Questions about acceptance chances.. uncertain on what to do!

[4OT]

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Hi!

ok so basically I reallly want to do OT and understand this is a dream job. I got my BA in sociology.. but due to some poor choices (changing majors, life circumstances) my GPA is terribly low. I have a 2.54 overall and 2.63 institituional bc I transfered from another school. I am currently taking my prereqs and have As and Bs in about 5 of the classes! I have 2 more classes Im taking next semester (sociology which im retaking and human development). I have yet to take A/P and taking it this summer at a junior college. I was thinking about applying for fall 2012 but I dont know if I should even do that bc of my low gpa and not having finished the prereqs. I have about 100 hours of volunteer in 2 different settings. I can get good letters of recommendation as well. I am very concerned and discouraged bc of my early college days. I thought I wanted to do business and didnt excel in the classes so I failed alot of classes and have alot of Ws from that major. Once I realized i wanted to go into social/health studies I switched to sociology and did really well. I got As and Bs on about last 45hrs but by the time I switched my major to sociology it was no helping increase my GPA.

I dont know if I should retake some classes, or do a BS-MS program. I really want to be a OT and I dont believe in giving up. Is anyone in this same boat or have any suggestions. Im 24 now and I dont want to waste any more time and get my career launched! I recently took the GREs and got 147 V , 144 Q and 4.5 AW. I didnt study much for the GREs but am going to take it in January and going to take next 2 monthes to prep really well. I dont know if I should apply for Fall 2012 just to try my luck or if I have no chance AT all and go about a plan B route. I am willing to apply in any region of the country.. I just want to get in to a school!


HELP!!!

 

[kp24]

Hi!

ok so basically I reallly want to do OT and understand this is a dream job. I got my BA in sociology.. but due to some poor choices (changing majors, life circumstances) my GPA is terribly low. I have a 2.54 overall and 2.63 institituional bc I transfered from another school. I am currently taking my prereqs and have As and Bs in about 5 of the classes! I have 2 more classes Im taking next semester (sociology which im retaking and human development). I have yet to take A/P and taking it this summer at a junior college. I was thinking about applying for fall 2012 but I dont know if I should even do that bc of my low gpa and not having finished the prereqs. I have about 100 hours of volunteer in 2 different settings. I can get good letters of recommendation as well. I am very concerned and discouraged bc of my early college days. I thought I wanted to do business and didnt excel in the classes so I failed alot of classes and have alot of Ws from that major. Once I realized i wanted to go into social/health studies I switched to sociology and did really well. I got As and Bs on about last 45hrs but by the time I switched my major to sociology it was no helping increase my GPA.

I dont know if I should retake some classes, or do a BS-MS program. I really want to be a OT and I dont believe in giving up. Is anyone in this same boat or have any suggestions. Im 24 now and I dont want to waste any more time and get my career launched! I recently took the GREs and got 147 V , 144 Q and 4.5 AW. I didnt study much for the GREs but am going to take it in January and going to take next 2 monthes to prep really well. I dont know if I should apply for Fall 2012 just to try my luck or if I have no chance AT all and go about a plan B route. I am willing to apply in any region of the country.. I just want to get in to a school!


HELP!!!

If it is your dream job/career---I say go for it & don't give up until you get there! You should try your chances for Fall 2012--If you dont get in anywhere, you can always reapply. Theres no harm in trying. Talk about your low GPA in your personal statment--show them that despite your low GPA, you are still someone they would want in their program. Try getting As in your remaining Pre-Reqs--especially A&P. Do a little bit of research to see which schools fit what your looking for. Some schools will be very competitive to get into (USC, BU), however, there are still many other schools you can apply to. Like I said earlier, if it is your dream, there is no harm in applying for Fall 2012, if you don't get in, you'll get more time to bring up your volunteer hours & GPA. I didnt get in the first time around either---but I did this year, so dont give up! Also, there are some schools that have a spring start so if you dont get into Fall 2012 & dont want to waste too much time, apply to schools that start in Spring 2013 as well. Good luck!

 

[Shelby029]

The BS/MS degrees are really competative as well, so I don't think just looking at those type of programs will do you any good. You said you had better grades toward the end of your degree? Look for programs that are willing to look at only the last 60 hours. I would say that is your best bet.

 

[resot]

You may want to apply to a few schools and see what happens. You can figure out where u are at compared to the other applicants (were u waitlisted? Or denied?) and if u contact the department afterwards, they may give you feedback on how to become a stronger applicant.

I don't want to discourage u, but you've got some hard work in front of you! I would suggest getting A's in the rest of your prereqs (hopefully you have no C's). Study A TON for your gre. Your score on the old scale is equivalent to a 920ish. Not awful, but not stellar. A higher gre can make up for a lower gap in some schools (USC). Focus on schools that only look at the last 60 units of classes.

