OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 Hello Everyone, I wanted to create this forum to discuss the pros and cons of OT schools in Ontario. Hopefully this forum can help us make decisions and meet new people haha! Keke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTapplicant2021b Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 I am mainly basing my decision on school locations, as I think that all the program structures and courses across Universities are pretty great! That being said, a pro for Western and Queens would be that they’re out of the GTA (and McMaster? Hamilton is kind of on the outskirts), making housing generally more affordable. But, there could be more job opportunities in the GTA so this could go either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keke Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 Hi Guys, I got accepted into OT for Queens but I am debating whether to accept or not. I was offered a full time permanent job as a research coordinator (managing all facets of a study) at one of the top research institute in Ontario. Pros of this job: stable, permanent, benefits, growth opportunities, working in healthcare along physicians and making contributions towards the future of healthcare-- and right out of undergrad a really good position to be in. OT obviously has many pros as well and it was something I wanted to do undergrad. Im just on the fence because I know how hard it is to secure a full time permanent position esp during COVID Era. But I'm not sure if I should give up going to OT school for this? Any advice would be appreciated. OTtobe1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT 2021 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 I'm also basing my decision around where I want to live. I have heard that placement opportunities at UofT are the best out of all of the schools (I have a friend who just recently graduated from that program). But all schools have their pros and cons. I got into Western, Queens and UofT, but I don't think I really want to be living in Toronto which is swaying me away from accepting UofT. UofT also has a larger program size so it's less likely to have more personal classes and relationships with profs, where as queens program is smaller, so that opportunity is greater. Westerns program size is kind of in the middle between the two. Western students graduate a month earlier than other schools which seems like a pro but in the long run I'm not too sure will make all the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 3 minutes ago, Keke said: Hi Guys, I got accepted into OT for Queens but I am debating whether to accept or not. I was offered a full time permanent job as a research coordinator (managing all facets of a study) at one of the top research institute in Ontario. Pros of this job: stable, permanent, benefits, growth opportunities, working in healthcare along physicians and making contributions towards the future of healthcare-- and right out of undergrad a really good position to be in. OT obviously has many pros as well and it was something I wanted to do undergrad. Im just on the fence because I know how hard it is to secure a full time permanent position esp during COVID Era. But I'm not sure if I should give up going to OT school for this? Any advice would be appreciated. Hello! Wow this sounds like an amazing job opportunity! But also congrats on being accepted. If this were me, I believe personally I would attend school, I have always enjoyed school. I think that if you think long term, lets say you end up leaving this job, then you will have no masters and it may be harder to find future employment. I could be totally wrong in saying this but at least with choosing the schooling option you will have that extra education and hopefully always be able to find a job. Is there an opportunity to sort of stay in a good position with the job? Like maybe work for them this summer until you go off to school and sort of let them know you'd be interested in a position in the future? I hope any of this helps! Keke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 5 minutes ago, OT 2021 said: I'm also basing my decision around where I want to live. I have heard that placement opportunities at UofT are the best out of all of the schools (I have a friend who just recently graduated from that program). But all schools have their pros and cons. I got into Western, Queens and UofT, but I don't think I really want to be living in Toronto which is swaying me away from accepting UofT. UofT also has a larger program size so it's less likely to have more personal classes and relationships with profs, where as queens program is smaller, so that opportunity is greater. Westerns program size is kind of in the middle between the two. Western students graduate a month earlier than other schools which seems like a pro but in the long run I'm not too sure will make all the difference. Hello!! I got into Western and Mcmaster so I am deciding between the two and subconsciously leaning towards western right now. I think I agree with everything you're saying, I definitely think the smaller class size would be beneficial in terms of learning but I am not sure. I have heard that though U of T has good placements that they are really challenging and since they have high end hospitals they don't give the students as many hands on/more advanced opportunities. I could be wrong in saying that just what I have