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

[TBPT13]

On 2/9/2021 at 4:34 PM, heathermarley said:

Thank you so much this was very helpful!! It really clears up how the placement system works there. I have one follow-up question actually: I was looking again at Westerns catchment area and noticed one of the options is Orillia. I'm actually originally from this area (about a half hour drive) and it would be possible for me to live with my parents and commute to a placement in Orillia. I'm assuming this is probably not a common first choice for people to have as their placement, so do you think I'd have a good shot at getting placed here if I listed it as my first choice? Also are you allowed to have the same placement location for multiple placements (assuming it's an unpopular location such as this) ?

I'm very sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Orillia is not one of the options. It might be part of Toronto's catchment. London's catchment extends only as north and west as Kitchener and Owen Sound. Owen Sound is the furthest from London you can travel within catchment, with Windsor being a close second. I'm not sure where you were looking for the catchment, but in the Western handbook, they're colour coded so you know what catchment is London's. Anything purple is London catchment, Orillia is in an orange. This would be a question for the clinical coordinator. I'm not sure if any PT clinics regularly offer placements in Orillia or if you know of someone who runs/works at a PT clinic in Orillia who would be willing to take on students that you could sweet talk them into offering themselves as a placement opportunity. Now they aren't allowed to say "I want Heather as my student"; they have to offer it to everyone. Of course if only you pick it, then it's a no-brainer as to who gets it, but I'm not sure of the process for getting a placement in Orillia when it might be considered someone else's catchment. If it is Toronto's area, then you'd have to put your name down to do one placement in Toronto and hope your name gets drawn from the hat, or you won't be able to. 

I know this isn't the answer you were looking for, but wouldn't want you to have false hope. It's always worth the question to see if it's possible, because in that case, 100% you can commute from your parents' place. As far as asking for the same city multiple times, if it's in the catchment area, go for it, but not if it's in someone else's catchment area. You can't be at the same clinical site for more than one placement, but if you're from Owen Sound and your parents live there and you want to move back there one day and would like to network to get a job quicker, then theoretically you could do every placement there. Not many people want to go there anyways because it's not logically commutable from London 5 days a week. 

Hope this helps! Sorry again!!!

[sasky]

1 hour ago, Allyson said:

I emailed them about this a while ago and they told me they wont go back further to fulfill the credits, they will just use less

Oh interesting I thought they went back further. Good to know

[Manifesting]

1 hour ago, JChen48 said:

So applicants' sGPA will still be based on their third and fourth year?? I'm in my forth year, so if they don't take my winter 2020 grades, I only have 2 semesters worth of grades for them before May haha 

Yeah I guess so, I only have 3 semesters of classes that they would be using. But from what they told me, they wont go back further into your transcript to fulfill the credits then they normally would.

[OT2021OT]

9 hours ago, TBPT13 said:

I'm very sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Orillia is not one of the options. It might be part of Toronto's catchment. London's catchment extends only as north and west as Kitchener and Owen Sound. Owen Sound is the furthest from London you can travel within catchment, with Windsor being a close second. I'm not sure where you were looking for the catchment, but in the Western handbook, they're colour coded so you know what catchment is London's. Anything purple is London catchment, Orillia is in an orange. This would be a question for the clinical coordinator. I'm not sure if any PT clinics regularly offer placements in Orillia or if you know of someone who runs/works at a PT clinic in Orillia who would be willing to take on students that you could sweet talk them into offering themselves as a placement opportunity. Now they aren't allowed to say "I want Heather as my student"; they have to offer it to everyone. Of course if only you pick it, then it's a no-brainer as to who gets it, but I'm not sure of the process for getting a placement in Orillia when it might be considered someone else's catchment. If it is Toronto's area, then you'd have to put your name down to do one placement in Toronto and hope your name gets drawn from the hat, or you won't be able to. 

I know this isn't the answer you were looking for, but wouldn't want you to have false hope. It's always worth the question to see if it's possible, because in that case, 100% you can commute from your parents' place. As far as asking for the same city multiple times, if it's in the catchment area, go for it, but not if it's in someone else's catchment area. You can't be at the same clinical site for more than one placement, but if you're from Owen Sound and your parents live there and you want to move back there one day and would like to network to get a job quicker, then theoretically you could do every placement there. Not many people want to go there anyways because it's not logically commutable from London 5 days a week. 

Hope this helps! Sorry again!!!

Hi there!

