Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

U of Alberta OT - here to answer questions!


Recommended Posts

UBC Interviews are really just based off of GPA entirely. I've had several department members confirm that they only really look at other aspects of your application during the review phase AFTER the interview.

Alberta is definitely an intense program content wise (but tbh I think they all are) especially the first semester, but totally worth going if you get the chance. The first semester is close to 8-3 or 9-4, but I've also had Friday's off (just depends what lab time you pick). The department suggests you keep 9-5 Monday-Friday free because they do schedule extra learning opportunities etc on Fridays and around class times. The 2nd semester and beyond has less class time so for example T/Th it's only like 9-12 for me. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you know if U of A look at GPA as heavily as UBC? On their website they mention very many times that the program is academically rigorous (as I would expect) and they emphasize a good GPA as such. The admission GPA requirement is 3.0, but they recommend a 3.4 and then they said that last year applicants who were offered admission had a 3.7 GPA. Is this accurate do you think?? 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, initrams said:

Do you know if U of A look at GPA as heavily as UBC? On their website they mention very many times that the program is academically rigorous (as I would expect) and they emphasize a good GPA as such. The admission GPA requirement is 3.0, but they recommend a 3.4 and then they said that last year applicants who were offered admission had a 3.7 GPA. Is this accurate do you think?? 

 

I believe U of A also emphasizes GPA strongly and it's one of the main factors of how they rank you for offering admission seats. The program is definitely rigorous which I underestimated going in. In my undergrad I had a high GPA (3.90 out of 4.00) and I struggled this semester which I never have academically before so that was new to me.

The first semester alone is 18 or 19 credits, plus a bunch of random extra things that you kind of have to do. So anyone who's only used to taking 12-15 credits at once will definitely notice the increase in work load. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah that's pretty accurate. I think part of the problem is (generalized blanket statement here sorry) that males are drawn more towards PT when applying since requirements, job outlook, pay, etc are similar. I don't think it's specifically anything to do with the program itself, just perhaps the field in general. 

I'm not 100% sure if there's any quotas, but I highly doubt it has much weight? It definitely wouldn't hurt you in any way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/21/2019 at 1:19 PM, rehabhopeful said:

Can you tell me a little bit about the letter of intent portion of the application? Did you already have a letter drafted? Is there a time limit to complete that section? Thanks for your help!

Are you referring to the questions you have to answer on GARS? As far as I remember, you are provided the 3 questions that you have to answer with corresponding word limits. I wrote out my full and completely polished answers just separately on a Word document and when I was done I copy and pasted each answer into the corresponding box and submitted. I don't believe there's a time limit but double check. As far as I'm aware, you have until applications close to edit and change answers. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

For the 3 questions on GARS, the last question asks "why are you applying to MScOT at U of A?" I was a bit confused about this question. Did your answer focus on why you chose OT as a career or is the question looking for answers for why pick *U of A* for OT vs. another school?

The way it is worded, seems like they want to know why go to U of A. Any thoughts on this?

Is the U of A vastly different compared to other programs?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
16 hours ago, Sarah31 said:

Hey! Did you end up going to Edmonton or the Calgary satellite campus? I just got accepted and really want to stay in Calgary. I’m wondering if you know anything about how people like the program in Calgary vs. Edmonton. Thanks :)

I would recommend going to Edmomton. From what I’ve gathered it seems the Calgary campus doesn’t get as much access to our profs (harder to build rapport with a prof) and resources as well as they seem quite isolated from a lot of the OT campus community we have built. But I would also try and get in touch with a Calgary cohort member to really see because I am in the Edmonton one myself. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, I'm just got accepted to the program from Ontario, so I don't really know anyone from the area. I'm wondering how the OT campus community is there, what they do to connect and if you have any advice early on in the process that can be helpful to look into (i.e. facebook group, orientation stuff).

Also, what are the expected standards in terms of of the course-work grades?! 

Thank you :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Sarah31 said:

Hey! Did you end up going to Edmonton or the Calgary satellite campus? I just got accepted and really want to stay in Calgary. I’m wondering if you know anything about how people like the program in Calgary vs. Edmonton. Thanks :)

 

5 hours ago, OThopefully said:

I would recommend going to Edmomton. From what I’ve gathered it seems the Calgary campus doesn’t get as much access to our profs (harder to build rapport with a prof) and resources as well as they seem quite isolated from a lot of the OT campus community we have built. But I would also try and get in touch with a Calgary cohort member to really see because I am in the Edmonton one myself. 

