General Admissions & OTCAS Occupational Therapy ?

[Racheljane]

Hi!

I will be applying to OT programs this coming summer. I just want to know if anyone out there can tell me realistically what chances I have of getting in.

The problem is, I will be graduating with a gpa of only about 3.2-3.3. My major is psych, while my minor is biology. This is largely due to my grades during a period of a year and a half where I was working full-time. I've heard they're somewhat understanding about this, but I'm well aware there are students out there with similar schedules who managed to earn better grades.

The pros are, I will have more than the required hours of shadowing for every school I'm applying to. I also volunteer at a hospital, and work in a group home with adults with disabilities. I have a professor, an OT, and my boss who are all willing to write me great recommendation letters. I'm also currently a TA, and likely will be for a class this summer as well.

So, assuming I do well on my GRE, write a good essay, and am lucky enough to get an interview (and then do well), what are my chances of being accepted this year or the next?

Any opinions are appreciated

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[parr0T]

Hi Racheljane,

I want to let you know that it definitely is possible and I encourage you to apply. I was very nervous coming into the application process for this cycle, but despite my insecurities I worked towards putting together the best application I could, because really thats all you can do, and hoped for the best!

My GPA in undergrad was a 3.20, with many C's in my first couple of years, as well as 2 withdrawals. I even had B's in some of my prereqs. Obviously a less than perfect undergrad career, but there was definitely improvement in my grades as time went on. I was also a double major, Psych and Philosophy. As for my GRE, i took it once after not much studying and pulled off decent scores, which was okay enough for me to not take them again (hate sitting in a room for that many hours). My scores were Verbal: 153 Quant:153 Writing: 4.0. That strategy was not my best because I recommend taking the test a few times, and I definitely could have pulled up my scores if i did so, but alas, laziness.

Where I really felt that I shined was in the amount of volunteer hours I put in. I put in around 400 or so hours, I believe, in 3 different settings. One was a short term geriatric rehab facility, the other was a school for children with special needs, and finally the psychiatric unit of a hospital. I think also seeing that sort of variety gave me a well rounded view of the different scopes of OT. I got 3 letters of recommendation, one from a professor who was also president of the school that i volunteered at, one from another professor who taught a psych prereq class that I got an A in, and finally one from an OT who was my supervisor at the school I shadowed at for around 230 hours.

I applied to 12 schools, mostly in the northeast, and was sure to apply to schools that I believed were "safety schools" (although, no school is really a safety), target schools, and reach schools. Really sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to why a specific program will see potential in you or not. But at this point I have been accepted to 3 programs (yay!), waitlisted at 2, rejected from 3, and still waiting to hear from 2.

Again, my app was less than perfect but just put time and energy (and money, too) into this very exhausting process and hopefully you will find success as I did. I also don't know how influential this was to my application but I went to a very competitive undergrad university in 2013, ranked in the top 30 in the country. It made me nervous to think how my 3.2 from an extremely competitive school would compare to the 3.8s and 3.9s of some schools of a lesser caliber. So this may or may not have made a difference in the way my application was viewed.

Good luck and if you have any more questions, post 'em up.

 

[Racheljane]

Wow!!! Thank you so much for such a thought out response . I do feel better after hearing this, although you are like the all-star of shadowing hours!! I hope to finish with around 90...and I thought I was doing well! I am glad to know that though because now I have a better idea of what is competitive . I am also not at a prestigious school..so I hope that doesn't affect my chances. Thanks again! I joined this forum on a whim...definitely glad I did! That's the most informative answer to that question I've gotten. When I ask OTs they tell me I have nothing to worry about...but I feel they're not as in tune with the application process as it stands today (they're all 40+).

 

[Kidamnesiac]

I wrote this on another thread but thought I'd put it here too:

One thing I have noticed is that as applictions rise, so too the same types of applications rise: I.e. Sciences, such and such hours in a setting, desire to serve a community (service with disabled children or adults). These things are all great, but the secret is to stand out.

On your SOP, don't give the standard story about being inspired to enter OT based on an encounter (unless they specifically ask for that). Show them that you're reading their literature...use their words and show that you understand them. Don't volunteer at the same old places...go to a Native American reservation or a homeless shelter. Don't observe at the same old places...observe hippotherapy and burn or edema units. Do a bunch of different settings. Retake those prereqs...a's will look way better than even a B+ and hopefully you won't be distracted by other classes. My advice would be: try your best to stand out from a lot of the applicant info you see on here, because many of these common pieces of an application (I.e. 100 hours observing at a hospital) aren't going to be that impressive beside 100 others that say the same. Also, one thing that I'm sure many people don't do is learn the program to which they're applying (especially the people who apply to 15 programs at once). Professors want to know that you're invested in their program and the way that they do things. Let them know you've studied their program and you know it better than other applicants. Visit if you can and email professors as well. This will make you stand out.

