General Admissions & OTCAS OTCAS 2018 - 2019 Cycle

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bellapink said:
did they email you or send it in the mail?
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I actually got an email last week to check my application status for my acceptance and also I received an acceptance letter thro the mail today
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MCforOT said:
I actually got an email last week to check my application status for my acceptance and also I received an acceptance letter thro the mail today
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oh okay thank you! I just called the admissions office and they are sending them out in waves I haven't heard back yet
 
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does anyone have any opinions/acceptances from Indiana Wesleyan University? I think I'm going to accept their program just on the basis of how much I genuinely enjoyed talking to the professors who interviewed me. Their program cost (only 91k for the program) and the surrounding living costs are also astronomically low too, so I would really appreciate if anyone else have heard anything about their OTD program!

Congrats to everyone who's been offered a seat, and best of luck to those who are still waiting!
 
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Otdokey said:
I had an interview with them last week and got accepted! How did your interview go?
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I was also accepted! I think I’m going to decline because I feel more strongly about other schools.
 
Hey guys! Any recommendations from those of you who have been accepted? This was my third year applying and I am still only waitlisted. Here are my stats:

Major: Medical Humanities, Concentration: Occupational Therapy
Cumulative GPA: 3.4, Pre-requisite GPA: 4.0
GRE: V 150, M 150, W 4.0
Observation: 150 hours in outpatient adult and pediatric therapy, 79 hours in inpatient adult stroke therapy, 24 hours of therapy with autistic children in school settings, and currently working as a tech in an inpatient rehab center with current BLS certification
LORs: 2 OTs, 1 professor/mentor, and my current boss and inpatient rehab center

Activities: Medical Mentor at graduated university, President and Vice President of PT/OT organization, Director of Community Service of sorority, Intern at Make-A-Wish and other Non-Profit Ministries

(This Year) Applied: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth- San Antonio, UTMB, ACU
Interviews: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth-San Antonio, UTMB, (have not heard from ACU)
Waitlisted: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth-San Antonio
 
OTsGetDegrees said:
Hey guys! Any recommendations from those of you who have been accepted? This was my third year applying and I am still only waitlisted. Here are my stats:

Major: Medical Humanities, Concentration: Occupational Therapy
Cumulative GPA: 3.4, Pre-requisite GPA: 4.0
GRE: V 150, M 150, W 4.0
Observation: 150 hours in outpatient adult and pediatric therapy, 79 hours in inpatient adult stroke therapy, 24 hours of therapy with autistic children in school settings, and currently working as a tech in an inpatient rehab center with current BLS certification
LORs: 2 OTs, 1 professor/mentor, and my current boss and inpatient rehab center

Activities: Medical Mentor at graduated university, President and Vice President of PT/OT organization, Director of Community Service of sorority, Intern at Make-A-Wish and other Non-Profit Ministries

(This Year) Applied: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth- San Antonio, UTMB, ACU
Interviews: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth-San Antonio, UTMB, (have not heard from ACU)
Waitlisted: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth-San Antonio
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I would recommend taking classes to improve your GPA or maybe talking about why your GPA is on the lower end of the range they are looking for in your essays. I’ve heard that the overall GPA holds just as much weight on their ranking systems and can bring your ranking down.
 
Undergrad: Manhattan College
Major: Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.58
Prereq GPA: ~3.65

Observation: 200 hours total: pediatric private practice, elementary school, nursing home with geriatrics and also patients from the hospital.

Other volunteer/community/leadership service: Group Leader for children's Vacation Bible Camp for 3 yrs, vice president for women in STEM, Volunteer for Michael's Cause for children with Muscular Dystrophy since 2015, member of Operation Smile to raise money for child cleft palate surgeries, participate in Safe Halloween for kids every year with psych club on campus, Psychology research assistant.

Schools I'm Applying to: NYU, SUNY Downstate, Touro, Seton Hall, Stockton, Hofstra, Gwynedd Mercy, Springfield, Bay Path, Wesley

Interviews: Gwynedd Mercy(declined), Springfield(declined)
Acceptances: Bay Path!
Waitlisted: NYU
Denials: Hofstra, Stockton

Good luck to everyone, feedback is appreciated!
 
