StephanforKJ Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Hi everybody, This forum has been extremely helpful for the last year. I've never posted before but i now need some advice/opinions on what to do as my future is uncertain. I've read this FAQ: http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28154 but im still unsure what do to. I graduated from Concordia University (Montreal) with a bachelor's of science in psychology with a cGPA of 3.77. I've applied to Mcgill's master in occupational therapy in 2013 and 2014 and got no interview. Here are the facts: BSc Psychology, 3.77/4.3 GPA Volunteered at the children's hospital and with HIV support group Strong personal letter Good recommendation letters No OT related work experience I thought i had a competitive profile but i guess not ( i applied towards the end of the deadline so maybe the rolling admission process was a factor) I only applied to McGill as I'm not mentally ready to not only live alone but to study away from family and friends.I have a functional understanding of French but i don't want language barrier to be the reason i get suboptimal grades, thus why i didn't apply to UdM and Laval. I wanted to take classes at McGill as a special student but the occupational program does not allow special students. As far as i can see applying to McGill's undergraduate OT program for fall 2015 (and hope to get in) is my only option. I'm kind of lost and discouraged. Am i missing something? Can anybody suggest alternatives and opinions? There isn't anybody that i can turn for advice so any help is very appreciated. Stephan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITRoller Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I finished my undergrad about 5 years ago and just now got accepted into UofA for PT. As somebody who has taken time in between, my advice is to do the same. Your best option is to apply to many schools. If you don't feel ready to move away from home, it might mean that you need some time before you embark on more applications. Travelling does wonders for self-expansion and independence and is less permanent than moving away, especially travelling alone. Trust me, it's not as scary as it sounds. In fact, it's quite empowering! Your stats are definitely competitive (your GPA is higher than mine is) so I think your best bet is to get yourself to a place where you can move away. That's definitely not easy for everybody, so take the time you need and don't rush into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helloyou Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Hi Stephan, Based on your summary, one thing stood out to me: you stated that you had no relevant OT experience/work. Although working in a children's hospital is great, if you don't get in this year, you MUST increase your volunteer/work experience. Try getting positions at rehab work clinics, senior homes, hospital units, pediatric clinics, work privately with children who have autism or CP, look up OT professors accepting research grad students and ask to volunteer on projects for free......do all you can do to gain experience in relevant OT work! Trust me.. if you want to be an OT badly you won`t mind taking the year off doing free work knowing that it will help your application. Just dabble in all sorts of OT areas to make your application competitive. Your GPA is your strong point, but don't let it be something that you rely on, especially if you are applying to only one school. And I mean this in the most positive way possible: you are underestimating your abilities!! Believe in yourself that you can do OT anywhere in Canada. There are many schools in Ontario that are not far from Montreal, so don't limit yourself. Right now it sounds like you're doing everything to limit yourself because you're placing restrictions and barriers on yourself out of fear. More volunteering and getting out of your comfort zone will prepare you mentally for moving away if the time comes. When it's time to write your personal statement, I take the "speak from your heart" approach although others may not agree. What did you love about working with others? What did you find difficult while working with others and what has this taught you? What did you learn about yourself? How did these experiences allow you to behave/think/act like an OT? Keep at it! I know others who have gotten in after 2-3 years of trying. Your GPA is already up there, you need to broaden your experiences and I think deep in your heart you know this already. Releasing that fear about not being mentally ready will make you ready for anything that comes your way! All the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanforKJ Posted June 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I finished my undergrad about 5 years ago and just now got accepted into UofA for PT. As somebody who has taken time in between, my advice is to do the same. Your best option is to apply to many schools. If you don't feel ready to move away from home, it might mean that you need some time before you embark on more applications. Travelling does wonders for self-expansion and independence and is less permanent than moving away, especially travelling alone. Trust me, it's not as scary as it sounds. In fact, it's quite empowering! Your stats are definitely competitive (your GPA is higher than mine is) so I think your best bet is to get yourself to a place where you can move away. That's definitely not easy for everybody, so take the time you need and don't rush into it. Thanks for you comment. I will definitely have to think about my options as I'm certainly limiting myself by only applying to one school. Hi Stephan, Based on your summary, one thing stood out to me: you stated that you had no relevant OT experience/work. Although working in a children's hospital is great, if you don't get in this year, you MUST increase your volunteer/work experience. Try getting positions at rehab work clinics, senior homes, hospital units, pediatric clinics, work privately with children who have autism or CP, look up OT professors accepting research grad students and ask to volunteer on projects for free......do all you can do to gain experience in relevant OT work! Trust me.. if you want to be an OT badly you won`t mind taking the year off doing free work knowing that it will help your application. Just dabble in all sorts of OT areas to make your application competitive. Your GPA is your strong point, but don't let it be something that you rely on, especially if you are applying to only one school. And I mean this in the most positive way possible: you are underestimating your abilities!! Believe in yourself that you can do OT anywhere in Canada. There are many schools in Ontario that are not far from Montreal, so don't limit yourself. Right now it sounds like you're doing everything to limit yourself because you're placing restrictions and barriers on yourself out of fear. More volunteering and getting out of your comfort zone will prepare you mentally for moving away if the time comes. Thanks so much. I will definitely work on increasing my volunteering experience and try to land a job in a field that's related to OT. I'm currently working at a ophthalmology clinic as a technician/administrator. I have been applying to numerous positions through my University's career board for OT work and volunteering, but none have called me. Perhaps a cold-calling approach would be effective to land a volunteering position. Fear is definitely holding me back. I'm actively working to get out of my comfort zone and try new things, but it will take some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanforKJ Posted June 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 One of my concerns is that since my GPA is on a scale of 4.3 and McGill's is on a scale of 4, my GPA is less competitive once the conversion has occurred. Would be a waste of time and money to retake some classes or take new classes in order to increase my GPA? From what I gather, I should increase my volunteering experience and apply to MOC for the 3rd time for Fall 2015. I think I will also apply into the undergraduate program just to be safe and ensure (hopefully) that I'll be in school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTapplic Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 One of my concerns is that since my GPA is on a scale of 4.3 and McGill's is on a scale of 4, my GPA is less competitive once the conversion has occurred. Would be a waste of time and money to retake some classes or take new classes in order to increase my GPA? From what I gather, I should increase my volunteering experience and apply to MOC for the 3rd time for Fall 2015. I think I will also apply into the undergraduate program just to be safe and ensure (hopefully) that I'll be in school. Unfortunately, if I calculated correctly, you would be sitting around 3.51 cumGPA. That's a little bit low, but with the right volunteer experiences and a strong application, you would be competitive. Most Ontario schools, however, take your last 10 full credits (or 20 half credits) to count towards your application as subGPA. This probably brings your GPA up somewhat. I would say to keep trying and perhaps take a couple courses to help improve your subGPA. In the long run, an extra year studying and gaining experience for the career that you really want is nothing. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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