OT/PT Accepted / Waitlisted/ Rejected - 2022 Cycle

[OT_9821]

55 minutes ago, EllieOT2022 said:

Does anyone happen to know when McMaster reaches out to people who move on to the MMI (interview) phase in the application process? Don't want to get my hopes up, but I do live quite far away so if it's in-person I would like to have some idea of a timeline.

Hey! I received an interview invite last year on March 3rd, so perhaps around the first week of March

[OT_applicant]

@OT_PLS

 

Hey I'm also a BC resident applying to UBC OT. My sGPA for ORPAS is 3.68 so I don't think my chances are too high at Western or U of T either. What is your competitive average for UBC, last 15 upper year courses? 

[PTdreamer2022]

Applied + (PT or OT?): U of A (PT) in province
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA:c-gpa and s-gpa: s-gpa 3.68
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: was not required

[Let_Me_in]

Does anyone know if your S-GPA should be rounded up or not? 

[Physio19]

1 hour ago, Let_Me_in said:

Does anyone know if your S-GPA should be rounded up or not? 

mine was not!

[PTHopeful12]

7 hours ago, EllieOT2022 said:

Does anyone happen to know when McMaster reaches out to people who move on to the MMI (interview) phase in the application process? Don't want to get my hopes up, but I do live quite far away so if it's in-person I would like to have some idea of a timeline.

On Mac’s website it says MMIs are going to be conducted only online

[ptstudent_2500]

On 2/2/2022 at 11:33 AM, PT_2000 said:

I'm also an arts student so it is a huge relief to see your post! I think I have a similar standing as you as well. Where did you hear that they come back to grades for final cuts? I would also love to hear more about how you prepped for your interview, sounds like you aced it!

Yay arts!!  I was super worried applying, because I felt like I didn't stand a chance without a KIN degree.  As it turns out, our cohort is about 70% KIN degrees with he rest coming from a whole bunch of backgrounds!  I think there are some business majors, public health, neuroscience, and every year there are a few arts students too!

I have heard that grades are the final cut from multiple people in the program, as well as a few practicing physiotherapists that have come through the program.  I am not 100% positive, but the rumblings always seem to be that they take grades pretty seriously, particularly if they are choosing between individuals who rank similarly in the MMI!

For the interview, I managed to connect with people prepping for MMIs over this forum!  We did zoom meetings and practiced scenarios and made up questions and discussed worked together to come up with good answers.  We were lucky enough to have a few people in our group that had interviewed before as well, so their experience was helpful to calm nerves and know what to expect.  I also read an MMI prep manual from **DELETED** (the MMI Ultimate prep guide).  You can find the ebook on amazon.  It is orange and blue.  SUPER worth it.

Otherwise, just be yourself and remember you are a human, not a robot.  I did my best to be lighthearted and genuine, and I think that read really well from an interviewer perspective.  A lot of people go in hyper serious and freak themselves out.  It also helps to have a general structure for addressing the questions (which that book talks about and was helpful for) and to take your time before answering (I think they give you 1 or 2 minutes).

Good luck!  I hope you get an interview!! 

[hopefulPTmp2022]

Applied + (PT or OT?): All PT: McMaster, UofT, Queens, Western.
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA:c-gpa and s-gpa: c-GPA:3.93, s-GPA:3.98
Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references:

Casper: 4th quartile.

Decent references from a professor that I TA for, and from the owner of the clinic I am a physiotherapy assistant at. Decent experience being a physiotherapy assistant for three summers, volunteering at residential care facility, and being an anatomy TA. 

Good luck to everyone!

[OT_applicant]

Does anyone know if U of A will post sGPAs like ORPAS did for their MScOT program? 

[PotentialOT]

15 minutes ago, OT_applicant said:

Does anyone know if U of A will post sGPAs like ORPAS did for their MScOT program? 

Probably not. Last year they didn't and I haven't heard of them posting!

[HopefulOT2022]

1 hour ago, PotentialOT said:

Probably not. Last year they didn't and I haven't heard of them posting!

Does UAlberta have a different sgpa than ORPAS??

[OT_applicant]

Yea I think U of A has a different sGPA because they dont look at 2020W grades (COVID term)

[PotentialOT]

2 minutes ago, HopefulOT2022 said:

Does UAlberta have a different sgpa than ORPAS??

