OT/PT accepted/waitlist/decline forum - 2021 cycle

[otWOW 0]

Hello fellow 2021 applicants!

I thought it would be nice to continue the tradition of having this thread for applicants! 

Applied + (PT or OT?):
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA:c-gpa and s-gpa
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references:

[zerochance 9]

Sorry a bit off topic but I thought I would ask here - How important is physio experience?  I mean I have volunteer experience with several organizations (with at risk/vulnerable groups), but none are physio specific experience.  Is this a big issue?  Should I try to volunteer ASAP?  

[maybePT 30]

7 hours ago, zerochance said:

Sorry a bit off topic but I thought I would ask here - How important is physio experience?  I mean I have volunteer experience with several organizations (with at risk/vulnerable groups), but none are physio specific experience.  Is this a big issue?  Should I try to volunteer ASAP?  

hey, yes most universities require physiotherapy specific experience

[zerochance 9]

On 9/4/2020 at 10:37 PM, maybePT said:

hey, yes most universities require physiotherapy specific experience

Thanks.  Is it true that if you don't take a 100% course load then what ORPAS will do is average your grades from that year...instead of simply counting each individual grade (out of 4.0) and dividing by 20?

This is the bit I really don't understand:  "Where course grades/lengths must be extracted from a full term to make up the 20 course grades/lengths required, the average of the next grouping/duration of ORPAS GPA values will be used"

Taking the average seems rather punishing....I'm not sure if they will do this in my case since my 20 courses end exactly at the beginning (first course) of Fall 2018 (so they don't have to go back to winter 2018).  So will they be taking the average of Fall 2018 and winter 2019?  Or just the average of winter 2019?  Will they even need to take the average in my case (especially considering I was taking a 60% course load for both Fall 2018 and Winter 2019)?

I have contacted the schools and ORPAS and they just copy and paste what's on their website.  Its really frustrating....I need to know because as a continuing student I'm paying out of pocket for these courses.

[maybePT 30]

22 hours ago, zerochance said:

Thanks.  Is it true that if you don't take a 100% course load then what ORPAS will do is average your grades from that year...instead of simply counting each individual grade (out of 4.0) and dividing by 20?

This is the bit I really don't understand:  "Where course grades/lengths must be extracted from a full term to make up the 20 course grades/lengths required, the average of the next grouping/duration of ORPAS GPA values will be used"

Taking the average seems rather punishing....I'm not sure if they will do this in my case since my 20 courses end exactly at the beginning (first course) of Fall 2018 (so they don't have to go back to winter 2018).  So will they be taking the average of Fall 2018 and winter 2019?  Or just the average of winter 2019?  Will they even need to take the average in my case (especially considering I was taking a 60% course load for both Fall 2018 and Winter 2019)?

I have contacted the schools and ORPAS and they just copy and paste what's on their website.  Its really frustrating....I need to know because as a continuing student I'm paying out of pocket for these courses.

so they will go down the list semester by semester collecting grades. but say you're at 56 credits, and the next semester is 12 credits. if they took every course itd be 68 credits, but what they need is 60. so they will take the average of the 12 credit semester, and that will be the value for the remaining 4 credits

[zerochance 9]

Ok thanks.  I don't understand how I'm supposed to get volunteering experience nowadays.  I dont think clinics are hiring volunteers (they really shouldn't).  

[HopefulPT95 32]

On 9/12/2020 at 2:08 PM, zerochance said:

Ok thanks.  I don't understand how I'm supposed to get volunteering experience nowadays.  I dont think clinics are hiring volunteers (they really shouldn't).  

Volunteering is a bit harder now days but I work as a PT now and my clinic would still take volunteers. Although it may be more challenging, experience is still a major aspect of applications and I'd strongly recommend even reaching out to PT clinics around you and asking if they will allow you to volunteer.

For your main question about how important specific physio experience is to just general, I'd say it's very important. My graduating class for PT at Western had no one that I knew of that didn't have a fair amount of specific physio experience. Applications, especially the written part if the schools require, will be used to gain insight into your understanding of the profession and many people believe that you need specific physio relevant experience to know what our profession does. 

