General Admissions & OTCAS Worrying about not getting into CSU Dominguez Hills!

[CinnamonBun]

Hi guys! I am new here on the forum and I've been reading past posts for a while now.
I am currently a senior in college working on my BA and didn't know that I wanted to be an OT till I was already in my BA program. I am crossing my fingers that I get into CSUDH, but I'm scared I might not get in! I'm going to apply this summer.

-Communication Studies major
-My current overall GPA is 3.6, which will go up to probably 3.7 by the time I graduate.
-My Major GPA however is 3.8 & may go up to a 3.9.
-Haven't taken GRE yet
-So far, I have 3 A's and one B in my prerequisites and am aiming for 2 more A's
-120 hours of volunteer work at nursing home. (Aiming for more though)
-Actively involved on campus with lots of philanthropic work through my sorority and lots of experience working in groups and with people face to face. Interpersonal communication experience because of my past job in sales and because of my 2 year experience in speech and debate.

Honestly, I'm scared I won't get in.
1. Do they look at your Major GPA or only your overall GPA?
2. Am I so far in okay standing? I know not all factors are still in progress, but still
3. What can I do to improve my chances? I noticed that for every A I get, my GPA only goes up .2 !!!

Any advice would help guys, I just want to not have to apply more than once and give it my all the first time around.
Thanks guys!!!

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[accio_puppies]

Hi! I recently was accepted into CSUDH program and will be starting in the Spring. As of right now, I think you are looking good! From what I know, they look at your overall GPA and your prereq GPA. I think your overall GPA is fine right now, and is in line with the students I've seen on this forum who were accepted (some are higher, some are lower). Definitely try your hardest to get A's in your remaining prereqs. The GRE is also important so give yourself ample time to study, take the test, and retake the test if needed. I recommend Magoosh's online program to help prepare for the verbal portion (it is awesome imo). However, CSUDH seems to care more about the writing section. They require a minimum score of 4, but it seems that most people they accept score higher than that (4.5 +). However, many people get in with 4's too. Make sure you have direct experience volunteering with an OT because you'll need an OT for a letter of recommendation. I also think it helps to volunteer in multiple settings. Hope that helps! I don't think you should be too worried. 🙂

 

[lao27746]

I am planning on applying to CSUDH in 2016, and I am also freaking out over whether or not I will be accepted into their program. I always compare my stats to other students who have been accepted into their program, and their stats always look better than mine! I believe that the best way to increase your chances of being accepted into a program such as CSUDH is to do really well on all the prereqs and score high on the GRE. I don't believe that they look at your major GPA, but I could be wrong. Are you planning on applying to any other schools in SoCal?

 

[CinnamonBun]

I am planning on applying to CSUDH in 2016, and I am also freaking out over whether or not I will be accepted into their program. I always compare my stats to other students who have been accepted into their program, and their stats always look better than mine! I believe that the best way to increase your chances of being accepted into a program such as CSUDH is to do really well on all the prereqs and score high on the GRE. I don't believe that they look at your major GPA, but I could be wrong. Are you planning on applying to any other schools in SoCal?

I might, but all the other ones are very expensive. Like 80K a year 🙁

 

[Highlife.himalayas]

Retake your B!!! I followed people's stats closely and while I don't know for certain I feel because they allow retakes for prereqs EVERY GRADE MATTERS! Especially when prereqs only consist of five classes. I got rejected this year and decided to pursue PT instead, so I guess it worked out for me?

Here are my (rejection) stats lol

Undergrad GPA 3.6
Prereq 3.75 (all As and B in anatomy)
GRE 310 AWA 4
200 direct OT hours
Great LORs... I thought so at least

in addition:
Postgraduate GPA 3.8
International volunteer service
2 years teaching English in Europe
2 years in city school district helping at-risk youth graduate high school
3 years non profit work with children/adults with developmental disabilities, special needs, and autism including BI work

68 spots and only 300 some applicants! I *really* thought I had a chance. Good luck to you!!