Likely, as UofA will take 20 courses (not including seminar/research/thesis), then if that cut-off falls in the middle of the semester take the average of the semester for the last spot. ORPAS is similar, but will take the entire year averaged, and may include research/seminar/thesis courses. I guess it depends on your specific situation, however when I calculated mine ORPAS was a bit lower than Alberta. 

[PotentialOT]

Just now, OT_applicant said:

Yea I think U of A has a different sGPA because they dont look at 2020W grades (COVID term)

Right, forgot about that too! 

[OTforever]

46 minutes ago, OT_applicant said:

Yea I think U of A has a different sGPA because they dont look at 2020W grades (COVID term)

They don’t look at 2020 winter term for any of their applicants? Where did they say that? 

[PotentialOT]

1 hour ago, OTforever said:

They don’t look at 2020 winter term for any of their applicants? Where did they say that? 

It's in the FAQ section of the application website!

[PT2Bhopefully]

Applied (PT): Queens, Western, McMaster
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:

CASPer quartile: 4th
GPA: sGPA = 3.95

Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: This is my first time applying so I'm excited, but nervous! I feel pretty decent about my experiences. PT experience includes Student Athletic therapist, Hospital physio assistant, PTA at pediatric PT clinic, PTA on campus physio clinic, PTA in long term care home, research with a professor who is working with physiotherapists. Then non-PT included being a camp director, Best Buddy, Let's Talk Science, and a humanitarian trip to work at summer camp for youth with disabilities. My references come from my research prof who I also took 2 classes with, and the clinic owner of the Peds PT clinic. 

I found this forum so helpful when I started to think of going into PT so thought it was only fair to post my background, as my reading in past years inspired me to seek out cool opportunities! 

[Let_Me_in]

Applied: (PT) Queens, Western, McMaster, UofT, McGill QY (OT) McGill OT QY
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:

CASPer quartile: 2nd
GPA: cGPA = 3.84    sGPA = 3.95

Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: 

This is my 4th or 5th time applying, so I'm really hoping this year is my year or else idk what else imma do :/

I improved my essays a lot from the previous years by showcasing more specific experiences.

As far as experiences, it is aight. Got 400+ hours in an outpatient clinic and paediatric rehab facility and 1200+ hours as a kinesiologist at a fitness facility. Other experiences include making a medical data management software and volunteer caregiver for the elderly.

My professional reference was really good. However, my academic reference was not so great... I had to use a prof who sent in the same letter back in the 2018 admission cycle

It seems like everyone this year has a more competitive application, which makes me hella nervous. Nevertheless, good luck to everyone!!!

P.S. From the bottom of my heart fuck the casper... because of my low score I only have a chance at UofT and McMaster

[EllieOT2022]

On 2/2/2022 at 2:33 PM, PT_2000 said:

I'm also an arts student so it is a huge relief to see your post! I think I have a similar standing as you as well. Where did you hear that they come back to grades for final cuts? I would also love to hear more about how you prepped for your interview, sounds like you aced it!

I am going for OT, but I am an arts student as well! I'm not too worried about my sGPA (3.9) and my cGPA is 3.8 so I am hoping that is okay. Even though the programs I've applied to claim to accept from any major, I have been a little worried that my academic experiences will be taken into consideration during the admission process. Hearing from other arts students is a relief! Best of luck with your applications

[zerochance]

1 hour ago, Let_Me_in said:

Applied: (PT) Queens, Western, McMaster, UofT, McGill QY (OT) McGill OT QY
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:

CASPer quartile: 2nd
GPA: cGPA = 3.84    sGPA = 3.95

Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references: 

This is my 4th or 5th time applying, so I'm really hoping this year is my year or else idk what else imma do :/

I improved my essays a lot from the previous years by showcasing more specific experiences.

As far as experiences, it is aight. Got 400+ hours in an outpatient clinic and paediatric rehab facility and 1200+ hours as a kinesiologist at a fitness facility. Other experiences include making a medical data management software and volunteer caregiver for the elderly.

My professional reference was really good. However, my academic reference was not so great... I had to use a prof who sent in the same letter back in the 2018 admission cycle

It seems like everyone this year has a more competitive application, which makes me hella nervous. Nevertheless, good luck to everyone!!!

P.S. From the bottom of my heart fuck the casper... because of my low score I only have a chance at UofT and McMaster

Hold up….was your sgpa 3.95 when you started applying?!  You didn’t get in first time with a gpa that high?  I know it’s not all about gpa but I also know for a fact that gpa matters the most.  
 

What did you do to improve your application over the years?  What did you feel was lacking other than the essays and personal submissions?