[todoroki 0]

sorry to mess with the topic here but how imprtant is cgpa? i was looking at uofa and uoft and they said they only count last certain amout of credit (it varies ) but it never mentioned anything about cgpa . but everyone on this forum is posting cgpas so im wondering . can you get in with a terrible cgpa and an amazing sub/term/last20/last10classes gpa thanks 

[HopefulPT95 32]

7 hours ago, todoroki said:

sorry to mess with the topic here but how imprtant is cgpa? i was looking at uofa and uoft and they said they only count last certain amout of credit (it varies ) but it never mentioned anything about cgpa . but everyone on this forum is posting cgpas so im wondering . can you get in with a terrible cgpa and an amazing sub/term/last20/last10classes gpa thanks 

Depending on the school, but in Ontario they dont overly care about Cgpa. It's really just the Sgpa that schools look for, and it's really only used to find their top # of students, whatever cut off they decide to use for the year. For my incoming year, they cut the Sgpa at 3.77 and only looked at applicants above that

[OTOT-2020 0]

Is anyone here applying to UBC OT?

I'm trying to acquire references and don't know if I need 3 academic references or if I can do 1 academic and 2 workplace references (I've worked at an OT clinic for the past 2 years so I don't have many conections with profs anymore).

[yaboijay 3]

Applied + (PT or OT?): Im applying both OT and PT at: Queens, U of T, Western and UBC
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA:c-gpa and s-gpa: CGPA: 3.51 SGPA: 3.88
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: I just started volunteering at a Physio clinic so as of now I have no perceived strengths especially during COVID LOL

[yaboijay 3]

On 10/10/2020 at 8:22 AM, OTOT-2020 said:

Is anyone here applying to UBC OT?

I'm trying to acquire references and don't know if I need 3 academic references or if I can do 1 academic and 2 workplace references (I've worked at an OT clinic for the past 2 years so I don't have many conections with profs anymore).

According to the UBC website "Two of these referees must provide an Academic reference, and the third referee must provide a Volunteer/Work Experience reference." SO it looks like 2 are academic references and one is a workplace reference. https://osot.ubc.ca/prospective-students/welcome-international-applicants/application-procedures-for-international-applicants/ Where I got the info.

[rlerin 3]

On 10/10/2020 at 7:22 AM, OTOT-2020 said:

Is anyone here applying to UBC OT?

I'm trying to acquire references and don't know if I need 3 academic references or if I can do 1 academic and 2 workplace references (I've worked at an OT clinic for the past 2 years so I don't have many conections with profs anymore).

From what I read on their page it has two be 2 academic (if you graduated less than 3 years ago) and 1 workplace. 

[rlerin 3]

Applied + (PT or OT?): All OT UBC, UofA, Dalhousie, University of Manitoba, University of Toronto, McMaster and Queen's 
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA:c-gpa and s-gpa  c-gpa: ~3.3 s-gpa:~3.7 (on a 4.3 scale)
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: 

- I got two scholarship awards during my undegrad.

- One of my academic references is from a lab I volunteered for a year (which I think is going to be a good reference letter)

-  I have been working as a lead kinesiologist at a physiotherapy clinic running the OR1 Program (work conditioning) as well as treating ICBC clients for over a year now. Been treating a variety of MSK injuries which will help with the UBC application of hrs of experience. 

- I have been studying for my CASPer test for a few weeks now (just watching videos on Youtube) and hoping that my other references/letter of intent are good enough! 

 

I am curious about how many people are going to apply for the 2021 cycle given the current situation .. any guesses? 

[Raza 0]

Hey guys so my sub-GPA is 3.26, and I am interested in OT.  UofT is the only school I found with no pre req and no min GPA requirement. I know based off of marks I wouldn't get in but I can get a reference from Andrea Duncan who is part of the department of occupational sciences and OT, and from a practising OT, do you think two strong references and letters of intent would help boost my profile and help me gain admission into UOFT. Or do I stand zero chance?

Also do you know of any other OT schools who's requirements are more holistic and flexible?

[Strawbaby 21]

On 11/3/2020 at 9:05 PM, rlerin said:

Applied + (PT or OT?): All OT UBC, UofA, Dalhousie, University of Manitoba, University of Toronto, McMaster and Queen's 
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA:c-gpa and s-gpa  c-gpa: ~3.3 s-gpa:~3.7 (on a 4.3 scale)
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: 

- I got two scholarship awards during my undegrad.

- One of my academic references is from a lab I volunteered for a year (which I think is going to be a good reference letter)

-  I have been working as a lead kinesiologist at a physiotherapy clinic running the OR1 Program (work conditioning) as well as treating ICBC clients for over a year now. Been treating a variety of MSK injuries which will help with the UBC application of hrs of experience. 

- I have been studying for my CASPer test for a few weeks now (just watching videos on Youtube) and hoping that my other references/letter of intent are good enough! 

 

I am curious about how many people are going to apply for the 2021 cycle given the current situation .. any guesses? 

