General Admissions & OTCAS Should I apply again?

[Nonameiwant]

Hey everyone I am just wondering if everyone thinks it is worth my time to apply again. If I apply again this will be my fourth time applying. I must say that I really limited the schools I applied to, and I kept applying to these schools (one I applied to 3 times as it is the school in my state). This last year I applied to the bordering state which has a small program and was waitlisted. I am also somewhat limited to schools because my overall gpa is below 3.0 (thanks to Otcas calculating every course I've ever taken).

I decided to apply for the COTA program in my state, turned in my application only to find out that a couple of course I thought would count (one being an intro to OT course for the state school that has an OT program) would not count for their application. The CC was super helpful saying they would possibly have a second round of applicants and that I should take their Intro to OT program during the summer. While I was bummed that I had to pay money to take a course I already had, I was grateful because it really reignited my ambition to pursue OT.

So the question should I apply again? I am 33 years old and I am concerned about the debt I will acquire. I will be retaking anatomy as it has been 5 years(luckily here in my state A&P are separate courses), then applying to the school I was waitlisted at along with some other out of state schools. Also the school I was waitlisted at did not hold interviews. I know I am a weak interviewer, I try to practice, but nothing beats the real thing. Any advice on practicing for interviews?

Also even if I do apply again I will also apply for the OTA program, I just have heard with what I want to pursue I should go for a masters.

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[Finalchuckle]

Don't get discourage, keep applying. Age and loans shouldn't be huge factors. While loans extremely suck, they will motivate you to stay hungry to make more money while improving experience and rank.

Getting into any OT program is difficult, so applying to in-state schools really lowers your odds. What you can and should do is, while you wait for the next cycle, take one pre-req course to raise your gpa. Raising your GPA little by little will also help.

Meet with admissions reps and talk to them? Ask them to look over your file and what you need to strengthen to improve your chances to get into a program. They want to see individuals who show they want to be in the program. Go out of your way and talk to them, email them, and tell them you are willing to do whatever they recommend and go beyond that.

 

[OTAtoOTR]

You can also consider completing the OTA program and then later bridging to OTR or doing a hybrid program so you can still work as an OTA while in grad school. If you do well in the OTA program it will boost your GPA and give you a leg up with experience when you go back for OTR. I am an OTA and I’m debating if I want to go back for OTR. I’m really passionate about being an OT but I have a lot of loans and I’m also getting older. There are lots of things you can do as a COTA including starting your own business or becoming a director of rehab in a facility.