What are my chances??

[aquafitness]

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I am currently a senior and will have my BA in Kinesiology this spring. I have a cumulative GPA of 3.73 and 3.9 in my major. My prereq GPA is around a 3.6 depending on which program I am looking at. I have held many leaderships roles such as president of the kinesiology national honor society and kinesiology club leadership roles over the years. I am a collegiate athlete and I am the captain this year, holding many school records. I have worked as a tutor for multiple subjects and also volunteered in various settings working with children.

My only concern is that I do not have many OT volunteer hours because of my sport and because I have recently changed from PT to OT. How much do volunteer hours weigh? I may only have about 50 by the time I apply for schools, but I plan on continuing those hours throughout the year. I will write a very strong personal statement explaining the reasons why I am so low.

Any help? Thanks!

 

[OTplease]

I had similar GPAs and 56 observation hours at the time of application last year. I was invited to interview at all 4 schools I applied to. Ultimately, I was wait-listed to 3 of the schools and the other school I was accepted to. After being informed of the decision to wait-list me, I contacted the schools and asked them what separated me from those who were offered admission. The response was unanimous: the other applicants had more observation hours/I didn't have enough. Your GPA will get you in the door but once you are in the door you will need to make a strong case for yourself. Too few observation hours can appear to an admissions committee that you may not have enough OT experience to truly know whether or not OT is for you. You seem to have many extra-curriculars that you can use to show your capacity to exceed in graduate school. My advice would be to get as many observation hours as possible before applying. However, if you are only able to get around 50 hours, I would encourage you to apply anyway! From my experience, it can be done! Good luck!

 

[RedHeadOT]

I had similar GPAs and 56 observation hours at the time of application last year. I was invited to interview at all 4 schools I applied to. Ultimately, I was wait-listed to 3 of the schools and the other school I was accepted to. After being informed of the decision to wait-list me, I contacted the schools and asked them what separated me from those who were offered admission. The response was unanimous: the other applicants had more observation hours/I didn't have enough.

That is kind of concerning. How many hours does someone need to complete to be competitive? I see some many people with 150+. Is that what I need to have to compete with other applicants?

 

[IndianaOT]

@RedHeadOT:

This varies by program, but I can tell you that at IU, if you have the minimum number, that is acceptable. There are no official bonus points for completing above the minimum. Our requirement is at least 12 hours split among at least three settings.

Josh Morrison
Director, Student Enrollment Services
IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, IUPUI
www.shrs.iupui.edu
[email protected]

 

[prodigiousflame]

That is kind of concerning. How many hours does someone need to complete to be competitive? I see some many people with 150+. Is that what I need to have to compete with other applicants?

no several schools are like indiana where they care mostly about your "numbers"