Pre req classes problem

[oojas]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey guys i am planning to apply to NY and NJ OT schools but i do not have pre req classes in chemistry, anatomy and physics. I am going to graduate with masters in psychology any gpa is 3.7, i do have plenty of experience and yet to take gre again. Will i be accepted onto ot program if my only down side are these three pre req? Or should i not een bother until i do have these classes fulfilled.

Thanks

 

[lawhim2]

Most schools allow you to apply without having all the prereqs completed. You will have to complete them at some point before you enter the program if you are accepted. Anatomy is definitely going to be a requirement for any school, some schools require physics and chem some don't. You will have to check with the individual programs. You can definitely be accepted without having completed them. Do you have a high science GPA? Because if so they will be able to tell from this that you can handle hard science courses even though you haven't completed these ones yet. If you sci gpa is on the lower end though you might want to wait until you finish up the sci prereqs to apply because they will probably assume you don't do well in science classes. I'm guessing you'll be fine though considering everything else seems respectable.

 

[superCOTA]

Keep in mind that you are a full-time semester short of pre-reqs. So youre pushing your luck that they are sure you will have them completed by the start date of their OT program. Plus there are students w/ your GPA and have these completed. Better get crackin on those and good luck.

 

[STHERE]

Whatever school you apply to you must have all the prereq done. I don't know if you realize how competitive this program really is, you can't miss anything.

It is possible to get into a school without having complete 1 or 2 as long as you have a tentative date, but since you are applying to NJ and NY (ultra competitive areas) it will look much better when everything is finished.

This is coming from my personal experience of the area and talking with an OT that applied to all NY schools and even back in the 80's they told her why should we give you a spot when there are 30 other people who have completed the preregs, she was in the process of finishing them when she applied the first year and did not get in until the 2nd year.

I was in a similar boat this year and when I went back to ask her how I could improve. They pulled up my file and said I needed to complete still A&PII and Life Span.. I even had in my application a tentative completion date and they do not care. They mark it as incomplete and it doesn't even matter if you have a prospective A for that class. In their eyes, it's still not complete!

This is not to scare you, but to better prepare you of what to expect.

 

[lizzo76]

"Technically" many schools only require that you have the prereqs done by the start of the program. You can apply if you provide them with a plan which shows how you will complete the prereqs in time.

In reality... I think it's usually best to already have them done at the time that you apply. I could have applied last year to start this fall, but I was missing A&P I/II and Adult Development. So, I took those classes this past year (A's in all... phew!) and am applying this fall to start in fall 2012. Basically, although I have a 3.8 in another two-year (48 credit) masters program, and I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, I was weak on the sciences of the sort programs require. And, I had screwed around in college and not done all that well on the hard sciences I did take. Plus, although I got my masters in 2007, all my undergrad credits are over a decade old. So, I wanted to show that I could do well in sciences now. I think that having A&P I/II all done, and with As, will strengthen my application.

That said, if you majored in something like biology and you are only short a few prereqs, and you have good grades in classes similar to the prereqs, it might not make a big difference (as long, of course, as you know that you WILL be able to finish the prereqs by the start of the program.) I say that meaning it might not make a big difference in terms of whether adcoms think you are capable of doing the work of the OT program. STHERE, though, has a point abut competing with those who have already completed all prereqs. And look carefully, since some programs require all prereqs to be complete at the time of application.

In addition to taking the prereqs this past year, I have also been volunteering and shadowing. If you don't have a lot of that, that's another reason you might want to delay for a year. And if you do have a lot, you can always get more during the next year.

Do all your programs require chemistry and physics? I know some programs do, but most don't. I'm applying to good programs in the northeast (all top 25) and none require those. And do you already have physiology? Usually programs want two semester of A&P (combined) or one semester of anatomy and one of physiology.

 

[nontradjake]

Do all your programs require chemistry and physics? I know some programs do, but most don't. I'm applying to good programs in the northeast (all top 25) and none require those.

Is that right, that all the programs in the NE that you are applying to do not require physics and chemistry? I am surprised, most schools I have looked into list physics as a requirement. Chemistry, however, I have not seen listed very much at all. This would be good news for me, as I could finish undergrad a lot faster without physics. I just don't want to severely limit the number of schools I can apply to.