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University: BMCC (AA), Hunter College (BA 2014), LaGuardia CC (Post-Bacc)
Major: Film
Overall GPA: OTCAS 3.45
Pre-Req GPA: 3.7 - 3.9
GRE: Didn't take

Extra-Curric: Chinese Christian Fellowship (Vice Pres'13 & Secretary '12), Panel Speaker for Language as Social Justice Conference ('17)

Work Exp: A&P Tutor (2 yrs) Media Prod Team (5 mos) Swimming instructor (2 yrs), After-school tutor (3 yrs), Freelance photographer/videographer

LOR: 1 OT & 2 Professors

Volunteer: 50 hrs Outpatient Peds/Adult, 58 hrs SNF, Sunday School Teacher & other roles at church, (8 yrs), Videographer at Christian Camp (3 yrs), Soup Kitchen (1 yr), Art/music therapy assistant for peds w/ special needs (2 mos)

Applied: D'youville, Clarkson, LIU, Columbia, NYU
Acceptances: D'youville(2/21), Clarkson(1/31)
Rejections: Columbia (3/1)
Waitlist: LIU, NYU
 
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OTcait said:
I was also accepted! I think I’m going to decline because I feel more strongly about other schools.
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I got accepted into University of Mary and Rocky Mountain College in Billings, waitlisted for TWU and A.T Still. Is there any particular reason why you aren't as interested in UM? I would love to know your opinion!
 
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OTsGetDegrees said:
Hey guys! Any recommendations from those of you who have been accepted? This was my third year applying and I am still only waitlisted. Here are my stats:

Major: Medical Humanities, Concentration: Occupational Therapy
Cumulative GPA: 3.4, Pre-requisite GPA: 4.0
GRE: V 150, M 150, W 4.0
Observation: 150 hours in outpatient adult and pediatric therapy, 79 hours in inpatient adult stroke therapy, 24 hours of therapy with autistic children in school settings, and currently working as a tech in an inpatient rehab center with current BLS certification
LORs: 2 OTs, 1 professor/mentor, and my current boss and inpatient rehab center

Activities: Medical Mentor at graduated university, President and Vice President of PT/OT organization, Director of Community Service of sorority, Intern at Make-A-Wish and other Non-Profit Ministries

(This Year) Applied: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth- San Antonio, UTMB, ACU
Interviews: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth-San Antonio, UTMB, (have not heard from ACU)
Waitlisted: Texas Tech, TWU-Dallas, UTHealth-San Antonio
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I would recommend for you to apply to many schools if you can! We have similar stats & my cumulative gpa is actually a little bit lower than yours. I do have a lot of volunteer hours at 5 different OT settings but I can see that you also have a good number of hours. This was my second year applying & I finally got in. I retook all the prerequisites I got B’s in but I can see that your prerequisite gpa is already a 4.0.

I think what made my application better this time around was that the fact that I retook some prereqs, volunteered more at other healthcare settings, not limited to just OT, got some more leadership experience, worked really hard on my personal statement, got more & better recommendation letters, & really practiced HARD for the interviews. I did a lot of research on every school/program & just really showed them how genuinely passionate I am & how my skills, experiences could make me successful in grad school & also a future OT. Every school is looking for a specific candidate so I think really research that program’s emphasis too. I did a lot of that & it was actually worth it.

Also, don’t be afraid to apply to many schools out of state. I’m from California & I only got waitlisted at schools from my home state but got accepted everywhere else. I applied to 9 schools and got invited to interview with every single school I applied to except one that didn’t conduct interviews. I got waitlisted at 4, declined interview for 1, but also got accepted at 4. I really think what made me better this time & stand out a little more was the fact that I did well on my interviews. It’s really not just how you can improve your gpa... I practiced a lot, really poured my heart out & conveyed my passion for OT & really felt instant connection with those who interviewed me. It is true that this really is your time to shine. As cheesy as this sounds but they’ll actually feel it from you. I don’t have the best grades but doing well on Interviews helped me a lot.

Goodluck with everything! All your hardwork will pay off & don’t ever give up! It’s all going to be worth it in the end.
 
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Finally heard back from all the schools I’ve applied to!

