Physiotherapy

[satellitecall]

I know that stats/requirements can be researched for each school, but does anyone know how competitive physiotherapy programs are in ON?

 

I have heard of some med school hopefuls applying to PT as a backup and just wondering if anyone can elaborate on the typical GPA/amount of ECs etc that you find are needed to get accepted.

 

Thanks

[thatonekid]

I don't know about stats, but I can imagine that it would be competitive, since pre-meds use it as a backup, and those rejected pre-meds have high GPAs anyway. That would inflate the average GPA of applicants.

[kawalac]

I know for PT school at Western you need at least 50 hours of volunteer work helping people with some kind "movement impairments". I think that's how they worded it. Hospital volunteering hours where you are not helping people with those specific impairments do not count, but of course, you should e-mail the admissions office there and ask her about your specific case.

 

I'm a kinesiology student, and many of my fellow peers who have good GPA's (3.7-3.8) have applied. They (about 6 people I can think of off the top of my head) also have done Co-op and have a huge amount of hours involved with PT related activities. With that being said, I think it should be pretty competitive. However, there is NO interview required, which is a bonus if you do not like engaging in interviews.

[supafield]

Western's requirement is 50 hours with anyone with a physical or cognitive disability.

 

MacMaster does have an interview for PT and OT... they do the MMI.

 

I think to be reasonably competitive from what I gathered from many friends when I was doing Kin at Western.... you're looking at a 3.7+ (people get in with lower, but the average acceptance is somewhere above there).

 

OT.. is more on the 3.6ish side. With the rare exception, all the gpas are calculated based on your most recent 10.0 credits (2 full years).

[kawalac]

Yeah sorry I was referring to Western only. Guess I should have specified that.

[charmer08]

Western's requirement is 50 hours with anyone with a physical or cognitive disability.

 

MacMaster does have an interview for PT and OT... they do the MMI.

 

I think to be reasonably competitive from what I gathered from many friends when I was doing Kin at Western.... you're looking at a 3.7+ (people get in with lower, but the average acceptance is somewhere above there).

 

OT.. is more on the 3.6ish side. With the rare exception, all the gpas are calculated based on your most recent 10.0 credits (2 full years).

 

idk about other universities but mac calculated the gpa by looking at the last 10 courses you have taken (they might be summer courses too)

[supafield]

idk about other universities but mac calculated the gpa by looking at the last 10 courses you have taken (they might be summer courses too)

 

yes, 10 equivalent full courses... and summer courses do count.

 

Depending on how your school does its credit system.... At western a course from sept to april is 1.0 and a course from sept-dec or jan-apr is 0.5.

 

We take 5.0 courses a year (normally) so the 10.0 credits mac/western/uoft are looking for would be the equivalent to your last 2 years of courses for most people.

[Nobodycirclesthewagons]

Do they use the OMSAS scale or some other method to calculate GPAs?

[supafield]

http://www.ouac.on.ca/orpas/

 

same set up as omsas, take a look at the FAQ's and ORPAS booklet.

[charmer08]

http://www.ouac.on.ca/orpas/

 

same set up as omsas, take a look at the FAQ's and ORPAS booklet.

 

ahhhhhhhhhhh its the same scale as medschools... hell with those B+'s

[rmorelan]

ahhhhhhhhhhh its the same scale as medschools... hell with those B+'s

 

Someday I am going to figure out how they developed GPA scales in better detail. Someone somewhere thought that a B+ really was something significantly lower than an A-, I would love to know why.

[supafield]

Someday I am going to figure out how they developed GPA scales in better detail. Someone somewhere thought that a B+ really was something significantly lower than an A-, I would love to know why.

 

I can't agree more.... it's a bad scale especially for a process as competitive of medicine. It unnecessarily punishes the marginal and fails to effectively distinguish those at the top.

 

I would be more for:

 

93-100 - 4.0

87-92 - 3.9

83/4-86 - 3.8

80-82/83 - 3.7

77-79 - 3.5

 

I'm sure there's a tonne of statistical work behind it, but I think a lot of those stats hinge on the false premise that an the 79/80 (B/A) barriers at schools actually mean something.

 

Such a shear drop-off only contributes to questionable rounding practices by different professors that aren't uniform throughout the system. The student with a 3.8 in 4/5 of their courses gets a 3.7 with a 79 in the 5th course but a 3.78 if he or she can convince the professor to round the grade to an 80.

 

That's a really significant difference... When I was in health sci at Western, each syllabus stated that there would be absolutely no rounding up of grades, and pointed out the 79 to an 80 situation. That's a step in the right direction but until every program adopts that approach, it'll punish the students in programs with integrity.

