OTMac17 Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Hi, I'm a current first year OT student at McMaster. I was in all of your positions a year ago, and I was accepted to McMaster, Queens, and Western, waitlisted at U of T, and ultimately chose Mac! I just wanted to offer myself up if anyone has questions about applications, the interview, selecting a school, or about McMaster itself. I would be happy to help where I can! My GPA was a 3.89 and 3.92 or similar I think (can't remember). I had experiences working in a group home with people with developmental disabilities, in a nursing home doing group and individual exercises with stroke/Parkinson's, etc., and in a recreational setting with adults with acquired brain injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OThopeful18 Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi, thank you for starting this topic. I am curious to know if you have any tips for the personal statement for Queen's OT program? I am applying for the 2016 intake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTMac17 Posted October 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi! I think the biggest thing here seemed to be about why you chose OT when there are so many healthcare professions that you can do - so really just try to show your passion. Also, I think they probably want to see that you have some idea of what an OT really does so they know you're really sure about it. Include lots examples from your experiences, what how these got you where you are today, and how these will help you in being a successful OT. Just a really basic idea of how I structured mine. I kind of walked through my history, building upon itself to show how I developed into a good applicant. I know this was REALLY broad, but it's all I can really think to say for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OThopeful18 Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Thanks for your reply. I read a document that outlines the essential skills needed for OT and would you recommend discussing the skills that I have acquired through my work, volunteer or education? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTMac17 Posted October 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 If it's what I'm thinking of, OH MY GOSH McMaster uses these skills for EVERYTHING. I'm currently in the process of making goals for my placement using these skills. If you feel that you can meld some of these concepts in a good way, that shows you really understand what they are, I would say it probably wouldn't hurt to include some - it would really show your knowledge of the profession and that you already have some of the competencies that are so important. Just make sure it feels natural - because you're not expected to know them at this point, if it feels like you're reaching or not totally sure about it, I wouldn't. Just make sure it sounds authentic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT2015 Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hey, I'd also love to help anyone who may have questions! I applied to OT at Queen's, Western and U of T and got accepted to all three. I'm at U of T now so if anyone has specific questions about the application process or the program, ask away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTea Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hey, I'd also love to help anyone who may have questions! I applied to OT at Queen's, Western and U of T and got accepted to all three. I'm at U of T now so if anyone has specific questions about the application process or the program, ask away! Hi there! Thanks for doing this. Greatly appreciated! 1. Can you give us an idea of what your experiences was like prior to your acceptances? 2. How did you structure your personal statement? I know it's really broad but all advice from successful applicants would be helpful! 3. How are you finding your time at UofT so far? Any regrets for choosing them over the other schools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OThopeful18 Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi OT2015, what was your GPA and how did you structure your personal statement? Also, what experience did you have prior to your application and whom did you choose as your referee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miml6 Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi, thanks for your time in doing this. I'm applying for the second time this year, and I've been taking courses to upgrade my GPA. I was wondering if you (or anyone else) know the following: if the last 20th course falls in the middle of the semester, UofT (and maybe other schools?) averages the GPA of the whole semester. Does this only apply to people who haven't graduated yet and are in their final year, or to everyone? I've graduated two years ago and did many courses after, so I'm hoping that they'll count backward strictly to the 20th course without averaging the semester.. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT2015 Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Hi there! Thanks for doing this. Greatly appreciated! 1. Can you give us an idea of what your experiences was like prior to your acceptances? 2. How did you structure your personal statement? I know it's really broad but all advice from successful applicants would be helpful! 3. How are you finding your time at UofT so far? Any regrets for choosing them over the other schools? Hey OTea, 1. I can tell you that other than just 2 days of shadowing, I had NO OT-specific experience before the program. Most of my background has actually been in research through co-op at Waterloo and I think that it helped me get in because U of T really values research and it's a big part of OT! Other than that, I had experience doing recreation programming with older adults in a day out centre and at a long-term care facility so I was able to tie in the skills I had from those experiences to OT (e.g. communication, documentation). I think a lot of people may stress over the fact that they don't have OT-specific experience and I'm not sure about your background but I can tell you for a fact that many, many people in the program do not. It's all about showing how the skills you gained from other experiences can make you a great OT! 2. In terms of my personal statement, I structured it chronologically. So I first talked about how I worked with older adults and learned how to deal with dementia and other conditions and then I went on to write about my research experience and the skills I gained from that (e.g. critical thinking, teamwork with other healthcare professionals). I tried my best to build on the previous experiences to show how I've developed over the last few years. I don't know if this will really help you but I think it's important for there to me some good flow in your essay and to not just write about what you did but what you learned and HOW those skills would make you a good OT. 3. I'll be honest- the program does have its flaws, as I'm sure all other programs do, but ultimately I do love it!!! It is so refreshing to actually be learning about stuff that you will use in your career one day and to be in a room with other eager, smart and caring people. I have absolutely no regrets for choosing this program and I can tell you that that's because of placements! Fieldwork is a HUGE part of all the programs and without a doubt, U of T is the best option for it! Our cachement includes all the major hospitals and tons of other amazing places. We just finished our 2 week, introductory placement and I loved it. Everyone did! So while the academic parts may be not-so-amazing at times (lots and lots of reflections), I truly think that fieldwork is amazing and U of T is the best for it! Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT2015 Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Hi OT2015, what was your GPA and how did you structure your personal statement? Also, what experience did you have prior to your application and whom did you choose as your referee? My sGPA was a 3.8. In case this is helpful, at our open house in May for students who had already been accepted, they told us that they used a cut-off of 3.7 initially. I do know people in the program with lower GPAs who I believe were on the waitlist and then got in so I think that you can get in with lower than a 3.7 if you have some great experiences! I talked a little about how I structured my personal statement in my previous post but I'm not sure if that was helpful, haha. Basically, I really think it's important for you to be yourself and not make it like a formal essay. And give yourself lots and lots of time for editing! My experiences are also in that post My academic reference was a prof I had but only knew for a few months before asking him! That was the part I was really nervous for but I think it goes to show that the reference section is not nearly as important as the rest of the application. My other reference was a supervisor from a previous, non-OT related job but who I knew would speak highly of me. Best of luck with your applications!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT2015 Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Hi, thanks for your time in doing this. I'm applying for the second time this year, and I've been taking courses to upgrade my GPA. I was wondering if you (or anyone else) know the following: if the last 20th course falls in the middle of the semester, UofT (and maybe other schools?) averages the GPA of the whole semester. Does this only apply to people who haven't graduated yet and are in their final year, or to everyone? I've graduated two years ago and did many courses after, so I'm hoping that they'll count backward strictly to the 20th course without averaging the semester.. Thanks in advance. Hey, The GPA stuff can be super confusing for sure! The averaging of an entire year does apply to everyone, it just depends on your specific situation. I think in your case it depends on how many courses you took after you graduated. For example, if you took 10 extra courses, then they would look at those and all your 4th year credits and no more. But if you only took 8 for example, they would end up taking the average of your entire 3rd year and count that twice in order to get to 20 credits (8 from after graduating + 10 from 4th year + average of 3rd year counted twice). I don't know if that makes sense but it all depends on the specific number of courses you took after graduating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTea Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Thanks again for your time OT2015!! Super helpful and insightful stuff. I wish you the best in your studies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verde Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 Thanks for offering to help! Did you tailor your personal statement to each school, or did you submit the same one to all universities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTMac17 Posted November 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 I just did one personal statement. I didn't know enough about what each school would have been looking for, and it was more just about me and my experiences, which wouldn't really need to be changed anyway. Thanks for offering to help! Did you tailor your personal statement to each school, or did you submit the same one to all universities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miml6 Posted November 2, 2015 Report Share Posted November 2, 2015 Hey, The GPA stuff can be super confusing for sure! The averaging of an entire year does apply to everyone, it just depends on your specific situation. I think in your case it depends on how many courses you took after you graduated. For example, if you took 10 extra courses, then they would look at those and all your 4th year credits and no more. But if you only took 8 for example, they would end up taking the average of your entire 3rd year and count that twice in order to get to 20 credits (8 from after graduating + 10 from 4th year + average of 3rd year counted twice). I don't know if that makes sense but it all depends on the specific number of courses you took after graduating! Hi OT2015, Thanks for explaining it so thoroughly. I wish it didn't apply, as it significantly brings down my anticipated GPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OT2015 Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Hi OT2015, Thanks for explaining it so thoroughly. I wish it didn't apply, as it significantly brings down my anticipated GPA. Just remember that GPA is not everything! Work hard on your personal statements and try to stay positive! Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miml6 Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 Just remember that GPA is not everything! Work hard on your personal statements and try to stay positive! Good luck Will do, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laudable Posted November 4, 2015 Report Share Posted November 4, 2015 I am kind of stuck as to how to start writing my trends essay. I have everything ready except that. Any pointers please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTMac17 Posted November 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2015 I am kind of stuck as to how to start writing my trends essay. I have everything ready except that. Any pointers please?I would suggest thinking about the changes happening In canada right now - big example is all the political changes - and Google a bit about status and changes in healthcare in Canada. That gave me some ideas. And then for how we as OTs come into it, think about how OTs are unique from all the other healthcare professions (because there are so many) - what makes us different and especially helpful in having a hand in these changes or helping people through these. That's kind of how I tried to approach it because it can be tough to start! Hope that helps a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OThopeful18 Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Hello, does anyone know how much references are taken into considerations to decide admission offers? Can uou discuss whom you chose as refree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTMac17 Posted November 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2015 Hello, does anyone know how much references are taken into considerations to decide admission offers? Can uou discuss whom you chose as refree? I don't know how much the references are taken into consideration, sorry For my referees: my first was a professor that I had taken a couple classes with and had good grades, as well as completed a research proposal and project with so he got to know me personally. My second was from a work placement I had in a recreational/rehab setting with a special population, so very relevant work that I had received really good reviews for, and they had asked me to come back a few times to volunteer and things so I had a really close connection with them. I think it's just best to focus on getting someone who knows you well enough personally to give some detailed comments, and make sure they won't say anything bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTstudent Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Hi everyone! Here's my blog in case some of you find it helpful or interesting: otdiaries.tumblr.com I hope your applications are going well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stmac Posted November 25, 2015 Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Hi!Just wondering how long your essays were, were they the complete 5000 words? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OThopeful18 Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 Hey, did you mean 5000 characters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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