Info on WestCoast University Los Angeles

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OhYeahOT

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I just found out that West Coast University is starting a Masters in Occupational Therapy program in the Los Angeles campus this year. They are still waiting for accreditation by June 2013 and their website their very first cohort class is scheduled to start this Fall 2013.Is there anyone out there who has applied an admitted to their program that can share some insight like # of applicants versus # admitted to the program, the interview process, how long from when applied to hearing back on acceptance?
Any info would help since this is a new program for them and there are are few statistics on their website.
Thank you
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good find Yeah, I would be interested too since I'm in the area. I just called them and they said they're waiting to get their accreditation and then they'll be releasing details. They also collected my contact information, so if you want them to contact you about their program I would just call the number on the site.
 
Thanks for posting about this! I am very interested to find out more information too. Let me know if you hear anything :)
 
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I am from Southern Cali so this find was promising. I signed up for their April 6th information session. Cost seems average to all other private colleges. 24 month program sounds awesome. Also state of the art facilities.
Lets keep each other posted on this thread with any new info.
 
Hi OTtoBe2013,
14 ? WOW ! Where did you get this info? And is it for Fall 2013 or Spring 2014?
 
fourteen???

15wf11l.jpg
 
I talked to the director. He said they wanted to keep it small for the first round of students. *Note: he only mentioned the fall start date. He did say specifically around 14 students. It sounded like they plan to increase thier numbers after the first round. I talked to him last week. It sounds like it is going to be pretty competitive. There will be an interview, too. He also said that out of state fieldwork is a possibility. =)

I am a bit weary about the accredidation part because, I believe, even after this summer, it will not be fully accredidated. I think (I forgot to ask about this part). And, I am not sure when it will be fully accredidated. Graduating from a non-accredidated school may make finding a decent job nearly impossible. Thoughts? Anyone know anything different in regards to this?
 
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Thanks for the info. That is a very small class size but I am sure they are doing it because it is the very first class in the program. As far as accreditation goes, there website states students will be able to sit and take the national certification exam once which is required in order to practice in any state. I suggest anyone interested to attend their information session in April. I will post more info as I receive.
 
Thanks...but just because you can take the test doesnt mean it will be accredidated. anyway i cant go to the session so please keep us all updated. thank you so much!!!!
 
OTtoBe2013 said:
Thanks...but just because you can take the test doesnt mean it will be accredidated. anyway i cant go to the session so please keep us all updated. thank you so much!!!!
Click to expand...

Actually I think you can't sit for the NBCOT if the school is not accredited. I thought that was the whole point of being accredited. Can anyone tell me for sure if I'm wrong about this?
 
I am so confused. . I know there are different stages of the accredidation process

It says Pending WASC approval, the anticipated start date for the inaugural cohort will be fall 2013, with the first class graduating at the end of the summer 2015 trimester.


Also,...
Taken from WestCoast University website
This program is pending WASC accreditation. The WASC Substantive Change Committee has scheduled review of this application for June 2013.

The Master in Sciences in OT at West Coast University has achieved Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) located at:

4720 Montgomery Lane
P.O. Box 31220
Bethesda, MD 20824-1220
(301) 652-(AOTA) 2682

Once accreditation of the program has been granted, its graduates will be eligible to take the national certification examination for the occupational therapy administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an occupational therapist. In addition, most states in the USA require licensure in order to practice and licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to take the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

For further information, see the requirements listed on the NBCOT website: http://www.nbcot.org/


I still dont think they will be fully accredidated before the first class starts. They will simply have approval to accept students. Accredidation comes next....I believe in 2014....according to the OATO website for occupational therapy

***could use clarification****
 
So if one's school becomes accredited in the middle of one's time there, one cannot take the NBCOT exam?
 
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bebob said:
So if one's school becomes accredited in the middle of one's time there, one cannot take the NBCOT exam?
Click to expand...

I believe you can't sit for the exam until the school is fully accredited. So say you start your program 2013 and the school is not accredited. It's alright as long as the school gets accredited before you take the NBCOT in 2015. If they're still not accredited by the time you finish the program you cannot sit for the exam. That's my understanding.
 
I think OTdream is headed in the right direction. I don't think you can sit for the state exam if the school is not accredited.
Like WestCoast website states, they have already received the approval that their program is worthy enough to have graduates sit for the board test. " The Master in Sciences in OT at West Coast University has achieved Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)."

The school is simply waiting for accreditation from WASC which grants schools who "have been reviewed and the educational programs that are offered have been evaluated for quality and currentness," (http://www.acswasc.org/faq.htm#1).
I don't think there are stages of accreditation. Once accredited, the school is good for 6 years until next evaluation.