Hi, your stats sound excellent! You’ve definitely got lots of options for where you’re applying. I don’t think there’s much of a way to know how many people are applying this cycle, but schools could potentially adjust how many they accept. The current first year OT Queen’s class was reduced to 50 rather than the typical 75 due to concerns with finding placements for everyone during covid, but I’m unsure if any other unis did a similar thing. However don’t let that discourage you - despite covid, everyone graduates the same. Schools have to adapt to allow students to fulfill the requirements. Good luck!

[rlerin 3]

Thanks for the feedback! 

Are you applying this year too? 

[PT2021north 0]

Do schools hold it against you if you apply for both PT and OT? How many OOP does UBC take and what would be competitive GPA there for OOP?

[Strawbaby 21]

On 11/8/2020 at 10:36 PM, rlerin said:

Thanks for the feedback! 

Are you applying this year too? 

I was actually part of last year’s application cycle & I’m a first year in Queen’s OT now! Just figured I’d check out this cycle’s forum to see what’s happening haha

[OTplz2020 5]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to pop in and say that I'd be more than happy to help answer any questions about ORPAS or UofA applications for OT (I remember how nerve-racking it was when I applied). My inbox is open to anyone and everyone! Best of luck!!

[AcceptMeOT 11]

As an OOP applicant, is it worth it applying to dal OT since they mainly take Atlantic students? 

[PTAppsStressed 2]

Applied (PT): Queens, U of T, Western, McMaster (and other UK schools)
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA:c-gpa and s-gpa: Not 100% sure because ORPAS hasn't calculated yet but => CGPA: ~3.75 & SGPA: ~3.80
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: Volunteer experience as PTA in private clinics (MSK and Neuro). Only 2 research-volunteer experience. Part of several student organizations. Reference was from my research supervisor and from a PT I shadowed for over 2 years. I think my essays are pretty good but I'm just overall really stressed. Tbh, mostly scared about my GPA because I know most schools typically accepts really high GPA's. Also worried about CASPer, so if anyone could pls share some advice, that'd be great!

[PT0102 16]

Applied + (PT or OT?): PT at McMaster, Ottawa, Queen’s, Western, UofT (Maybe)
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA:c-gpa and s-gpa : c-gpa: 3.91 s-gpa: 3.96
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references:

400+ hours as student trainer for varsity program. Was able to speak about key cases, what I learnt from them etc… Also spent time working with medical students as a mock patient for ultrasound training. Non-PT community work for holiday programs. References from the varsity PT I worked with and prof I had for 3 classes over my last 3 years.

[hopeful-OT 0]

On 11/5/2020 at 7:57 PM, Raza said:

Hey guys so my sub-GPA is 3.26, and I am interested in OT.  UofT is the only school I found with no pre req and no min GPA requirement. I know based off of marks I wouldn't get in but I can get a reference from Andrea Duncan who is part of the department of occupational sciences and OT, and from a practising OT, do you think two strong references and letters of intent would help boost my profile and help me gain admission into UOFT. Or do I stand zero chance?

Also do you know of any other OT schools who's requirements are more holistic and flexible?

Hey! I would say strong references and letters of intent are very helpful in terms of admission. I found that Queens and Western are the ones that are a little more flexible with grades and consider you more holistically. I can only speak for Queens as I am an OT student there, but I was able to get in with a lower GPA than most but very strong references. I made sure my letters of intent were reviewed by people in healthcare and got tons of opinions of them to make sure I was on the right track. I was also waitlisted for Western but rejected from UofT and McMaster. 

My best advice is to try your best with your application, research the programs and see which would be the best fit for you and just go for it! With COVID there are so many changes we're all going through so no one can really tell what admissions will look like this cycle. And if this round doesn't work out, don't be too discouraged and try again next year. 

If you have any other questions let me know! Good luck!!

[OT-InTheMaking-2020 14]

4 minutes ago, hopeful-OT said:

Hey! I would say strong references and letters of intent are very helpful in terms of admission. I found that Queens and Western are the ones that are a little more flexible with grades and consider you more holistically. I can only speak for Queens as I am an OT student there, but I was able to get in with a lower GPA than most but very strong references. I made sure my letters of intent were reviewed by people in healthcare and got tons of opinions of them to make sure I was on the right track. I was also waitlisted for Western but rejected from UofT and McMaster. 

My best advice is to try your best with your application, research the programs and see which would be the best fit for you and just go for it! With COVID there are so many changes we're all going through so no one can really tell what admissions will look like this cycle. And if this round doesn't work out, don't be too discouraged and try again next year. 

If you have any other questions let me know! Good luck!!

What was your sgpa and cgpa?!