Program-Specific Info / Q's USC OT 2015

[Evelynnnlaw]

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Hi guys!

I realized there's not thread yet for USC (that I know of). That's my number 1 choice and I'm still waiting. Who else is waiting for USC? If you have gotten in, please post your stats and if youre attending. Or if you're still waiting, post your stats too 🙂

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

University:
Major:
Overall GPA:
Pre-Req GPA:
GRE:

Extra-Curricular:

Volunteer:

References:

 

[DaisyMama]

Hey! I'm waiting for a decision. Good luck to you!
My stats are:
graduate GPA 3.85,
prereq GPA: 3.5,
GRE: V 157, Q 145, Analytical Writing: 4.5,
110+ hours of OT volunteering,
References from an OT, a COTA, and former employer

 

[OTWANNABE2]

How do we find out if we are accepted or not? Do we get a letter in the mail, or is it through USC Connect only?

 

[mks511]

How do we find out if we are accepted or not? Do we get a letter in the mail, or is it through USC Connect only?

What's USC Connect? They emailed me in December and told me they'll re look at my application around February, but that's all I know

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

What's USC Connect? They emailed me in December and told me they'll re look at my application around February, but that's all I know

USC connect is like their student portal log in. My friend said if you do get in, they send a small white envelope, so don't expect those big red folder welcome packet. Plus on USC connect there's an admission tab with the graduate decision page so I think they tell you on USC connect too. That was the case when I applied for undergrad.

 

[OTWANNABE2]

@mks511 @Evelynnnlaw exactly, mine reads "Graduate Application Status" and then "One or more of your applications is currently under review, so a decision has not yet been posted. Please check back periodically for an update." Does the letter come first or is the portal updated first? When do ye think they will start to send out the decisions?

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

@mks511 @Evelynnnlaw exactly, mine reads "Graduate Application Status" and then "One or more of your applications is currently under review, so a decision has not yet been posted. Please check back periodically for an update." Does the letter come first or is the portal updated first? When do ye think they will start to send out the decisions?

When I spoke to one of the admission counselor via email about when decisions would be out, she said:

"After the 2/15 deadline the review committee begins its work with the applicants who meet or exceed the minimum GPA and GRE scores. (Sometimes they begin with complete applications before the deadline, and if the rating is especially strong, will communicate with the student(s) before the deadline.) Students whose GPA or GRE results are below the minimum will follow. By the end of March most students will have heard from us provided their applications are complete. "

And, in my previous experience applying for undergrad at USC, I found out through the portal first and then I received the acceptance letter/package in the mail a few days later.

 

[usckt83]

I received my acceptance in December, and I first received a small, white envelope in the mail. A few days later I got an email to log onto USC Connect to view my decision there. I believe the difference is that the letter in the mail is from the OT Division, and the USC Connect is from the USC Graduate School.

Here are my stats!

University (undergrad): USC
Major: Psychology, Business minor
Overall GPA: 3.81
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: 161 Math, 155 Verbal, 5 writing
Extra-Curricular: Vice President of sorority, Vice President of Honor Society, stats tutor on campus, TA at elementary school near campus
Volunteer: 50 hours at a public school and early intervention clinic
References: OT, professor, employer

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

I received my acceptance in December, and I first received a small, white envelope in the mail. A few days later I got an email to log onto USC Connect to view my decision there. I believe the difference is that the letter in the mail is from the OT Division, and the USC Connect is from the USC Graduate School.

Here are my stats!

University (undergrad): USC
Major: Psychology, Business minor
Overall GPA: 3.81
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: 161 Math, 155 Verbal, 5 writing
Extra-Curricular: Vice President of sorority, Vice President of Honor Society, stats tutor on campus, TA at elementary school near campus
Volunteer: 50 hours at a public school and early intervention clinic
References: OT, professor, employer

Congrats!! Thank you for sharing the info and stats with us 🙂

 

[Hope2BeOT]

I saw on an older thread someone wrote when they logged into their application and clicked on "print receipt" it said "Decision Round: 146." That's what it says on the bottom of mine. Just wondering if everyone's says the same thing? I wonder what that means...

 

[chanlamax]

Mine also says Decision Round 146

 

[OTWANNABE2]

Mine says the same too.. I doubt it has any significance as it is generated when you click submit.. It probably corresponds to the date you submitted the application or it may notate which department needs to review it or something..

 

[OTWANNABE2]

Got accepted this morning via USC connect ! Good luck everyone!

