General Admissions & OTCAS Need help asap

[ASPIRINGOT2017]

I've gotten denied from 3 schools (Thomas Jefferson, Philadelphia University, and Stockton) and am still waiting to hear back from Seton Hall.

My GPA is a 3.338.

My GRE is a combined score of Verbal 153, Math 146 (i took it twice and that's the highest score) and 4.0 for writing.

My letters of rec were great, I have 50+ hours of OT shadowing but also 50+ volunteer hours for other organizations like relay for life, autism speaks, special olympics, soup kitchen, etc.

I studied abroad for a semester and am currently have an internship in counseling right now (hopefully helpful because i want to be an OT in mental health), but am struggling to find an OT internship in the summer because many places say I lack OT experience (Most places want students enrolled in masters programs)

I just need advice on where people think i should apply for next year to increase my chances, how should i get my stats up, and what to do in general. Getting denied is really discouraging!

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[ABOT5532]

HI there, while I have a 3.7 GPA I can offer some advise. Many would suggest retaking prereqs to improve your GPA. If you have under a 3.5/3.6 it will be very difficult to get accepted into many schools. I would encourage you to apply to 7-10 programs. yes it may cost a couple hundred $ more, but you will get in somewhere if you have a good personal statement, GRE score (as you do), and letters of recommendation. Also I would try to meet OT faculty in person, if you can. If distance is a concern, maybe try calling the chair of the department so she can meet you personally before she accepts students in their program. Many schools don't conduct interviews and only accept based on GPA and letters of recommendation so you have to let the schools know how much you want OT and to get them to know/like you.

 

[HopingAndWaitingOT]

When did you apply? Maybe applying earlier in the cycle would help. Besides that, I'd study more for the GRE.

I have a 3.13 cumulative + life/work experience and got multiple acceptances, including some on your list.

 

[ASPIRINGOT2017]

When did you apply? Maybe applying earlier in the cycle would help. Besides that, I'd study more for the GRE.

I have a 3.13 cumulative + life/work experience and got multiple acceptances, including some on your list.

Where did you get accepted? And what is your work/life experiences if you don't mind me asking!

 

[PNW_OT]

I've gotten denied from 3 schools (Thomas Jefferson, Philadelphia University, and Stockton) and am still waiting to hear back from Seton Hall.

My GPA is a 3.338.

My GRE is a combined score of Verbal 153, Math 146 (i took it twice and that's the highest score) and 4.0 for writing.

My letters of rec were great, I have 50+ hours of OT shadowing but also 50+ volunteer hours for other organizations like relay for life, autism speaks, special olympics, soup kitchen, etc.

I studied abroad for a semester and am currently have an internship in counseling right now (hopefully helpful because i want to be an OT in mental health), but am struggling to find an OT internship in the summer because many places say I lack OT experience (Most places want students enrolled in masters programs)

I just need advice on where people think i should apply for next year to increase my chances, how should i get my stats up, and what to do in general. Getting denied is really discouraging!

My GRE scores weren't great and I got into my top school, so I wouldn't focus too much on trying to improve your score again. You can also apply to schools that don't require the GRE.
Maybe try to do more observations hours in a variety of settings. I aimed for 150 hours total in all settings. More volunteer hours never hurts either.
If you're worried about your overall GPA, taking a couple community college classes related to OT can always help. I took all my prerequisites (about 30 credits) after I graduated from undergrad and it really helped my overall and last 90 credits GPA.

 

[OTledo]

I've gotten denied from 3 schools (Thomas Jefferson, Philadelphia University, and Stockton) and am still waiting to hear back from Seton Hall.

My GPA is a 3.338.

My GRE is a combined score of Verbal 153, Math 146 (i took it twice and that's the highest score) and 4.0 for writing.

My letters of rec were great, I have 50+ hours of OT shadowing but also 50+ volunteer hours for other organizations like relay for life, autism speaks, special olympics, soup kitchen, etc.

I studied abroad for a semester and am currently have an internship in counseling right now (hopefully helpful because i want to be an OT in mental health), but am struggling to find an OT internship in the summer because many places say I lack OT experience (Most places want students enrolled in masters programs)

I just need advice on where people think i should apply for next year to increase my chances, how should i get my stats up, and what to do in general. Getting denied is really discouraging!

I think the best thing to do would be to gain more experience in OT by accruing more shadowing hours. If you've done all 50+ of your hours at the same setting, try branching out to different settings to show your knowledge of OT is well-rounded. Pediatrics, school-based, outpatient rehab, mental health, SNF, hand therapy, hippotherapy... so many settings you can check out! I'd suggest googling some settings and sending e-mails or calling about whether they will accept you as a volunteer/observer. Be somewhat tenacious in your search, I was told by a few sites that they wouldn't take volunteers, but found several that were happy to have me.

Next, I wouldn't really worry about retaking the GRE if you've already taken it twice. Your score is not terrible! Instead, I would think about retaking some of the pre-reqs that you may have struggled in. Try for A's in anatomy/physiology (and the labs), stats, and the psych courses.

Also! I spoke with faculty at the programs I applied to and they emphasized the importance of the personal statement. A good personal statement can compensate for less-than-perfect stats. Although my stats are competitive all-around, I think my personal statement was my biggest selling point of the application.

If you aren't accepted this round, definitely gain work experience in an OT-related field. I was a paraprofessional at a school for children with autism that provided PT, OT, and Speech. I was also an aide for adults with developmental disabilities for a while. This job is not glamorous or well-paying, but it is a field that is always in demand and is totally OT related. Both of these jobs gave me so much to talk about during my interviews and personal essay.

I hope this helps! Don't give up!

 

[HopingAndWaitingOT]

Thomas Jefferson, Philadelphia, Temple, Salus, USciences, Virginia Commonwealth, Emory & Henry and MCPHS.

I was a high school Social Studies and English teacher in inner-city DC, bush Alaska and Bhutan. I started working in a residential program for youth with disabilities when I decided to pursue OT this year.

I also only had a hair over 50 hours in two settings for shadowing

What was your pre-req GPA?

Also, the reason I recommended studying more for the GRE is your quantitative score. A 146 is in the 24%ile - a lot of schools want to see 50%ile.