CSUDH Discussion

[DaisyMama]

Hey-I'm applying to CSUDH OT this September.

Im hoping to get in-like everybody else-

but in the case that I don't get in this year and I have to reapply next year:

Does everybody just go back and ask the same people for another letter of rec, or do you ask for several copies initially to use in case you have to apply again?

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[eedee]

Not sure if this has been answered before but for CSU Mentor did you make your essay/ personal statement generalized or OT specific?

 

[alansda]

Has anyone sent in their application yet? Are you guys just sending all the materials in a folder or some binder? I bought a thin presentation folder with plastic sleeves so I could place the envelopes from the letters and transcripts without having to fasten them somehow. What mailing service are you guys using? USPS? FedEx?

I was told by Admissions & Records to send my official transcripts a few days after I submitted the CSU Mentor application so they could be placed properly in the student file.

I was initially a bit concerned that since my GRE score report would also have the names of other schools I'll be applying that it would affect their decisions but after browsing through forums and other places, it shouldn't affect their admissions decisions.

 

[hotpebbles]

what???? can't you just staple the application and send it in a big envelope? i'm going to send it in tomorrow.....

 

[hotpebbles]

anybody adding observation verification form w/ time sheet?

 

[peachiepizzazz]

definitely OT specific. They've been quite vague about what the essay is actually used for, but I figured as long as the admissions committee has access to it I might as well give them something to read that could potentially give them more info about why I decided to do OT.

Another question:
I only recently submitted my CSU Mentor app. getting kind of scared because I didn't realize it would take a few days for them to send my ID #. Can anyone else who applied share how long it took between the time you submitted the online application to when they e-mailed you with that information?
Thanks!

 

[hotpebbles]

i don't remember exactly, but like 3 business days back in August?
but it may take longer if you live in different state. i live like 30 mins. away from CSUDH.

 

[alansda]

I applied to CSU Mentor last week and still haven't received the ID#. Admissions told me that I should be getting it this week. I called the OT department asking if I can send the application without the number and they said it's OK as long as I show the CSU Mentor confirmation page/number as part of the packet.

I'm going to wait until Wednesday for the ID# at the latest.

 

[eedee]

I submitted my CSU Mentor App August 31st, got my ID number in the mail yesterday. Going to express FedEx my app tonight!

 

[Ivan Velazquez]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to this forum and I am really interested in applying to CSUDH OT program. I currently work at a non-profit with a bunch of OT's, LMFT's, MSW's so I can possibly do my hours at work. I will be starting to take the Pre-Requisites starting in January 2014. I have my Bachelors in Human Services from Springfield College. I finished with a 3.456 GPA. I know that I need to study for my GRE and take them soon so I can know where to study and improve as I have read that GRE scores matter a lot. My real questions is how hard is it to work and go through the program? Has anyone worked and done school at the same time? I have attended the orientation and from what I heard, it sounds pretty intense. Is kind of hard to not work with a family and kids. I dont want to go too much into debt so working would be ideal to do while in the program.

Thank you for anyone that can assist with some info.
Ivan

 

[Gemut]

From what has been made clear to me, the CSU-DH program is a full time job. If you have family duties on top of that, that is another significant time commitment. To consider working in addition to that to prevent excessive debt may make graduating an iffier proposition.

First thing first. You have GRE's and prerequisites to complete in order for this to be anything other than an academic question. Measure the time it takes to do very well on all your prerequisites while working full time to gauge the demand on available time. My reason for focusing on CSU-DH is the tuition is affordable enough to finance without working. When preparing for a hands on profession, it is not a bad idea to focus predominately, if not exclusively, on preparing yourself for that practice.

 

[cck]

I applied a few weeks ago as well. This will be my first time.

Stats:
Undergrad: 3.8
Prereq: 4.0
GRE: verbal- 159 quant- 153 writing- 5.5
excellent letters of rec
97 observation hours

I'm waiting to hear back from DH, and if I don't get in, then will have to apply to USC, which I really hope I don't have to resort to, due to the cost factor.