heard. Which are you leaning towards as of now? Congrats on the acceptances btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT 2021 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 2 minutes ago, OptimisticOT22 said: Hello!! I got into Western and Mcmaster so I am deciding between the two and subconsciously leaning towards western right now. I think I agree with everything you're saying, I definitely think the smaller class size would be beneficial in terms of learning but I am not sure. I have heard that though U of T has good placements that they are really challenging and since they have high end hospitals they don't give the students as many hands on/more advanced opportunities. I could be wrong in saying that just what I have heard. Which are you leaning towards as of now? Congrats on the acceptances btw That's amazing, congratulations!! As of right now I think I'm leaning more towards Queens. I'm actually from London and kind of want to get out of the city and experience new things. However if I went to western I could live at home and save money and I already have lots of connections here which is tempting me to stay. I went to McMaster for my undergrad and my research supervisor teaches there so I can tell you the faculty are amazing and the school is beautiful. Hamilton has lots to offer in terms of living (great food scene and lots of hiking trails), and I belive rent is cheaper in Hamilton than London, if that makes a difference for you. London is a great city to live in as well and Western is an amazing school. Good luck with your decision! OTtobe1 and lololiver 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 24 minutes ago, OT 2021 said: That's amazing, congratulations!! As of right now I think I'm leaning more towards Queens. I'm actually from London and kind of want to get out of the city and experience new things. However if I went to western I could live at home and save money and I already have lots of connections here which is tempting me to stay. I went to McMaster for my undergrad and my research supervisor teaches there so I can tell you the faculty are amazing and the school is beautiful. Hamilton has lots to offer in terms of living (great food scene and lots of hiking trails), and I belive rent is cheaper in Hamilton than London, if that makes a difference for you. London is a great city to live in as well and Western is an amazing school. Good luck with your decision! Wow thankyou for this! really helpful:) Yeah I guess i’m sort of on the fence because I know mcmasters learning style is a little different and I am not sure how I would do with this!! I also remember the campus being really big at western going into my undergrad which was a little overwhelming but now that i’ve been to uni i’m sure I would figure it out!! I actually did my undergrad at Queens so if you have any questions about the school I can definitely answer them!! I didn’t get into Queens OT but, I likely would not have returned anyways because it was time for a change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenivev Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 Hey guys, For those who have received an offer from Western, what kind of stats/volunteer work do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 Just now, Jenivev said: Hey guys, For those who have received an offer from Western, what kind of stats/volunteer work do you have? Hey! my s-gpa was 3.94 and c-gpa 3.81, I felt Casper went okay!!! I have work experience with a physician and at a physiotherapy clinic and volunteer experience at several rehab facilities, one of which was an OT setting. I also did research with a prof in my undergrad but unrelated to OT, I hope this helps!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTOThopeful Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 33 minutes ago, OptimisticOT22 said: Wow thankyou for this! really helpful:) Yeah I guess i’m sort of on the fence because I know mcmasters learning style is a little different and I am not sure how I would do with this!! I also remember the campus being really big at western going into my undergrad which was a little overwhelming but now that i’ve been to uni i’m sure I would figure it out!! I actually did my undergrad at Queens so if you have any questions about the school I can definitely answer them!! I didn’t get into Queens OT but, I likely would not have returned anyways because it was time for a change! hey! I am also on the fence about McMaster because of the PBL. I've heard some people love it and some hate it, so it's hard to know.. Another thing I'm considering is that on Western's website they have a three-week course opportunity in Norway, as well as partnerships for international placements in the final placement semester, which would both be amazing. I haven't seen anything like this on Macs website which makes me think they don't have this? But i'm not too sure :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 1 minute ago, OTOThopeful said: hey! I am also on the fence about McMaster because of the PBL. I've heard some people love it and some hate it, so it's hard to know.. Another thing I'm considering is that on Western's website they have a three-week course opportunity in Norway, as well as partnerships for international placements in the final placement semester, which would both be amazing. I haven't seen anything like this on Macs website which makes me think they don't have this? But i'm not too sure :/ I