MOT San Jose State University

[alansda]

Congratulations @alansda!! Were you able to speak with her directly? I had a missed call from the grad assistant today around 11:54am, but no voicemail. I'm hoping that's good news!

Hey, I also had a missed call from her around the same time and called her shortly after to hear the news...I got my fingers crossed for you

Congrats Alan!!! That is great news. Did you also receive a letter in the mail? Any word on how many students they have already accepted? Still waiting to hear back but I just turned my app in so it may be a while...

I was expecting a letter at the beginning of Dec, per her instructions, so to hear the decision via phone call was highly unexpected--the good kind of surprise!
From what I do know is that this is the first round of admissions but no word on the next one.

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[OTRHopeful]

Thanks @alansda ! Did she mention if official letters were going to be mailed out soon or are they still expected to be delivered in December?

 

[OTRHopeful]

I GOT IN! I received the phone call this morning. The grad assistant mentioned that she will be sending letters today!

 

[ollie0807]

Congratulations @alansda and @OTRHopeful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am working on my personal statement and was wondering if you typed it directly onto the page provided in the application form. I wasn't sure if the font is set to Times New Roman at 12 pt. When I type it on a word document I reach the one page limit a lot quicker than on the form. I've been asking the grad assistant a ton of questions and thought I might try asking on the forum.

Thanks!

 

[alansda]

I GOT IN! I received the phone call this morning. The grad assistant mentioned that she will be sending letters today!

Woot woot! How are you celebrating? I went to my favorite Mexican restaurant and bought the biggest torta
Now I'm going to keep a look out for when I can register for Neuroanatomy during the Spring.

Congratulations @alansda and @OTRHopeful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am working on my personal statement and was wondering if you typed it directly onto the page provided in the application form. I wasn't sure if the font is set to Times New Roman at 12 pt. When I type it on a word document I reach the one page limit a lot quicker than on the form. I've been asking the grad assistant a ton of questions and thought I might try asking on the forum.

Thanks!

Thank you! It was a big relief. Regarding the personal statement, I drafted it in MS Word, using Times New Roman at 12 pt, 1-inch margins. The word count came out to 580 words. It definitely was a challenge for the writing to have depth yet be succinct so give it your best and good luck!

 

[stefuni]

Anyone else received a phone call today? I got in!

Congrats alansda!!! That's interesting that they notified you by phone call though, I've never heard that happen in previous years. Just wondering, if you don't mind sharing, what were you admission stats like? I applied on Oct. 17 and I'm still waiting for an admission decision... So nervous!

 

[peachiepizzazz]

Congrats alansda!!! That's interesting that they notified you by phone call though, I've never heard that happen in previous years. Just wondering, if you don't mind sharing, what were you admission stats like? I applied on Oct. 17 and I'm still waiting for an admission decision... So nervous!

Me tooooo, I'm getting so antsy! I applied Oct 9th and haven't heard anything back yet. Hopefully they get tell us soon!!! but a huge congratulations to those of you who got in already. well done!

 

[OTRHopeful]

Congratulations @alansda and @OTRHopeful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am working on my personal statement and was wondering if you typed it directly onto the page provided in the application form. I wasn't sure if the font is set to Times New Roman at 12 pt. When I type it on a word document I reach the one page limit a lot quicker than on the form. I've been asking the grad assistant a ton of questions and thought I might try asking on the forum.

Thanks!

Thank you! In regards to the personal statement, I remember at the information session, they mentioned that it was okay to provide your personal statement on a different piece of paper. That is what I did and also set it to Times New Roman at 12pt, 1 inch margins. My personal statement ended up being 490 words, about 3/4 of a page. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions and good luck

Woot woot! How are you celebrating? I went to my favorite Mexican restaurant and bought the biggest torta
Now I'm going to keep a look out for when I can register for Neuroanatomy during the Spring.

Unfortunately with work, I cannot take neuroanatomy in the spring. I'll have to take it online during summer, which I heard is very difficult! Yesterday I celebrated with a glass of wine and tonight I'm going out to watch Catching Fire! Is there a facebook group out there yet for our class?

 

[ollie0807]

Thank you so much for your reply @alansda and @OTRHopeful! Trying to fit all that I want to say on one page has been quite a challenge.