Also, you were right to check this forum! The search feature is very helpful as well. You can even find interview q's, info from admissions directors, help drafting your SOP, etc... My philosophy in applying was to do everything I possibly could at every step so that I would have no regrets! Leave nothing on the table! Good luck!

 

[parr0T]

Also, just to let you know, I figured out I wanted to do OT later in the game, so I graduated in May of 2013 (thankfully with many pre-reqs fulfilled due to my undergrad major) and had to kick it in to high gear quickly. I started my shadowing hours this past summer, and had to take anatomy and physiology I and II summer courses.

While you say you will finish with around 90 shadowing hours in OT, I don't see why you are capping it there. While it is important to apply early, you still have so much time to dedicate yourself to improving your application. Retake a course this summer if you have to, try to shadow at a few more places, retake the GRE again, etc. I applied pretty late (beginning of December) and wouldn't suggest you do the same, but i do encourage you to focus on sending in your best possible application, even if that means applying in October as opposed to June/July.

 

[Racheljane]

Part of the problem with shadowing hours is that I live in a somewhat secluded area. I shadow an OT at the elementary and middle schools, which I love, but I'm only able to get 3 hours at a time due to conflicting schedules. I was shadowing at a clinic, but honestly the woman there was kind of crabby and I really don't think she wanted any students around. She stopped answering my calls. I'm going to try and see if I can shadow the OT that services all of the group homes in the area (where I work), but other than that there isn't a lot of options. There's a hand specialist at the clinic I mentioned, so I want to try and get a few hours there..but it's not very promising. They aren't very welcoming to students.

Anyway, I take the gre in 2 days(!!!!), and have a quick question. Do I fill in the codes for the schools I want to attend when I take it? Or can I send my scores wherever after? I plan on taking it at least one more time..

 

[Racheljane]

And thank you both for your help . I really appreciate it!!!

 

[parr0T]

I would definitely not fill out any codes for prospective schools. Wait and see what your scores are before you send them, you can always send them in after you receive your scores, thats what I did. This way, in case you bomb (which you won't!), you can go back and take the GRE in a couple months and send those scores, and the schools will never have to know about an unsatisfactory exam.

 

[Racheljane]

Awesome. Okay, thanks a lot

 

[CharacterZero]

Part of the problem with shadowing hours is that I live in a somewhat secluded area. I shadow an OT at the elementary and middle schools, which I love, but I'm only able to get 3 hours at a time due to conflicting schedules. I was shadowing at a clinic, but honestly the woman there was kind of crabby and I really don't think she wanted any students around. She stopped answering my calls. I'm going to try and see if I can shadow the OT that services all of the group homes in the area (where I work), but other than that there isn't a lot of options. There's a hand specialist at the clinic I mentioned, so I want to try and get a few hours there..but it's not very promising. They aren't very welcoming to students.

Anyway, I take the gre in 2 days(!!!!), and have a quick question. Do I fill in the codes for the schools I want to attend when I take it? Or can I send my scores wherever after? I plan on taking it at least one more time..

I'd definitely send your scores to schools day of test. When you take it, you can send your scores to up to 4 schools for free. If you wait until later, you have to pay $25 per school to send your score.

 

[Kidamnesiac]

And they should give you a rough estimate of how you did which is pretty accurate (except for the writing). The scores are weighed against how everyone does who takes your edition of the test, so if everyone does poorly, your grade will be a bit better, etc...

And I concur about asking around for more observation hours. I was told no a few times, but OT's know other places to observe, and if you keep asking around you will eventually find some places to go. Having a variety is better than having many hours at one place (even if you just go once or twice to a setting). Don't take any chances! Good luck!

 

[erniedukes89]

Part of the problem with shadowing hours is that I live in a somewhat secluded area. I shadow an OT at the elementary and middle schools, which I love, but I'm only able to get 3 hours at a time due to conflicting schedules. I was shadowing at a clinic, but honestly the woman there was kind of crabby and I really don't think she wanted any students around. She stopped answering my calls. I'm going to try and see if I can shadow the OT that services all of the group homes in the area (where I work), but other than that there isn't a lot of options. There's a hand specialist at the clinic I mentioned, so I want to try and get a few hours there..but it's not very promising. They aren't very welcoming to students.