I really am nervous to be applying and I see many people have outstanding stats and still get waitlisted or don't get in at all.

Good luck to everyone that applied! I heard that about 375-400 people applied this year!

 

[peachiepizzazz]

Woah! I just got a call from CSUDH OT department inviting me for an interview. i am so confused, I thought they didn't do them(?)...anyone else get this call? no idea what to expect!

 

[mamadealex]

Woah! I just got a call from CSUDH OT department inviting me for an interview. i am so confused, I thought they didn't do them(?)...anyone else get this call? no idea what to expect!

Congrats! I'm glad that they are not just looking at numbers. That said, Would you mind giving us your stats?

 

[peachiepizzazz]

Congrats! I'm glad that they are not just looking at numbers. That said, Would you mind giving us your stats?

haha no worries, i know it helps me to see peoples stats too, so here goes:

Undergrad GPA: 3.73 in ethnic studies
Prereq GPA: 3.85 -ish...not sure really. A's in everything but a B- in stats (blech)
GRE: Verbal: 160 Quant: 150 Writing: 5
Volunteer: 146 in pediatric clinic, 46 in skilled nursing facility, 8 in hand therapy office
I'm guessing my letters of rec were probably pretty standard, nothing incredibly special but probably at least decent..haha wish my recommenders had given me copies

 

[alansda]

I remember at an information session the director of admissions, Eric Hwang, said that they don't do interviews any more because they are short on staff, but they only do them if they have a question or have a concern about an application. Anyway, good luck! Try to find out when they'll start to mail out letters

 

[peachiepizzazz]

I remember at an information session the director of admissions, Eric Hwang, said that they don't do interviews any more because they are short on staff, but they only do them if they have a question or have a concern about an application. Anyway, good luck! Try to find out when they'll start to mail out letters

oh geez really? their website just says they *might* schedule interviews. hopefully it's not because of a concern...though i think it would be quite odd to ask applicants to drive 6 hours down to southern california to interview if they just wanted to work out a concern...

dunno i guess we shall see soon enough!

 

[Gemut]

I got an interview invitation today as well. It would be great to hear if any other CSU-DH applicants here got that call.

In reviewing the possibly outdated, perhaps now back in date, OT admissions website, an interview is required. In the same paragraph, however, it states a minimum combined GRE score of 800 is necessary for admission, so that sentence is in need of updating. Whatever the case may be, they are doing at interviews for some applicants this admissions cycle.

 

[cck]

I also got that call. My interview is on Tuesday.

 

[OTlady90]

I have an interview with DH too! Mine is this Friday morning. I wonder what type of questions they will be asking? I hope that this is just part of the process and they don't have any concerns about my app! Good luck to everyone, interview or not!

 

[hotpebbles]

OTlady90,

when did you apply to CSUDH? and do you mind posting your stats?

it seems like they are doing interviews for ppl w/ excellent stats, not the ones w/ concern.
personally, don't like the way things are going.... why interview all of a sudden when they haven't for years.

 

[cck]

I asked a current CSUDH student why they decided to do interviews, thinking she would have some insight. She said that the staff made it seem like they were always too short staffed to conduct the interviews. Who knows. Has anyone went through with the interview yet?

 

[JeanGrey]

Hey Guys!

I just had my interview with the MSOT Admissions staff yesterday, which was a both exciting and nerve-racking. I was given a call Friday and asked if I could come in for an interview Monday, so they don't give you very much notice for scheduling the interview.

The interview itself is with two faculty members who sit across from a table and ask you about nine generic questions. The whole interview is really to get a feel for your personality and understanding of the OT profession.

As they were interviewing me I caught a glimpse of the rubric they had, and I noticed one interviewer gave me a score of "5" for each question. Does anyone know what kind of scoring scale they use for their interview questions?