 

[tobyfreedom1]

Hey ollie0807! I have applied to the program but have not heard back yet and just wanted to give you my experience with the statement of purpose. I wrote it as a MS document then copied and pasted. Its approximately 1.5 pages in word is equivalent to 1 page on the application. I would use up the whole page on the application, I figure they wouldn't give us the whole page if they didn't want us to fill it! Best of luck!!!

 

[ollie0807]

Hey ollie0807! I have applied to the program but have not heard back yet and just wanted to give you my experience with the statement of purpose. I wrote it as a MS document then copied and pasted. Its approximately 1.5 pages in word is equivalent to 1 page on the application. I would use up the whole page on the application, I figure they wouldn't give us the whole page if they didn't want us to fill it! Best of luck!!!

Hi tobyfreedom1. Thank you for your reply! This really helps! I started off with 2 pages and have been working on trying to cut it down. Best of luck to you too!!!!

 

[alansda]

The mail finally delivered the official acceptance letter. I know what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving

Unfortunately with work, I cannot take neuroanatomy in the spring. I'll have to take it online during summer, which I heard is very difficult! Yesterday I celebrated with a glass of wine and tonight I'm going out to watch Catching Fire! Is there a facebook group out there yet for our class?

I was thinking about a group and Facebook has a Groups for Schools which is much better than the regular groups because it allows for file sharing (notes, projects, schedules, assignments, etc), creating events, and messaging other people within the group without having to add them as friends. The only requirement is to have a school email address (@sjsu.edu) so if people don't mind waiting a bit until we can make an email address, then we can use this feature.

To those still waiting to hear back from SJSU, I wish you the best (and stop checking the SDN forums for your sanity! ).

 

[FutureOT2013]

Congrats guys (and gals)! I remember coming here for guidance a few years ago and I know I hated it when people told me that time flies in the program, but it really does. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[peachiepizzazz]

For those of you still keeping track of SJSU's notification timeline, I just got home from thanksgiving to an admissions letter from SJSU for the ELM program, postmarked 10/25/2013. Got in!! but still waiting on a few others to make the final call...

 

[stefuni]

For those of you still keeping track of SJSU's notification timeline, I just got home from thanksgiving to an admissions letter from SJSU for the ELM program, postmarked 10/25/2013. Got in!! but still waiting on a few others to make the final call...

Wow congrats peachiepizzazz!!!! Do you mind me asking what your stats were like when you applied? I'm still waiting to hear back, so nervous

 

[peachiepizzazz]

Wow congrats peachiepizzazz!!!! Do you mind me asking what your stats were like when you applied? I'm still waiting to hear back, so nervous

hey stefuni! certainly.
GPA: 3.73 undergrad, top private cali school
GPA for last 90 quarter units/60 sem units: 3.91
GRE: 160 Verbal, 150 Quant, 5 AW
Volunteer: 200 hours, split between hand therapy, skilled nursing, and pediatric clinic

hope that helps!

 

[stefuni]

hey stefuni! certainly.
GPA: 3.73 undergrad, top private cali school
GPA for last 90 quarter units/60 sem units: 3.91
GRE: 160 Verbal, 150 Quant, 5 AW
Volunteer: 200 hours, split between hand therapy, skilled nursing, and pediatric clinic

hope that helps!

Thank you!! Which other schools have you applied to?

 

[excited.futureOT2014]

For those who have already gotten in to SJSU, did anyone still have work in progress (besides neuroanatomy)?

 

[tobyfreedom1]

How long did you guys wait for them to send you the self addressed envelope back to you? It's been almost 2 weeks and I haven't received it yet and am getting nervous... although we just had thanksgiving so I'm sure they took some days off

 

[stefuni]

How long did you guys wait for them to send you the self addressed envelope back to you? It's been almost 2 weeks and I haven't received it yet and am getting nervous... although we just had thanksgiving so I'm sure they took some days off

I don't think you have anything to worry, I didn't get mine back until 2 or 3ish weeks. I was initially worried as well!

 

[OTRHopeful]

For those who have already gotten in to SJSU, did anyone still have work in progress (besides neuroanatomy)?

No work in progress (just neuro)

 

[melodymaker]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and just received a letter of acceptance yesterday! Never got a phone call or message ahead of time, just a single sheet in the mail So exciting! I'm looking forward to meeting those of you who will also be attending, and good luck to those still waiting to hear!

 

[melodymaker]

For those who have already gotten in to SJSU, did anyone still have work in progress (besides neuroanatomy)?