Im not the original poster but i was curious about this question regarding placements as well. Are you only talking about PT placements at Western, because if you look on their website for OT these are the following locations they mention: London, St. Thomas, Stratford, Kitchener/Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, St. Catherines/Niagara, Orillia, Owen Sound, Chatham, Windsor, Sarnia, and Northern Ontario. If anyone can confirm these locations are accurate that would be great, I was interested in doing my placements in Guelph, Kitchener, or Cambridge so I could be close to home.

[zerochance]

10 hours ago, Allyson said:

Yeah I guess so, I only have 3 semesters of classes that they would be using. But from what they told me, they wont go back further into your transcript to fulfill the credits then they normally would.

Wait, I thought PT schools in Ontario are using winter 2020 grades.  Are you talking about an out of province school?

 

edit:  nvm you guys are talking about UofA

[OTOThopeful]

3 hours ago, OT2021OT said:

Hi there!

Im not the original poster but i was curious about this question regarding placements as well. Are you only talking about PT placements at Western, because if you look on their website for OT these are the following locations they mention: London, St. Thomas, Stratford, Kitchener/Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, St. Catherines/Niagara, Orillia, Owen Sound, Chatham, Windsor, Sarnia, and Northern Ontario. If anyone can confirm these locations are accurate that would be great, I was interested in doing my placements in Guelph, Kitchener, or Cambridge so I could be close to home.

Hey! This is what I was wondering as well - Im guessing maybe the OT and PT placements are different? Because yes thats also where I found the information about where locations were available. I wish they had more info on placements on their website because I have a lot of questions about it haha 

[mulia]

Hi There!

I just got an invitation from UBC for a an interview in March. I also applied to Queens, Western, UoT, and McMaster but have not heard anything from those schools yet, has anyone else???

 

 

[AcceptMeOT]

16 minutes ago, mulia said:

Hi There!

I just got an invitation from UBC for a an interview in March. I also applied to Queens, Western, UoT, and McMaster but have not heard anything from those schools yet, has anyone else???

 

 

Same, I haven't heard anything from those schools either. I believe they're releasing decisions around march/april

[International OT]

26 minutes ago, mulia said:

Hi There!

I just got an invitation from UBC for a an interview in March. I also applied to Queens, Western, UoT, and McMaster but have not heard anything from those schools yet, has anyone else???

 

 

Congratulations Is it for OT? 

[elaiina21]

2 hours ago, mulia said:

Hi There!

I just got an invitation from UBC for a an interview in March. I also applied to Queens, Western, UoT, and McMaster but have not heard anything from those schools yet, has anyone else???

 

 

Hey!

McMaster will send out their invites on March 1 I believe. UoT, Western and I believe also Queens you won't hear anything till May 14 when they send out acceptances. 

Hope this helps

[gotham13]

2 hours ago, mulia said:

Hi There!

I just got an invitation from UBC for a an interview in March. I also applied to Queens, Western, UoT, and McMaster but have not heard anything from those schools yet, has anyone else???

 

 

Congratulations !

Is this for PT or OT and was it just today (the 12th)? 

[OTHopeful2021]

2 hours ago, gotham13 said:

Congratulations !

Is this for PT or OT and was it just today (the 12th)? 

I just got an interview invite today for UBC OT so I'm guessing they were also talking about OT!

Edit: for anyone else that got the UBC email -- are you guys getting your passport-like photos taken professionally and just scanning them afterwards? 

[PTcurious]

Did anyone hear from UBC PT today? They usually send out admission offers on the Friday before the long weekend..

[PTdreaming]

6 minutes ago, PTcurious said:

Did anyone hear from UBC PT today? They usually send out admission offers on the Friday before the long weekend..

No, I was wondering the same. Maybe they are sending interview invites on the 19th this year?

[OT222]

 

2 hours ago, OTHopeful2021 said:

I just got an interview invite today for UBC OT so I'm guessing they were also talking about OT!

Edit: for anyone else that got the UBC email -- are you guys getting your passport-like photos taken professionally and just scanning them afterwards? 

 

I got an interview invitation for ubc mot as well!

I am not sure, I dont think I am going to get it professionally taken. I was thinking of having a family member just take a photo of me against a white wall. But I am not sure if thats correct?

[OTHopeful2021]

9 minutes ago, OT222 said:

 

 

I got an interview invitation for ubc mot as well!

I am not sure, I dont think I am going to get it professionally taken. I was thinking of having a family member just take a photo of me against a white wall. But I am not sure if thats correct?

Congrats!

Hmm I was thinking of doing that too. I think I'll take a photo like that and email it, and if there's a problem with it I'm guessing they'd just email back to let me know. 