[thatonekid]

I would be more for:

 

93-100 - 4.0

87-92 - 3.9

83/4-86 - 3.8

80-82/83 - 3.7

77-79 - 3.5

While I'm all for this type of scale, what do you propose for the schools that only release letter grades on their transcripts and don't report final grades in terms of percentage?

 

Note: I'm not trying to challenge you. I'm genuinely interested in your opinion.

[supafield]

While I'm all for this type of scale, what do you propose for the schools that only release letter grades on their transcripts and don't report final grades in terms of percentage?

 

Note: I'm not trying to challenge you. I'm genuinely interested in your opinion.

 

No... that's a good point.... my scale was slightly egocentric as I've only dealt with number grades at Western.

 

For a system like that to work.... you'd need a week to differentiate an A+ at different schools that use a 90-100 as an A+. Also, not all schools have their letters split into A+/A/A-... some lack the minus. If each school could develop a minus category, then my suggestions would still be to introduce a 3.8 category at more institutions, and to stop punishing a B+ so badly.

 

As for further differentiation at the top... we'd need some sort of of A++, A+^2, the A super Plus, or maybe the Ultra A+ of Excellence lol.

[Nobodycirclesthewagons]

http://www.ouac.on.ca/orpas/

 

same set up as omsas, take a look at the FAQ's and ORPAS booklet.

 

Thanks..............

[charmer08]

While I'm all for this type of scale, what do you propose for the schools that only release letter grades on their transcripts and don't report final grades in terms of percentage?

 

Note: I'm not trying to challenge you. I'm genuinely interested in your opinion.

 

still a B+ should be a 3.5 not 3.3

[rmorelan]

still a B+ should be a 3.5 not 3.3

 

that is probably everyones biggest problem with the scale - that huge drop from 80 to 79 being 3.7 to 3.3. It is huge and the biggest drop on the table - big question is why did they design it that way? I am not sure

[future_doc]

I guess traditionally 80 is seen (by some) as hugely different than the 70s, including 79.

[charmer08]

that is probably everyones biggest problem with the scale - that huge drop from 80 to 79 being 3.7 to 3.3. It is huge and the biggest drop on the table - big question is why did they design it that way? I am not sure

 

for yorku its a 3.8 to a 3.3... a even bigger drop

[supafield]

Is it OK to admit during the Physio interview that Medicine is my preference?

 

I certainly wouldn't. I can't see a situation where you go somewhere to interview for a position and tell them you are using them as a back up....

 

Different schools have different policies about leaving any masters midway through. Some won't consider you. I know a girl from last year that was midway in OT and had received written permission of some of the higher up people in her program to tell med schools that everyone was aware of her intentions and she got a few interviews... however, I'm not sure if she got in or not.

[Angelia]

I know that stats/requirements can be researched for each school, but does anyone know how competitive physiotherapy programs are in ON?

 

I have heard of some med school hopefuls applying to PT as a backup and just wondering if anyone can elaborate on the typical GPA/amount of ECs etc that you find are needed to get accepted.

 

Thanks

 

I know that in 2009 the cutoff for an interview at McMaster was 3.71/4.00, and U of T was just below that.

[charmer08]

"Last year, the GPA cut off was 3.48 for the MSc OT program and 3.68 for the MSc PT program."

 

http://www.srs-mcmaster.ca/Admissionsnbsp/OTPT/DomesticApplicants/tabid/530/Default.aspx

 

It was 3.6 in 2008, i think. I can't believe we need a 3.7 gpa to get into a physiotherapy program... ridiculous.

[joba17]

"Last year, the GPA cut off was 3.48 for the MSc OT program and 3.68 for the MSc PT program."

 

http://www.srs-mcmaster.ca/Admissionsnbsp/OTPT/DomesticApplicants/tabid/530/Default.aspx

 

It was 3.6 in 2008, i think. I can't believe we need a 3.7 gpa to get into a physiotherapy program... ridiculous.

 

Mac's PT program is an extremely high-demanding program, and the majority of the people who get accepted have GPA's exceeding the cut-off. Also the cut-off isn't to get into the program, its for an interview invite.

[charmer08]

Mac's PT program is an extremely high-demanding program, and the majority of the people who get accepted have GPA's exceeding the cut-off. Also the cut-off isn't to get into the program, its for an interview invite.

 

After the interview, the acceptance offer is based on the interview. GPA doesn't play a role anymore.

[leap87]

Someone told me that last year's GPA requirement for PT was higher than that of med school. This might be wrong, but I believe PT is as competitive as meds.