Anyway, I take the gre in 2 days(!!!!), and have a quick question. Do I fill in the codes for the schools I want to attend when I take it? Or can I send my scores wherever after? I plan on taking it at least one more time..

If I were you I would look into geriatric centers -- especially if there are any in the lower income areas near you. They are almost always understaffed and there is a lot of OT going on. When I volunteered at a geriatric center I felt like the OT's were so happy for an extra set of hands and eyes. Just a thought, because it's usually a less popular area for OT students so there aren't as many people looking to volunteer there.

 

[CurlyHairedGirl]

I had a hard time finding places to shadow, and I second the geriatric setting as easier to get into. Many other places I called had a 3 month waiting list to shadow, or wouldn't return my phone calls, or said stop calling we have too many people trying to shadow.

As a bonus factor, I discovered I really liked working with an older population, and I got the impression that nursing homes were one of the hardest places to staff. I remember saying to someone with a smile that "I think I could handle doing this every day for the rest of my life".

 

[NJchick]

Hey there!

I was super nervous as well, because my GPA was actually under a 3.2 (about a 3.17 or so). My pre-req GPA was a bit higher, but I had re-taken A&P II because I had gotten a C+ in undergrad- got an A when I re-took it at a local school. I think most schools care more about your pre-req GPA as opposed to your overall, so if your pre-req GPA has any sub-par grades, I would definitely consider re-taking some courses.

To compensate, I really tried to make all the other aspects of my application stand out! I studied really hard for the GRE, got over 100 shadowing hours in 4 different settings (school based, geriatric rehab, hippotherapy, and hand therapy), and tried to write really good essays! I didn't end up finishing all my shadowing hours until around October (graduated May 2013), but it didn't seem to make a huge difference for me (especially for schools that don't have rolling applications it makes NO difference).

I ended up getting into 2 of my top programs and am deciding between them now. But as people above me have said, don't let a low GPA discourage you! Just work instead on making your application stand out and you should be fine! Good luck!!!

 

[Emily722]

I agree with others, you definitely have a chance! I also only had a 3.2-3.3 cumulative GPA. I was accepted into 2 schools, rejected from 1 and offered two interviews which I turned down. I ended up accepting the offer to my in-state public university which had been my top choice.

Having a low cumulative GPA does bring down your application, so my mindset was that I had no room to slack in other areas of my application. My prereq GPA was around a 3.7-3.8. I had A's in both anatomy and physiology, plus I took an additional advanced anatomy course. I had strong letters of recommendation and 60 hours of shadowing, which is low but I had a tough time getting hours in. My GRE scores were not amazing but I don't think they hurt my application, quant(153) verbal(157) writing(4.5).

I think everyone has given you really good advice. I agree that you should use all of your free GRE score reports. I only sent mine to one school simply because I didn't know what other schools I wanted to apply to yet. But down the road after continuing to spend money on OTCAS fees, supplement frees, fees to send transcripts ect I really wish I taken my free GRE scores reports. 25$ may not seem like a lot now but it all adds up really fast.

And this is something I haven't seen too many people mention, but it was a problem for me. If you plan to apply to non-OTCAS schools, which can be a really good idea, then you will have to have the OT's that you shadow fill out separate forms for each school. At the time I did my shadowing there was only one non-OTCAS schools I planned to apply to. By the time I got further into the application cycle I had wanted to apply to three more schools not using OTCAS. This was problematic for a few reasons. I had only spent about 25 hours with each of them and at this point that was about 9 months ago. Most of them had already done a lot for me and I honestly felt like by sending them more evaluation forms and asking for more LOR it was too much. The OT who I had formed the best relationship with had originally written me a great LOR, but 9 months later after I asked for more eval forms to be filled out she told me that she was just too swamped with work and had fieldwork students who had to take priority. Which I totally understood, but was obviously disappointed. I also lived in a different city at this point so everything would have been mailed back and forth making it a little more work for everyone. So for everyone's sake try to plan ahead as much as possible. Know what forms you need to have filled out by each OT you shadow. If you happen to really connect with one of them and plan to ask them to write you a LOR, let them know right away.