 

[wannabeOTinCA]

Current OT student at CSUDH here... just thought I'd weigh in for those of you applying in 2016. First, in order to even apply/be considered, you must have every single pre-req/volunteer hour/etc completed by the time you submit your application. If you need 5 more volunteer hours, they will not look at your application. This is different from a lot of schools in that you cannot wait to take any pre-reqs until you get in - they must all be completed before you apply. From what I have gathered from my classmates... GPAs and GRE scores don't matter THAT much. There is a big range in GPA and GRE scores.. so I'd say try to hit at least a 3.5 and 150s on the 2 sections of the GRE. Most people I have talked to got between a 4 and 5 (there were quite a few 4s) on the writing portion.
In my opinion (none of us know exactly what it was that got us in), it seems to be the 'above and beyond' stuff. Everyone has similar GPAs and test scores, and everyone needs to volunteer. It's a plus if you have more than one setting in your volunteer hours. Also, the personal essay should be strong. A few of us have masters degrees in different subject areas, which seems to help as well. Many people in the program have been Behavioral Therapists for years, so I assume that is counted as a plus. There are also some teachers. The students who haven't really been out in the work field have done a lot of traveling and/or had a TON of volunteer hours (hundreds, thousands). There are a couple of students who came directly from their undergrad degree, but not many. Those students had a lot of hours at different types of clinics and also had degrees in kinesiology or something along those lines.
This is just from asking around in my cohort.. so as you can see, there is no right/wrong way to do things! Everyone has such different experiences.. I think you just need something that sets you apart from the other 500 people applying.
Good luck, and feel free to PM me with any questions!

 

[CinnamonBun]

Retake your B!!! I followed people's stats closely and while I don't know for certain I feel because they allow retakes for prereqs EVERY GRADE MATTERS! Especially when prereqs only consist of five classes. I got rejected this year and decided to pursue PT instead, so I guess it worked out for me?

Here are my (rejection) stats lol

Undergrad GPA 3.6
Prereq 3.75 (all As and B in anatomy)
GRE 310 AWA 4
200 direct OT hours
Great LORs... I thought so at least

in addition:
Postgraduate GPA 3.8
International volunteer service
2 years teaching English in Europe
2 years in city school district helping at-risk youth graduate high school
3 years non profit work with children/adults with developmental disabilities, special needs, and autism including BI work

68 spots and only 300 some applicants! I *really* thought I had a chance. Good luck to you!!

Wow your stats seem awesome. I dont know why the heck they wouldn't pick you. Did you write a personal statement?[/QUOTE]

 

[kyleklin]

Retake your B!!! I followed people's stats closely and while I don't know for certain I feel because they allow retakes for prereqs EVERY GRADE MATTERS! Especially when prereqs only consist of five classes. I got rejected this year and decided to pursue PT instead, so I guess it worked out for me?

Here are my (rejection) stats lol

Undergrad GPA 3.6
Prereq 3.75 (all As and B in anatomy)
GRE 310 AWA 4
200 direct OT hours
Great LORs... I thought so at least

in addition:
Postgraduate GPA 3.8
International volunteer service
2 years teaching English in Europe
2 years in city school district helping at-risk youth graduate high school
3 years non profit work with children/adults with developmental disabilities, special needs, and autism including BI work

68 spots and only 300 some applicants! I *really* thought I had a chance. Good luck to you!!

Wow, you have great stats and experience. I don't know why you couldn't get in.

 

[kyleklin]

Also, the personal essay should be strong. A few of us have masters degrees in different subject areas, which seems to help as well. Many people in the program have been Behavioral Therapists for years, so I assume that is counted as a plus. There are also some teachers. The students who haven't really been out in the work field have done a lot of traveling and/or had a TON of volunteer hours (hundreds, thousands). There are a couple of students who came directly from their undergrad degree, but not many. Those students had a lot of hours at different types of clinics and also had degrees in kinesiology or something along those lines.