Yes! I think I am the exception, but I still had/have Anatomy (in progress), Physiology, Statistics & Neuro. BUT, I have a bachelor's in biology and had actually taken all those courses (except Neuro), but not within the last seven years. So I did list them and pointed out my GPA (also clear on my transcript), so maybe that gave them pause for thought.

 

[CalGal86]

I also received a letter of acceptance in the mail post marked 12/3 - I thought for sure it was a rejection as it was only one piece of paper! Good luck to everyone still waiting!

 

[peachiepizzazz]

Thank you!! Which other schools have you applied to?

Hey again Stefuni! Aside from SJSU, I also applied to CSUDH, USC, WashU, Columbia, BU, and thinking about putting one in for Tufts. Just so nerve-wracking waiting to hear back! haha looks like we're all just stress cases around this process, or we wouldn't be checking back here on the forum so much (guilty as charged).

For those of you worrying about prereqs in progress, I still have Stats, Neuroanatomy, and my Skills Course to complete before they'll take off the "conditional" part of the acceptance.

 

[CalGal86]

I just have neuro that I have to complete.

 

[loveot4kids]

Just got my letter today - marked December 12th!!!!! Does anyone know when is the absolute deadline to notify them if we're accepting or not? I'm still planning to apply to USC and am almost done with my app for that program.

 

[stefuni]

Received my letter today: got rejected :/

Good luck to the rest of you who are waiting!

 

[tobyfreedom1]

I got a call today from the grad assistant, got accepted! Got a call at work and was totally caught off guard! Looking forward to studying with those who have been accepted. And to those who got rejections remember this is one of the most competitive and impacted programs in CA so they have to reject very qualified candidates, unfortunately. Keep up the awesome work everyone

 

[alansda]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and just received a letter of acceptance yesterday! Never got a phone call or message ahead of time, just a single sheet in the mail So exciting! I'm looking forward to meeting those of you who will also be attending, and good luck to those still waiting to hear!

I also received a letter of acceptance in the mail post marked 12/3 - I thought for sure it was a rejection as it was only one piece of paper! Good luck to everyone still waiting!

I got a call today from the grad assistant, got accepted! Got a call at work and was totally caught off guard! Looking forward to studying with those who have been accepted. And to those who got rejections remember this is one of the most competitive and impacted programs in CA so they have to reject very qualified candidates, unfortunately. Keep up the awesome work everyone

Congratulations to you guys!

Please take a minute to post your stats for the sake of future antsy applicants

Received my letter today: got rejected :/
Good luck to the rest of you who are waiting!

Aww, I know the feeling since it happened to me too. What were your stats if you don't mind me asking? Are you still waiting to hear back from any other school?

 

[tobyfreedom1]

Good point @alansda! My stats are:
Last 60 semester units: 3.97
Prerequisites: 3.7 (all completed expect neuroanatomy and still need the cadaver portion of my anatomy lab)
100 hours of volunteering: 50 at shriners childrens hospital and 50 at a summer camp run by an OT
MAT score of 411
BA in child dev. and loads of experience with pediatrics

I also spent a lot of time on my SOP. I think the university looks at this pretty closely especially since they receive so many applicants.

I applied to the program 11/20 and heard back 12/17. Make sure all of you paperwork is in as that will help move things along!

 

[OTRHopeful]

Do any current students recommend any apartments nearby SJSU?

 

[tobyfreedom1]

Any other future students need to fulfill the cadaver portion of the anatomy lab? I heard Stanford offers a 6 hour tutorial but was wondering if there are any other options besides taking the lab again at a JC. Thanks

 

[ollie0807]

Hi. For those whose status is currently "referred to grad dept", how long did it take for it to change from being "complete" to "referred to grad dept"? It's been a couple weeks for me now and my status hasn't changed. I am wondering if that is normal. Thank you!

 

[tobyfreedom1]

I don't remember exactly but it was at least a couple weeks for me, maybe even 3. So don't worry it is normal! I got my acceptance call while my status was still "referred to grad dept." so you will most likely hear from them while your status is in this stage. Good luck to you!!! Also I think the winter break put everything on hold so I would expect a little extra time just from that...

 

[ollie0807]

I don't remember exactly but it was at least a couple weeks for me, maybe even 3. So don't worry it is normal! I got my acceptance call while my status was still "referred to grad dept." so you will most likely hear from them while your status is in this stage. Good luck to you!!! Also I think the winter break put everything on hold so I would expect a little extra time just from that...