 

[DaisyMama]

Got accepted this morning via USC connect ! Good luck everyone!

How AWESOME!! Congratulations!!

 

[DaisyMama]

Got accepted this morning via USC connect ! Good luck everyone!

When did you submit your USC application?

 

[OTWANNABE2]

Thank you @DaisyMama !! I submitted on Jan 23

 

[Hope2BeOT]

USC connect says I've been accepted too! I am ecstatic Best of luck to everyone else! I hope you all hear good news soon!

 

[OTWANNABE2]

Major Congrats @Hope2BeOT I'm so excited to start in June, we'll be in the same class! Is there a forum or FB page or somewhere we can all connect?

 

[Hope2BeOT]

Major Congrats @Hope2BeOT I'm so excited to start in June, we'll be in the same class! Is there a forum or FB page or somewhere we can all connect?

Thanks, @OTWANNABE2 ! Congrats to you too! I have no idea if a FB page has been set up yet. Do you know what you plan on doing in terms of your living situation yet? I'm wondering if commuting from Huntington Beach will be feasible...

 

[OTWANNABE2]

@Hope2BeOT I'm planning on commuting from Irvine for the summer session until my lease is up, and then probably moving closer for the Fall semester.. But as I just found out today, that plan is not set in stone yet! I think it should take around 1hr 15min coming home in the evenings..

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

Got accepted this morning via USC connect ! Good luck everyone!

Congrats!! Do you mind posting your stats? Keep us updated with any scholarship or financial offers too 🙂

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

USC connect says I've been accepted too! I am ecstatic Best of luck to everyone else! I hope you all hear good news soon!

Congrats to you too!! like I said above, keep us updated !

 

[chanlamax]

I applied on 1/26 and my USC Connect still says my application is under review.

Undergrad: Dance
Overall GPA: 3.51
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: 159 Verbal, 150 Quantitative, 4 writing
Volunteer: 120 pediatric, 80 short-term rehab
References: an OT from both locations and a professor
Work experience: 8 years as a movement/dance instructor at 30 pre-schools and elementary schools. I became a nanny to a 3 year old boy who saw an OT and that's when I began volunteering and switched career goals.

I applied to only a handful of schools and haven't heard back from any of them yet.

Congratulations to those who have already been accepted 🙂

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

I applied on 1/26 and my USC Connect still says my application is under review.

Undergrad: Dance
Overall GPA: 3.51
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: 159 Verbal, 150 Quantitative, 4 writing
Volunteer: 120 pediatric, 80 short-term rehab
References: an OT from both locations and a professor
Work experience: 8 years as a movement/dance instructor at 30 pre-schools and elementary schools. I became a nanny to a 3 year old boy who saw an OT and that's when I began volunteering and switched career goals.

I applied to only a handful of schools and haven't heard back from any of them yet.

Congratulations to those who have already been accepted 🙂

same here! good luck 🙂

 

[Hope2BeOT]

Congrats to you too!! like I said above, keep us updated !

Thank you! And yes of course... the stats. I just posted them on the sticky but here's a copy/paste of what I wrote:

This forum has been so helpful to me. I'm so glad I can finally contribute some info and hopefully provide some encouragement to those with low GPAs like me.

Major: Psychology
Cum. GPA: 3.15 (yup, THAT low)
Pre-req GPA: 4.0
GRE: V-159, Q-159, AWA-4.5
Volunteer: 175 hours outpatient rehab, 24 hours sub-acute/snf

Applied: CSUDH, LLU, USC
Interviews: CSUDH, LLU
Waitlist: CSUDH, LLU
Accepted: USC
Rejected: n/a

I was really worried about my low undergrad/cumulative GPA but I am a non-traditional student in that I graduated almost 10 years ago and have been working full time for the last 15 years. I think what really helped me were my LORs and my personal statement. It was a really crappy feeling having such a low undergrad gpa and not being able to do anything about it, but I worked my butt off to ace my prereq classes, get decent gre scores, and I spent a LOT of time on my personal statement. I am so grateful that all the hard work finally paid off 🙂

 

[deejayy]

Congrats to everyone that got accepted so far!
I'm still waiting for my admissions decision.
Good luck to all of us still awaiting a decision!

