Holistic Approach to Admissions

[ErinOT]

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I will be applying for 2014. I have a low GPA from undergrad (3.0) but with my subsequent prerequisites I believe I have brought it up to a 3.28. I'll have a 4.0 for most pre-req calculations. I got a 153 Quantitative, 161 Qualitative and 4.5 AW on the GRE.

This is a career change for me. I previously worked in non-profit organizations which focused on public health. I think my experience in this field will help my applications because I worked with many different populations such as breast cancer patients and survivors as well as individuals and families struggling with Alzheimer's disease.

I've also accumulated 100+ hours of observations spread between an in-patient hospital, outpatient hand therapy clinic, and elementary school. I volunteer regularly at an adaptive gym and pediatric hydrotherapy sessions.

Do people here have recommendations for schools that will look at candidates more holistically? Many schools I call are pretty up front about placing a large emphasis on the cumulative GPA. Has anyone found schools that will take all experience into account?

 

[OTtoBe2013]

If you are willing to go the OTD route Pacific University absolutely does. I only have a 3.1 overall GPA and still got in. It is a great program. I have tons of experience including being a primary caregiver for my mom who had FTD, work with youth in the justice system and my current job as a case manager for adults with DD. I also showed strength because my brother and mom both died when I was young. There is no doubt in my mind that they actually look at the whole person.

 

[BHSUStudent]

Most of the private schools from my experience are less competitive, and therefore place less emphasis on the GPA. As you may already know, the mean and standard deviation/variation of the last entering class will give you a statistical means to measure how heavily GPA is weighed.

AT Still university puts much emphasis on whole person treatment, and I am willing to bet that they also look at applicants as a whole person as well. Their requirements seem to be more lenient. Though, it is a private school and as a result, may be more expensive to attend.

 

[prodigiousflame]

you know what confuses me about the arizona schools is I've looked in the sticky and read peoples posts who have had a GPA around 3.3 and they've gotten rejected from them. I've yet to speak to anybody who has a lower GPA who has gotten into those schools. I'm confused as to why as I also thought that they'd be more lenient. But I could be wrong and I obviously don't know everyone whose applied to the AZ programs.

 

[BHSUStudent]

I don't know, though I think it's all going to depend on a number of factors. They have a minimum GPA requirement of 2.75 from what I remember, which is on the lower end. They recently decreased the GRE/GPA requirement from 3.5 to 3.0 (so the GRE isn't needed if you have at least a 3.0 GPA).

I think it's mostly about supply and demand. They are going to give consideration to the most qualified applicants. If a program is saturated with many qualified applicants, it's going to get harder to get in if you don't have top stats. Phoenix is the 6th largest city in the US, and they only have 2 schools, so I am sure they are saturated with many student applications.

As long as someone stands out somehow above the pool of applicants while meeting minimum requirements, I think they have a shot of getting in. The original poster has a lot of experience/dedication in areas related to OT and public health, so I am sure she will stand out more, despite the GPA being on the lower end. She has more to bring to a graduate program and student body, than say a person with a 3.8 GPA, but only 20 observation hours and little experience in OT or healthcare. GPA isn't everything. IMO, it's just a way of culling the pool of applicants to make the admissions process faster and decrease administrative load, and especially comes into play when there is high saturation.

Think from the perspective of the admissions committee. If you have 400 applications, but only 30 seats, you need a way to decrease that number quickly so it is easier to make decisions. There is a deadline, and all seats need to be filled. You also want high quality students that demonstrate that they are able to perform under academic pressure, as graduate school is much more rigorous than undergraduate studies. If a student drops out of the program, that is a loss of money as that seat could have been filled by someone who is more resilient under the same academic pressure.

So essentially, they are looking for certain qualities within the student, and GPA happens to be one indicator, though it is not necessarily the most reliable indicator, and so you would want to take a look at the rest of the student's credentials, what benefits they would bring to the graduate program and student body, etc.