According to WASC own website "WASC accreditation is retroactive to cover the entire school year for the first year a school is accredited," which seems that students would be covered even if accreditation was granted while students were already enrolled in the OT program
 
There are indeed stages. Check out OATA occupational therapy website:

Accredited Entry-Level OT and OTA Programs
In order to be eligible to sit for the NBCOT certification examination, one must graduate from an ACOTE-accredited program. Read more about the difference between these accredited programs.



OT Doctoral-Level Programs - Accredited


OT Master's-Level Programs - Accredited


OTA Programs - Accredited


Developing Programs (Step 2 of the Initial Accreditation Process)
New programs that are not yet accredited but have completed the first step in the 3-step initial accreditation process. Read more about the process here.



OT Doctoral-Level Programs - Developing


OT Master's-Level Programs - Developing


OTA Programs - Developing


Applicant Programs (Step 1 of the Initial Accreditation Process)
New educational programs seeking accreditation (not yet holding Candidacy Status). Until Candidacy Status has been granted by ACOTE, these programs cannot admit students into the OT or OTA program.



OT Doctoral-Level Applicant Programs


OT Master's-Level Applicant Programs


OTA Applicant Programs


Anyway, just another piece to understanding the puzzle that it graduate school admissions
 
Thanks for the information. Has anyone heard of a program NOT getting accredited? I would think that they risk their reputation as an institution by accepting students to the program, only to get denied. The fact that they are starting the cohort for this Fall is a sign that they are confident they will be accredited, I think.
 
mamadealex said:
Thanks for the information. Has anyone heard of a program NOT getting accredited? I would think that they risk their reputation as an institution by accepting students to the program, only to get denied. The fact that they are starting the cohort for this Fall is a sign that they are confident they will be accredited, I think.
Click to expand...

I believe programs CAN NOT accept students into the program until they achieve candidacy status. I believe the way that ACOTE has formated their accreditation is to first require programs to develop their program (developing status). Once the program is approved, they achieve Candidacy status. Now they can accept their first cohort. By the time this first cohort graduates, the program fulfills ACOTE requirements/demonstrates standards in order to achieve full accreditation witht their first graduating class. (I believe graduate pharmacy programs are accredited in a similar manner. Note that there are pharmacy programs that did FAIL to achieve accreditation status by the time their first cohort graduated.)

To say that since they are accepting students must mean the program is confident in achieving accreditation is not entirely accurate. I believe they must have a graduating class that demonstrates the efficacy of the program as part of the accreditation process.
 
Just wanted to keep this thread going. I will be attending their info session tomorrow 4/6/2013.
Is anyone else going?
I will post again soon with more info on their program.
 
I am just wondering if anyone has news about this program? Has anyone been to the open house? Heard about current number of applicants? Or, for that matter, thier accredidation --- beyond a hope of being able to grant formal admission this June? Thanks!!

Also---any thoughts on living expenses in the area? How much money per year would you budget on living expenses for this program?

Thanks again
 
Hi everyone,
I was able to attend their info session on 4/6/2013. The program sounds promising and very hands on. There will be a new state of the art facility in Los Angeles that will house the OT program which is currently under construction but should be done soon.
The accreditation is set to take place this June and they do not anticipate any problems with it since they already got the approval from AOTA for the program outline. They are accepting applications now for their first class in September 2013 and the deadline is June 1st. They are only accepting about 14-15 students this round and expect to accept more as the program continues. Once application is in they will contact you for a personal interview. My only issue is that they are still in the process of hiring faculty which means curriculum is still in progress. Everything is new so first cohort class can be a trial an error type of situation. Personally, I am waiting for the second cohort in Spring 2014.
Cost of 2 ½ year program is about $70K. I live and grew up in LA so rent can vary but I would budget anywhere from $500-$800 month rent for a livable place near the school.
 
Thank you. Its such a tempting program. Its only two years. I just wish I could have more confidence in the quality of education it will offer
 
Has anyone gone through the interview process at West Coast? I have an interview next week and I was looking for a little insight of how they interview.
 
I had a Skype interview with West coast university a month ago. It was a panel interview with 3 people, including Dr. Van Dan Heever. It was a typical interview with lots of situational and ethical questions. Also, there were times when I had to reflect back on my observation hours. They were very nice and the interview lasted about 30 minutes. Example questions:
1. When did you decide you wanted to be an occupational therapist
2. How do you explain occupational therapy to other people
3. When was there a time when you witnessed something unethical
4. What do you think about moving to L.A. Have you ever been to L.A

Does anybody know if the school is WASC accredited yet? It was expected in June 2013 before they could accept students in the program.
 