Applied: Samuel Merritt, AT Still, Midwestern Glendale, Loma Linda, Dominican University, West Coast University, MCPHS, University of Mary-Billings, Moravian College

Interviews: Samuel Merritt, AT Still, Midwestern Glendale, Loma Linda, Dominican University, University of Mary-Billings, Moravian College, West Coast University (declined)

Accepted: Midwestern Glendale, AT Still, University of Mary-Billings, Moravian College

Waitlisted: Samuel Merritt, Dominican University, Loma Linda, MCPHS

rejection: none

Attending: MIDWESTERN GLENDALE!!

This is my second year applying & I’m so happy to finally say I’m going to graduate school!

I don’t have the best stats but what really helped me was I think doing well on interviews!

Undergrad: BS in Kinesiology from SJSU
CGPA: 3.3
Prereq GPA: 3.6-3.7 depends on school
Last 60: 3.3
GRE: 148, 148, 4.5

Observation Hours: 70 hrs Hospital Inpatient Stroke/TBI, 48 hrs Outpatient Hospital, 21 hrs Nursing home, 80 hrs Hand Therapy, 70 hrs Pediatrics, 35 hrs Mental Health Facility
Experience & other volunteer hrs: Oral surgery assistant for 7 yrs. 45 hrs at Mental Health Facility leading support groups & classes, 100 hrs Teaching/A Matter of Balance Coach, 1000+ hrs Teacher at Sunday school, others 20+hrs

Letters of Rec: 1 from anatomy professor, 1 from my surgeon employer, 2 from OT’s, 1 from teaching supervisor
 
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Otdokey said:
I got accepted into University of Mary and Rocky Mountain College in Billings, waitlisted for TWU and A.T Still. Is there any particular reason why you aren't as interested in UM? I would love to know your opinion!
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I have lived in Montana my entire life and would love a bit of change and new experiences. I am also not religious and want to be completely on board with the program I choose. Otherwise I was very impressed by the program and how tight-knit it was.
 
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Does anyone know if NYU sends decisions out in waves? Anxiously waiting to hear back from them!
 
OT_2019! said:
Does anyone know if NYU sends decisions out in waves? Anxiously waiting to hear back from them!
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In the NYU/Columbia group, a lot of people (including myself) got waitlisted on the 22nd. I know some people got denials/acceptances before that date, too. I hope you hear soon!!!
 
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OT_2019! said:
Does anyone know if NYU sends decisions out in waves? Anxiously waiting to hear back from them!
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I havent heard from NYU so youre not alone! I'm not sure what their timeline is, I had called a while back and was told decisions would not be out until late March or even early April, yet a bunch of people have heard back already so not really sure what's going on.
 
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OTcait said:
I have lived in Montana my entire life and would love a bit of change and new experiences. I am also not religious and want to be completely on board with the program I choose. Otherwise I was very impressed by the program and how tight-knit it was.
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I'm not religious either! Haha, they don't seem to be over the top on that though. I'm still hoping for AT.Still or TWU :) Best of luck!
 
Is it weird that I haven't heard from any school yet? I applied back in October, I haven't received a rejection or a waitlist email.
 
OTdreamer123 said:
Is it weird that I haven't heard from any school yet? I applied back in October, I haven't received a rejection or a waitlist email.
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Hmm, how many schools did you apply to? I would say apply to a few more, there’s still a few places accepting applications but they are expiring quickly. Might be good to have more options unless you’re ok with waiting another round. Best wishes!
 
OTdreamer123 said:
I applied to Brenau, Midwestern (Downers Grove), LIU, and Davenport
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I think it might be unusual. You should contact the admissions director for the programs you applied to for information on your application status.

I also applied to Brenau and I believe they said they will have their last interview date in March.
 
mbOT626 said:
I think it might be unusual. You should contact the admissions director for the programs you applied to for information on your application status.

I also applied to Brenau and I believe they said they will have their last interview date in March.
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That's what Nancy from admissions at Brenau told me too. I contacted them and they all said they had a lot of applicants and that they are doing their best. At this point I just want an answer.
 
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I got rejected from NYU. It sucks since it was my first choice :( I got wailisted at LIU.
Hofstra sent an email saying they ca not offer me an interview at this time but they will still keep my application open and get back to me in May.
I have not heard back from Suny Downstate and Colombia.
I am freaking out!!!!!!!!! I f I got rejected by NYU( Yesterday) what chances I have at Colombia??? :(
 
OTRock55 said:
In the NYU/Columbia group, a lot of people (including myself) got waitlisted on the 22nd. I know some people got denials/acceptances before that date, too. I hope you hear soon!!!
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would you mind sharing your stats please????
 
