General Admissions & OTCAS OT School Re-applying (third time)

[abOccupationalTherapy1120]

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Hi everyone. Just to give you a little background, this will be my third time applying to OT programs. I graduated from college in May 2017 so I have been working for a year as an Orthotic Fitter. I am a bit frustrated with this process because I feel like I have increased my GRE from my second time applying and have had great experience in my job. I also have re-taken 4 pre-requisites in my undergrad and am planning on re-taking two more this summer. I have always wanted to be an OT so I am really trying not to give up!

I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I still have not heard back from Midwestern (Downer's Grove) and am waitlisted at Rush University, but did not get in anywhere else. Though I am really hoping I get pulled off the waitlist for Rush, I am still preparing to apply again since the application opens in about a month. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! (I really struggle with the GRE but will probably start studying again to re-take it).

Major: Kinesiology
Undergraduate GPA: 3.45 but 3.29 on OTCAS
Last 60-Unit GPA: 3.52
Pre-Req GPA: 3.2-3.5 depending on school and how they calculate (have re-taken a lot of classes)
GRE: 149 Verbal 155 Quantitive and 4.5 in writing
Relevant Work/Volunteer/Shadowing Experience: Previously worked at Disability Resources and Educational Services at College for 2.5 years. I administered exams to those with learning disabilities and scribed for those who could not read/write themselves.
-also worked as Personal Assistant to two twins with autism for 3 years on and off. This included attending speech, physical, and occupational therapy with them as well as other forms of therapy. Learned to regulate them and also gained a lot of knowledge about sensory processing disorder.
-SHADOW: 30 hours at a children's hospital. 30 hours in home health. 40 hours in a hospital on the cardiac floor. and 25 hours in pediatric OT private practice. TOTAL = 125 hours of shadowing.

Work/Extra-Curricular Activities: I currently work as an Orthotic fitter for a hospital. So I am certified in that as well as in casting. I basically fit any type of brace for orthopedic physician's including 3 hand surgeons. I have over 1500 hours in patient care.
Applied to: Carroll University, Midwestern Downer's Grove, Midwestern Arizona, Rush, UIC, Madison, Milwaukee, Maryville, and Elmhurst. Will apply to the same schools plus a few more next cycle.

 

[OTinWonderland]

Honestly just apply to different schools. I recently got in on my fourth try so trust me, I understand LOL. I made the mistake of reapplying to the same schools year after year because I didn't want to relocate. I applied to different programs this year and got accepted. Schools just have a specific candidate in mind and it really has nothing to do with your potential as a student.

 

[OTApp0117]

I completely understand where you're coming from. I applied to OT school three times and just recently got accepted in April. I really struggled applying to schools and had to mentally re-evaluate each time. I started from scratch and had to take all the prereq's while working full time because I didn't have any science classes from undergrad. I'm not a good test taker, so my GRE scores were mediocre. The first time I applied I only chose a few schools in my home state. The second year, I applied to probably 5 or 6 schools in multiple states. I was wait listed the second time and even got a phone call one week (!!!) before classes started saying I was next on the list if someone dropped out last minute (no one did). That was a tough pill to swallow. I applied again a third time and ended up getting in where I originally wanted. So, my advice to you is do not give up!!!! You will get there. Every school is different and sometimes it's the determination and dedication that stands out to admissions, in my opinion. You have competitive stats and your strength is definitely how hard you have fought to be an OT. Let them see that! Best of luck to you.

 

[Otgirl32]

I got in on my second year of applying... it’s difficult and stressful I agree. Along with everything said above, my best advice is to stay in contact with the admission counselors! I was emailing back and forth questions throughout the process and when I didn’t hear back by April, I called her directly. When she answered the call she told me I was in the deciding pile and I explained to her that I know my grades/GPA is what is holding me back and I’d be open to retaking any classes over the summer. She said that was great and offered me a phone interview the next day. That was my chance to impress them and I guess I did because I got an acceptance better the following week if I retook 2 classes over the summer. It can happen!! Don’t give up!!

 

[MrTL]

Your work, shadow, and volunteer experience seem to be your strong suit. Your GPA is fine and I know it's one of the harder ones to make better (trust me, I had a 2.5 from undergrad and it took two years of 60 units to bring it up to even a 3.0... that's 60 units of straight A's!!! It was tough!). So, if you know your school is a "stat-based" school, where they consider that in very high regard, you can still apply there this round, but keep your expectations realistic... especially when they're consistently getting 3.5+ GPA's applying.

