mkhs Posted October 27, 2018 Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 Hey guys, this is my first time on the forum so I am taking a go. I am thinking of applying to MsPT programs at UOttawa and Dalhousie (OOP for both programs)... I am graduating in June with a BA (Sports studies with concentrations in health and athletic development with a minor in psychology) and my GPA is currently at 70% (I've had a rough journey though my undergrad to say the least), sub-GPA at 75% and have completed all the prerequisite courses. I am perfectly bilingual and have a lot of experience volunteering with physiotherapists, athletic therapists and in centres for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. I am also a massage therapist in my home province, which I have gained a lot of experience from. I have also been working up to three jobs during my studies. Realistically, is there any chance of me being accepted into these programs... Should I even bother applying? I am aware that my GPA is extremely low compared to what the average of applicants is, but I am wondering if my practical experience and supporting documents can make up for that. What would be a feasible back up plan? I was thinking athletic therapy, but I don't know about going to do another Bachelors... Any constructive opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab4Life Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Sub-GPA is typically the first cut-off and barrier. I am not familiar with Ottawa’s and Dal’s cutoffs, but I would say check to see what they are (past years are usually listed on their websites) and compare to your grades. If they are quite above (I believe most schools are typically 3.7+/4.0 or 80+), I would say save your money, because if you don’t meet the GPA cutoff, schools typically won’t assess your application any further. If it’s what you really want to do, you can put the $ towards taking some courses to upgrade your GPA. If you think that’s not possible and you are set on PT, there are options abroad, such as the UK, which will be 2 years MScPT and would probably be about $80-100k CAD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrubbed0ut Posted October 29, 2018 Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 On 10/27/2018 at 1:31 PM, mkhs said: Hey guys, this is my first time on the forum so I am taking a go. I am thinking of applying to MsPT programs at UOttawa and Dalhousie (OOP for both programs)... I am graduating in June with a BA (Sports studies with concentrations in health and athletic development with a minor in psychology) and my GPA is currently at 70% (I've had a rough journey though my undergrad to say the least), sub-GPA at 75% and have completed all the prerequisite courses. I am perfectly bilingual and have a lot of experience volunteering with physiotherapists, athletic therapists and in centres for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. I am also a massage therapist in my home province, which I have gained a lot of experience from. I have also been working up to three jobs during my studies. Realistically, is there any chance of me being accepted into these programs... Should I even bother applying? I am aware that my GPA is extremely low compared to what the average of applicants is, but I am wondering if my practical experience and supporting documents can make up for that. What would be a feasible back up plan? I was thinking athletic therapy, but I don't know about going to do another Bachelors... Any constructive opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks! Hey! I say go for it. You never know unless you try. If you have a lower GPA than the acceptance average, then address it in your application. Don't get too discouraged as you have a lot of volunteer experience in that field! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab4Life Posted October 31, 2018 Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 On 10/29/2018 at 12:19 PM, scrubbed0ut said: Hey! I say go for it. You never know unless you try. If you have a lower GPA than the acceptance average, then address it in your application. Don't get too discouraged as you have a lot of volunteer experience in that field! They won't read the application if the applicant doesn't meet the GPA cut-off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPTTT Posted November 1, 2018 Report Share Posted November 1, 2018 9 hours ago, Rehab4Life said: They won't read the application if the applicant doesn't meet the GPA cut-off. It will be interesting to see how the GPA cutoffs change with the integration of CASPER. I'm sure they will keep the cutoff the same as previous years? What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTdokie Posted November 1, 2018 Report Share Posted November 1, 2018 1 hour ago, PPTTT said: It will be interesting to see how the GPA cutoffs change with the integration of CASPER. I'm sure they will keep the cutoff the same as previous years? What do you think? This is for OT, but when I called UBC the admissions coordinator said that they expect the CASPER requirement to bring down the GPA cut-off a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rehab4Life Posted November 1, 2018 Report Share Posted November 1, 2018 On 10/31/2018 at 8:15 PM, PPTTT said: It will be interesting to see how the GPA cutoffs change with the integration of CASPER. I'm sure they will keep the cutoff the same as previous years? What do you think? Yeah I think (hopefully) that the cut-offs will start to level off. Various schools kind of did it this year. The cut-offs for Canadian schools are already crazy high, so hopefully they level off. It's long overdue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjfried Posted November 5, 2018 Report Share Posted November 5, 2018 On 10/31/2018 at 9:42 PM, mccannjx01 said: This is for OT, but when I called UBC the admissions coordinator said that they expect the CASPER requirement to bring down the GPA cut-off a bit. When I talked to the Western compressed nursing program coordinator last year she was expecting them to also implement the Casper as their grade requirements were getting crazy high. SHe cited Trent's as an example saying that after the implemented the Casper the percentage cut off dropped by like over 5-7% or something (from like 90%+ University average to 81-84%). When the OT coordinator at Western hinted at changes coming this year I assumed it would probably be the Casper. I believe that it will indeed drop the GPA a little bit When I have talked to practitioners in the field (OT's specifically), they have complained that the schools need to look beyond grades (Specifically Western who is only GPA based) but also at our "soft" skills and people skills too! So I hope the GPA may drop a little bit at least! It did with Trent's compressed time frame nursing program. It may not be as dramatic as the drop at Trent but I suspect it will drop at least a little bit. But i also feel like alot of people applying to grad school for OT/PT do have those skills so maybe it wont! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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