volunteer in NYC

[froggybottom]

Hi guys! Very excited, I just decided to go for a OT masters in Fall 2013 - I am spending this coming Summer and Fall fulfilling psych and anat/phys pre-reqs at Hunter College. My mom is an OT and lead supervisor of a children's home health practice based out of Lenoir Co, TN, so I am fairly familiar with the profession. I definitely want to get some volunteer experience in this year - I would love to get a better feel for Early Intervention, neonatal therapy, or mental health OT in particular. Does anyone have any recommendations for volunteer programs in NYC? I'm based in Brooklyn! Many thanks

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[Karine]

Hi guys! Very excited, I just decided to go for a OT masters in Fall 2013 - I am spending this coming Summer and Fall fulfilling psych and anat/phys pre-reqs at Hunter College. My mom is an OT and lead supervisor of a children's home health practice based out of Lenoir Co, TN, so I am fairly familiar with the profession. I definitely want to get some volunteer experience in this year - I would love to get a better feel for Early Intervention, neonatal therapy, or mental health OT in particular. Does anyone have any recommendations for volunteer programs in NYC? I'm based in Brooklyn! Many thanks

Hi- We are in the same boat! Looking to apply for Fall 2013.
When are you taking A&P? I need to take it too but am trying to 1- find a decent schedule and 2-find a decent price. Did you take the other prereqs and what schools are you applying to?
As for Volunteer I just registered and am going to a meeting in Brooklyn for New York Cares because they have tons of volunteer opportunities in different settings (which apparently is recommended).

 

[ptdpt]

Hi- We are in the same boat! Looking to apply for Fall 2013.
When are you taking A&P? I need to take it too but am trying to 1- find a decent schedule and 2-find a decent price. Did you take the other prereqs and what schools are you applying to?
As for Volunteer I just registered and am going to a meeting in Brooklyn for New York Cares because they have tons of volunteer opportunities in different settings (which apparently is recommended).

How about Brooklyn College, Hunter or another CUNY for A&P? Best price and you can pick a school based on your schedule.

 

[Karine]

Hi- Actually the CUNY cost me more because I am out of state. I found Berkley College but I still don't know if they offer the labs. If I can't find anything within 30 days I am going to have to take time off to go to class. NJ has super cheap Colleges so I am checking that out. What schools are you applying to?

 

[froggybottom]

Cool I checked out NY Cares they look great! But I am hoping to get some OT volunteer time in specifically. Looks like Hospital for Special Surgery has a pgrm that might fit.

I am planning to take A&P I in the fall and A&PII in the spring, i believe that's the only times those courses are offered through Hunter...i'm a NY resident and don't wanna move so I only looked into CUNY. Don't know quite yet what other schools i'll be applying to, but probs starting with NYU and U Washington St Louis and maybe downstate? You?

 

[Karine]

Cool I checked out NY Cares they look great! But I am hoping to get some OT volunteer time in specifically. Looks like Hospital for Special Surgery has a pgrm that might fit.

I am planning to take A&P I in the fall and A&PII in the spring, i believe that's the only times those courses are offered through Hunter...i'm a NY resident and don't wanna move so I only looked into CUNY. Don't know quite yet what other schools i'll be applying to, but probs starting with NYU and U Washington St Louis and maybe downstate? You?

Ideally I would like to apply to- SUNY, Stony Brooks, Kean, Phila U, Temple, Thomas Jefferson, Touro, Seton Hall and Columbia. I thought about NYU but I know I can't afford it so I won't even waste my time applying.

I am trying to take A&P before end of fall because most schools (if not all) won't officially accept you until you do and their app deadline is usually end of December. Some require that you complete them before applying but I am having a very hard time finding those classes for the summer and fall.
I am trying to find a A&P I in the summer and II in the fall but i can only find classes that meet 4 times a week from 9 to 3 or sthg like that and I don't have that kind of freedom. Ha. Hopefully I can find one for the summer ASAP because I am starting to worry.

 

[froggybottom]

The policy of all the schools I have looked at is that as long as you are enrolled in prereq courses you can be accepted provisionally - that is, by the time you enter the program in the fall 2013 the course needs to be completed with a good grade.

Here's an example of what columbia's webpage says about it, ( http://www.columbiaot.org/arpro.html)

"In order to have an application considered for admission, at least half of the prerequisites in each category must be completed. If a student receives provisional acceptance on the basis of course work still in progress, satisfactory completion (a grade of B or better) of all outstanding courses must be attained prior to matriculation as an entering student."

you can take A/P II in the spring and still be considered/accepted

 

[2bOT]

I am trying to find a A&P I in the summer and II in the fall but i can only find classes that meet 4 times a week from 9 to 3 or sthg like that and I don't have that kind of freedom. Ha. Hopefully I can find one for the summer ASAP because I am starting to worry.

I attend a large university for undergrad and they only offer an hour of Anatomy lecture 5 days a week with labs 1-2 days a week for 2.5 hours; Physiology meets for an hour 4 mornings a week. Most people I've talked to from other universities have had A&Ps in similar formats - you're bombarded with a lot of info and most schools feel it's best to give you a little each day. I feel like it will be more difficult to find a school that only offers it 2-3 days a week, but it may be out there. Personally, I think taking it traditionally is the easiest way to learn it because you only have a little info to go over and really get down each day, so if you can fit it into your schedule it will probably be worth it!

In regards to Froggiebottom's comment about taking A&P after you apply, with the stiff competition to get into ANY OT school, I wouldn't recommend that. Yeah, in the policy it says it's not necessary to have all your pre-reqs done, but you're going to be up against people who have all of them done, let alone A's in all of them. You're going to want an "in progress/planned" stamp next to as few pre-reqs as possible to be considered an optimal applicant and increase your chances of getting accepted. A&P especially are pretty much the most important and universal pre-reqs and I've heard admissions committee members from different schools say that A&P grades are the most important courses they consider on an applicant's transcript because they're a big indicator of whether or not a person can stay afloat in OT school. If you take some of the easier pre-reqs first and leave A&P for the last minute, they might think you're afraid of doing poorly and that you might not be able to handle it. Just some advice!

 

[2bOT]

Also something to consider is if you're taking a combined A&P course you're going to need to take A&P 1 and A&P 2 sequentially to meet most schools' requirements - that's 2 semesters. You can take Anatomy as a seperate course from Physiology at some universities in the same semester, but that's a much tougher route to take.

 

[Karine]

Also something to consider is if you're taking a combined A&P course you're going to need to take A&P 1 and A&P 2 sequentially to meet most schools' requirements - that's 2 semesters. You can take Anatomy as a seperate course from Physiology at some universities in the same semester, but that's a much tougher route to take.

I agree with what you said. I know most schools say it is ok to be pending but with the competition I am trying to put all chances on my side. Which is why I really want to complete AP before applying. Most prerequisite I have from my bachelor degree but I still need physics (for 2-3 schools), statistics (because mine are business stats) and 2 psy classes so I know I can do it by end of fall if only I could is reasonable schedule ad prices! But I guess I'm going to have to pay about $6000 for the remaining of my prereqs.