 

[Shans123]

Hi Evelyn! You can probably guess who this is 😉. I was accepted on 2/28 via USConnect and submitted my USC app on 2/2. Here are my stats for those interested:

Overall GPA: 3.87
Pre-Req GPA: 3.93
GRE: 158 V 158 Q 4.0 W

Extra-Curricular: Member of school's ASB, co-founder/secretary of non-profit club on campus, held various positions in professional fraternity, board member for student alumni association. Also did research under a professor, interned at a bank, and worked various jobs in retail, food, etc.

Volunteer: 138 hrs peds, 33 hrs SNF, and 20 hrs hand therapy

References: OT, professor, employer

Applied: USC, UIC, Rush, Thomas Jefferson, WUSTL, SJSU
Interviews: Rush, Jefferson (declined)
Waitlist: N/A
Accepted: USC, UIC, Rush
Rejected: N/A

I hope at least one person finds this post helpful. Best of luck to everyone that applied! 🙂

 

[OT_2015]

Hi Evelyn! You can probably guess who this is 😉. I was accepted on 2/28 via USConnect and submitted my USC app on 2/2. Here are my stats for those interested:

Overall GPA: 3.87
Pre-Req GPA: 3.93
GRE: 158 V 158 Q 4.0 W

Extra-Curricular: Member of school's ASB, co-founder/secretary of non-profit club on campus, held various positions in professional fraternity, board member for student alumni association. Also did research under a professor, interned at a bank, and worked various jobs in retail, food, etc.

Volunteer: 138 hrs peds, 33 hrs SNF, and 20 hrs hand therapy

References: OT, professor, employer

Applied: USC, UIC, Rush, Thomas Jefferson, WUSTL, SJSU
Interviews: Rush, Jefferson (declined)
Waitlist: N/A
Accepted: USC, UIC, Rush
Rejected: N/A

I hope at least one person finds this post helpful. Best of luck to everyone that applied! 🙂

Congrats on your acceptances Shans123! Can I ask when you heard back from UIC. Thanks.

 

[DaisyMama]

Would anyone who had a decent/high score on the quantitative section of the GRE please tell me how you studied/what you studied? I got Magoosh twice and it helped a bit, but I still suck!!!!

 

[Shans123]

@OT_2015 I got in on January 6th but I know they're making final admission decisions later this week. Good luck to you!

 

[Hope2BeOT]

Would anyone who had a decent/high score on the quantitative section of the GRE please tell me how you studied/what you studied? I got Magoosh twice and it helped a bit, but I still suck!!!!

I'm not sure how strong my gre scores would be considered, but I also used Magoosh. I went through every single lesson and really tried to learn all of their tips inside and out. I found them to be really helpful for the quantitative section. As for the verbal, as much as ETS says it's not about vocab, I believe that's still what it comes down to. So to study for that, I purchased audio cds of gre prep words (I bought the set for pretty cheap on amazon but I'm sure you could find some to download from somewhere). I loaded the cds onto my mp3 player and listened to them whenever I possibly could (i.e. while at the gym, waiting for my car to be repaired, in between classes... you get the idea). For the AWA, I wish I could give you tips for that but that section was the most frustrating to me only because I never improved. I took the GRE three times, tried different strategies all three times , and still got the same scores each time =/ So sorry, can't help you there. One last tip I would offer is to take as many practice tests as possible. I know it's really time consuming and tedious, but I feel like it really helps with time management. Every free weekend I had, I would take full practice tests, with the exception of the writing portions.

Hope this helps. I really hope you get in, DaisyMama. I feel like I know you now after all of our forum chats 🙂

 

[giraffiecathie]

@Hope2BeOT I'm planning on commuting from Irvine for the summer session until my lease is up, and then probably moving closer for the Fall semester.. But as I just found out today, that plan is not set in stone yet! I think it should take around 1hr 15min coming home in the evenings..

@Hope2BeOT @OTWANNABE2 Congrats! I also got into USC! I currently live in Westwood by UCLA and am considering moving closer where the commute might not be as terrible..

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

@Hope2BeOT @OTWANNABE2 Congrats! I also got into USC! I currently live in Westwood by UCLA and am considering moving closer where the commute might not be as terrible..

Congrats!! 🙂 I live in westwood too! I'm on my senior year at UCLA.


I was emailed by one of the admission counselor today that they are offering me admission

 

[DaisyMama]

Hi guys!

I realized there's not thread yet for USC (that I know of). That's my number 1 choice and I'm still waiting. Who else is waiting for USC? If you have gotten in, please post your stats and if youre attending. Or if you're still waiting, post your stats too 🙂

Congratulations on your acceptance!
What are your stats???