Roughly what percentage of OT programs have you guys noticed that require physics? I have seen about 6 require it, from about 9 schools I have looked into. Just wondering what you all have found. What about chem?

 

[STHERE]

out of the 6 I am applying to only 1 requires it and 1 "recommends" it.

Sometimes upon approval these schools will take Kinesiology instead of Physics. I got approval, so that's what I am doing. 🙂 I think Kinesiology is a more appropriate course anyway.

 

[nontradjake]

out of the 6 I am applying to only 1 requires it and 1 "recommends" it.

Sometimes upon approval these schools will take Kinesiology instead of Physics. I got approval, so that's what I am doing. 🙂 I think Kinesiology is a more appropriate course anyway.

That's good to hear. I will have to look at more schools I guess, and ask the ones that demand physics if they'll take kinesiology instead. I did notice quite a few say that they would take either. I also think kinesiology is more applicable. The only problem is that my university doesn't offer it. Is there another course that is considered interchangeable with kinesiology? Excercise physiology maybe? There is a dance kinesiology class here, but that's it.

 

[STHERE]

That's good to hear. I will have to look at more schools I guess, and ask the ones that demand physics if they'll take kinesiology instead. I did notice quite a few say that they would take either. I also think kinesiology is more applicable. The only problem is that my university doesn't offer it. Is there another course that is considered interchangeable with kinesiology? Excercise physiology maybe? There is a dance kinesiology class here, but that's it.

Hey Jake,

Ask for the program outline, if that's not available ask if the course you are considering contains bio-mechanics, that is a must! Also it should contain vectors, but double check w/ each school you are applying to what it should contain.

I hope this helps! 🙂

 

[lizzo76]

Is that right, that all the programs in the NE that you are applying to do not require physics and chemistry? I am surprised, most schools I have looked into list physics as a requirement. Chemistry, however, I have not seen listed very much at all. This would be good news for me, as I could finish undergrad a lot faster without physics. I just don't want to severely limit the number of schools I can apply to.

Roughly what percentage of OT programs have you guys noticed that require physics? I have seen about 6 require it, from about 9 schools I have looked into. Just wondering what you all have found. What about chem?

Yup, none of them do. They don't even "recommend" them. I was very surprised when I first saw on here (some other thread) that some schools require them. I can see physics being important for kinesiology and biomechanics (bigger in PT programs) but not chem. I mean, chem underlies physiology to some extent, but in both cases, a basic understanding from high school suffices. (Plus we had four chapters at the beginning of our A&P textbook which reviewed more basic bio and chem.) I took A&P having not taken either chem or physics (and never college physics, though honors high school physics) for 15 or 16 years. My A&P course went more deeply into biomechanics than is normal since that related to my prof's specialty, and I still got an A each semester.

I know masters programs (obviously) do not look at high school transcripts, but the way I see things, some of the courses (AP and Honors-level) I took in high school are no less difficult than some intro-level college and CC courses some people take. And some people don't take chem and physics in high school, so those intro college courses are the first time they're encountering the information. Basically, I feel like I just encountered the info. a little earlier. I did take college chemistry, at a top liberal arts college (which is unusually strong in the sciences) and it was no more difficult than my honors high school chem class. The difference in a lot of cases is that the high school subject is drawn out over a year, while the equivalent info. in college is given in one semester, but that's not even always the case.

So, I don't really see why some programs require chem and physics. It kind of seems like others just kind of expect that you would, somewhere in the course of your earlier education, have gotten what you need, and it's up to you to know whether you've got the background to understand A&P and kinesiology... if not, bone up on it yourself. I like that approach better. But the inconsistency across schools is so frustrating - one of my schools requires neuroanatomy as a prereq and none of the rest do. Some require Gross Anatomy, and others don't. It makes it hard to apply to several schools especially if you're out of college and are picking and choosing individual prereq courses to take. Should I pay $$$ to take a course only one school wants?

Regarding swapping kinesiology for physics... the schools to which I am applying include kinesiology as PART of the OT curriculum, not as a prereq. This highlights another big inconsistency - some schools include in the program certain courses, while others do not and therefore want you to have taken them first. I have been thinking that schools which require physics as a prereq must want you to take it so you're prepared for kinesiology, but maybe some of them want you to take it as a prereq because they're not going to cover any of that stuff in the program.