General Admissions & OTCAS Anatomy and Physiology Grades/General Advice

[otjchae]

Hey guys-

So, I'm finally finishing up my BS in Psychology this Spring or this Summer. It's been a long journey-I started in 2009 at a Private all women's college, transferred two years later because of finances/wasn't the right fit to a technical school where I was pursuing radiologic technology. I've now been finishing up my Psych degree (what I originally pursued) at Georgia State. I'm nervous OT schools will look at it poorly that I went to three schools and took nearly 6 years to finish a degree. Should I be worried?

Also-I've basically worked full-time throughout college because of un-supportive parents and having to use loans/my paycheck to pay the bills and rent...thus, I ended up getting a B in both A&P classes, but an A in both of the labs. I also got a B in abnormal psych and statistics, but i am retaking them this summer. Should I try to retake one of the Anatomy classes? I just don't think I'll have time to take both again if I want to graduate in time. Also because of working full-time, I don't have too many extra-curriculars. I've got one shadowing position set up to start this August with a hand therapist and also plan on contacting an aquatic therapy/hippotherapy practice.

My overall GPA should be around a 3.6 and my pre-req probably will be around 3.7-3.8 after I retake abnormal/stats. I've got a lot of customer service experience through work (Panera, Bath and Body Works, AMC Theatres, Lifetouch Photography, and a used car dealership most recently) and I also coach travel volleyball for teenage girls each winter. I'm also a freelance photographer, though not much lately.

I'm just trying to get an idea of how good my chances are of being accepted. I'm going to study for the GRE through Magoosh, I'm a very personable person so I think I'll get good LOR's. And I'm looking at: LSU, Springfield, Rush U, Bay Path, D'youville, Ithaca, Chatham, TWU, ECU, SUNY, Temple, Jefferson College, Midwestern AZ, AZ Stills, Indiana U, and Pacific.

Advice? (Sorry for all the words! ....It's my first post and all =P)

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[otsomeday]

You have a good chance of getting accepted. Work on your volunteer hours, LOR's, interview skills, and get familiar with OTCAS and apply early. I got accepted into one of the schools on your list and I have a 3.4 GPA. Good luck. Oh and I did terrible on the GRE and will be graduating next month with my MOT. The school I got into doesn't even require the GRE anyway.

 

[Johann00]

If you have time, I would suggest contacting someone in the OT department of the schools you're interested in and just ask them about the grades. There's a chance they may tell you exactly what you need to do. If they say the B's aren't going to fly, then look into retaking them. But chances are pretty good that going from a B to an A in two classes isn't going to drastically improve your chances, so don't spend the money unless you absolutely know its necessary.

 

[phxOT]

I got a B in both lab and lecture I got in my first application cycle. They will definitely ask you about your past school history and why you needed 6 years to finish your BS, but they also love diversity and the fact that you had to work your way through school with un-supportive parents shows that you have what it takes to handle grad school and hopefully their program. Bring that up when you go through interviews. I would definitely get one more shadowing setting. Hand therapy and hippotherapy are very specialized; I think it would be good to get another in a setting that a new grad can get, such as a SNF. I had three: a SNF, hand therapy, and school-based. I also think your GPA is competitive so I wouldn't worry too much about that, just try to get observation hours in a few different places so the school see that you've seen therapy in multiple settings. What is stressful now will be worth it when you get accepted!

 

[otjchae]

Thanks for the replies! I actually just met with an adviser at my school and sadly have realized now that it will be an additional year to graduate because of the school's residency requirement-you have to have minimum 39 credit hours in upper level major courses. But I feel like that will at least offer a bit more of an explanation as to why it's taken even longer... I mean, at least it shows I've got the perserverance to keep going to school even if it's taking forever, right?

And yea, I definitely am planning on finding a more general setting...I might have a brief one set up in a hospital outpatient therapy program, but they only allow 8 hours maximum. I'm going to try and see if they'll let me do two of those though, or at least bump it up to 10 hours cause i know a lot of places won't count it unless it's 10 hours with the same OT. I've also got time now to get involved in some psychology research studies, so I plan on trying to get a position in a research setting that's as closely related to OT as possible.

So...you still think that I'd be fine, seeing as i'll have quite the journey for getting my BS?

 

[misseureka]

Hi otjchae,

Seems like we are in the same boat.
I'm going on my 7th year working on my BS.
I switched majors several times and transferred schools twice.
However, since I have the grades and strong GPA I'm confident in getting in to an ot program.
Life gets hard and throws people obstacle, which is exactly what happened for us both.
Emphasize your strengths and persistence, and I'm sure you'll get in.

Good luck!