 

edit:  just looked at your Casper score so it may very well be that…

[DfuturePT]

Applied + (PT or OT?): (PT) UofT, Western, McMaster
Accepted:
Waitlisted:
Rejected:
GPA: c-gpa = 3.88 and s-gpa: 3.90

Casper: 2nd quartile

Perceived strength of essays/interviews/references:

My essay for western felt pretty strong but you never know what exactly they're looking for. 150 hours shadowing physios and doing strength and conditioning coaching in a sport medicine clinic. worked as admin in a different multidisciplinary clinic for 240 hours. 65 hours in a chiro clinic. My other experience is working at a gym for 1000+ hours and as track and field meet staff for 22 hours. I got a reference from a prof I had for 2 courses and know fairly well. And my second reference is from a physio I worked closely with at the first clinic I mentioned.

I'm hoping that western will still consider me even though I shat the bed on the casper lol i blame my poor typing skills.

[OT-futurewhope]

Hi everyone! I just found this forum. Wish i found it earlier.

I’m from Ryerson, finishing my fourth year in Biomedical Sciences. I applied for OT at Western, McMaster, UofT and Queen this cycle. 
My cGPA is 3.91 and my sGPA is 3.89. I didn’t do well on Casper test even though I didn’t receive my score yet. I had one reference from a prof that I took a course with and also doing thesis in his lab. The other reference letter was from the manager in the hospital that I worked during the pandemic as Respite center support worker. Other than that, i have been volunteering in a hospital since 2019 in various positions, volunteer for Let’s Talk science, shadowing an Occupational therapist for about 2 months. 
One thing I want to ask was I didn’t know I had to put the number of hours for volunteer and shadowing. I just put the starting time on the resume. I’m wondering of it’s gonna affect my apps? I went through this forum and it appeared everyone here has very good grade with an enormous volunteer and work experience. Mine is very little. If I couldn’t get in this year, do you have any suggestions for me to improve my portfolio? 
 

Thanks a lot everyone! Very much appreciate it!

P/S: This is my first time applying and I’m super nervous every time I think about it. Countdown everyday to May 13th

[zerochance]

12 hours ago, OT-futurewhope said:

Hi everyone! I just found this forum. Wish i found it earlier.

I’m from Ryerson, finishing my fourth year in Biomedical Sciences. I applied for OT at Western, McMaster, UofT and Queen this cycle. 
My cGPA is 3.91 and my sGPA is 3.89. I didn’t do well on Casper test even though I didn’t receive my score yet. I had one reference from a prof that I took a course with and also doing thesis in his lab. The other reference letter was from the manager in the hospital that I worked during the pandemic as Respite center support worker. Other than that, i have been volunteering in a hospital since 2019 in various positions, volunteer for Let’s Talk science, shadowing an Occupational therapist for about 2 months. 
One thing I want to ask was I didn’t know I had to put the number of hours for volunteer and shadowing. I just put the starting time on the resume. I’m wondering of it’s gonna affect my apps? I went through this forum and it appeared everyone here has very good grade with an enormous volunteer and work experience. Mine is very little. If I couldn’t get in this year, do you have any suggestions for me to improve my portfolio? 
 

Thanks a lot everyone! Very much appreciate it!

P/S: This is my first time applying and I’m super nervous every time I think about it. Countdown everyday to May 13th

Which school requires you to put your total volunteer hours in the resume?  

[OT-futurewhope]

1 hour ago, zerochance said:

Which school requires you to put your total volunteer hours in the resume?  

I didn’t put any volunteer hours. I was wondering because I saw folks here mentioned about the number of volunteer hours or shadowing hours… they had. Just curious, how do school admissions committee know how many hours we had if we don’t list them out? Sorry if it’s a stupid question. I don’t have any experience in these things. 
thanks again!

[PT2022-]

43 minutes ago, OT-futurewhope said:

I didn’t put any volunteer hours. I was wondering because I saw folks here mentioned about the number of volunteer hours or shadowing hours… they had. Just curious, how do school admissions committee know how many hours we had if we don’t list them out? Sorry if it’s a stupid question. I don’t have any experience in these things. 
thanks again!

Hey! 

I've mostly seen the volunteer hours listed from PT kids since those applications require you to put the numbers in. I think others are including them in these forum descriptions to show what they have done and for how long. Did you mention any of your hours in your statements/essays and such?

If they didn't ask for them specifically I doubt they needed them but I am applying for PT and not OT so I might wrong.