By the way, it's always nice to see stats, so here are mine:

Undergraduate GPA: 3.78
GRE: Quant; 153 Qual: 157 Writing: 4.0
Great Letters of Rec

I know my stats aren't amazing, so I am really hoping that the interview scale is from 1-5!

 

[JeanGrey]

I remember at an information session the director of admissions, Eric Hwang, said that they don't do interviews any more because they are short on staff, but they only do them if they have a question or have a concern about an application. Anyway, good luck! Try to find out when they'll start to mail out letters

There is no way they would waste resources to interview applicants who have issues with their applications. My theory is that they choose a GPA and GRE cutoff score, and anyone who exceeds both cutoff scores is brought in for an interview. We can assume they are interviewing the top scoring 100 applicants, that way they have some selective leeway and can simply choose the best 66-70.

That's my theory anyway.

 

[OTlady90]

My stats:
GRE highest combined score of Verbal 163 Quant 153 AW 4.5
Undergrad gpa-3.84
Major gpa-3.98
Hours at time of application: 95 at hospital stroke unit & 75 at PEDs clinic
I'm assuming my letters were decent, but didn't see them so I'm not for sure.

I'm super excited for the interview but def anxious. Just gotta relax!
Is anyone applying to USC right now too? There and DH are the only places I'm applying as of now but DH is top choice.

 

[OTlady90]

Oh and I submitted application (in person bc I live very close) first week of Sept. I think 9/6.

JeanGrey, thanks for the info! how long did the interview last? Also did they give you any inclination of when decisions might be made? Or when you might find out?

 

[alansda]

I'll admit that when the director said to the group about the "only if we have a concern or a question" reservation I also thought it was strange but I'm only relaying what he said.

To those who have already had the interview, what more information can you give us?

It's worth noticing that the four people here who have gotten an interview invitation and have provided stats, their numbers seem above average--I would say they make very competitive applicants. I think this is the first year (using other csudh threads on this and another forum as a source) that they're inviting people to interview in a while. I wonder why they've resorted to this.

For the record, I did not get invited and these are my stats:
GPA: 3.1
Prereq GPA: 4.0
GRE: 162 V, 153 Q, 5.0 AWA
Great letters, 80 volunteer hours in two settings, same population

 

[OTlady90]

Alansda-your GRE scores are great; I would think you have a very good chance. It is still early, with another month till applicants are notified, and plenty of time for more interviews. They may be inviting students for interviews in batches. We simply don't know but I hope you stay positive! After my interview tomorrow I'll post any other info that might be helpful.

 

[alansda]

Thanks OTlady! Shortly after reading your post I got a phone call from CSUDH to schedule an interview Well, good luck everyone! Anyone traveling from NorCal?

 

[peachiepizzazz]

Thanks OTlady! Shortly after reading your post I got a phone call from CSUDH to schedule an interview Well, good luck everyone! Anyone traveling from NorCal?

I live in norcal but requested a phone interview because I am not in a position where I can leave work for that long to go drive the 6 hours down there. :-/ Hopefully it's not a disadvantage!

 

[Gemut]

I am traveling down from norcal because I want to meet the admissions committee in person. It is a significant financial hit when the flight and missing work are combined but I do not want to get the skinny envelope.

I have to say it is an interesting shift for the admissions committee to return to interviews after having not done them the last couple of years. I would love to know what drove that decision. Even more confounding is the very short notice for those applicants from afar. Schools which do interviews usually let you know a window of time to keep available in case you are chosen to interview.

 

[alansda]

I noticed that the site now has an important announcement:

Beginning Spring 2015 program admission, MSOT Program applicants need to have completed all admission requirements, including the Bachelors degree and all prerequisite courses before application packet submission that is due on September 15, 2014.

This is a huge change in policy as people will now need to have a Bachelors degree in their hands, have completed all of their prereqs, and have the 80 volunteer hours done. This will significantly curb down the amount of applications they will receive next year and I'm guessing it is related to why they are doing interviews this year.

