I Hope This Helps Someone

[fingerscrossedOT]

Last year I was rejected and I went back to school to improve my grades (In reality I should not of applied). I found many posts on this forum to be inspirational and I hope I can do that for someone who maybe feeling unsure about their application. 

 

Schools applied to: UofT and Queen's OT

Rejected: Queen's 

Waitlisted: UofT 

 

cGPA: 3.04

sGPA: 3.39 (with the classes I took this fall 3.56)

 

Experience: I have a masters of science with 2 publications (not first author) many conference presentations and a fellowship award.  I was the Captain of a varsity team for 3 years and I teach squash. Experience related to rehab: I have been volunteering with a kids rehab hospital for 2 years and I have worked on two research projects with them. 

 

All the courses I did when I returned to school averaged out at a 3.93 - so they know I am academically competent. 

 

My references were from my master's supervisor and my supervisor for my research volunteer in rehab and I think they were good. I think my essays were also good, I focused on what I could bring to the field of OT and why I wanted to do it. For the trends, I related my research experience to the tends  I saw and proposed ways to deal with them. 

 

I was accepted off the UofT waitlist! 

 

All in all, grades while important are not everything and if you are truly passionate about your career choice it will show through and you have a shot! 

 

 

[OThopeful-]

Congratulations!!! I heard that UofT gives preferences to those who come from a research background (not sure how true that is)

[fingerscrossedOT]

Congratulations!!! I heard that UofT gives preferences to those who come from a research background (not sure how true that is)

 

Thanks! I think they do, looking at their curriculum and having been at the school for previous degrees, I know they value research. I think it's interesting to see the difference between all the schools. Queen's just confuses me, I cant figure out what the look for haha

[PeeTee]

How do they know if you have a research background? I applied this year and currently completing a Master's degree as well...no where on the application showed anything about my research experience. I had my Master's supervisor as one of my referees, but uoft only says they look at the CAP score and gpa.

[Future_OT]

How do they know if you have a research background? I applied this year and currently completing a Master's degree as well...no where on the application showed anything about my research experience. I had my Master's supervisor as one of my referees, but uoft only says they look at the CAP score and gpa.

Hey,

From my experience (applying to OT) you could incorporate these details in your resume, and the essays you submit. I know from my essays I definelty touched on my experience, and in the resumes this was evident too.

[PeeTee]

Oh sorry! I thought this was for PT. The PT application doesn't ask for a resume so I found it a bit difficult to show my research experience with just the CAP..

[PTwinterlo]

I think u of t looks at reference letters? So maybe ask a supervisor to mention your research as part of their reference letter. Otherwise you're right, limited opportunities to bring it up in the mmi and cap in some ways. However I did both Cap and mmi this year and I found that each did offer a question or two that was flexible enough you could include specific details about yourself/interests/relevant knowledge. You kinda shape the answers yourself so if you have lots of relevant research experience and think it will help you I think you can integrate it. I have no research experience so I was glad it wasn't a specific question!

[PeeTee]

I think u of t looks at reference letters? So maybe ask a supervisor to mention your research as part of their reference letter. Otherwise you're right, limited opportunities to bring it up in the mmi and cap in some ways. However I did both Cap and mmi this year and I found that each did offer a question or two that was flexible enough you could include specific details about yourself/interests/relevant knowledge. You kinda shape the answers yourself so if you have lots of relevant research experience and think it will help you I think you can integrate it. I have no research experience so I was glad it wasn't a specific question!

I tried to bring it up as much as possible in the CAP and MMI, but obviously that did not suffice. I must have really bombed the other questions lol...

[PTwinterlo]

I tried to bring it up as much as possible in the CAP and MMI, but obviously that did not suffice. I must have really bombed the other questions lol...

It's so hard to know how you did in the mmi and Cap! I thought I did well in the mmi and bombed the Cap. But uoft accepted me and Mac didn't even waitlist me haha. That's the only thing I've figured out from this whole process: nothing makes sense and nothing is predictable. Each school seems to have their own weird set of expectations that change slightly with every cycle...