Finally, to make the process less stressful start early! It's advice everyone will tell you but that is because it's really important. It will save you stress and leave room for the unexpected, changes in plans ect. I started the process almost a year ago now and just last week got the acceptance letter I was waiting for, I can't remember the last time I felt so much joy and relief.

 

[ExceptionalSea]

on advice for finding places to shadow - use your friends and family for networking. they may have contacts in health care settings that can get you in the door even if they are not OTs themselves. my best friend's dad is a neurologist, and he was able to put me in contact with OTs at the hospital he is admitted at right away. when i came in for my observation hours all of the OTs asked how i had gotten in so quickly (this hospital had a ton of people waiting to observe as well). it definitely helped having a doctor put me in contact!

on the other hand, you don't need to know any doctors either. my volunteer opportunity with a hand therapist came about through my neighbor, who is a building maintenance manager at another hospital (he doesn't even provide patient care or work closely with anyone who does!). he was able to put me in contact with the right person. finally, a girl i know from the bar i frequent (haha!) was in nursing school and her uncle was disabled and received home health care. she asked if i wanted to come over and view a session with his OT while she was there to visit and also learn herself. OT observation opportunities can come about any which way from the least expected places.

ask around. tell people you are planning on applying to occupational therapy school and you need contacts to shadow. you might be surprised what you find! most people will be very happy to help you!

 

[Racheljane]

Thank you all for the suggestions!!!!! It's so good to know I have more of a chance than I anticipated... I assumed I'd be completely rejected my first year applying. To know I have a shot is amazing!!! And thank you all for the advice regarding the GRE and shadowing. I actually took my GRE yesterday... got a 152 on both the verbal and quantitative sections. I plan on taking it again, but I was pretty happy with that for my first try!

 

[trep]

I know everyone has already provided you with some great advice, but i'd just like to give my 2 cents. I'm in a similar situation to yourself, graduating with a 3.288 cumulative. From what I've gathered speaking to administrators and current OT students, I believe that prerequisite GPA is often weighted more heavily than cumulative GPA, so as others have said, try to get those up as high as you can, especially A&P. In addition, most schools are looking for well-rounded and diverse students, so try to play that to your advantage. Make sure you can get some really strong LORs and try to volunteer in a variety of OT settings. The program I'm planning on applying to doesn't require a SOP or interview so I can't really speak on those aspects. Don't stress too much about things like the GRE because as long as you hit the 50th - 60th percentile you should be good enough. Really the most important thing is to be a well-rounded student who can demonstrate that you are capable of dealing with a diverse range of people.

 

[Racheljane]

Thank you for the advice!!! It makes me feel better knowing there's others in the same boat. Good luck with your application!!'

 

[Gopher3]

So here is my situation:

I have not yet been accepted to any programs, but I'm wait listed at 2 and have yet to hear anything from another handful of schools. I also received an interview at the end of next week (to the school I least want to attend of all I applied to) but am considering canceling for financial reasons. Between airfare/cabs/hotel and lost work time it will cost me about $1000 to take this interview and being the last interview date + reading on here that many have already been accepted to this school + rumors that their class is full makes me feel like I may only be interviewing for a wait lust spot at this time.

So my question is would you ever turn down an interview without already being accepted to another school?

 

[mgeagle]

So here is my situation:

I have not yet been accepted to any programs, but I'm wait listed at 2 and have yet to hear anything from another handful of schools. I also received an interview at the end of next week (to the school I least want to attend of all I applied to) but am considering canceling for financial reasons. Between airfare/cabs/hotel and lost work time it will cost me about $1000 to take this interview and being the last interview date + reading on here that many have already been accepted to this school + rumors that their class is full makes me feel like I may only be interviewing for a wait lust spot at this time.

So my question is would you ever turn down an interview without already being accepted to another school?

I would say at this stage of the game save the cash because the gamble doesn't seem worth it seeing as at this point most schools have a fair amount of their spots secured so you may be competing against dozens of people for very few spots left, That is not worth $1000 in my eyes unless I was certain I could nail one of those spots and in a competitive field like this that's a bold assumption. Besides you seem to have a handful of other options that may very well work out.

 

[Racheljane]

I agree with what was said above, especially considering it's not a school you're particularly excited about.

 

[Gopher3]

Thank you for the responses.

To clarify I would without question accept any position offered to me, I'm just concerned that with such a late interview my chances aren't great and it would cost a lot of money just to be placed on another wait list.

At this point I don't consider any of the schools I haven't heard from as being overly interested because I finished my applications in December. I feel like the schools I have yet to hear from as well the one that offered me a late interview all view me as a fringe candidate - $1000 is a lot for me to spend on what feels like a long shot.

