General Admissions & OTCAS Advice moving forward

[dtm11]

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Hello!

I am a Junior at Boston College majoring in Comm. while taking OT pre-reqs and just wanted to get some advice on next steps. So far, my cum. gpa is a 3.553 and my pre-req class grades have been:

Human Anatomy w/ Lab (4 credits): B-
Developmental Psychology (3 credits): B+
Sociology (3 credits): A
Intro to Psychology (3 credits): B+
Statistics (3 credits): A
Physiology w/ Lab (4 credits): TBD, taking in summer probably
Abnormal Psychology (3 credits): A-

Experience: Nothing OT-specific until this summer (will be shadowing in various OT settings this summer though in NYC or Boston!)
1. Wellness Coach at Boston College
2. RA at Boston College
3. First-generation Club
4. Lifeguard and Swim-Instructor

My GPA overall will significantly improve because I basically only have Comm. requirements left at this point. However, let's just say I get a B+ in physiology, should I plan on applying to schools or retake some classes? My school is really hard unfortunately for STEM and I absolutely know I could do better in Anatomy if I retook just because my professor taught it exactly like a Med School class and it was 400 level. But I also am not made of money at all so retaking at a CC isn't super easy for me and I would rather not if I don't have to.

My school list so far is:
Boston: Boston University, MGH Institute of Health Professions
New York: NYU, Columbia University, Long-Island University- Brooklyn Campus, SUNY, Mercy College

I decided not to take the GRE and the above schools don't require it. I really, really don't want to take a gap year and am looking at primarily masters programs (I think just BU is a Doctorate program). I also really want a NYC school but those of course tend to be difficult to get into it.

Overall, I just need advice on if I should go ahead and apply next year or if I'll just be wasting my money. I would greatly appreciate any help and advice 🙂

 

[mabOT]

I would be careful about not taking the GRE! Many schools THIS YEAR are not requiring the GRE (I know MGH is one of them), but I have heard from the schools I applied to that it will most likely be the case for this cycle only. Meaning when you apply next summer, the GRE requirement will be reinstated.

Personally, I think it depends what you can afford in regards to retaking classes. A B- is the minimum grade for prereqs to get into MGH, but people have definitely gotten into OT school with your stats. I think you would need to go above with your observation hours. Variety of settings, 100-200 hours at minimum. I think with those stats and experiences you could definitely land yourself an interview and from there it would be up to your personality and selling yourself.

However, it’s important to note that BC has a reputation for being really difficult to get a super high GPA. Because you’re applying to schools in the area, I think they would take that into consideration.

I hope all of this helps! I currently am accepted and plan to attend MGH so this is from my research and experience.

 

[dtm11]

I would be careful about not taking the GRE! Many schools THIS YEAR are not requiring the GRE (I know MGH is one of them), but I have heard from the schools I applied to that it will most likely be the case for this cycle only. Meaning when you apply next summer, the GRE requirement will be reinstated.

Personally, I think it depends what you can afford in regards to retaking classes. A B- is the minimum grade for prereqs to get into MGH, but people have definitely gotten into OT school with your stats. I think you would need to go above with your observation hours. Variety of settings, 100-200 hours at minimum. I think with those stats and experiences you could definitely land yourself an interview and from there it would be up to your personality and selling yourself.

However, it’s important to note that BC has a reputation for being really difficult to get a super high GPA. Because you’re applying to schools in the area, I think they would take that into consideration.

I hope all of this helps! I currently am accepted and plan to attend MGH so this is from my research and experience.

Thank you so much for this advice, I greatly appreciate it. Also CONGRATS on being accepted to MGH!!! That is so so so exciting. I definitely agree with you about going above and beyond for my observation hours; it definitely is easily possible too since I can this next semester and all of the summer.
I also agree about the GRE. What I was planning on doing was calling all of the schools individually and asking for my cycle if the GRE would be reinstated. Because, I think, most of the schools I chose don't require the GRE in general every year but it definitely would be good to check just in case. I think by having the GRE it would also open up a few more options for me and I am a super good standardized tester (at least from ACT getting into college).

Thanks again for all the help and congrats!!! I'm not sure if you're from the Boston area or not but I love it so much and it's definitely a great place to be for school 🙂

 

[Thefutureisot]

Hi! My undergrad school ( Towson University ) was hard with sciences as well. I retook my anatomy and physiology 1 & 2 at a community college and got A’s. The program i got accepted to took that grade over the lower grade I got at my university. I’d say if you want to take physiology take it at a community college!

 

[dtm11]

Hi! My undergrad school ( Towson University ) was hard with sciences as well. I retook my anatomy and physiology 1 & 2 at a community college and got A’s. The program i got accepted to took that grade over the lower grade I got at my university. I’d say if you want to take physiology take it at a community college!

I’m thinking about just knocking both out at a community college this summer!!! Do you happen to have any suggestions for New York schools? I’ll be in the city and need something super easy and cheap. And any CC works right?