Tips on improvements on application for next year

[FUTUREOT12]

Hi guys,

I applied for Queen's and UoFT OT and I got rejected by both schools. Feeling determined, I am gonna take another chance and I want to be prepared for next year application. 

My current sGPA is a 3.62 and I know it's not a competitive GPA for OT so I decided to take extra courses this year to bump my sGPA to 3.7. I am also working on my volunteer experiences and I am trying to get myself to see if I can shadow an OT in addition to the work I do at the rehab hospital. 

However, I would really appreciate if someone can give me and others tips on how to make the essay and personal statement strong as I find that my written responses were weak. Like for the essay do they expect as to write it from our volunteer and work experiences or do they want us to do research on the profession and come up with answers? How did you structure it? 

Thanks in advance

[FutureOT2020]

37 minutes ago, FUTUREOT12 said:

Hi guys,

I applied for Queen's and UoFT OT and I got rejected by both schools. Feeling determined, I am gonna take another chance and I want to be prepared for next year application. 

My current sGPA is a 3.62 and I know it's not a competitive GPA for OT so I decided to take extra courses this year to bump my sGPA to 3.7. I am also working on my volunteer experiences and I am trying to get myself to see if I can shadow an OT in addition to the work I do at the rehab hospital. 

However, I would really appreciate if someone can give me and others tips on how to make the essay and personal statement strong as I find that my written responses were weak. Like for the essay do they expect as to write it from our volunteer and work experiences or do they want us to do research on the profession and come up with answers? How did you structure it? 

Thanks in advance

Hey! I definitely did a lot of research for my essay answers. I did a lit review to look for common themes and even used resources as a basis for what I was saying. For my personal statement, i made it more personal and based off of my experiences while still relating it to things I'm passionate about in the OT field and skills that are important in the OT field! I found it helpful for my argument to be as short and clear as possible because there isn't much space (as opposed to trying to fit a whole lot of ideas in without discussing them throughly enough). As for structure, I wrote them them like mini formal essays (thesis, support, etc). Good luck

[saskOT2019]

1 hour ago, FUTUREOT12 said:

Hi guys,

I applied for Queen's and UoFT OT and I got rejected by both schools. Feeling determined, I am gonna take another chance and I want to be prepared for next year application. 

My current sGPA is a 3.62 and I know it's not a competitive GPA for OT so I decided to take extra courses this year to bump my sGPA to 3.7. I am also working on my volunteer experiences and I am trying to get myself to see if I can shadow an OT in addition to the work I do at the rehab hospital. 

However, I would really appreciate if someone can give me and others tips on how to make the essay and personal statement strong as I find that my written responses were weak. Like for the essay do they expect as to write it from our volunteer and work experiences or do they want us to do research on the profession and come up with answers? How did you structure it? 

Thanks in advance

 I would definitely use resources for essay questions- try the CAOT website and pay attention to their values and beliefs. If you can show that your experiences and beliefs align with theirs then I think that will make your essay stand out. Also check out the CAOT publication of essential competencies for OT practice in Canada. It may be helpful to demonstrate that you are developing some of the skills required for those competencies.

I would also consider applying to more schools if OT is really what you are interested in. Each school looks at applications slightly differently and values different aspects of the application so it may be beneficial to apply to several schools.