LOVE that you said this because I saw the international opportunities on Westerns website as well and am for sure into this! That would be amazing and such a cool experience, I haven't seen anything like that at McMaster so far but I could be entirely wrong! Where were you accepted :)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTOThopeful Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 6 minutes ago, OptimisticOT22 said: I LOVE that you said this because I saw the international opportunities on Westerns website as well and am for sure into this! That would be amazing and such a cool experience, I haven't seen anything like that at McMaster so far but I could be entirely wrong! Where were you accepted :)) Accepted to McMaster and waitlisted for Western! Gonna email them soon to see how far on the waitlist I am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pls_OT_2021 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 On 5/14/2021 at 11:57 AM, Jenivev said: Hey guys, For those who have received an offer from Western, what kind of stats/volunteer work do you have? I went to western, had a 3.83sGPA, did some prep for CASPER for a day, shadowed 1 OT during this past summer and spoke to about 15 other OTs (which i mentioned in my essay) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT_9821 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 1 hour ago, Jenivev said: Hey guys, For those who have received an offer from Western, what kind of stats/volunteer work do you have? I had a 3.87 sGPA, and I did some online practice questions to prepare for CASPER. In my essay, I talked about working as a Behavioural Interventionist for a year, doing hospital volunteering, volunteering with stroke survivors, and being in a leadership position at a club in my university. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 24 minutes ago, pls_OT_2021 said: I went to western for med sci, had a 3.83sGPA, did some prep for CASPER for a day, shadowed 1 OT during this past summer and spoke to about 15 other OTs (which i mentioned in my essay) Are you accepting Western?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 6 minutes ago, OT_9821 said: I had a 3.87 sGPA, and I did some online practice questions to prepare for CASPER. In my essay, I talked about working as a Behavioural Interventionist for a year, doing hospital volunteering, volunteering with stroke survivors, and being in a leadership position at a club in my university. Is Western your top choice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pls_OT_2021 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 Just now, OptimisticOT22 said: Are you accepting Western?? I'm most likely declining my western offer and accepting my u of t one! Still deciding but 90% leaning towards u of t due to placements Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT_9821 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 3 minutes ago, OptimisticOT22 said: Is Western your top choice? I'm leaning towards McMaster right now (also depends if I get off U of T's waitlist). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UWOT Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 Got accepted at Western OT. Does anyone know if there is a facebook page for Western OT? Thanks VhopefulOT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OptimisticOT22 Posted May 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 2 hours ago, OT_9821 said: I'm leaning towards McMaster right now (also depends if I get off U of T's waitlist). Do you know anything about u of t's waitlist or how much it moves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT_9821 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 11 minutes ago, OptimisticOT22 said: Do you know anything about u of t's waitlist or how much it moves? Unfortunately I don't know much about their waitlist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Music and OT Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 Hi everyone, I was rejected from Queen's and U of T with a SGPA of 3.89 and a CGPA of 3.86. I am no. 6 on McMaster's waitlist. Does anyone know how many people usually are accepted off the waitlist? I'm very hopeful. Also, for those who were accepted, what was your SGPA and what experiences do you have? I read that they would not prioritize people from science backgrounds, but I have an undergrad and master's in music performance and was not accepted. Thanks! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ot2022 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 I will warn you that Hamilton is not affordable. A typical 1 bdrm will cost about $1500 + utilities. Student housing might be a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ot2022 Posted May 14, 2021 Report Share Posted May 14, 2021 5 hours ago, OTapplicant2021b said: I am mainly basing my decision on school locations, as I think that all the program structures and courses across Universities are pretty great! That being said, a pro for Western and Queens would be that they’re out of the GTA (and McMaster? Hamilton is kind of on the outskirts), making housing generally more affordable. But, there could be more job opportunities in the GTA so this could go either way. I will warn you that Hamilton is not affordable. A typical 1 bdrm will cost about $1500 + utilities. Student housing might be a different story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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