General Admissions & OTCAS Is there any chance for me? Or should I find a different career.

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Pheezy

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Hello Everyone!
I am currently wanting to apply to OT school and I have everything I need but my GPA isn't good and my GRE score is below minimum. I have my bachelors in Psychology.
GPA: 2.4 GRE:280

I have taken the GRE twice and only went up 2 points. I took a course and got extra help for it and it didn't work. My GPA is low because my year I had no clue what I wanted to do and it has taken me forever to even get it to that.
I have been depressed and upset for the last 2 days since I've taken the GRE because when I got that score I knew that I had no chance of OT school. I am extremely passionate about OT. I want nothing more than to help others and be a positive influence in other people's lives.

I have over 100 hours of volunteer work, 45 hours of observation hours under certified occupational therapists and I have been a babysitter to special needs children for over 5 years. I am a hard working, patient, Compassionate and unbelievably devoted to helping the children I have worked with.

I don't want my GPA and GRE score to reflect who am I, or how I will succeed in grad school. I know by looking at it, you would just toss my application out the window but this is something I am unbelievably passionate about that I will strive to be the best.

I don't know if I should just give up with this Dream and find a job that pertains to my psychology degree or should I apply and have a killer personal essay. Or go to OTA school then bridge over..
I'm 22 and I don't want to be in school forever because I don't have the money to go back and take classes to raise my GPA. I already have enough student loans.

I am just desperate and need advice on what to do because right now I don't want to give up my dream but reality is setting in that I have no chance of getting in.

I'm sorry for the long post but I really need help...
Thanks in advance for anyone who can help me!

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Hey, first of all, my go to response is to ALWAYS GO FOR IT. Follow your dreams. :)

There are OT schools across the nation that accept students that have less than average scores. It's a really holistic process. I'm not sure of these schools, but it is worth looking into. You can look into old threads about acceptances in this forum and see that students have been accepted into schools with lower scores. That being said, I would make sure to try your best to kill it in every other aspect of your application.

Worst case scenario there are so many other ways to help people in the way OT does. For example you could look into ABA or other forms of therapeutic treatment within psychology which allows you to focus wide range of populations.

Best of luck! :)
 
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I found a school that requires a 2.75 gpa to apply. I believe if there is anyway you can take at least one more class , a class that you feel you could attain an A in, You will raise your current gpa up and be able to apply to this program.

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)



Don't give up! Youre still young. I'm almost 25 and was finally accepted into school after 2 1/2 years of retaking classes, preparing for the GRE and doing observations. You got this! :)
 
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Hello Everyone!
I am currently wanting to apply to OT school and I have everything I need but my GPA isn't good and my GRE score is below minimum. I have my bachelors in Psychology.
GPA: 2.4 GRE:280

I have taken the GRE twice and only went up 2 points. I took a course and got extra help for it and it didn't work. My GPA is low because my year I had no clue what I wanted to do and it has taken me forever to even get it to that.
I have been depressed and upset for the last 2 days since I've taken the GRE because when I got that score I knew that I had no chance of OT school. I am extremely passionate about OT. I want nothing more than to help others and be a positive influence in other people's lives.

I have over 100 hours of volunteer work, 45 hours of observation hours under certified occupational therapists and I have been a babysitter to special needs children for over 5 years. I am a hard working, patient, Compassionate and unbelievably devoted to helping the children I have worked with.

I don't want my GPA and GRE score to reflect who am I, or how I will succeed in grad school. I know by looking at it, you would just toss my application out the window but this is something I am unbelievably passionate about that I will strive to be the best.

I don't know if I should just give up with this Dream and find a job that pertains to my psychology degree or should I apply and have a killer personal essay. Or go to OTA school then bridge over..
I'm 22 and I don't want to be in school forever because I don't have the money to go back and take classes to raise my GPA. I already have enough student loans.

I am just desperate and need advice on what to do because right now I don't want to give up my dream but reality is setting in that I have no chance of getting in.

I'm sorry for the long post but I really need help...
Thanks in advance for anyone who can help me!


Also- what is your last 60 credit gpa?

There are schools out there that only look at the last 2 years of your college career. I would google schools that do so.

Look into West coast university in CA! They look only at the last 60
 
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I wanna give you some perspective here by sharing a bit of my own experience:

I went back to college in my late 20's, was on the track to becoming a physician assistant. It was my dream. I thought this would be simple but it took 7 YEARS and only less than a year ago did I discover I didn't want to be that. Literally, run-away-bride status last minute before applying. Dreams change, heh. I am 34 now and when I think back to being 22...I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself, believing if you don't accomplish this NOW that you won't ever be able to, one day. There is a LOT to be said for life experience and the sort of maturity that only comes with age.