[OT222]

3 hours ago, OTHopeful2021 said:

Congrats!

Hmm I was thinking of doing that too. I think I'll take a photo like that and email it, and if there's a problem with it I'm guessing they'd just email back to let me know. 

Good idea!!

I also have 2 questions. 1 do you know if they will ask ethical based questions. 2. Will the MMI be different for those who applied to the rural cohort?

[OTHopeful2021]

2 hours ago, OT222 said:

Good idea!!

I also have 2 questions. 1 do you know if they will ask ethical based questions. 2. Will the MMI be different for those who applied to the rural cohort?

Sorry I have no idea! But my guess is that maybe some of the situational questions would have to do with ethics. I'm hoping it won't be too much like the CASPer tho haha. And for your second question maybe try emailing UBC to ask  

[NeedPTinmylife]

Applied All PT: Western, Mac, Toronto, Ottawa, Queens
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA: 3.39 cGPA, 3.75 sGPA
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references:

Strength: -I think Casper went much better than last year. References and experience are very average.

weakness: Low sGPA, ORPAS calculated it differently than what I expected.

[TBPT13]

On 2/11/2021 at 1:01 PM, heathermarley said:

Hey! This is what I was wondering as well - Im guessing maybe the OT and PT placements are different? Because yes thats also where I found the information about where locations were available. I wish they had more info on placements on their website because I have a lot of questions about it haha 

This is a very good point I hadn't considered at all. I just assumed the PT and OT placement catchment areas were the same. My apologies. I am speaking from the PT side of things and can 100% confirm that catchment boundary line for PT I spoke of earlier. I have a 2nd year Western OT colleague who will be getting back to me shortly regarding the placement boundary lines for OT so I can pass the message onto you.

So sorry for the confusion, did not even realize our catchment areas were potentially different!

[RehabJunkie]

On 2/9/2021 at 4:34 PM, heathermarley said:

Thank you so much this was very helpful!! It really clears up how the placement system works there. I have one follow-up question actually: I was looking again at Westerns catchment area and noticed one of the options is Orillia. I'm actually originally from this area (about a half hour drive) and it would be possible for me to live with my parents and commute to a placement in Orillia. I'm assuming this is probably not a common first choice for people to have as their placement, so do you think I'd have a good shot at getting placed here if I listed it as my first choice? Also are you allowed to have the same placement location for multiple placements (assuming it's an unpopular location such as this) ?

2nd year Queen's PT student here! I can't speak for OT, nor am I sure if you applied to Queen's, but I know we've had placement opportunities in Barrie, Orillia, and Alliston in the past - so you may be able to do an out of catchment switch (they'll explain more re: this once you get to classes) with a Queen's student if you're interested in that area! 

[Manifesting]

22 hours ago, NeedPTinmylife said:

Applied All PT: Western, Mac, Toronto, Ottawa, Queens
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA: 3.39 cGPA, 3.75 sGPA
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references:

Strength: -I think Casper went much better than last year. References and experience are very average.

weakness: Low sGPA, ORPAS calculated it differently than what I expected.

wishing you luck!!

[OTee2020]

On 2/9/2021 at 1:50 PM, OTwannabe2021 said:

Just wondering if any current OT students could explain how online classes are going? How many times have you actually had to be on campus/in person (not including placements)?? If any Mac, Queens, Western, or Toronto students could reply that would be awesome!
 

Just curious incase next year is online too

Hi there. Queens year 1 ot here. We started on campus a fair bit with maybe two-three lectures a week in person and the rest online as well as our physical determinants lab in person and our client centred communication interviews and feedback on campus but over zoom. As the semester went on we slowly limited lectures in person and were totally online for those, keeping the labs and interviews on campus.  
 

It sounds like this fall should follow similar lay out based on an email sent to all queens students, with hopefully everything back to in person for winter 2022. 
 

online lectures have been a bit more difficult to stay engaged for with how long our days were some of the week, but the semester goes fast! And the first one is the heaviest so if you can get through that you’re good to go! 

[55555]

Does anyone know if UBC PT will notify applicants via email even if they were declined an interview invite? Or is it just the people who get invited that get notified? 

[PhysioGS]

7 hours ago, 55555 said:

Does anyone know if UBC PT will notify applicants via email even if they were declined an interview invite? Or is it just the people who get invited that get notified? 

 Unsuccessful applicants get an email as well. Last year, my friend didn't get an interview, and she got her email about a week after the interview invites were sent out.