Other OT-Related Information New to OT: GPA, GRE, Shadowing etc.

[smn3848]

Hi all I have some questions regarding the OT programs and the different requirements.
Just some background: I actually had planned on applying to dental school, hoping to someday specialize in dentistry for children with special needs, however, after over a year of working in a dental office I realized I really am not passionate about dentistry. I think instead I am drawn to working with children with special needs and thats why OT appeals to me.
I have graduated with a B.S. in biology and an overall GPA of 3.466 and a Science/Math GPA of 3.162. I still need to take Abnoraml Psych, Developmental Psych, and Sociology, which I plan on doing at my local community college this summer. My first question is I noticed many people posting stats about their last 60 credits GPA and Pre-req GPA. How do I calculate these and how does each different GPA affect the chance of admission?
I am a New Jersey resident and plan on applying to schools in NJ, Boston, Penn, and NY. I plan on taking the GRE soon and would like to know what GRE scores are considered competitive for OT programs? Also after some research I see that the deadline for application is anywhere between Dec 15 and Feb 15. My question is when do applications actually open and is there any advantage to applying early? Finally I am currently contacting multiple places in order to get shadowing/volunteer experience. My last question is do you think it is possible/realistic for me to get all of this done before the 2015 application cycle?

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[Kidamnesiac]

Most of your questions are program specific. Look at admissions websites for details on gpa and gre. Some schools value those more than others, and since you are coming from a second career type background, your prereqs should be more important.

As to the question of timing...fear not. I've talked to many people who prepared and were accepted within months, even at good schools. It's harder...ie you have to work harder than everyone else...but seeing as you were looking at dental school, you should be on the right track.

 

[alg5443]

If the school has rolling admissions, there is definitely an advantage to applying early and you will want to do so! Also, I did 100+ observation hours within 3 months this past summer so it is definitely possible for you to do this. I found that smaller clinics that are privately owned are more receptive in allowing students to come into shadow. But yes about the GPA and GRE, most programs list this info on their website. A good place to start it OTCAS under "participating programs."
Good luck!

 

[smn3848]

Thank you so much!

 

[deleted586407]

GRE
It's hard to define what a "competitive" GRE score is. Some programs place less weight on GRE scores and more weight on other factors-- plenty of people with mediocre GRE scores have been accepted in programs because they had outstanding experiences, a high GPA, wonderful letters of recommendation, etc. But from what I've gathered from researching different schools, most programs that require the GRE want to see a high verbal score and a high writing score. It's great if you do well on the quantitative section, but an average quant score shouldn't hurt you too much, as long as you shine in the verbal and writing sections. In my personal, non-expert opinion, you should shoot for a score in the 70-75% percentile or above in all sections. I believe this will make you a competitive applicant, because it shows that you scored higher than 70-75% of people who took the GRE test. At that point, your score will certainly not hurt you, and that's one less thing to worry about on your application. For the verbal section, a score of 157 will put you in the 73% percentile and for the quantitative section, a score of 159 will place you in 75% percentile. A writing score of 4.5 puts you in the 78% percentile. It's okay if you score below those numbers, because again, many people are accepted with lower scores than that. But I think your attitude going into the GRE should always be to score into the highest percentile you can.

Also, I highly recommend dedicating 1-2 months to prepare for the GRE. The GRE asks some pretty tricky questions, and if you don't familiarize yourself with the types of questions that will be asked, you may waste precious time trying to decipher each question. I studied 5-10 hours/week for 2 months. This system worked pretty well for me because by the time I took the GRE, I was pretty comfortable with the pressure of a time-limit and the overall test-taking environment. I ended up scoring in ~80% percentile for both sections. I did, however, score pretty low on the writing section (35% percentile), but that's mostly because I literally didn't practice any writing before the test and I had already been out of undergrad for at least a year. I think if I practiced writing essays more, I would've scored higher. So my point for the GRE is, practice practice practice!

Applying Early
Yes, applying early is an advantage! Many programs are on rolling admissions so they will review your application as soon as they receive it. Then they begin sending out acceptance letters. If you apply later, many seats may already be filled, which in turn, may lower your chances of getting accepted.

Applying for 2015 cycle
Whether or not you can finish everything before the 2015 cycle depends on various factors. How impacted are your community colleges around your area? Is it easy or difficult to get into classes there? If your community colleges are not over-crowded (unlike here in Los Angeles, where it is VERY crowded) and you can get into classes easily, you can most definitely finish all your classes by then. Even if you still have 1 or 2 more classes to finish after you apply, you won't need to worry, because most programs will accept your application with 1 or 2 classes in progress. Just make sure ALL your classes are finished before you start your program.

Realistically, I think you can finish everything by the 2015 cycle. You will most definitely be very busy though, since you'll be balancing studying for classes, studying for the GRE, and doing observations. But if you are a hard- worker, and you love OT, your schedule will be very manageable. I had one semester where I was balancing classes, a job, and doing observation. I was very busy and tired a lot , but I got through it and it was completely worth it, because now I'll be starting OT school this summer! My recommendation is to do your OT observations as soon as possible. That way, you have more time to reflect upon your experiences, and thus, more time to draft your personal statement. Your personal statement is also very important and should revolve around why you are interested in OT and how you would contribute to the field. Good luck with the application process!