Thank you for the reply! I got my acceptance call last Wednesday but wanted to wait until I got the letter before I said anything just to make sure they didn't accidentally call the wrong person or something. It FINALLY came today!

My status is still at "complete" and not "referred to grad dept." I find it a bit odd since it's been at "complete" for a couple of weeks. I tried calling SJSU but only got a machine...

 

[ollie0807]

My stats are:

Last 60 semester units: 3.67
Prerequisites: 3.83
110 hours of volunteering in pediatric setting
MAT score of 411

 

[melodymaker]

Thanks for the idea to post stats, @alansda! I am really looking forward to meeting all my classmates at the meet-and-greet in May!

Mine are as follows:

Last 60 units GPA: 3.9
GRE: 216 (163 - verbal, 153 -quant, 5.0 - writing)
50 volunteer hours completed in a senior acute care setting
Bachelor's in Biology
Still needed to complete: Anatomy, Physio, Neuro and Stats before fall (however, I did take these classes, except neuro, as part of my biology degree but since it was more than 7 years ago I have to retake them).

I applied Oct. 15 and received a letter of acceptance Dec. 6 (never got a phone call).

Also, if anyone else is sending in transcripts as you complete your prerequisites, I confirmed yesterday with the OT department that they should be sent to both GAPE and the OT department as you go (with last fall's completed grades, for example, even if you still have some classes to take this spring).

Best of luck to all of you waiting to hear!

 

[CalGal86]

Received my acceptance 12/3 - my SJSU portal was just updated 1/14 to reflect "Admitted"

Here are my stats:

Last 60 GPA: 3.55
GRE: V 153 Q 154 AW 4.5
Volunteer Hours: 160 pediatric clinic, 60 SNF, & 60 as a rehab aide in a different SNF
Bachelor's in Business Administration from USC
Missing prerequisite: Neuroanatomy

I have created a facebook group for SJSU Cohort 2016 - all new students please join!!!!!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/273668632784185/

 

[stefuni]

Congratulations to you guys!

Please take a minute to post your stats for the sake of future antsy applicants


Aww, I know the feeling since it happened to me too. What were your stats if you don't mind me asking? Are you still waiting to hear back from any other school?

Sorry it took me a while to respond, I actually recently got a call from Samuel Merritt University saying that I got accepted!! I'm excited about the low faculty to student ratio (1:9) and the impression this school left on me at their open house so I'll definitely be attending SMU in the Fall. I also applied to Dominican University, USC, and University of Utah although I will most likely withdraw my applications now that I have my heart set on SMU.

As for my stats, here they are:

Last 60 units: 3.95
Pre-reqs: all completed, 3.60
BA in Psychology from SJSU, c/o 2014
Volunteer: 180 hrs in an adult daycare center, 40 hrs in a school setting
GRE: 302 total, 4.0AW

I believe it might have been my GRE score that made me a less competitive applicant, but best of luck to the rest of you who are waiting!!

 

[OTgirl80]

Hey everyone! I turned in my application mid January and just received a letter in the mail saying that I had been WAITLISTED :/. The letter also said they had already filled up their class by the time they reviewed my application. Has anyone had a similar experience being waitlisted, or is anyone planning on turning down their acceptance? I just wanted to get an idea of how realistic it would be for me to end up with a place in the class. And congratulations to everyone who has already committed to SJSU-- I hope I get to join you all!

 

[tobyfreedom1]

I would assume that as we approach summer there will be a few people who will decline their acceptance for one reason or another. I don't have any experience being waitlisted but have friends who were waitlisted at other school and got a place in the class. Have you applied anywhere else? Congrats on being waitlisted though, I know its not a fun experience but it means they like you and you have a spot if one opens up!

 

[OTgirl80]

I would assume that as we approach summer there will be a few people who will decline their acceptance for one reason or another. I don't have any experience being waitlisted but have friends who were waitlisted at other school and got a place in the class. Have you applied anywhere else? Congrats on being waitlisted though, I know its not a fun experience but it means they like you and you have a spot if one opens up!

Thank you! I was definitely at a disadvantage for applying so late . I applied to a few other schools, but SJSU is my first choice. It'd just be stressful for me to commit to them last minute since I'm not even from California... Hoping for the best!

For those of you who got in, is there a date you needed to respond by?

 

[ollie0807]

Thank you! I was definitely at a disadvantage for applying so late . I applied to a few other schools, but SJSU is my first choice. It'd just be stressful for me to commit to them last minute since I'm not even from California... Hoping for the best!

