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On 5/24/2018 at 5:16 PM, churros31 said:

Unfortunately, I think that based on the sGPA increase in recent years, anything lower than a 3.7 would be a long shot. Most OT schools in Ontario don't release what they consider a competitive sGPA, but Mac posted that their cut-off for a first round interview invite this year was 3.77. This eventually went down to 3.75 with people accepted off the waitlist. So if you think about Ontario schools having a similar applicant pool as this group, the top ~300ish people who apply to OT have an sGPA in the high 3.7s (of course Mac only looks at GPA so a bunch of people might have applied as a backup, which skews it higher).

However, if OT is really what you want, I really hope this doesn't discourage you from trying again! Many people on this forum have applied 2, even 3 times before getting in. This year off could be your time to boost your sGPA, make money, and gain more experiences in the profession. There are also some people who have tons of experience but have an sGPA in the low-mid 3.7s who have been accepted, so experience, essays, and references could make a HUGE difference! It's just that the reality of things is that sGPA is usually the first cut-off point for schools before your application is looked at, so I would definitely focus on improving that this year.

Also do you have a higher cGPA than sGPA? I think Queens and McGill (correct me if I'm wrong) look more at cGPA so that could be to your advantage.

Anyway, best of luck to you and I hope you don't let this setback stop you from pursuing OT! :) 

Thank you for your advice!  Unfortunately, my cGPA is lower than my sGPA so I am going back to boost it an hopefully apply again! I have work and volunteer experience but I am looking for different populations to work with. If you don't mind me asking, what were some of the places you worked/volunteered at? 

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7 hours ago, tm55 said:

Thank you for your advice!  Unfortunately, my cGPA is lower than my sGPA so I am going back to boost it an hopefully apply again! I have work and volunteer experience but I am looking for different populations to work with. If you don't mind me asking, what were some of the places you worked/volunteered at? 

No problem :) I just pm'd you

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Hello! Does anyone in Dal OT know if we have the summer off or if it is a full 2 year program that runs through the summer? From what I understand, we have a Fall, Winter and Spring term for the 2 years. I'm wondering if the Spring term refers to ~April through the summer, or if it just means April/May perhaps, implying we have the summer off. 

Thanks! 

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Hey Everyone,   
Does anyone know how many courses McGill uses in its GPA calculation? It says the final 2 years on their website, but I was wondering if this translates to the last 20 courses taken or so? 
Also, does anyone know whether McGill weighs cGPA or the subGPA more?

Thanks!
 

Screen Shot 2018-06-25 at 1.31.05 PM.png

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3 hours ago, NewOTDal said:

 

3 hours ago, NewOTDal said:

Hello! Does anyone in Dal OT know if we have the summer off or if it is a full 2 year program that runs through the summer? From what I understand, we have a Fall, Winter and Spring term for the 2 years. I'm wondering if the Spring term refers to ~April through the summer, or if it just means April/May perhaps, implying we have the summer off. 

Thanks! 

it's through the summers as well, full-time I believe. Spring term is May - July. We have 3 8-week placements, and they change the timing a bit  in the last year (I know PT ended at end of May last year for their term instead of April, then did a workterm. 

 

So, yeah, we don't have summers off.  A 2 weeks - month between terms I think (ie August, december break, etc)

 

 

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Applied:     PT - UBC, Queens                  OT - UBC, Queens, Western, UofT
Accepted:  PT - Queens                           OT - UofT
Waitlisted: PT - Queens (#14)                OT - UBC (#18), Western (43-75, middle third)
Rejected:   PT - UBC (pre-interview)      OT - Queens
cGPA: 3.38    sGPA: 3.73    UBC: 83.6% (OT),  88.7% (PT)
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references:

Volunteer + Employment: Volunteered with children with autism. Worked as a summer support staff for children with various physical, cognitive, and emotional disorders. Volunteered alongside PT, OT, and rehab assistants when facilitating individualized exercise programs for seniors in a residential care facility. Undergraduate research assistant in Kin lab. Shadowed PT over the summer. Essay was relatively strong and interview was ok. References I felt were strong as they both knew me personally and tailored the reference around that.

This was my third time applying for PT and first time applying for OT. Roller coaster of a ride, but definitely worth.

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On 6/26/2018 at 1:57 AM, KROT said:

Does anyone know if McGill OT (QY) has started a Facebook group or anything of that sort??

 

6 hours ago, OT_applicant_2018 said:

Hey,  I was wondering the same thing! Haven't been able to find anything yet.