 

[Kidamnesiac]

I have some study tips for the GRE. I'm not a rep or anything...I just found these helpful. I got the Princeton review book for the vocab list and their approach to the writing section is great. Magoosh is a great online resource if you can afford it, but even if not, check out their hundreds of free youtube videos for vocab and problem solving skills. Read a ton of books from the 18th and 19th century, and copy every word you don't know in a journal, define them (check out Wordnik.com for great etymological details and links to usage on other webpages in context), and use them daily. My friends would roll their eyes when I used my GRE words, but ignore them. The more you use it, the more you master it! Also, get 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by Funk and Lewis. It's cheap, and will give you a rubric for studying vocab. I made 162V and 5.5 writing doing this. Mahguelly is right about the quant...I made 77% but that's actually above the average for most programs (definitely not for PhD programs though).

One more hint. The key word to getting into grad school these days is "fit". It's a mysterious word that you can't really control, but you can do your best to learn about the program and how you fit in there. Learn the program's philosophical approach (who do they read? where do their professors come from? what are the professors interested in?) and make sure that you fit in with them. Are you interested in autism? Aging populations? Minorities? Neuro? Home/family intervention? Different schools are good at these different things, so communicating why you want to go to that particular school is important, and knowing those details will help you tremendously when you write an SOP or do an interview. Check out this website: http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2007/10/applying-to-philosophy-phd-programs_08.html It's really designed for people entering philosophy programs (so don't get discouraged by him discouraging people from applying...it's WAYYYY more competitive there, and there are no jobs), but it will give you a sense of how to go about preparing to apply. Hope this helps!

 

[smn3848]

Thank you for all the information! I am starting to study for the GRE this week (I guess I'll take it sometime in April?) I have the Kaplan book and plan on using many online resources so I will definitely check out the ones you guys have offered. I can easily get into the classes at my local community college, luckily it is not too impacted, so I do not forsee that being an issue. I have already begun emailing/cold calling private practices in order to get a shadowing position. So far nothing, but I will keep persistant. I definitely want to start shadowing ASAP. Thank you again for all your help. Hearing positive information from people who have already been through the process has been very incouraging.

 

[c2902]

With regard to finding shadowing/observation opportunities, I suggest you try to observe in multiple locations; private practices, hospitals, SNFs, if those opportunities are available. In a larger metro area, most of the hospitals will probably take observers, though the demand might be very high and you may have to be persistent. They might not be able to give you the total number of hours you need, but that is a good thing. I think it looks better on your application if you spread your observing over a few different settings. That's also a great way for you to see the various applications of OT - a private pediatrics clinic is going to be a different experience than acute care which is different than long-term rehab, etc.

 

[otrgoal]

Another way for you to find shadowing opportunities is to go to the website of the school district in your area and find the email of a director of special populations. It might take a bit of hunting, but there's usually a department you can contact. You can email the director or coordinator about shadowing OT's in schools, which I think is a good match for you since you enjoy working with children with special needs.

 

[smn3848]

Thanks this has been so helpful! I have kind of a random question. I currently am working about 25-30 hrs a week in a dental office doing billing, appointments, front desk, as well as assisting. Even though I know this is not my "forever" career, I do not want to give it up considering its steady work with good pay and I am already paying back my undergrad student loans. My question is should I put this on my application? Do you think it will have a negative impact since I'm in a field unrelated to OT? Do you think it is worth trying to find an alternative job more in touch with OT? - thanks!

 

[c2902]

Thanks this has been so helpful! I have kind of a random question. I currently am working about 25-30 hrs a week in a dental office doing billing, appointments, front desk, as well as assisting. Even though I know this is not my "forever" career, I do not want to give it up considering its steady work with good pay and I am already paying back my undergrad student loans. My question is should I put this on my application? Do you think it will have a negative impact since I'm in a field unrelated to OT? Do you think it is worth trying to find an alternative job more in touch with OT? - thanks!

There's nothing wrong with being in a job that isn't specifically OT-related, in general. Many schools accept applicants with diverse backgrounds and especially if you are young and don't have much work experience anyway, they're not going to hold that against you. If you were able to find another job (without quitting your current one first, obviously) that was awesomely OT-related and still covered you financially, I'd say go for it. Otherwise, it's fine to stay put - and really, your job isn't completely devoid of healthcare related experience; you are dealing with patients/clients on a daily basis in a clinical setting, even if it's not as a licensed professional. And definitely still put it under employment in OTCAS! You want to show that you are capable of being a responsible adult who can function in the "real world", so there's no reason not to include it.

That being said, if you are feeling like you need a little more targeted experience and you have the available time, maybe find some volunteering opportunities that relate to OT. Those can only help boost your application.

 

[smn3848]

This forum is great so many informative answers! I just got my first shadowing experience at a school for children with special needs starting next week. I'm so excited to get started. Any advice for someone new to ot shadowing? I plan to dress business casual and to come prepared with questions for the ot I'm shadowing as well as a notepad for all the answers and information I am provided. Any further info/advice you guys can give me would be great!

 

[mgeagle]

This forum is great so many informative answers! I just got my first shadowing experience at a school for children with special needs starting next week. I'm so excited to get started. Any advice for someone new to ot shadowing? I plan to dress business casual and to come prepared with questions for the ot I'm shadowing as well as a notepad for all the answers and information I am provided. Any further info/advice you guys can give me would be great!

If given the opportunity, try to interact with the patients, several people who gave me much needed letters of recommendation were very impressed with, and appreciated my ability to establish rapport with patients. No doubt they mentioned that when they wrote my letters of recommendation and its stuff like that that can help you stand out as a candidate for an OT school.