Like a previous poster said, the bachelors to masters programs are just as competitive. In CA, SJSU does not allow students who already have a bachelors apply for that option anyway.

I was in a similar situation. I had a 2.9 in undergrad and knew I had to improve that gpa to be competitive. I enrolled in a state school to finish my prereqs and pick up a second bachelors (I also used this time to explore other fields in case I wanted to change from OT). Finished 2 years later with a 3.9 and A's in all prereqs and a 1350 gre. Phew. It was a long 2 years, but it was possible.

If you are really committed, you will make it happen. Don't give up. Good luck.

 

[veggieswirl]

Talk to the programs that you're interested in for advice on what to do! Since you're willing to go anywhere you have a lot of options! Have you considered the OTA route? The only reason I applied to MS programs is my COTA program has a wait-list. It usually helps to have all pre-requisites complete. I waited to have my pre-reqs complete before applying, and I wish I'd applied last year because OT is getting more competitive by the year and it is getting harder to get in as the economy continues to lag and people continue to finish pre-reqs and apply.

 

[4OT]

Thank you everyone for the positive feedback! Im a positive person so I have the same outlook.. I think Im overthinking things and I will just continue to do my best in these prereqs and apply. I dont mind going anywhere in the states so I have some flexibility! I never thought about picking up another BS and trying to bump my GPA that way! I might do that in case and apply everywhere I can and explain my situation the best I can!

 

[veggieswirl]

good idea! it helps to explain the gpa and challenges faced in your personal statement! I did that, and it got me an interview!

 

[OTROX]

Wait--you want to consider taking on ANOTHER bachelor? It doesn't make sense. I guess you have time as you're 24. You say you are willing to consider ANY school in the lower 48 states. I'm know you've got the time, but do you have the money, too?

You'll do all that just to have a perceived competitive edge but not a certain advantage. If I was on an admission committee I'd ask why didn't you just double-major? Of course, we all know what you're trying to do here but let me be a voice of reason: don't.

I'm NOT saying don't to OT. What I think you should do is continue to do well in every course you are taking now and in the remaining pre-reqs. See where the dominoes fall, sort-to-speak (actually talk to your counselor and crunch the numbers). If you can pull a 3.00 GPA then you can apply to most schools. However, some schools have lower minimum GPAs and you're willing to travel anywhere so you're in luck.

Now if you do this all within this ONE bachelor degree I think you'll be a competitive applicant along with all the other blah, blah, blah you put on the application/recommendation letters. HOWEVER, if after this degree you just don't feel strongly about your stats then try something that is still unconventional but not irrational--complete a certification in occupational therapy.

With your degree and pre-reqs you'll have hours to apply to a COTA program and you'll be working, getting paid within two years...the same exact time you would have finished that SECOND bachelors / applying to grad school.

You also have the option of bridging over from a COTA to OTR. This route is possible, saves time and money than what you were considering with undertaking a second degree with no guarantee you'd get your desire result.

 

[resot]

The cota route is a good idea. Except for the 2-3 year long waitlist.

Personally, a second bachelors worked out well for me because I was also using the time to explore other fields before finally committing to OT. I also worked the whole time so that I did not need to take out any loans. The bump in my gpa guaranteed that I would be admitted to an affordable state school OT program instead of a private school where I would have to take out loans in the six figures. As a result, I did not mind waiting two more years and the extra schooling.

Whatever you decide, 4OT, good luck!

 

[gymnastau]

What area do you live in 4OT and are you willing to look anywhere?

I can tell you most schools require at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. And to prepare you, they (many schools and the OTCAS) will not take the GPA you received from the school you transferred to/graduated from as the cumulative. They will add every class you have ever taken, even F's or D's that may not have transferred and add them back in. Unfortunately it drops the GPA.

Depending on where you live and if you can spare a year you may be able to consider a few options for the application cycle come 2013 whether it be BS-MS, Masters, prep programs, COTA or what have you. Once you are a COTA (say you could get in locally in a reasonable amount of time) there are a few programs for COTA's transitioning to a Masters.

 

[veggieswirl]

Wait list is almost done for me. I do not recommend going COTA to someone who is looking at a bridge program in the future. I may not work full-time so the COTA route makes a lot of sense for me because it's cheaper and slightly less time. Working about 25 hours a week is likely what I'd be doing, not 35 or 40. If you want a bridge program to a Master's Degree, don't do the COTA route, just my humble opinion. Only do the COTA route if you're okay staying there, or if you're early in your college career, then a bridge program might make sense. I'm fine just being a COTA and not an OTR.