My real question was if other people knowledgable on the subject think my assessment of my chances seem accurate? Which mgeagle and RachelJane seemed to agree with. I'd love to hear from anyone else with insight as well though!

Thanks

 

[OTprospect]

I agree with mgeagle. I don't think I would spend $1000 just to be placed on another waitlist.

 

[Racheljane]

Gopher3... just out of curiosity, geographically, where are you applying to schools?? I'll be applying to schools in the midwest, and I feel most of what I've read about on here has been more west or down south. Also, if you don't mind sharing what was your gpa, gre scores, etc?

 

[Gopher3]

I'm from Minnesota. Applied primarily in the Midwest but the upcoming interview I was talking about was in Nevada.

GPA was 3.4 but after taking more prerequisites (4 A's, 1 B) should be higher.

GRE 162 verb/ 159 Quan / 4.0 AW

One thing I feel is holding me back is that I don't have an academic reference due to being out of school, taking online/hybrid classes recently and my undergrad major having almost total faculty turnover since I graduated 3 years ago.

RachelJane - you will be applying as in you haven't yet? Where are you looking at and what are your GPA/gre stats?

Good luck to you!

 

[Racheljane]

I will be applying this coming summer/fall. So far I want to apply to gvsu, Wayne state, u of minn., st scholastica, univ of Illinois-Chicago, and u of SD.

My undergrad gpa will be between a 3.2 and 3.3 and my prereq should be about a 3.5. Observation hours have been hard to get, but I'm hoping to hit 90-100. I have 3 people that will write me a strong LOR- a professor in the psych dept., an OT, and my boss (I work in a home with developmentally disabled adults).

I just took the gre this last Saturday. I got a 152 on both section, but I'm still waiting on my writing. I plan to take it again, though, as I didn't really study much :/.

 

[Racheljane]

Ps...just made the gopher connection haha! Maybe I realized it subconsciously and that's what made me ask

 

[Racheljane]

Also, idk if it will help me much, but I'm a ta for an intro psych class, and have volunteered at a daycare in a local hospital for a couple of years. I've also worked for a couple years in direct care (the group home I mentioned).

 

[ExceptionalSea]

I'm from Minnesota. Applied primarily in the Midwest but the upcoming interview I was talking about was in Nevada.

GPA was 3.4 but after taking more prerequisites (4 A's, 1 B) should be higher.

GRE 162 verb/ 159 Quan / 4.0 AW

One thing I feel is holding me back is that I don't have an academic reference due to being out of school, taking online/hybrid classes recently and my undergrad major having almost total faculty turnover since I graduated 3 years ago.

RachelJane - you will be applying as in you haven't yet? Where are you looking at and what are your GPA/gre stats?

Good luck to you!

i had also been out of school for several years and had trouble getting a good academic reference. i got around it though because my boss happens to teach some undergraduate courses at the local university. i happen to do a lot of writing for my job so i asked him if he felt comfortable writing my LOR from an academic point of view even though i never had him as a professor. it worked.

you should ask around. maybe the director at a place you volunteer also teaches undergraduate courses. or like me, you work for someone who is also qualified to write about you from an academic point of view. those people can probably write better LORs anyway since they will know you better. good luck!

 

[J966]

I wrote this on another thread but thought I'd put it here too:

One thing I have noticed is that as applictions rise, so too the same types of applications rise: I.e. Sciences, such and such hours in a setting, desire to serve a community (service with disabled children or adults). These things are all great, but the secret is to stand out.

On your SOP, don't give the standard story about being inspired to enter OT based on an encounter (unless they specifically ask for that). Show them that you're reading their literature...use their words and show that you understand them. Don't volunteer at the same old places...go to a Native American reservation or a homeless shelter. Don't observe at the same old places...observe hippotherapy and burn or edema units. D.O. a bunch of different settings. Retake those prereqs...a's will look way better than even a B+ and hopefully you won't be distracted by other classes. My advice would be: try your best to stand out from a lot of the applicant info you see on here, because many of these common pieces of an application (I.e. 100 hours observing at a hospital) aren't going to be that impressive beside 100 others that say the same. Also, one thing that I'm sure many people don't D.O. is learn the program to which they're applying (especially the people who apply to 15 programs at once). Professors want to know that you're invested in their program and the way that they D.O. things. Let them know you've studied their program and you know it better than other applicants. Visit if you can and email professors as well. This will make you stand out.