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

Congratulations on your acceptance!
What are your stats???

Thank you!
Oh yes, I forgot to post that because I was so excited

University: Pasadena City College & UCLA
Major: Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.8
Pre-Req GPA: 3.8
GRE: 153 V 158 Q 4.5 W

Extra-Curricular: Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society, Caduceus Club (Pre-health), UCLA internship at Community Program's Office, Internship at RBZ, LLP.

Volunteer: 200+ hrs Peds OT clinic, 80 hrs Social Skills Facilitator, 55 hrs Methodist Hospital patient relations, 20 hrs at an MD clinic, 50 hrs Sunday school day care

References: 1 OT, 1 Social Skills Director, 1 Professor

Applied: USC, Thomas Jefferson, WUSTL, SJSU, U of Florida, U of Pitt (all verified on 2/6)
Interviews: N/A
Waitlist: WUSTL
Accepted: USC
Rejected: N/A

good luck!! 🙂

 

[OTWANNABE2]

Congrats @Evelynnnlaw @giraffiecathie and all who were accepted! Have any of you heard from the OT dept yet? Or anything besides the acceptance letters from the admissions dept?
Can't wait to meet everyone and get started!

 

[DaisyMama]

I'm not sure how strong my gre scores would be considered, but I also used Magoosh. I went through every single lesson and really tried to learn all of their tips inside and out. I found them to be really helpful for the quantitative section. As for the verbal, as much as ETS says it's not about vocab, I believe that's still what it comes down to. So to study for that, I purchased audio cds of gre prep words (I bought the set for pretty cheap on amazon but I'm sure you could find some to download from somewhere). I loaded the cds onto my mp3 player and listened to them whenever I possibly could (i.e. while at the gym, waiting for my car to be repaired, in between classes... you get the idea). For the AWA, I wish I could give you tips for that but that section was the most frustrating to me only because I never improved. I took the GRE three times, tried different strategies all three times , and still got the same scores each time =/ So sorry, can't help you there. One last tip I would offer is to take as many practice tests as possible. I know it's really time consuming and tedious, but I feel like it really helps with time management. Every free weekend I had, I would take full practice tests, with the exception of the writing portions.

Hope this helps. I really hope you get in, DaisyMama. I feel like I know you now after all of our forum chats 🙂

Congratulations on your acceptance!!!! Now your waiting game is finally OVER!!
Thanks for the info about how you studied. I was the same way with the writing-I really wanted a 5 or 5.5 but just couldn't get it! When I studied using Magoosh, I didn't watch all of the math lessons but I did watch the ones that I thought were my problem area. Then when I would take their practice test questions, I felt like the lesson didn't teach me how to answer their questions because they were really hard questions/or the lesson was at level 1 and the questions were at level 10! Did you feel that way too? I'm just asking because if I don't get in (which I'm assuming I'm not by now), then I know that my Quant score must be improved, and I really need to figure out how to raise that score. I welcome any other input about the Math section from ANYBODY who wants to share! Especially if you already got in, then I'm not competition for you so you can be free to give me good advice! 😉

 

[OTWANNABE2]

Hey @DaisyMama I had a hard time with the GRE too.. I retook it three times. However, my advise to you is to just concentrate on the math section and skip the other two parts of the test. USC will consider your highest score on each section from all GRE's ever taken in the last 5 yrs. It is expensive to it that way, but I felt it helped me get a better score (159V, 156Q) NOTE: Other schools may not have this policy!!

Regarding studying, start from the basics, the very basics. Relearn and revise what you think you already know. A good foundation will go a long way. I used the Kaplan book and even though it was tedious, I had enough knowledge to get a good grade in the end. Be aware of how the marks are allocated, eg- there are always graph questions that make up a good chunk of the grade, work on each area separately and perfect it. Finally, practice and take as many test exams as you can, but most importantly of all, go back after you finish, find out where you went wrong, that's the best way to ensure you don't make the same mistakes again. That's my 2 cents!

 

[DaisyMama]

Hey @DaisyMama I had a hard time with the GRE too.. I retook it three times. However, my advise to you is to just concentrate on the math section and skip the other two parts of the test. USC will consider your highest score on each section from all GRE's ever taken in the last 5 yrs. It is expensive to it that way, but I felt it helped me get a better score (159V, 156Q) NOTE: Other schools may not have this policy!!