Here are my thoughts and a few points want to add or ask.

1. Seems like they do not take personal statement this coming year.
2. Sounds like a lot of people admitted at your cohort are non-trads (age 25+). What is the percentage of each age group like?
3. I always wonder how some people can get like 200+ and up to a thousand hours? Do they even have a job?

 

[OT2BE2017]

Here are my thoughts and a few points want to add or ask.

1. Seems like they do not take personal statement this coming year.
2. Sounds like a lot of people admitted at your cohort are non-trads (age 25+). What is the percentage of each age group like?
3. I always wonder how some people can get like 200+ and up to a thousand hours? Do they even have a job?

1.) It is true that they do not require a personal statement, however, from asking in the past they always say "It is not required to have one, but you can include one if you want." This does not necessarily mean they will actually read it, but you never know. There are many people who HAVE gotten accepted without it and there are some who believe they got in because of it in addition to their LOR (they usually had a low GPA or GRE score)

2.) I know someone who is in Cohort 12 and they said their class is mixed in terms of age group. She started the program straight after undergrad. So really the age ranges, from really young to old (career changes).

3.) You do not need a lot of hours to get into OT program, especially CSUDH. They just want you to meet the minimum of 80 hrs. The director said having more does not help your application more. It is an equal chance for everyone who at least meets the 80 hrs. In addition, those with 200+ hrs most likely started their hrs very early on. For example, I have over 400+ hrs, which I did since my freshman year of college, while having a part time and later on full time job. It adds up over the years! Also, usually the ones with thousands of hours are the lucky few that actually have a job in an OT or rehab setting.

From the information I have gathered through looking at past forums for CSUDH, it seems like their ideal applicant will have a 3.5+ GPA, 4.5+ for the writing portion of the GRE and a 3.8-4.0 for pre-reqs. The key really is getting your writing score to be at least 4.5 or higher. Granted, their are some people who have been accepted with just a 4, but I noticed that all those people who did had either a really high undergrad GPA 3.7+, a super high verbal score of 165+, or a combination of both. In addition, I have seen people who had super low GPAs 3.3 and lower, but really really high GRE scores (i.e. V 165+ Q 150+ AWA 5+).

For me, I really want to attend CSUDH. This is my #1 school mainly because of cost, location, and overall program structure. I have taken the GRE 3 times and got a 4 in writing all three times. I am planning to take it one last time before the application is due in order to try and get it to at least a 4.5 to be really competitive. I feel that it is worth the cost to retake the GRE, if it helps me to better my chances of getting into CSUDH. I would rather spend the $820 it took to take the GRE 4x than to be $80k+ in debt to go to a school that doesn't require the GRE like West Coast or Loma Linda. Keep in mind with every passing year getting into CSUDH gets more and more competitive. Since it is the most cost-effective school, it attracts hundreds of applicants and each year the applicant pool is getting better and better. Good luck to you!

 

[kyleklin]

1.) It is true that they do not require a personal statement, however, from asking in the past they always say "It is not required to have one, but you can include one if you want." This does not necessarily mean they will actually read it, but you never know. There are many people who HAVE gotten accepted without it and there are some who believe they got in because of it in addition to their LOR (they usually had a low GPA or GRE score)

2.) I know someone who is in Cohort 12 and they said their class is mixed in terms of age group. She started the program straight after undergrad. So really the age ranges, from really young to old (career changes).

3.) You do not need a lot of hours to get into OT program, especially CSUDH. They just want you to meet the minimum of 80 hrs. The director said having more does not help your application more. It is an equal chance for everyone who at least meets the 80 hrs. In addition, those with 200+ hrs most likely started their hrs very early on. For example, I have over 400+ hrs, which I did since my freshman year of college, while having a part time and later on full time job. It adds up over the years! Also, usually the ones with thousands of hours are the lucky few that actually have a job in an OT or rehab setting.