OT_2019 said:
I got rejected from NYU. It sucks since it was my first choice :( I got wailisted at LIU.
Hofstra sent an email saying they ca not offer me an interview at this time but they will still keep my application open and get back to me in May.
I have not heard back from Suny Downstate and Colombia.
I am freaking out!!!!!!!!! I f I got rejected by NYU( Yesterday) what chances I have at Colombia??? :(
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I think Clarkson and Mercy are still accepting applications, if you want to apply for a few more.
 
OT_2019 said:
I got rejected from NYU. It sucks since it was my first choice :( I got wailisted at LIU.
Hofstra sent an email saying they ca not offer me an interview at this time but they will still keep my application open and get back to me in May.
I have not heard back from Suny Downstate and Colombia.
I am freaking out!!!!!!!!! I f I got rejected by NYU( Yesterday) what chances I have at Colombia??? :(
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I wouldn’t get down on yourself! Sometimes programs are just looking for different qualifications and different times. Just because you didn’t get into NYU doesn’t mean that you won’t get into Columbia. I know rejections take a blow at your confidence (I know from experience!) But keep your head up and apply to as many programs as you can!
 
OT_2019 said:
would you mind sharing your stats please????
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Sure!

University: California Polytechnic State University: San Luis Obispo
Major/Minor: Communications/Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.80
Pre-Req GPA: 3.9-4.0
LOR: 1 OT, 1 professor, 1 employer, 1 former employer
GRE: 157V, 153Q, 4.5W

OT observation/volunteering: 125 hours MSICU(volunteer), 50 hours SNF (observe), 25 hours outpatient hand therapy (observe)
Work: Worked at/ran performing arts camp for teenagers for 10 years (throughout college and afterwards), 4 years working at a digital health investment fund

I think with class sizes so small, sometimes there really is no rhyme or reason for acceptances/rejections/waitlists. Good luck & don't lose hope!
 
Has anyone heard from University of Washington yet? They said they would be making decisions by late February but I still haven't heard anything...
 
hlc97 said:
Has anyone heard from University of Washington yet? They said they would be making decisions by late February but I still haven't heard anything...
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On the main thread it says someone emailed the school and decisions have been postponed to after March 6. :(
 
Has anyone heard from Temple University yet? I submitted my application in september and got an email that it was verified and it would take 4-6 weeks until I heard back and I have not heard anything
 
bellapink said:
Has anyone heard from Temple University yet? I submitted my application in september and got an email that it was verified and it would take 4-6 weeks until I heard back and I have not heard anything
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I applied middle of Jan, was asked an interview 4 weeks later (had it that afternoon), then got an acceptance 2 weeks after (earlier this week). My interviewer said I'd have a decision within a few days but it took a week longer than expected.

Unfortunately my friend had a similar situation last year (applied in sept) and she received a rejection in May :// crossing my fingers for you!!
 
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thehopefulOT2019 said:
I applied middle of Jan, was asked an interview 4 weeks later (had it that afternoon), then got an acceptance 2 weeks after (earlier this week). My interviewer said I'd have a decision within a few days but it took a week longer than expected.

Unfortunately my friend had a similar situation last year (applied in sept) and she received a rejection in May :// crossing my fingers for you!!
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Thank you!
 
OTcait said:
I was also accepted! I think I’m going to decline because I feel more strongly about other schools.
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I was also accepted, I loved who I talked to over Skype but have declined because I feel better about another school
 
OTmf8 said:
I was also accepted, I loved who I talked to over Skype but have declined because I feel better about another school
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Which school did you decide on?
 
OTgal126 said:
Has anyone heard anything from UW Milwaukee yet?
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Nope. I emailed them asking when to expect to hear from them, because I have another offer to put a deposit down, and I only got an automatic reply that gave no info about notification dates.
 
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OTgal126 said:
Has anyone heard anything from UW Milwaukee yet?
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I heard back from Milwaukee yesterday and they only gave a week deadline to accept, so I would think more people should be hearing back soon.
 
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