General Admissions & OTCAS Help with Pre-reqs

[NYY13251]

Hey everyone,
I am currently taking pre-reqs and hope to apply to OT programs this summer/winter for Fall 2018. I am having a little trouble and need some advice! I am willing to go anywhere and plan on applying to as many school as I can. I did not take the GRE. I do not plan on taking it. I did not do well on the SAT and I struggle with those sort of test. I can study for months and months and still struggle. A lot of schools do not require it. I took Anatomy last semester and worked my butt off and got an A and am currently taking Anatomy 2. In the summer, I plan on taking statistics (online) and sociology. I have found that most schools want :
Anatomy 1&2
Stats
General Psy
Abnormal Psy
Sociology
Human Development
I am trying to stick to schools that require just that. I know some schools want Physics and I am hoping I would be able to take that, once I know I got in. Did you take certain classes just for one school? Sometimes a school will require a class that no other school requires. Financially, I can’t start taking just one class just for one school. If I have to take physics, I will, but I really struggle with some of these classes. I read on this forum about people applying to 10 schools and getting rejected by all. I can’t help but feel like I will be one of them! I am currently shadowing an OT, I graduated with a 3.2, I do extremely well on interviews and writing essays.
Guess I am just looking for advice on these pre-reqs and what to do next!
Thanks!

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[OT fall '17]

hey! when i was applying, i tried to only look into schools that had the same basic prereqs: anat 1 and 2, stats, abnormal psych, lifespan psych, and another basic psych. I would recommend that you try to look for schools that have basic prereqs and no GRE requirement. But lots of schools will have one extra random prereq (chem, physics, anthro, intro OT, medical term, etc)

It's really good that you are getting the anatomy 1 and 2 out of the way early. i think it will be best for you if you can have all your prereqs completed by the time you apply in the fall, so that you can use the spring semester to take any of those extra prereq courses that you might have to take.

If you use OTCAS, you will have a place where you can state your "planned" courses. This means that--for the schools that require physics, or intro to OT, or medical terminology, or whatever the irregular course may be--you can just put it as "planned" for the Spring of 2018. Most schools will let you know whether or not you are accepted by the winter. So if you get into a school that needs an extra prereq, you can still sign up to take the course in the spring. This way, you won't have to actually pay for the course unless you know that you are accepted and you want to go there.

good luck

 

[NYY13251]

Thanks!

That's my goal. I am going to take Stats online this summer and Sociology in a 5 week course in June. This way by August, the major ones will be done and I can continue to focus on observation hours. But you are right, so many schools have that 1 extra pre-req. It drives me crazy but hopefully a lot are OK with me applying and still needing one more course. I am currently trying to make an official list of schools I am going to apply to so I can contact them and make sure all of my pre-reqs will transfer over. My biggest concern would be having to take physics. I don't mind if I need a medical term but I want to avoid physics.

 

[OThopeful97]

Hey everyone,
I am currently taking pre-reqs and hope to apply to OT programs this summer/winter for Fall 2018. I am having a little trouble and need some advice! I am willing to go anywhere and plan on applying to as many school as I can. I did not take the GRE. I do not plan on taking it. I did not do well on the SAT and I struggle with those sort of test. I can study for months and months and still struggle. A lot of schools do not require it. I took Anatomy last semester and worked my butt off and got an A and am currently taking Anatomy 2. In the summer, I plan on taking statistics (online) and sociology. I have found that most schools want :
Anatomy 1&2
Stats
General Psy
Abnormal Psy
Sociology
Human Development
I am trying to stick to schools that require just that. I know some schools want Physics and I am hoping I would be able to take that, once I know I got in. Did you take certain classes just for one school? Sometimes a school will require a class that no other school requires. Financially, I can’t start taking just one class just for one school. If I have to take physics, I will, but I really struggle with some of these classes. I read on this forum about people applying to 10 schools and getting rejected by all. I can’t help but feel like I will be one of them! I am currently shadowing an OT, I graduated with a 3.2, I do extremely well on interviews and writing essays.
Guess I am just looking for advice on these pre-reqs and what to do next!
Thanks!

What are your other stats if you don't mind me asking? Like shadowing hours, volunteer/work experience, etc? I was in the same boat as you and took the most common prereqs. I didn't take the GRE either (had every intention to but decided it wouldn't help my stats lol). I would make an excel spreadsheet of every school you will have most of the requirements for and then narrow it down from there. If you find that say 3 of the schools require the same extra prereq and you really want to go to those schools, then maybe its worth taking. I know how you feel though...I didn't want to spend the extra time and money on an extra class with no guarantee of even getting in. So I thought long and hard about how much I really cared to go to that school and also what my chances were (for ex, if they only accept like 15 students, I would not unless you have amazing stats). There are lots of schools that accept 50+ students (one school even 150+ but I think that's way too many).