Hey! :) I was able to find this, it's not an official group created by the school or anything: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1826538577648209 

If you think it's a good idea to have a group just for OT as well, let me know and I can start one up! 

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5 hours ago, (PO)T said:

Applied:     PT - UBC, Queens                  OT - UBC, Queens, Western, UofT
Accepted:  PT - Queens                           OT - UofT
Waitlisted: PT - Queens                           OT - UBC, Western
Rejected:   PT - UBC (pre-interview)      OT - Queens
cGPA: 3.38    sGPA: 3.73    UBC: 83.6% (OT),  88.7% (PT)
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references:

Volunteer + Employment: Volunteered with children with autism. Worked as a summer support staff for children with various physical, cognitive, and emotional disorders. Volunteered alongside PT, OT, and rehab assistants when facilitating individualized exercise programs for seniors in a residential care facility. Undergraduate research assistant in Kin lab. Shadowed PT over the summer. Essay was relatively strong and interview was ok. References I felt were strong as they both knew me personally and tailored the reference around that.

This was my third time applying for PT and first time applying for OT. Roller coaster of a ride, but definitely worth.

Hey if you don't mind me asking, what position were you waitlisted at for UBC MOT? Also out of all the options, what is your preferred location and is it PT/OT? Thanks

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57 minutes ago, housecalle said:

Hey if you don't mind me asking, what position were you waitlisted at for UBC MOT? Also out of all the options, what is your preferred location and is it PT/OT? Thanks

Hey,

I don't mind at all. I was #18 for UBC MOT, and they haven't gotten back yet. Based on the number of acceptance off the waitlist from previous years, I'm assuming that I did not get in. I would have loved to stay in Vancouver if I had gotten in, but I have decided to go to Queen's for PT. Hope that answers things. Cheers

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36 minutes ago, (PO)T said:

Hey,

I don't mind at all. I was #18 for UBC MOT, and they haven't gotten back yet. Based on the number of acceptance off the waitlist from previous years, I'm assuming that I did not get in. I would have loved to stay in Vancouver if I had gotten in, but I have decided to go to Queen's for PT. Hope that answers things. Cheers

Yeah that does, thank you so much. A few of my friends went from UBC to Queens, and they say Kingston has a more welcoming feel than Vancouver. Hope you enjoy it there!

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9 hours ago, housecalle said:

Hey if you don't mind me asking, what position were you waitlisted at for UBC MOT? Also out of all the options, what is your preferred location and is it PT/OT? Thanks

what was your waitlist number at Queens?

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12 hours ago, housecalle said:

Yeah that does, thank you so much. A few of my friends went from UBC to Queens, and they say Kingston has a more welcoming feel than Vancouver. Hope you enjoy it there!

No worries. That is fantastic to hear. Thanks, I'm looking forward to it!

 

4 hours ago, Zurv said:

what was your waitlist number at Queens?

I've edited my post to include waitlist number, so you can gauge where the waitlist is at right now.

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On 6/26/2018 at 1:57 AM, KROT said:

Does anyone know if McGill OT (QY) has started a Facebook group or anything of that sort??

 

On 6/27/2018 at 10:43 PM, OT OT said:

Actually... I think the FB group I posted is for Y1/Y2 undergrad OT students, not qualifying year/master students :rolleyes: disregard it, haha! 

I found this group, we would be graduating with these guys in 2020

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1017311375030395/

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On 6/25/2018 at 7:55 AM, NewOTDal said:

Hello! Does anyone in Dal OT know if we have the summer off or if it is a full 2 year program that runs through the summer? From what I understand, we have a Fall, Winter and Spring term for the 2 years. I'm wondering if the Spring term refers to ~April through the summer, or if it just means April/May perhaps, implying we have the summer off. 

Thanks! 

I believe we have ~1 month off around April/May of our first year (in addition to ~1 week off between semesters and ~3 weeks off for winter break) based on the OT handbook (pp. 30-31) on the dal website: https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/faculty/faculty-health-professions/occupational-therapy/OT - Handbook September 2013.pdf (I know it is from 2013, but I am hoping the schedule is still similar).

I'll be going to Dal OT in September too. See you in a few months!

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On 6/29/2018 at 5:14 AM, PTHopeful29 said:

Anyone get any news on Western’s waitlist?  I am in the middle third and I was wondering if they will ever get there...

I am in the upper third and I still haven't heard anything. Or maybe I just missed the phone call. At this point, I don't even know how it is supposed to work, especially considering they don't even divulge information about your exact position. All I know is that I check UWO Student Centre at least 5 times a day just to make sure I don't miss the offer, if it ever comes. 

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