On the topic of interviews, any more insight to those who have done them? How long did the process take? Remember any specific questions? How were people dressed?

 

[JeanGrey]

I noticed that the site now has an important announcement:



This is a huge change in policy as people will now need to have a Bachelors degree in their hands, have completed all of their prereqs, and have the 80 volunteer hours done. This will significantly curb down the amount of applications they will receive next year and I'm guessing it is related to why they are doing interviews this year.

On the topic of interviews, any more insight to those who have done them? How long did the process take? Remember any specific questions? How were people dressed?

So in years prior they didn't require applicants to have everything completed by the time they apply? I wonder if that change in policy will make admission less competitive this year.

As far as the interview goes, of course you want to dress professionally and let your personality shine through. There will be two faculty members interviewing you, and there are 9 generic questions. Since we're all technically competing for these spots, I'm not going to give out the questions. However, knowing the questions won't help you much anyways. It comes down to how well you communicate and whether or not they like you.

Letters should be sent out by the end of November, which is still quite a bit of a wait. I'll post as soon as I receive anything from them.

Best of luck guys!

 

[LAOT]

Has anyone who interviewed heard back yet?

I still have not gotten a call for an interview, and I am starting to panic! I am wondering if they are calling for interviews on a rolling basis...and how long they will interview for. I am trying to realistically determine whether I have a shot or if I need to place a greater emphasis on other programs :/

 

[DaisyMama]

Has anyone who interviewed heard back yet?

I still have not gotten a call for an interview, and I am starting to panic! I am wondering if they are calling for interviews on a rolling basis...and how long they will interview for. I am trying to realistically determine whether I have a shot or if I need to place a greater emphasis on other programs :/

I was wondering the same thing. I already know that I didn't get in, though. My stats are not as good as those that were chosen for interviews and so I'm pretty bummed...They are probably interviewing those with great grades/scores. Of course I still have a glimmer of hope, but am now looking at USC. I really want to go to CSUDH but there's nothing I can do about my undergrad GPA (3.2). I wish they would look at my graduate GPA in Education (3.8). I have great letters of rec but I think they are emphasizing quantitative achievement. I wish they would admit two cohorts per year, like a spring and fall admission.

 

[JeanGrey]

Hey guys,

I was interviewed Monday 10/14, and I haven't heard anything back yet. I was told they would send out letters by the end of November, but I recall them saying they have made the process more efficient, so we may hear back sooner.
I totally know the anxiety and anticipation you guys are going through.
I quit my career back in June and moved out of my 2 story condo to live back home... all to "try" and get in to this program. I wish it was easier, but I suppose if it was, the field would become saturated and the profession wouldn't be as desirable.

Good luck guys, will keep ya'll posted.

 

[excited.futureOT2014]

Just got my acceptance letter in the mail today! Super stoked! (but also still waiting to hear from SJSU...)

 

[alansda]

Just got my acceptance letter in the mail today! Super stoked! (but also still waiting to hear from SJSU...)

Whoa, that is so unusual for admissions to be sent early! Did you also interview? Did your status change on myCSUDH? Mind sharing your stats?

Sorry for all of the questions and CONGRATULATIONS!

 

[excited.futureOT2014]

Whoa, that is so unusual for admissions to be sent early! Did you also interview? Did your status change on myCSUDH? Mind sharing your stats?

Sorry for all of the questions and CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks!! Yeah, I was pretty surprised too! I got a letter in the mail from the department, with a confirmation form, but my status on my mycsudh still says "sent to the dept. for review". I went to an interview on Tuesday 10/15.

Here are my stats:
Undergraduate GPA: 3.97
Pre-req GPA: 4.0
GRE: Math:151 Verbal: 150 AWA: 4
210+ observation hours (in 3 different settings, 2 different populations)
I also worked as a student researcher for 2 years, along with having a lot of other volunteer and service experience
I am also pretty sure that I had great LORs, and that the interview went really well.