If there was one focus, I'd say get that Verbal up. If anything just concentrate solely on the Verbal section of the GRE. I think that can make a big difference.

Also, didn't see a mention of LOR's and personal statement. Those are also very important. A lot of times people just list their resume in essay format... but I think a unique essay would help a lot. Something that really conveys your passion for OT. And make sure you really trust the people who write your LOR's.

Good luck!

 

[abOccupationalTherapy1120]

I got in on my second year of applying... it’s difficult and stressful I agree. Along with everything said above, my best advice is to stay in contact with the admission counselors! I was emailing back and forth questions throughout the process and when I didn’t hear back by April, I called her directly. When she answered the call she told me I was in the deciding pile and I explained to her that I know my grades/GPA is what is holding me back and I’d be open to retaking any classes over the summer. She said that was great and offered me a phone interview the next day. That was my chance to impress them and I guess I did because I got an acceptance better the following week if I retook 2 classes over the summer. It can happen!! Don’t give up!!

Was this for Midwestern? Every time I contact them I kind of get the same response which is that they are still deciding on my application, but I would definitely be open to calling them.

 

[peachessccc3]

Maybe try applying for newer programs like North Central or Lewis University! Both colleges are so helpful with everything, and with your stats you definitely would have a decent chance of getting in there. My friend got into both schools with a pretty low GPA and a 275 on her GRE. They care more about your experiences that you have had with shadowing and work rather than what your academic and testing performance is like.As for Midwestern, I agree that you should call them and ask about everything. Good luck!

 

[abOccupationalTherapy1120]

Maybe try applying for newer programs like North Central or Lewis University! Both colleges are so helpful with everything, and with your stats you definitely would have a decent chance of getting in there. My friend got into both schools with a pretty low GPA and a 275 on her GRE. They care more about your experiences that you have had with shadowing and work rather than what your academic and testing performance is like.As for Midwestern, I agree that you should call them and ask about everything. Good luck!

I am definitely going to apply to these two schools this time around! I actually did not even know about North Central so thank you🙂

 

[peachessccc3]

I am definitely going to apply to these two schools this time around! I actually did not even know about North Central so thank you🙂

No problem!! Good luck on everything!!

 

[Aot007]

Trust me I understand, I finally got into OT school my 2nd time around applying. My 1st time around my GRE was low, my essay wasn't very good and I could have had better LORs, on top of my GPA not being the strongest. I really had to find what my weaknesses and find ways to strengthen them. My second time around I retook prereqs to raise my overall GPA, retook my GRE(didnt go up a lot), rewrote my essay, and got better LORs. I focused on applying to schools that did not require the GRE or did no have a high requirement, I also applied to schools in different states other than my home state. My advice is to find what you can strengthen and go outside your comfort zone, you may be surprised. I am going to an OT school 10 hours away from my home.

BTW I believe private schools are easier to get into than state schools since there aren't as many applicants and private school need to fill seats. Just a thought.

 

[gOT2beOT]

Trust me I understand, I finally got into OT school my 2nd time around applying. My 1st time around my GRE was low, my essay wasn't very good and I could have had better LORs, on top of my GPA not being the strongest. I really had to find what my weaknesses and find ways to strengthen them. My second time around I retook prereqs to raise my overall GPA, retook my GRE(didnt go up a lot), rewrote my essay, and got better LORs. I focused on applying to schools that did not require the GRE or did no have a high requirement, I also applied to schools in different states other than my home state. My advice is to find what you can strengthen and go outside your comfort zone, you may be surprised. I am going to an OT school 10 hours away from my home.

BTW I believe private schools are easier to get into than state schools since there aren't as many applicants and private school need to fill seats. Just a thought.

What would you say was wrong with your personal essay? And what was better about your LOR the second time than the first? If you do not mind sharing!

 

[Aot007]

What would you say was wrong with your personal essay? And what was better about your LOR the second time than the first? If you do not mind sharing!

No problem! My first essay was a mess, my structure was off, needed some proofreading, and it wasn't all the personable or really showed my passion for OT and why I would make a great candidate for any graduate program. Also, my LORs were from people I hadn't worked with for very long and didn't know much about me and wouldn't have really "boosted" me to readers. I felt like I was running out of time to apply to schools so I really submitted anything. My second time around I read my essay 10000 times before submitting and had someone else read it, on top of making it more personal. My LORs this time was my current manager (also a PT) who I knew would say great things about me, and 2 OTs who I worked with for a fair amount of time, all of which had written LORs for OT and PT schools before so they knew what to say, unlike my first set of LORs. So my second time around I really just put more effort into what I was doing lol.