I don't think you should blindly apply to as many schools as you can. Really do your research on the schools...see how many students they accept, what they are looking for in an applicant, etc. Some schools rely heavily on GPA while others might be looking for applicants who are "service-oriented." Also don't forget about non-OTCAS schools. You might need to write an extra essay, but it seems like that won't be a problem for you

 

[OT fall '17]

Thanks!

That's my goal. I am going to take Stats online this summer and Sociology in a 5 week course in June. This way by August, the major ones will be done and I can continue to focus on observation hours. But you are right, so many schools have that 1 extra pre-req. It drives me crazy but hopefully a lot are OK with me applying and still needing one more course. I am currently trying to make an official list of schools I am going to apply to so I can contact them and make sure all of my pre-reqs will transfer over. My biggest concern would be having to take physics. I don't mind if I need a medical term but I want to avoid physics.

if you have every other prereq done (especially anat and phys 1 and 2) then the schools will have enough to go on to make a decision. in my experience, that one extra random prereq that wasn't completed by the time of my application didn't hinder me. As long as you have the 6 core ones complete, then they should be able to see what kind of student you are! and then if they do accept you, it's normally under the condition that you get a baseline grade (some schools want a B, some schools only need a C). should be no problem, as long as you have all the other prereqs done when applying!

 

[NYY13251]

What are your other stats if you don't mind me asking? Like shadowing hours, volunteer/work experience, etc? I was in the same boat as you and took the most common prereqs. I didn't take the GRE either (had every intention to but decided it wouldn't help my stats lol). I would make an excel spreadsheet of every school you will have most of the requirements for and then narrow it down from there. If you find that say 3 of the schools require the same extra prereq and you really want to go to those schools, then maybe its worth taking. I know how you feel though...I didn't want to spend the extra time and money on an extra class with no guarantee of even getting in. So I thought long and hard about how much I really cared to go to that school and also what my chances were (for ex, if they only accept like 15 students, I would not unless you have amazing stats). There are lots of schools that accept 50+ students (one school even 150+ but I think that's way too many).

I don't think you should blindly apply to as many schools as you can. Really do your research on the schools...see how many students they accept, what they are looking for in an applicant, etc. Some schools rely heavily on GPA while others might be looking for applicants who are "service-oriented." Also don't forget about non-OTCAS schools. You might need to write an extra essay, but it seems like that won't be a problem for you

I graduated with a 3.0 I just started shadowing at my job (i work with seniors). so I am going to get several hours done each week and trying to focus another place to observe. Not easy! I have worked with children and adults with various disabilities in recreational settings, i have worked at nursing home, assisted living facilities. Pretty much i have spent my life working with seniors and also have experience with kids.

Yeah, that's smart to look at how many each school will accept. But i have started a spreadsheet and once i get a decent list i will narrow it down. I do look at the numbers and see how much students they take/passing rate etc. That's obviously a factor as well.

Thanks for your response!

 

[NYY13251]

if you have every other prereq done (especially anat and phys 1 and 2) then the schools will have enough to go on to make a decision. in my experience, that one extra random prereq that wasn't completed by the time of my application didn't hinder me. As long as you have the 6 core ones complete, then they should be able to see what kind of student you are! and then if they do accept you, it's normally under the condition that you get a baseline grade (some schools want a B, some schools only need a C). should be no problem, as long as you have all the other prereqs done when applying!

That's the plan! I just got a response from one school that needs a general bio. But everything else was accepted, which was good and i also have to complete the ones i am taking this summer. But i like hearing that they accept the ones i took and that they don't require physics..

Do most schools accept Statistics online? The few i have asked said Yes, but I wonder if most schools do.

 

[NYY13251]

bump because I have another question.. When do most people hear from schools after applying? I found that between the schools I am applying too, 3 of them wants an extra class. General Bio, Medical Terminology, and a Kinesiology... Depending on the schools, I may need another Psy since its been over 5 years (its been 7). I plan on taking maybe 1-2 of those classes in the Fall, but part of me wonders if I can just wait until I hear and then take it in the Spring, but I don't know if I would hear by then. Would I have time to take it over the Summer? Were you in this position? What did you do?

 

[proapplicant]

I think if you apply to schools with rolling admission you hear earlier than if there is a general deadline. You should definitely call the schools you're applying to and ask- the waiting to hear plan seems risky.