Hope this helps and that you guys hear good news from them soon as well!!

 

[cck]

I also got my acceptance letter today! I was concerned since the envelope was normal sized, and i've come to expect bad news in small letters and good news in bigger envelopes, but low and behold, good news! I'm very surprised they sent out letters this soon. I also had my interview on 10/15.

I'm very excited! CSUDH was my first choice and I did not want to go to USC due to the cost factor, so I couldn't be happier :]


Best of luck to everyone!!

 

[peachiepizzazz]

Just to keep you guys updated with the adcom's process/for future applicants, I just got a call for a second-round interview at CSUDH (after having my first round interview just last wednesday). They wanted me to come to campus for it, but I live quite far away (norcal) so agreed to a skype interview. The woman in the office told me she was trying to schedule everyone between Monday-Thursday of next week. looks like they've accepted those with the highest stats and are slowly whittling the rest of us down!

 

[hotpebbles]

Just to keep you guys updated with the adcom's process/for future applicants, I just got a call for a second-round interview at CSUDH (after having my first round interview just last wednesday). They wanted me to come to campus for it, but I live quite far away (norcal) so agreed to a skype interview. The woman in the office told me she was trying to schedule everyone between Monday-Thursday of next week. looks like they've accepted those with the highest stats and are slowly whittling the rest of us down!

what??? so you had phone interview and ANOTHER interview via skype?????

 

[OTGUY4LIFE]

hey all

 

[alansda]

I just received the acceptance letter in the mail too!

My interview was on Oct 22 and I posted my stats in this thread before. I'm still waiting on San Jose State but it's such a big relief to know that I will be an OT someday. Congratulations to everyone that received the letter! For those who have not heard back yet, there's still plenty of time to hear back from DH.

 

[OT88]

I also received my acceptance letter today, I interviewed on Oct 15 as well.
Undergrad GPA: 3.6
Major: Psychology Minor: Family Studies Human Dev
Prereq GPA:3.7
GRE V: 154 Q:147 - 5
150+ hours in 2 settings, mental health and pediatrics
Great letters of rec and lifelong experience with OT.

Good luck everyone! Excited for orientation!

 

[peachiepizzazz]

what??? so you had phone interview and ANOTHER interview via skype?????

Yeah I feel like it's a bit overboard with the interviews at this point..like, what new thing are they going to ask me that they didn't the first time?? Kinda confused around the whole thing, especially since it sounds like they're already sending out some acceptances. odd but i guess im still in the running so i suppose it can't be all bad

 

[OTandMore]

got the acceptance friday. interview was two weeks ago. Can someone make a FB group?

 

[Ot_898]

Yeah I feel like it's a bit overboard with the interviews at this point..like, what new thing are they going to ask me that they didn't the first time?? Kinda confused around the whole thing, especially since it sounds like they're already sending out some acceptances. odd but i guess im still in the running so i suppose it can't be all bad

I also have a second interview. I don't really know what to expect. I'm wondering if it will be with different people from the committee? I had a phone interview as well, so maybe they just want to meet us in person. Let me know how yours goes, and good luck!

 

[JeanGrey]

Man,

I still haven't heard anything back yet.
I have a 3.78 gpa in Human Development, 153 Quant., 157 Qual, 4 Analytical Writing.
Approximately 120+ volunteer hours at a hand therapy clinic and at a pediatric cerebral palsy clinic.
I thought the interview went well, but perhaps my stats just aren't stacking up.

I was interviewed on Monday 10/14, and I have not been contacted for a 2nd interview.
Gah, I quit my career to pursue this, I really hope it pays off!

Feeling very uncertain
Good luck everyone.

 

[NI200]

for those of you who were interviewed, do you happen to remember which faculty members are doing the interviews?