I have applied to the OT program to only get denies this past year. My overall GPA is not so great. It is close to a 2.6 but my prerequisites GPA is over a 3.0. All schools in NY.require a 3.0 GPA. All my prerequisites grades are over a B. For me to go back and take classes and trying to get over a 3.0 will take forever. The schools in NY do not require the GREs so I dont know if I should even bother taking it. I really want to do OT and dont know if I even have a chance due to being denied from every school my first shot. Does anyone have a similar situation and got into a school.
General Admissions & OTCAS Low gpa. What are my chances?
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In the sticky thread about accepted stats, someone got in with a 2.9, so I'm sure it's possible. If you don't need the GRE, I wouldn't take it. No one's going to look at it. If you don't want to spend time improving your GPA, I'd focus on strengthening the rest of your application. Get great letter of recommendations, write a memorable personal statement, and work on your shadowing/volunteer hours. Maybe get some work experience in the healthcare field if you don't already. You wouldn't be the first to have applied more than once, so I wouldn't give up. They got in, so can you.
Thank you for your advice. The thing is I dont know what to focus on exactly. I have about 120 volunteer hours in 3 different settings. I dont know if I need more. I know I should work more on my personal statement. But I feel like due to some bad grades and my gpa, when they see a 2.5 they just throw it to the side right away. I also do work in the healthcare world but not related to OT.
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I'd browse the forums for key terms like the schools you're interested in, and see what past and current applicants are/were saying about their stats. See where you measure up. There's people with perfect scores that don't get in, so it's not all GPA. But you may take another course to boost your GPA just to show you're trying? It matters to some degree. I think you have plenty of volunteer hours, but it doesn't hurt to get more if you have the time to do so. I looked at it this way, I knew I wasn't the most competitive applicant GPA-wise and don't have a healthcare background, so I had to think outside of the box. From a critical standpoint, I'm willing to bet most people are probably writing the same thing in their personal statements. After reading the same thing 300 times, it gets boring. You have to separate yourself somehow, so be different. Try to respond in a way you dont think anyone else will. If you don't have the grades, arm yourself with creativity because most people aren't original. And if you can find them, good contacts you can trust to shamelessly promote you. And when sending in LORs, I'd only send in the ones that you're certain have bragged about you, because, chances are, they may only read what's required. You may have 5 OT LORs, but if they ask for 1, they may only read one. And it may be the subpar letter that's read, and the best of the pile may get overlooked. And if they do read them all, it doesn't highlight you best to have a mixed response in letters. And if it's an option...branch out where you apply. But I know it's not possible for all.
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My advice to you would be to really hone in on that personal statement. Last cycle I applied really, really late and had around a 3 GPA and really bad GRE scores, but got invited to 4 interviews out of 6 schools and waitlisted to 3 of those. I'm almost positive it was my personal statement that stood out and have confirmation from a friend in admissions in Speech that my statement would make people want me in the door. You could also go for OTA, I think the GPA for that is a 2.5, and then down the line go back for your OT because the GPA they would take then would be what you did in OTA. It's an option worse to worse.
Along with what everyone else has said, maybe try branching out to other states and finding schools that look at your last 90 credits or last 60 credits
hi!
I had a sub 3.0 undergrad and thought I'd never get admitted anywhere. I spent a year taking classes and applied in 2014 and was rejected from over a dozen programs!! super hard blow. I decided that if OT was really what I wanted to do, I had to buckle down and improve grades. Though applications are often looked at holistically, you need to meet minimum req gpa/gre scores. I'd look to programs outside of NY. There are a bunch of great schools that don't require the gre and focus on the last 60/90 units. Hopefully you got mostly A's since your undergrad/last 60 units..so you can show that you are academically competitive...I spent over 2 additional years repeating courses that had EXPIRED that I had previously taken in my undergrad. This process has taken me over 3 years and I'm interviewing at different programs now!
All this is to say, if you really want a career in OT, you may have to agree to spend the next year or two repeating courses, getting all A's in your pre-reqs and writing a strong memorable statement of purpose. I've already been accepted into one program, and am waiting on interviews now. I was in your shoes 3 years ago...DONT GIVE UP if its something you really want! Plus, all the extra time and experience I've had only solidified that I was making the right choice in pursuing OT!
Hope that helps!
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I was in a similar situation, and I am not sure what your reasoning for your low GPA is, but for me it was a ten year health crisis and an abusive situation, which I addressed in my essay. I actually went back to school with a 1.9 (!!!!) GPA, but the community college I started at allowed replacement grades, so I raised my overall cumulative to a 3.43 by the time I got accepted, and have a 4.0 from my last 60 hours and pre-reqs. However, I still had several Fs outstanding from years ago, and OTCAS calculated overall GPA as 2.8ish, I think. It took me 4 years of work to turn my situation around and finish by undergrad, but I did it with the explicit purpose of OT, and made that clear to programs. I have got into every program I applied to so far. My advice would be to raise your GPA. Honestly, it is possible for you to turn it around for yourself and get in, but it will take a lot of work on your part (you almost definitely won't get in with under a 2.9-3.0, likely not with under a 3.3 unless you have good reasons and a killer essay). Other than that, get EXTENSIVE experience observing OTs in as many settings as possible, and get healthcare experience if possible. Good luck, I promise if you are dedicated enough it can be done!
So after you brought your cum up to 3.43 OTCAS brought it down when they calculated it?!?! Before my prereqs I have a 3.27 but I do have an F in there...I wonder how much my GPA will be brought down by then....Im scared after reading this! Congrats on your acceptances!!!