Is OT school a dream?

[Safavi]

Hey guys, I'm in a pre-health post-baccalaureate program. So far I'm going to take Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Chemistry I and II, Microbiology, and Microeconomics. I had earlier considered DO school but realized this is an arrogant dream, so I've looked into other programs- nursing and OT, specifically.

I have a bachelor's and an associates. I did my first two years at a community college and managed a 3.8 GPA, while my last two and a half years were abysmal- 3.1 GPA after retaking courses due to a bad couple of semesters influenced by events that affected my drive to work. I know, no excuses. After retaking statistics, abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, and a social psychology class, I managed a 3.1, which I'm extremely embarrassed of. I have all of my prereqs except for A&P I, II, and Chem I, II, however these prereqs (the psych classes) are retakes. I've never scored below a C, but enough C's will ruin your transcript, and I had two semesters of horrible grades. I bounced back, but too little, too late. My GPA at the four-year (retakes averaged with original grades for those four courses) comes out to 2.7ish, reflecting two and a half years as a psychology major, while with grade replacement it comes out to 3.1.

I'm going to have a lion's share of difficulty getting into a nursing school and I just want to beat myself with a stick for even considering DO school. But I have no choice, I can't stop at a BA in psych. I've shadowed an OT last month and discovered this is something I enjoy, and it affords a better lifestyle than nursing. This is something I have to cultivate further, but I want to know what my chances are for attending OT school.

Can anyone give me an assessment? Please do not be afraid to take pot shots at me, I have a less than stellar student record and I need to be confronted with reality before I take any costly steps toward this.

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[prodigiousflame]

have you also considered podiatry school? easier entry than med school and you can make quite a good living.

 

[Safavi]

Also, do OT schools average your classes taken for a grade or do they do grade replacement? I ask because I know PA and PT schools show no mercy and average all your grades, while DO schools and some nursing schools do grade replacement.

 

[Safavi]

have you also considered podiatry school? easier entry than med school and you can make quite a good living.

Podiatry would need bio I an II, physics I and II and orgo I and II. I just don't have the time or money to do all that without a well paying job at first. If I do any doctorate, it's after working a few years as a professional and saving money. There's just no guarantee with just doing the postbac and applying to podiatry school.

 

[OTTXGirl]

Podiatry would need bio I an II, physics I and II and orgo I and II. I just don't have the time or money to do all that without a well paying job at first. If I do any doctorate, it's after working a few years as a professional and saving money. There's just no guarantee with just doing the postbac and applying to podiatry school.

OT is the same as PT they average all grades no retakes. However I would say don't be discouraged because the good part is a lot of schools only look at your last 60 hrs. And they don't only consider your GPA if you have an abundance of volunteer experience in different settings and experience working in a lot of settings that can counter you low gpa. I recommend volunteering at several Rehab facility to really get a feel for OT.

 

[prodigiousflame]

OtTxgirl do you know where it says that all OT schools don't consider retakes and only average out grades? I thought only some schools did that. I know that OTCAS averages all the grades but I thought schools would also look at prereq grades individually including retakes?

 

[OTtoBe2013]

Many though not all programs average. Some replace. Pacific university replaces for example

 

[OTTXGirl]

OtTxgirl do you know where it says that all OT schools don't consider retakes and only average out grades? I thought only some schools did that. I know that OTCAS averages all the grades but I thought schools would also look at prereq grades individually including retakes?

Sorry some do, but in my experiencing (I applied 2 years in a row) I think I only saw one school that took the higher grade. From what I saw majority of them average all grades.

 

[Safavi]

This is for a Master's in Occupational Therapy program, not a doctorate. Do I have a chance? Volunteering/etc. isn't a guarantee, when it boils down to it they will always choose the applicant with better grades over the applicant with more volunteer experience and this is true for all schools. Is OT as competitive as PT or PA? Should I take courses at a community college or should I stay in the four-year to take my pre-reqs?

