General Admissions & OTCAS Question with OT/future

[cwilly1226]

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I am guy junior that goes to Penn State. I am looking to apply to OT school next fall, however I am stuck. I am an Human Development and Family studies major with my main focus being Physical Therapy school. However, after my past internship I worked with an OT and Pt at the same time and fell in love with OT work. With that being said, I would have to retake Chemistry and Statistics to get in since I got a C+ in both. Would that be an issue? Also I have over 300 hours working with Physical therapists. But I have a co-op I need in order to graduate which I planning on doing with an OT. That would be 300+ plus hours.
Cum: 3.5
Pre-req: 3.1/3.2 after retake probably be up to a 3.3
extra curricular: Way too much, will very outweigh my application.
My main question is that will I have a chance with OT? There is less pre-req than PT so the average I have seen is ridiculous higher than mine.
Thanks!

 

[OTfromIT]

Hey, cwilly! For starters, having looked at many sets of stats in this forum, a "good" pre-req GPA for accepted applicants seems to be in the high 3's (3.7+) - so, I think there should be no question about retaking those two courses. But, OTCAS takes all grades into their calculations, so you can't just replace the C+'s with higher retake grades. With that in mind, I would absolutely consider retaking even more courses to get that pre-req GPA up.
As for your main question, I think it is hard to answer that fairly just based on your GPA's that you have mentioned. Do some research in this forum and on the OTCAS website by school - find out what stats and classes schools require, what stats students who were accepted have - and see if you can begin to develop a list of schools where you find a good fit. Some schools look heavily at the last 60 hours of undergrad, some place more/less emphasis on the GRE, some factor more experience and observation hours, etc. I found a school that meets my specific profile and I am diligently working every angle to get in there.
Lastly - and please take this only as constructive criticism, but when you start the application process, have someone look over your written work. This is only an informal forum, but the GRE has a significant writing component/score and you'll have to (most likely) write your personal statement for OTCAS; there seemed to be a few grammatical errors in your post. Trust me, there are a ton of very qualified people gunning for only a few spots - you can't give schools any possible thing to ding you on.
Good luck!

 

[thebiggestsky]

I think your having experience with both PT and OT will work to your strength because you can speak to your knowledge of each field and your reasons for preferring OT. You will sound like you've done your research. Look to get experience in a couple different OT settings, including something outside of what you need to graduate.
And not all OT programs require a Chem prereq. It might be worth retaking because it'll broaden your options (or if you decide to go back to the PT route), but a ton of programs don't require it.

 

[CAOT]

I would also say hold off on re-taking Chem until you have a feeling for where you might like to apply. I've looked at many schools nationwide, and only recall seeing Chem as a pre-req for UDub. There may be others, but it isn't common.
Your hours in PT will strengthen your app if you frame it properly: a common question in interviews is what distinguishes PT from OT. You could speak to that clearly I think, and also articulate why you chose OT over PT. Definately get some OT specific shadowing hours, but use those PT hours to your advantage, as well; don't disregard them!
Last, there seems to be a general consensus that males are sought after in this field and help to balance the gender inequality, so that may also work in your favor. Good luck!