That said, I won't sugar coat it...your GPA is not great, unless...as others have mentioned...your last 60 credits are a lot better. I would highly encourage you to consider becoming a COTA. It is much easier to get into those programs, you get to work in the general OT field, and you gain valuable experience to become a full OT later. Plus, I am sure it will raise your GPA if you take it seriously as well as give you much needed $$$. COTAs don't do too bad at all financially.
 
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i think you're going to have to raise your gpa.. but you can do it! i know there are quite a few schools that only require a 2.7- i applied to them. and don't worry about the gre so much as there are plenty of schools that don't require it- i applied to those too.

i graduated with a sociology/business degree and ended up with a job in hr. i hated every minute of it and knew i needed a change. i ended up using the money i made to take the required classes to become an ot. it took me a few years of taking a class here and there but i got it done. no, i'm not going to be the youngest in my class when all is said and done but at the end of the day we're all going to be doing something we really want to be doing. don't let the age issue get to you. slow and steady.

COTA is an option as well but i've heard a lot of mixed advice when it comes to doing it while already having a bachelors degree. at the same time, there are bridge programs through it which is also something to consider.

idk, you're young don't give up yet is my best advice.
 
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Hi there! I agree with everyone above. But I must say I am also 22 and was just rejected from 8 schools so I know exactly how you feel. My overall was a 3.1 and same with my prereq. I thought my GPA was horrible and while it was still lower than most, it was my LORs and essay that killed my chances of getting in. I would listen to those who said bring your overall to a 2.75 and then focus all of your attention on the rest of your app. Forget the GRE if you already tried to retake it. My entire application was just mediocre; nothing really stood out. So if I were you I would spend your time on your experiences, LORs and essay. This is exactly what I am doing as I am prepping to reapply in July! But never give up! We are so young and we will be great OTs one day :)
 
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Not to sound unsupportive, but I would seriously consider looking into therapeutic rec or something else along those lines, since your GPA is so low. Being passionate about the field is great and important, but schools are also going to want some objective proof that you'll likely be able to succeed in school (most require you to maintain a 3.0 throughout) and pass the NBCOT. Low GPA and GRE scores don't give them much to go on. They'll be able to look past a bad semester or two, but a 2.4 is still really low. After earning a bachelors it's hard to boost it significantly - for some perspective - mine was 2.8 after finishing my first degree (around 130 credits) and after earning another bachelors with a 4.0 (86 credits) that only raised it to 3.4 in OTCAS. Again, I don't want to sound negative or make you feel bad, but I'd say look at other options at this point. You can always save up money and go back to school in a few years, if you still think OT is the best path for you.
 
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I wish we could make a "sticky" before the forum with this question. We have it repeated so many times, with the same exact "don't bother" answers, OR the same "well, you might get in somewhere" answer. The average GPA in my program was nearly a 3.8. Probability is that anything under a 3.5 would make getting into any OT program rather difficult. I could imagine scenarios in which a student is a competitive applicant below a 3.5, however I wouldn't count on this situation in your shoes.

However, there is hope! Where there is a will there is a way. Some schools only look at your last 60 credit hours. If you are tied to one geographic location and can't go anywhere else nationally your chances are reduced a great deal. Some schools, such as my program do not require a GRE score.

If you really want to be an OT you may:

1. Redo your last 60 credit hours at a community college. If your last 40 credits are great, redo your last 20 credit hours by taking OT relevant courses. Examples of these classes are: ANY psychology course, exercise science/kinesiology, arts and crafts and courses which focus on social justice.

2. Redo ANY pre-req under a B, ideally all your pre-reqs will be A's. B- won't likely cut it. Redo it. Get more A's than B's. Aim for a 3.7 and above if you want good chance somwhere.

Think about evaluating your own application as an admission officer to an OT program. Your academic record is lack luster. What did you do to impress these people that you are not defined by the poor performance you had in the past? You can address it effectively by applying to schools that are nice enough to ignore your previous work and evaluate your last 60 credits or so.

Important disclaimer: If you think you can't get a 3.7-4.0 in your the next 60 credit hours you are going to redo don't waste your money and time, find a different career. OT isn't for everyone. If I wanted to gain admission to medical school I know that a 3.7 is not so competitive. To get into an OT school it's reasonable to expect that a 3.5 is needed to be a competitive applicant. If you can't earn the GPA on the re-do you have a very poor chance of getting into a program. They need to see that you can handle the academic work and pressure which will be thrown at you during your program.

It's amazing that some schools offer this second chance to OT applicants, only in America can a student have so many chances. The competition to get into an OT program is really fierce. If you're really determined to gain admission to an OT program the route I have described is your most realistic path.
 
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Even once accepted, when they say you must maintain a 3.0, at least in my program, this means that every single grade must be a B or higher. No averages. You can't get a few As and Cs on assignments and then end a class with a B grade. It's a professional program and they expect us to be ready for the challenge.
 
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