General Admissions & OTCAS OTCAS gpa calculation (undergrad & prereq)

[lalleeberry]

Hi Everyone!! I am just starting my application process and I am a little confused on GPA calculation. I have a low gpa from my bachelors, I studied international affairs, and have a gpa of 2.8 overall and 3.0 last 60 hours. (looking to apply to last 60 hours only schools) At the time I had not even heard of occupational therapy and never considered that I would be going to grad school. So I moved abroad when I graduated from college and spent four years teaching kindergarten, traveling and finding my direction. So now (five years later) I am taking ALL of the prereqs needed for OT programs at community college, and I have a 4.0 for those classes. I am wondering if its possible for those classes to affect my last 60 hours gpa and if there is any way that my substantial improvement will help me in any way! I am pretty stressed about my low gpa, and am wondering how my prerec gpa impacts my completed B.A degree gpa.
Any advice helps tons, and good luck to everyone in the process!

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[Babybluentexas]

Hi Everyone!! I am just starting my application process and I am a little confused on GPA calculation. I have a low gpa from my bachelors, I studied international affairs, and have a gpa of 2.8 overall and 3.0 last 60 hours. (looking to apply to last 60 hours only schools) At the time I had not even heard of occupational therapy and never considered that I would be going to grad school. So I moved abroad when I graduated from college and spent four years teaching kindergarten, traveling and finding my direction. So now (five years later) I am taking ALL of the prereqs needed for OT programs at community college, and I have a 4.0 for those classes. I am wondering if its possible for those classes to affect my last 60 hours gpa and if there is any way that my substantial improvement will help me in any way! I am pretty stressed about my low gpa, and am wondering how my prerec gpa impacts my completed B.A degree gpa.
Any advice helps tons, and good luck to everyone in the process!

Depends on the school. There are some that only have a 2.8 requirement to apply. And some who calculate their own gpa’s based on your transcript. I recommend looking for those programs.

If you haven’t done your total OTCAS gpa yet (or it hasn’t been posted) you may be surprise that it leads to an even lower gpa sometimes.

 

[w.amanda96]

Silly question- where exactly does OTCAS list their calculated gpa(s) on the website? I can't seem to find it.

 

[KnightOT]

Silly question- where exactly does OTCAS list their calculated gpa(s) on the website? I can't seem to find it.

To my understanding, You can only see it once your application has been verified by OTCAS. then, you can download your completed application (the option is next to each school under the check status tab) and it will show their calculated GPAs.

 

[Babybluentexas]

To my understanding, You can only see it once your application has been verified by OTCAS. then, you can download your completed application (the option is next to each school under the check status tab) and it will show their calculated GPAs.

This is correct. That’s why it’s surprising, cause it takes so long to see the GPA and by then it’s submitted to the programs. Also.. cause it can be different than what you think it should be.

 

[Abcdeot90]

This is correct. That’s why it’s surprising, cause it takes so long to see the GPA and by then it’s submitted to the programs. Also.. cause it can be different than what you think it should be.

Do you guys know why OTCAS sometimes produces a different GPA? Would it be in such cases where maybe OTCAS calculates a B+ as just a B?

 

[Babybluentexas]

Do you guys know why OTCAS sometimes produces a different GPA? Would it be in such cases where maybe OTCAS calculates a B+ as just a B?

That.. and because OTCAS does not do grade forgiveness. They count every attempt at a class. So if you take a class and fail, but retake it.. your college probably does a grad replacement.OTCAS averages it. So if you get an F and an A in the same class, the overall grade in OTCAS would be a C.

 

[roobeck]

How are people seeing their OTCAS calculated GPA numbers? Does that happen once transcripts are received?

 

[otarod01]

How are people seeing their OTCAS calculated GPA numbers? Does that happen once transcripts are received?

Once transcripts received and you verify your classes. They then verify it and that's when it gets sent to your school. And each school is different, I called one of the schools I am applying to and asked them do they go off of OTCA's GPA and they said no. They use their own GPA calculator.