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They were WASC approved 2 weeks ago. The accreditation is posted on the website.

I am not sure how the interview was over Skype but I interviewed in person. It looks like the only difference is that in person you will write a short essay and they will give you about 45mins to do so. It is an easy topic about graduate school students. Also, be sure to ask questions. The interviewers I spoke with really enjoyed being asked about where they believe health care is going and where OT fits in with healthcare reform.

I recently received my acceptance letter from WCU and will be attending their OT program this fall!
 
Hi psyOTstudent,

Congrats on being accepted to WCU! :)
If you don't mind me asking what were your stats as far as prerequisite GPA and undergraduate GPA? I interviewed on Tuesday. How quick did you hear back from the school after you interviewed?

Kind Regards,
OTTOBE2014
 
Hi Otto,

Thank you very much! It was quite the long novela to get here haha.

University: San Diego State University
Major: Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.06 (Last 60 units 3.5)
Pre-Req GPA: 3.7
GRE: Verbal 149, Quantitative 149, 4.5

Extra-Curric: 4yrs as a team challenge Facilitator, 3yrs as a research assistant, undergraduate anatomy TA

Volunteer: 120hrs in inpatient/outpatient, 300+ hrs with San Diego Epilepsy Foundation (can't remember exactly off hand), 60hrs at SDSUs rehabilitation clinic

Acceptances: Midwestern University (IL) clinical psychology doctorate program, West Coast University

Rejections: USC, A.T. Still U., Touro, Midwestern U (AZ)

Interviews: Midwestern U, WCU

I did all my work (volunteer, extracurricular, etc.) while in undergrad and I am jumping right in.
Did you apply for the fall or spring 2014 class?

It took a little over a month to hear back. They were really busy with accreditation so I am thinking it will be a shorter amount of time to hear back now.
Regards,
 
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Thank you for the stats Psy.

I applied for the inaugural Fall class as well. By any chance did they send you an email before you received your acceptance letter? (just wondering if I can stop checking my email every two seconds ;)

I have very similar stats to you except I did 200 volunteer hours.
100 at a rehab center in a hospital. So I was able to shadow inpatient/ outpatient and a hand therapist as well. Then, I volunteered at a pediatric clinic for another 100 hours. I'm also doing a summer camp (30 hours) at the beginning of August for children with disabilities and developmental delays that wouldn't otherwise be able to attend summer camp.

I only applied to CSUDH last year but I was rejected. A VERY humbling experience to say the least.

I'm nervous because I know they're only taking 14 for the inaugural class and I was one of the last to interview.
 
Hope to see you there! I am not sure where they are in the decisions for the other spots. However, I do know that if an applicant is not chosen for the inaugural class they may still be interviewed for the spring class. So you have 2 opportunities to get in.

Yes they did send me an email prior to the letter (I am still waiting on the letter). I was notified I was accepted on Wednesday of this week.

That is quite a large amount of experience you have. I see no reason as to why you would be unable to get in somewhere.
 
Thank you for the encouraging words! Hope to see you there too!
 
Hey!
This thread is so awesome! I just got my acceptance to WCU for this fall through email...are we supposed to get a letter also? Also I was not able to attend the information session, does anyone know what the day to day schedule is i.e.; hours and days of the week?
 
CONGRATS to those who got accepted. I just received an email saying I got accepted for Spring 2014. Anyone here got in for Spring?
 
Hey LateBloomer,

When did you have your interview? I'm still waiting to hear back. I was one of the last one's to interview on Tuesday.
 
Hey!

LatebloomerOT I got accepted for the spring 2014 class as well!
 
I got accepted for the Fall Inaugural class! Stoked!
 
Hey for those who got in can you please list your stats? I'm interested as well, thank you
 
Hi LateBloomer,

Do you happen to know how many days a week we will be attending class?
 
I agree with LateBloomerOT. At the info session they said that most trimesters will be 5 days a week. Potentially one trimester it would be only 4 days a week. They hope to have classes ending around 4:30. I am not too sure of the start time in the morning.
 
Does anyone know about transportation from Orange County area? I haven't yet applied but I plan to for Spring. Thanks.
 
Did anyone attend the info session this past Saturday?

If so, was there a specific email given so that prospective students can email and get answers regarding the admission requirements?
 
Is anyone moving far to attend the program? Or is everyone in the Los Angeles area?
 
Hi Washikk,

I am moving from San Diego to LA. Not too far but it is just far enough that a commute is not practical.
 
For those starting this fall, do you guys know what the class schedule would be like?
 
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