Do I have a chance of getting into OT?

[rey03]

Hi all,

 

I'm interested in applying to OT at U of T, McGill, Queen's, McMaster & U of A this year. However, I'm not sure about my chances of getting in

 

My cGPA and GPA in my last 2 years aren't great and my experience doesn't seem relevant (except for the OT one) - will this hinder my chances of getting accepted? Any thoughts/opinions will be greatly appreciated!

[rey03]

Hello rey03,

 

Your GPA seems a little on the low side, but it's high enough where you could still be considered. People have gotten in with around the same marks as you -I got into McGill and Alberta with a 3.54, although I was in province in Alberta - Alberta may require higher marks for OOP applicants. U of T and McMaster also seems to accept higher GPAs than 3.5, although that depends upon the applicant pool. Would you be adverse to taking an extra semester at all?

 

I think you should still apply! The worst thing that can happen is you get rejected - the best thing is you get accepted. McGill and Queen's seem more holistic with their approach (as opposed to just looking at GPA) and I think you have a shot at those places. I actually contacted Queen's and the admissions person said they look at every application that meets the qualifications.

 

As for ECs - it's not so much what you do as how you can relate it back to OT. I think a lot of places want to see that you've thought about this as a career, so they may prefer some experience with an OT (which you have anyway). With that being said, they're also looking for people with diverse backgrounds, so I think so long as you can take your ECs and relate it back to exactly how this fits in with you becoming an OT and making a decision that that's a good career for you, you should be fine.

 

 

Hi OhGeeOT,

 

Thank you SO much for replying to my post! I'm fairly new to this site and I didn't realize someone had posted so soon.

 

To be honest, I don't really want to take another semester - just because I already graduated, plus it's too late now since the application period starts in a week or two. Right now, it seems like my GPA is the only factor that's really pulling me back in terms of surefire acceptance. So if I don't get accepted into OT this application cycle (God forbid), I'll probably have to resort to taking more courses.

 

If you don't mind me asking, was 3.54 your GPA in your last 2 years or your cumulative GPA? Did you apply to U of T and McMaster as well? I just checked McMaster's website and they mentioned that last year's GPA cut-off was a 3.48

 

Again, thank you so much for replying - I truly appreciate the info you have given me. I know that I'll probably not get into U of T, but it was really encouraging to find out that people who have around the same GPA as me were able to get into other schools.

 

[WDP89]

You should definitely apply, especially to Queen's.I made a major mess of my undergrad and took an extra semester of courses, which still only brought my cGPA up to ~3.3 and sGPA to ~3.2 and was accepted to Queen's. I also applied to DAL, Mac and UWO and was rejected by all (which I was expecting due to my embarrassing sGPA). Queen's, however, accepted me. They are 100% more holistic to their applications and as long as you write strong essays for the application questions, you should have a chance. In my opinion, a high GPA has little to no weight on whether or not someone will be a good OT. I understand the need for a GPA cut off in order to narrow down the application pools, but it's pretty questionable that some schools are strictly looking at GPA in order to make acceptances --other factors should have a lot more weight. How do you compare GPAs across programs, let alone schools? Especially for a career like OT, where we are all about holistic thinking, it raises some questions for me about the schools themselves. Give them a good sense of who you are and why you want to be an OT and you should be fine! Even with Queen's looking at a lot more factors than other schools in their application process, there are some who slip through the cracks (no people skills, want to be in PT but didn't get in, not passionate about OT). No application process is perfect, but if you want it bad enough it is definitely attainable!!

 

Good luck! OT is an AMAZING field