, do you mean I should go back to my community college after I receive my bachelors to retake classes? I didn't think that would look good.
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I personally agree as well. I would mention it in the OTCAS personal statement. I think it is one of the only ways for you to tell the schools about your mistakes during your freshman year. If you mention it and tell them how you turned things around, it might help speak upon your rough start. I also do know that at some schools, you are allowed to write the school a letter about the classes you failed or did bad in.
Doing very well on your GRE can also help schools look at your whole application. As well as a great amount of hours shadowing an OT. It'll show the schools that you are determined to getting into an OT school and have what it takes.
All the best to you!
I was in a similar situation where I had an experience at community college that was not so stellar. I graduated with aa associate's in electronics and a GPA of 2.98 from my county college way back in 95. I had one F, a couple D's, and a number of C's by the time I was done. In the spring of 2012 I went back to the same county college to major in biology, and took a few classes that raised my GPA to a 3.01. I didn't retake any of the courses that I had done poorly in and in come cases the courses just did not exist even if I had wanted to. After that first semester, I transferred to a four-year school and only had about 40 credits transfer. Just like you, I did much better and maintained a high GPA (3.91 currently).
I know one of the schools I applied to specifically said they wanted at least a 3.0 from all institutions attended. Other schools just wanted an over all 3.0. Your 2.4 is going to pull down that 3.7 when you put it in to OTCAS, I was not happy to see this with mine. The only way to mitigate the damage would be to retake some of those classes in which you received D's and that F. If you have to take classes over or not depends on where you apply, what they require your GPA to be, and if they look at the average or all schools.
I did not mention anything directly about my past poor performance in my personal statement. In my situation I had almost 20 years and transcripts from different schools to demonstrate my personal changes. If the school looks at your last 60 credits, they will see the improvement. If you put something in your personal statement, in my opinion (which means almost nothing), do not be apologetic or make excuses about previous poor grades. The personal statement is you putting your best foot forward and letting them get a feel for who you are as a person today. Most of the schools I applied to had word limits and I tried to use those words to their best effect.
As some one else pointed out, a good GRE or MAT score would help you stand out. Don't forget the letters of recommendation. I have a couple of professors that I enjoy talking to and I tended to interact with them even when I done taking their class. If there is a professor that gets to know you a little better, that allows them to write a letter that is more specific to you. That could go a long way in showing how much better you are doing at your current school.
Lastly, try to get a 4.0 or as close as possible in your prerequisites. An info session I went to said that a 4.0 in prerequisites was a way to stand out.
I know one of the schools I applied to specifically said they wanted at least a 3.0 from all institutions attended. Other schools just wanted an over all 3.0. Your 2.4 is going to pull down that 3.7 when you put it in to OTCAS, I was not happy to see this with mine. The only way to mitigate the damage would be to retake some of those classes in which you received D's and that F. If you have to take classes over or not depends on where you apply, what they require your GPA to be, and if they look at the average or all schools.
I did not mention anything directly about my past poor performance in my personal statement. In my situation I had almost 20 years and transcripts from different schools to demonstrate my personal changes. If the school looks at your last 60 credits, they will see the improvement. If you put something in your personal statement, in my opinion (which means almost nothing), do not be apologetic or make excuses about previous poor grades. The personal statement is you putting your best foot forward and letting them get a feel for who you are as a person today. Most of the schools I applied to had word limits and I tried to use those words to their best effect.
As some one else pointed out, a good GRE or MAT score would help you stand out. Don't forget the letters of recommendation. I have a couple of professors that I enjoy talking to and I tended to interact with them even when I done taking their class. If there is a professor that gets to know you a little better, that allows them to write a letter that is more specific to you. That could go a long way in showing how much better you are doing at your current school.
Lastly, try to get a 4.0 or as close as possible in your prerequisites. An info session I went to said that a 4.0 in prerequisites was a way to stand out.
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I think you could do either. If you take it at the CC, then the new grade will replace the old one and increase your GPA calculations. It sounds like you are applying this cycle, so maybe this won't be too helpful. If you retake it at your current college, it will show that you have mastered the material, which will definitely strengthen your app, and make the poor grades matter even less.
I second the suggestion for doing well in prerequisite classes. If you have a poor overall GPA, but a high prereq GPA, then schools will know that your strengths are in the right places. Everyone makes mistakes, poor grades are not going to condemn you forever!
If you don't talk about academics in your personal statement, some applications have an area where you can upload "supplemental material". You could prepare a short letter specifically addressing your academic progress and seriousness about graduate study. I only suggested this because if you don't talk about it, then schools will make assumptions about your record that may or may not be correct. I agree with Brunfus, that if you mention it, you shouldn't be apologetic. The narrative should be more along the lines of, "I am aware that I messed up, but I turned it around and will be serious and successful in graduate school". Think about what the schools are looking for--students that will succeed in coursework, graduate and pass the NBCOT, and go on to represent the program as a successful alum.
I wish the new grade would replace the old grade but unfortunately my community college keeps both grades on your transcript. I already retook about 4 classes at my CC and the old grade is only marked with an "R" for repeat but the new grade is what is factored into your GPA. I only spent 3 semesters at my CC and I didn't even graduate from there so I hope they don't put to much weight on that GPA. My prerequisite GPA is around a 3.6 depending on the school but my overall is a 3.7. I applied for a few schools but I hope they focus more on my university GPA since this is where my degree will be from.