Regarding studying, start from the basics, the very basics. Relearn and revise what you think you already know. A good foundation will go a long way. I used the Kaplan book and even though it was tedious, I had enough knowledge to get a good grade in the end. Be aware of how the marks are allocated, eg- there are always graph questions that make up a good chunk of the grade, work on each area separately and perfect it. Finally, practice and take as many test exams as you can, but most importantly of all, go back after you finish, find out where you went wrong, that's the best way to ensure you don't make the same mistakes again. That's my 2 cents!

@OTWANNABE2 Thank you! Since I have a decent verbal score, it totally makes sense to not even take that section of the test. Thanks for your input. I will definitely work from the beginning and give that Kaplan book a try. Do you mind telling me the exact title of the Kaplan book? I'm searching for it on Amazon 🙂. There are a few: the Math Workbook, math refresher, etc. or was it the complete GRE book with verbal and quant?

 

[OTWANNABE2]

@DaisyMama Mine was called "GRE Premier 2014" with 6 practice tests. It has both verbal and quant, but maybe one focusing on the quant part would be more comprehensive. I rented it originally, but then just bought it outright. It has a disc attached too. Good luck with it!

 

[deejayy]

Congrats to all of you!
For those of you who got accepted, did all of you find out through USConnect? or did someone from the department email you like they did with @Evelynnnlaw ?

 

[giraffiecathie]

Congrats to all of you!
For those of you who got accepted, did all of you find out through USConnect? or did someone from the department email you like they did with @Evelynnnlaw ?

I received a letter in the mail end of December but I had applied for the early decision.

 

[giraffiecathie]

Congrats @Evelynnnlaw @giraffiecathie and all who were accepted! Have any of you heard from the OT dept yet? Or anything besides the acceptance letters from the admissions dept?
Can't wait to meet everyone and get started!

I know there's a Admitted Student Reception on March 27 if they haven't already emailed you about it!

 

[OTWANNABE2]

Thanks @giraffiecathie Did they let you know through your new USC email, or through your regular email?

 

[Evelynnnlaw]

Congrats to all of you!
For those of you who got accepted, did all of you find out through USConnect? or did someone from the department email you like they did with @Evelynnnlaw ?

I only got emailed because they were not able to move forward with sending me an admission letter due to my fee waiver request. So they typically will let you know through USC Connect

Goodluck everyone! 🙂 you will all get in & cant wait to meet each one of you!

 

[OTabc123]

Congratulations to everyone who have been accepted so far! USC is my top choice, but I'm still waiting on their decision. I've been reading all of these posts and I'm getting more hopeful and more nervous! You all are so supportive and will make great OTs! I feel for everyone still waiting! I've been checking USConnect so often... Here are my stats for those interested:

University: University of California San Diego
Major: Human Development
Minor: Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.58
Pre-Req GPA: 3.73
GRE: 155 V, 161 Q, 4 Analytical writing
Extra-Curricular: cofounder and President of SPOT (speech, physical, & occupational therapy) society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Phi Sigma Theta Honours Society, Pilipino Undergraduate Society for Health, Human Development Club, college Orientation Leader, and vocalist/manager of a band
Volunteer:220+ hours in outpatient Rehab department at a pediatric hospital, 22 hours in outpatient rehab department at a hospital, 42 hours tutoring in a special needs classroom
References: 1 OT, 1 professor, 1 OT Department Head

Applied: USC, Loma Linda
Interviews: Loma Linda
Waitlist: n/a
Accepted: Loma Linda
Rejected: n/a

 

[giraffiecathie]

Thanks @giraffiecathie Did they let you know through your new USC email, or through your regular email?

They emailed me by regular email! This was a while back though, but I'm sure you will receive an email soon. 🙂

 

[Hope2BeOT]

Yaaay a big congrats to everyone who has been admitted! And for everyone still waiting, I hope you hear good news soon! For those who asked about notifications, I first saw my admittance on USC connect then I got an email the next day. The email stated that I would not be receiving any hard copy via regular snail mail. Not sure if this is the case for everyone.

I can't wait to meet you all!

 

[DaisyMama]

@DaisyMama Mine was called "GRE Premier 2014" with 6 practice tests. It has both verbal and quant, but maybe one focusing on the quant part would be more comprehensive. I rented it originally, but then just bought it outright. It has a disc attached too. Good luck with it!

@OTWANNABE2 Thank you!