From the information I have gathered through looking at past forums for CSUDH, it seems like their ideal applicant will have a 3.5+ GPA, 4.5+ for the writing portion of the GRE and a 3.8-4.0 for pre-reqs. The key really is getting your writing score to be at least 4.5 or higher. Granted, their are some people who have been accepted with just a 4, but I noticed that all those people who did had either a really high undergrad GPA 3.7+, a super high verbal score of 165+, or a combination of both. In addition, I have seen people who had super low GPAs 3.3 and lower, but really really high GRE scores (i.e. V 165+ Q 150+ AWA 5+).

For me, I really want to attend CSUDH. This is my #1 school mainly because of cost, location, and overall program structure. I have taken the GRE 3 times and got a 4 in writing all three times. I am planning to take it one last time before the application is due in order to try and get it to at least a 4.5 to be really competitive. I feel that it is worth the cost to retake the GRE, if it helps me to better my chances of getting into CSUDH. I would rather spend the $820 it took to take the GRE 4x than to be $80k+ in debt to go to a school that doesn't require the GRE like West Coast or Loma Linda. Keep in mind with every passing year getting into CSUDH gets more and more competitive. Since it is the most cost-effective school, it attracts hundreds of applicants and each year the applicant pool is getting better and better. Good luck to you!

Wow, this is extremely useful. Thanks a lot. What I summarize from your content is that

1. GRE and GPA are the key factors to get in.
2. LOR and personal essays are boosts.
3. Reaching the minimum volunteer hours is sufficient enough.

I have taken the GRE twice and got a combination score of Q158 V152 and AWA 4.0. Somehow I feel like a 4.5 (82nd percentile) is pretty hard to reach and the verbal scores very difficult to improve. Plus sitting there for 4 hours was a very exhausting. Did you plan to retake all portions of the GRE for 4 times? Or just the AWA?

 

[OT2BE2017]

Wow, this is extremely useful. Thanks a lot. What I summarize from your content is that

1. GRE and GPA are the key factors to get in.
2. LOR and personal essays are boosts.
3. Reaching the minimum volunteer hours is sufficient enough.

I have taken the GRE twice and got a combination score of Q158 V152 and AWA 4.0. Somehow I feel like a 4.5 (82nd percentile) is pretty hard to reach and the verbal scores very difficult to improve. Plus sitting there for 4 hours was a very exhausting. Did you plan to retake all portions of the GRE for 4 times? Or just the AWA?

I am glad you found my information useful! Yup, you basically summarized the information I provided to exactly those 3 points! This is the information I have gathered from studying the forums and comparing the different stats of others in addition to asking the director of the program additional info.

Also, it is important to note that CSUDH use your undergrad GPA. They DO NOT look at any other GPAs including if you received a post-bac or another masters. For example, I had a 3.5 GPA from my undergrad, and I took a lot of the pre-reqs after I graduated college at a community college. This boosted my overall GPA to a 3.6 according to OTCAS, however, CSUDH only accepts whatever is printed on your undergrad transcript as your cumulative GPA. I also heard in the info session someone ask the director if their Masters degree GPA would be accepted since it was higher than their undergrad GPA and she said "No, we only accept your cumulative GPA from your degree granting institution."

As for your GRE, I am on the exact same boat. I just can't seem to get above a 153 for verbal or higher than a 4.5 for writing. It is pretty exhausting taking the whole test over again, but my mentality is that I may be able to score higher than before, so I would take the whole thing again because you never know. At least the writing is at the beginning, which is the most important part for me. Also, if you do bad on verbal and the quant, but get a 4.5 on writing, you are able to use 2 separate score for CSUDH. For example, if you retake the test and get a V148 Q 148 AWA 4.5 you can use the 4.5 from that test and use your verbal and quant scores from a previous test. However, you just cannot mix and match the Verbal and Quant scores. They have to be from a single test. So personally, I will retake the whole thing again since I am paying $205 for it. I hope you find this info useful and will help you in OT journey 🙂