For those of you who got in, is there a date you needed to respond by?

Hi OTgirl80,

They want a decision by April 15th at the very latest. I'm crossing my fingers for you!

 

[loveot4kids]

Is anyone (who got accepted to SJSU) also applying/currently waiting to hear back from USC? I currently live in LA and am originally from SJ so I'm waiting to hear back from USC before I can make my final decision. Any thoughts on deciding between the two program? I hear that SJSU can be more competitive /more expensive than USC but I also hear that USC gives scholarships. Any thoughts on these two schools would be great!

 

[futureOTsj]

Hello everyone!

I realize it's been quite a few months since anyone has posted in here but I thought I would give it a shot. I am a prospective student applying for Fall 2015 and I wanted to see if anyone here had been accepted to SJSU with the minimum requirements. My last 60 GPA is about 3.1 and the prerequisite GPA would be around 3.4-3.5 after I finish statistics in the Fall. I also work at a pediatric OT clinic where I have about 800+ hours under the OT directors and first hand experience with the children (these include some observation hours as well as administrative work). I haven't taken the GRE yet but I am hoping to take it in August. If anyone could give me any info on strengthening my application please let me know. I realize my GPA is pretty low compared to those ^. But, have any of you heard of someone with a low GPA get accepted?

 

[FutureOT2013]

Is anyone (who got accepted to SJSU) also applying/currently waiting to hear back from USC? I currently live in LA and am originally from SJ so I'm waiting to hear back from USC before I can make my final decision. Any thoughts on deciding between the two program? I hear that SJSU can be more competitive /more expensive than USC but I also hear that USC gives scholarships. Any thoughts on these two schools would be great!

I can't think of a situation where SJSU would be more expensive than USC, unless you lived near USC already and had scholarships (which probably does not cover the majority of the costs). I think the cost savings is part of what makes SJSU more competitive. A lot of my classmates at SJSU applied for financial aid and received grants which pretty much covered tuition, but I'm not sure if this is still the case.

 

[CAots]

Yes, it is possible to get grants and scholarships that pretty much cover tuition at SJSU. Compare that to USC, and that's why the OT program has become so competitive.

 

[tobyfreedom1]

Hello everyone!

I realize it's been quite a few months since anyone has posted in here but I thought I would give it a shot. I am a prospective student applying for Fall 2015 and I wanted to see if anyone here had been accepted to SJSU with the minimum requirements. My last 60 GPA is about 3.1 and the prerequisite GPA would be around 3.4-3.5 after I finish statistics in the Fall. I also work at a pediatric OT clinic where I have about 800+ hours under the OT directors and first hand experience with the children (these include some observation hours as well as administrative work). I haven't taken the GRE yet but I am hoping to take it in August. If anyone could give me any info on strengthening my application please let me know. I realize my GPA is pretty low compared to those ^. But, have any of you heard of someone with a low GPA get accepted?

I would put a lot of time and energy into writing a strong essay. Because SJSU does not conduct interviews, they really use the essay to get to know you as a person as well as to get a feel for the kind of student and Occupational Therapist you will be. If you had any semesters that were worse than others, let them know why in your essay. If you explain why you were having difficulty in your classes they are more forgiving. Also, you have a crazy amount of hours which says a lot about your commitment to OT! That, coupled with a strong essay and a high GRE (or MAT score which I took and was accepted) will make you a competitive applicant. Grades aren't the only thing the look at so make sure the rest of you application is amazing! Good luck to you!!

 

[futureOTsj]

I would put a lot of time and energy into writing a strong essay. Because SJSU does not conduct interviews, they really use the essay to get to know you as a person as well as to get a feel for the kind of student and Occupational Therapist you will be. If you had any semesters that were worse than others, let them know why in your essay. If you explain why you were having difficulty in your classes they are more forgiving. Also, you have a crazy amount of hours which says a lot about your commitment to OT! That, coupled with a strong essay and a high GRE (or MAT score which I took and was accepted) will make you a competitive applicant. Grades aren't the only thing the look at so make sure the rest of you application is amazing! Good luck to you!!

Thanks for your input! I haven't really started the SOP yet but wanted to see what most people were writing about. Do you mind if I ask what you wrote about? And as for the GRE & MAT requirement.. Have you taken the GRE? and which would you say would be the "easiest" to score higher. Congrats on your acceptance!