Calgary student here! I would agree with the post about not building rapport with profs in Edmonton, however we do have some Calgary based profs to build rapport with! So pros and cons to both.  One benefit to Calgary is that with a small class size, you get to know your class members very well! Campus location is also very convenient. Feel free to message me if you have any more specific questions! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/24/2020 at 2:54 PM, MMZ said:

Hey, I'm just got accepted to the program from Ontario, so I don't really know anyone from the area. I'm wondering how the OT campus community is there, what they do to connect and if you have any advice early on in the process that can be helpful to look into (i.e. facebook group, orientation stuff).

Also, what are the expected standards in terms of of the course-work grades?! 

Thank you :)

The community is really great, invites to a Facebook group will be sent sometime in June I believe for your cohort to get connected with one another and upper year members. You get to know your class pretty well. I’m not sure how orientation will be this year given that in person classes for the fall is still up in the air. As for grades, they really don’t matter anymore. A minimum to pass is a C+ (I think 65%?). Everyone tries really hard first semester but if you just do the work you’ll do well and the faculty gives you a lot of chances to make up for poor grades (e.g. they allow re takes for clinical exams and will often curve exams if everyone does really poorly).  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/24/2020 at 7:39 PM, Bookworm1149 said:

 

Calgary student here! I would agree with the post about not building rapport with profs in Edmonton, however we do have some Calgary based profs to build rapport with! So pros and cons to both.  One benefit to Calgary is that with a small class size, you get to know your class members very well! Campus location is also very convenient. Feel free to message me if you have any more specific questions! 

I'm really hoping to attend the Calgary campus since I live in Southern Alberta. Can you share a bit more about what your experience has been like? Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got accepted into the U of A OT program a couple weeks ago, but I’m still waiting to hear back from a couple schools. From what I’ve heard, U of A puts a lot more emphasis on research and so on, is this accurate? I’d love to hear what other people’s experience has been so far in regards to classes, placements, social class activities, etc :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there! In admissions, it says preference is given to students who have completed a full course load of 30 credits over two consecutive semesters at some point during their undergrad with a competitive GPA. Since I have to work part time I have only been able to take 4 Classes a semester. However, I have a very strong gpa (3.9). Does anyone know how this could effect my application or likelihood of acceptance

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/8/2020 at 4:01 PM, UofAhopeful2222 said:

Hi there! In admissions, it says preference is given to students who have completed a full course load of 30 credits over two consecutive semesters at some point during their undergrad with a competitive GPA. Since I have to work part time I have only been able to take 4 Classes a semester. However, I have a very strong gpa (3.9). Does anyone know how this could effect my application or likelihood of acceptance

Maybe a little bit, but honestly with a 3.9 GPA i wouldn't worry about that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/3/2020 at 2:08 PM, OT202024 said:

I got accepted into the U of A OT program a couple weeks ago, but I’m still waiting to hear back from a couple schools. From what I’ve heard, U of A puts a lot more emphasis on research and so on, is this accurate? I’d love to hear what other people’s experience has been so far in regards to classes, placements, social class activities, etc :)

This is no longer very accurate in my opinion because the scholar stream has been taken out. The scholar stream allowed for students to work closely with profs in a separate for credit course that was in that profs research area. However, there is still a capstone project during all of second year that is research focused and similar to the scholar stream concept. There is a lot of research going on and profs are open to you reaching out but in my opinion it was difficult to find the time to do so on top of the first semester’s workload. 
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/12/2020 at 6:07 PM, sugo said:

Hi there, I'm an international student, and I'm currently attending 3rd year at Dalhousie. I'm thinking to apply UofA at the end of this year, so I wonder if you can often see some international students in your class? Because the admission quotas of OT in every Canadian University is really limited.

I know for sure my class has 1 international student from Iran. I believe 2 others are international students from China and Korea but I can’t say for certain. And then I’m not sure about other years. Sorry couldn’t be more help! I would honestly just call or email admissions to ask if they have information about this. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, OThopefully said:

I know for sure my class has 1 international student from Iran. I believe 2 others are international students from China and Korea but I can’t say for certain. And then I’m not sure about other years. Sorry couldn’t be more help! I would honestly just call or email admissions to ask if they have information about this. 

Thank you so much for these info, I'll try my best when applying.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...