I'm at a disadvantage because a majority of my prereqs are retakes due to the problem I had in undergrad:

General Psychology: A-
Abnormal Psychology: C- first time, A- second time
Developmental Psychology: C first time, B+ second time
Statistics: C- first time, A- second time

I'm just waiting to take these courses this coming year:
A&P I
A&P II
Chem I
Chem II

 

[Safavi]

Does anyone know how competitive Kean University or Seton Hall's masters in OT programs are?

 

[Safavi]

And I work at two rehab/mental health facilities currently, one full-time, one per-diem. When I start school they'd likely be both per-diem. I've been working at them since the beginning of this year, and will work at them until I get into school. Does this also boost my application?

 

[OTTXGirl]

This is for a Master's in Occupational Therapy program, not a doctorate. Do I have a chance? Volunteering/etc. isn't a guarantee, when it boils down to it they will always choose the applicant with better grades over the applicant with more volunteer experience and this is true for all schools. Is OT as competitive as PT or PA? Should I take courses at a community college or should I stay in the four-year to take my pre-reqs?

I'm at a disadvantage because a majority of my prereqs are retakes due to the problem I had in undergrad:

General Psychology: A-
Abnormal Psychology: C- first time, A- second time
Developmental Psychology: C first time, B+ second time
Statistics: C- first time, A- second time

I'm just waiting to take these courses this coming year:
A&P I
A&P II
Chem I
Chem II

You are free to whatever you like. However I am just speaking from my personal experience I applied two years in a row. And two of the schools that I got into specifically mentioned that they were impressed with the amount of working/interning/ volunteering experience I had in different fields & settings. I also think you are wrong in thinking , it is all about GPA. Believe me its not. I guarentee most the students in OT school were not perfect in OT school. My overall GPA after a miserable Freshman & Sophmore year was a 3.1 and I got into 5 schools. So all in all what I reccommend is doing as much as you can to over shadow your poor grades because you can't change them. But you can show the schools that you have grown and are dedicated to a program and willing to do whatever it takes to be successful. Trust me grades aren't anything and if you are only looking to apply to schools that accept retakes your choices are very limited. Good Luck

 

[ohtee]

You will have to do your research with regards to schools that take the higher grades when it comes to retakes. A&P bears a little more weight in the prereq category so do well in those. Your jobs are a plus, but make sure you can discuss or explain what you've gained from working in mental health/rehab settings in a personal statement or an interview.

Kean and Seton Hall are both pretty competitive. Both schools have students coming in from combined bs/ms programs and so they take a limited amount of students at the grad level.

 

[jewel11786]

I would stay away from Kean (haven't heard good things about their program), 1 OT I shadowed commented that her fieldwork students from Kean weren't well prepared. The program is also extremely competitive to get into and the university's administration almost lost accreditation for the entire school. This is where I went for undergrad.
I applied to Seton Hall as well and never heard back from them, not even a rejection letter. What a waste of nearly $200 for the application fee. Plus their program is very expensive and is 3 years long.

 

[speedyy12]

In my level 2 I worked with an OT who graduated from Kean's program and he said he did not like his fieldwork placements. I am a current OT student at Seton Hall and the number of students they take outside of the 3+3 program varies year by year depending how many students drop or maintain their GPA. Although spots may seem limited I still got in and I wasn't apart of their 3+3 program. I was just an entry-level masters. So far I am enjoying the program even though it is very expensive and 3 years. However, I do feel well prepared going into my Level 1 and 2 affiliations.

 

[newyorkmember20]

how expensive would you say seton hall is ? i mean alot of ot programs are expensive right

 

[dobber]

There are schools that will accept you with a 3.1 if you sell yourself well enough. GRE, shadowing, and learn all you can about OT for possible interviews

 

[OTGUY313]

Hi I will be applying to Medical University of San Antonio and Galveston, along with University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Saint Augustine, Medical University of South Carolina, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and NOVA Southeastern University.

I have a 3.3 GPA overall,3.3 Pre Req GPA, 15 Hours of Pediatric, 50 Hours Inpatient, and 50 Hours Outpatient of Shadowing/Volunteering hours. Taking the GRE in a few weeks


What are my chances of getting in these schools and could you guys PLEASE recommend any other schools in Texas or Florida that are worthy of applying for and any advice you could give! Thank you!!!