Also, you were right to check this forum! The search feature is very helpful as well. You can even find interview q's, info from admissions directors, help drafting your SOP, etc... My philosophy in applying was to D.O. everything I possibly could at every step so that I would have no regrets! Leave nothing on the table! Good luck!

Just wanted to say I think the above is excellent advice. I currently live in Chapel Hill but will be relocating to Greenville to attend ECU (I didn't apply to UNC, only ECU). I'm a bit sad to leave here since I really do love the place I'm renting at the moment, but I'm happy to be starting ECU this fall. Good luck at UNC!

EDIT: What is up with the word "do" being changed to D.O. on this forum? LOL

 

[cheybutta]

Has anyone been notified for and interview yet ?

 

[brighton421]

Can anyone give me an idea of where I would stand for applying to MSOT schools.

The schools I am applying to are: VCU (top choice), Temple, Ohio State, Towson, JMU, Howard

Here is my background. Bachelor of Science Psychology; Bachelor of Science Human Development
Undergraduate GPA: 3.62
Last 90 hours: 3.95
Pre-req GPA: 4.0
GRE: Verbal Reasoning: 155; Quantitative: 156; AW: 4.5

OT Observation:
8 Hours in a Pediatric Outpatient Hospital Setting
40 Hours in an Adult Acute Inpatient Hospital Setting
90 Hours at a Private Pediatric Facility (included Handwriting camps, constraint camps, and social groups)
48 Hours in a SNF/Rehab center

-360 hours as a Crisis Hotline Volunteer
-Member of a service sorority - held leadership 2 years -Member of other organizations and held leadership positions including my university's Undergraduate Honor System and music ensembles.
-Served as a teaching assistant
-2 years of research experience (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th author on posters at Virginia and National conferences)

I don't want to keep listing things, but what is listed above is what I think helps me stand out.

I am applying to VCU early-decision and I hope I get in because it is a great school and inexpensive. I am holding off on applying to Temple and decided against early admission at Towson because I would have to indicate my intention to attend 2 weeks after notification. If anyone could give me a good idea of where I stand, that would be great.

Submitted my OTCAS on 9/24 - awaiting verification

 

[Stepherz92]

Hi Racheljane,

I want to let you know that it definitely is possible and I encourage you to apply. I was very nervous coming into the application process for this cycle, but despite my insecurities I worked towards putting together the best application I could, because really thats all you can do, and hoped for the best!

My GPA in undergrad was a 3.20, with many C's in my first couple of years, as well as 2 withdrawals. I even had B's in some of my prereqs. Obviously a less than perfect undergrad career, but there was definitely improvement in my grades as time went on. I was also a double major, Psych and Philosophy. As for my GRE, i took it once after not much studying and pulled off decent scores, which was okay enough for me to not take them again (hate sitting in a room for that many hours). My scores were Verbal: 153 Quant:153 Writing: 4.0. That strategy was not my best because I recommend taking the test a few times, and I definitely could have pulled up my scores if i did so, but alas, laziness.

Where I really felt that I shined was in the amount of volunteer hours I put in. I put in around 400 or so hours, I believe, in 3 different settings. One was a short term geriatric rehab facility, the other was a school for children with special needs, and finally the psychiatric unit of a hospital. I think also seeing that sort of variety gave me a well rounded view of the different scopes of OT. I got 3 letters of recommendation, one from a professor who was also president of the school that i volunteered at, one from another professor who taught a psych prereq class that I got an A in, and finally one from an OT who was my supervisor at the school I shadowed at for around 230 hours.

I applied to 12 schools, mostly in the northeast, and was sure to apply to schools that I believed were "safety schools" (although, no school is really a safety), target schools, and reach schools. Really sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to why a specific program will see potential in you or not. But at this point I have been accepted to 3 programs (yay!), waitlisted at 2, rejected from 3, and still waiting to hear from 2.

Again, my app was less than perfect but just put time and energy (and money, too) into this very exhausting process and hopefully you will find success as I did. I also don't know how influential this was to my application but I went to a very competitive undergrad university in 2013, ranked in the top 30 in the country. It made me nervous to think how my 3.2 from an extremely competitive school would compare to the 3.8s and 3.9s of some schools of a lesser caliber. So this may or may not have made a difference in the way my application was viewed.

Good luck and if you have any more questions, post 'em up.

 

[Stepherz92]

Which schools did you get admitted too