School: University of California Santa Barbara
Major: B.A Economics/Mathematics & B.S. Statistics with an Actuarial Emphasis
B.A. & B.S. GPA: 3.14 (beautiful number to math nerds; not that helpful when applying to competitive schools)
School: San Francisco State University
Major/Emphasis: Single Subject Teaching Credential
Cumulative GPA: 3.33
Last 60 Units GPA: 3.95
Pre Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: 156V, 155Q, 4.0 Writing (this was my second attempt and my first attempt: I scored 147V, 152Q 3.5 W)
Volunteer:
100+hrs in a community-based setting participating in horticultural and gardening-related activities with: homeless veterans in a mental health facility, adults, teens, and children in a school-based garden program with adults, teens, and children, inpatient stroke rehabilitation clients in a skilled nursing hospital, and Spanish-speaking ex-convict women in recovery at a women's shelter.
100+hrs in a community-based setting at various community service events with the MOA Foundation: volunteered at Special Olympics, participated in a Boy Scouts tree planting project, facilitated in a flower arranging craft booth at a therapy farm, and fundraised and participated in National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).
100+hrs at a specialized therapeutic school that serves publicly and privately sponsored students with complex learning challenges in grades K-12.
Not related to working with OTs but I have several hundred hours leading and facilitating groups with mindfulness practices, yoga, and/or engaging in some way through having conversations, making bars of soap, making food, etc. I have done this for housing groups as well as for support groups for parents of children with developmental disabilities.
TOTAL: 300 hours
LORS: DSPS (Disabled Students Programs and Services) counselor I worked with, Physiology professor, OT I worked with at DIR/Floortime summer camps, OT I worked with and volunteered with, English Professor where I did a research paper on DIR/Floortime vs ABA Therapy
Job: Mathematics and Art High School Teacher at Comprehensive High Schools as well as Alternative/Continuation High Schools, and Specialized Schools with students with complex learning challenges, Academic and Executive Function Coordinator and Sensory-Enhanced Yoga Instructor at a center for young adults on the spectrum with co-occurring diagnoses, DIR/Floortime Developmental/Play Therapist for autistic children in homes, schools, during OT/Speech sessions, playgrounds, etc., three summers in a row I have traveled to Seattle from the Long Beach area to work at an amazing DIR/Floortime summer camp with phenomenal OTs, therapists, and autistic campers (life changing place to work).
Extras: Multiple yoga trainings (prison yoga training, trauma-informed yoga trainings sensory-enhanced yoga trainings for warriors at ease), California Single Subject Teaching credential,
Rejections: CSUDH (Nov. 2015 & 2018), Loma Linda (Jan. 2019)
Acceptances: USC
I’m posting this for those with low undergraduate GPAs like mine and for those that lose hope from time to time (as I did):
In 2015 when I applied to CSUDH, I thought I was going to be accepted because I had met the requirements. I had no idea how competitive it was until I spoke with the head of the OT department. She pulled out a list of applicants from a 14 page document and was looking for my name. I was on page 7. PAGE 7!!!! They had over 600 applications that year and I was probably ranked right in the middle at #300. I did not understand why this was the case given that I had great work and volunteer experience and given that I had a letter of recommendation from an OT professor whom I worked with and who taught at CSUDH! She explained that, due to the overwhelming amount of applicants, they do not look at candidates holistically and have had to come up with a system to narrow down the applicants. They focus on GRE scores, undergraduate GPA, and prerequisite GPA. It did not seem fair to me (I was in my feelings). I had two bachelor's degrees and a post bacc degree (teaching credential) and I thought those things were not fairly accounted for (again, I was in my feelings). The department chair said that the only way I can make myself more competitive is to increase my GRE score to at least 311 and to increase my writing score to a 4.0 but preferably a 4.5.
I was not able to work on my GRE until a few years later given how much I worked (I was holding down at times 3 jobs and one year I had 240 students on top of working after school and on weekends). There were times when I thought maybe I should just continue teaching and forget about pursuing my dream of being an OT but I knew I would not be 100% happy because I wanted to work 1:1 and I wanted to address more than academics. I ended up retaking the GRE in October of 2018 and received a higher score which would make me competitive at CSUDH. CSUDH rejected me. I applied to Loma Linda. I had an interview and did well on the interview but was rejected due to my low GPA. This left me confused. Why would Loma Linda put me through an interview when they could have rejected me prior to that if my GPA was not sufficient? This was in Jan 2019.
I felt defeated again but quickly came up with a new game plan which was to continue to apply to the competitive schools in California as well as schools outside of California which had lower GPA requirements. I never considered applying to USC due to the price tag. I also figured since they were ranked #3 in the US (talk about competitive) that I would not get in. I recently went to USC for a volunteer orientation at Keck Hospital because I wanted to expand my volunteer experience to hospital settings. I was blown away by what I saw and experienced at the orientation. People were happy to be there and there were graduate students sitting next to me from USC telling me how amazing their experience has been at USC. When I went to the Stanbridge orientation, the graduate students from one of the several programs yelled things like, "get out while you can" and "don't come here. It sucks." It was unsettling.
Something clicked in me that day at USC and that experience during orientation changed me. I was determined to get into USC and I knew I had to apply ASAP because my prerequisites were expiring for the next cycle (2020). I thought my chances of getting in were slim since I was applying late. I spent hours writing my personal statement and spent a couple of hours updating my resume and soon after turned in my application. Within a week, I was sent an acceptance letter! I am so overjoyed and cannot believe the hunt for finding an OT school has come to an end. I know USC comes with a huge price tag but I have been looking at ways to make it work. For instance, there are companies or hospitals that may offer to pay a chunk of your student loans for you. I have also looked into loan forgiveness programs which I participated in when I was a teacher and that seems doable.
Due to these experiences, I 100% believe that it is possible to get into OT school even if you have a low GPA. Here are my recommendations if you have a low GPA:
1. If your school requires the GRE, increase your score well-above the minimum GRE score for said school. Make your GRE competitive and ask the school what those numbers look like to be competitive.
2. Increase your GRE score by using platforms such as Magoosh and make a plan for when you will study and for how long. Break this task down into small manageable chunks like you would do for a student that you may be working with or with someone who has difficulties with executive functions.
3. If you get rejected, contact the school or the department head and set-up a face-to-face meeting if possible (I understand this is not feasible and if this is the case then have a phone or zoom/skype meeting) to find out the specifics as to why you were rejected if this is not written in your rejection letter.
4. Apply to several schools (not just competitive schools, or schools that are only in a specific geographic location, or the cheapest schools, etc.). You'll need to do research to find out which schools look at applicants holistically, which schools look at the last 60 units to calculate your GPA,and the like. Get specific.
5. Ask people on here for help/guidance. There are several people on this website that have struggled and have had to problem solve to figure out how to overcome said challenge. You are not alone in this.
6. Put yourself in challenging situations: take a class that is going to challenge you even if you do not need to take it. I took public speaking. I am comfortable speaking in front of my students but I would often times have difficulty speaking in front of my peers and this class helped make the experience much more enjoyable despite it being challenging.
7. Make all of this fun if possible and have a team of people that support you like friends or family or even people on this platform. We are social people, even introverts, and it is through our connections that we can become stronger and more resilient.
Good luck everyone! Fight on! Please feel free to reach out to me for any questions.
