OThopeful18 Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 Hi, I am wondering if I can use the same personal letter I am planning on using for ORPAS? U of A's website states to explain any academic struggles but if these struggles did not occur in the past few years then should I even bother drawing attention to them? for U of A, it seems admission is largely dependent on GPA. Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneDayOT Posted October 13, 2016 Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 I am a current U of A OT student. U of A appreciates a good gpa... but they also look at your proper fit with the program. It is NOT strictly by gpa (some ppl with higher gpa were waitlisted, whereas as those with a bit lower were accepted first round). I would recommend personalizing your letter to the university by highlighting why you feel that you would be a good fit for their specific program, etc. As well as why U of A's program is of interest to you. I briefly talked about my past academic struggles and was still accepted. So I don't know if that's what you should do, but just letting you know that it didn't prevent me from getting in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OThopeful18 Posted October 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2016 Thank you very much for your reply. Do you mind sharing your gpa when you got accepted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneDayOT Posted October 17, 2016 Report Share Posted October 17, 2016 No prob! My gpa for the most recent 60 credits was 3.73 I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nogitsune Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 I am a current U of A OT student. U of A appreciates a good gpa... but they also look at your proper fit with the program. It is NOT strictly by gpa (some ppl with higher gpa were waitlisted, whereas as those with a bit lower were accepted first round). I would recommend personalizing your letter to the university by highlighting why you feel that you would be a good fit for their specific program, etc. As well as why U of A's program is of interest to you. I briefly talked about my past academic struggles and was still accepted. So I don't know if that's what you should do, but just letting you know that it didn't prevent me from getting in! Thanks for tips! Do you like it there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OThopeful2017 Posted November 10, 2016 Report Share Posted November 10, 2016 Hello everybody, I noticed that for this year, UofA is using a different personal statement format and they require you to answer a couple of questions. I found the first two questions pretty confusing: Question 1 reads: Describe how your personal background and experiences would make you a good occupational therapist Question 2 reads: Tell us about your work/volunteer experiences and how they would contribute to the profession of occupational therapy. Can anyone clarify the distinction between the two? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OTea Posted November 13, 2016 Report Share Posted November 13, 2016 I'm also a UofA OT student. This forum helped me a lot while I was applying so I'd be happy to help if anyone has questions about the program! To answer the OP question- I chose to not mention any academic struggles (even though I did horribly in my 1st/2nd year). I found it more telling to talk about my more relevant and current experiences and attributes. I didn't want to use up the word count to talk about it because I felt my applying sGPA was enough proof that my past academic struggles was no longer relevant. It's definitely hard to know what UofA is exactly looking for in applicants.. but just keep in mind that it is not just GPA based and very much holistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeebunny Posted November 18, 2016 Report Share Posted November 18, 2016 Hello everybody, I noticed that for this year, UofA is using a different personal statement format and they require you to answer a couple of questions. I found the first two questions pretty confusing: Question 1 reads: Describe how your personal background and experiences would make you a good occupational therapist Question 2 reads: Tell us about your work/volunteer experiences and how they would contribute to the profession of occupational therapy. Can anyone clarify the distinction between the two? Thanks! I think question 1 is more about your personal experiences (extension outside of school and work but can also include those things as well) as well as personal qualities. And I think question 2 is asking for your specific experiences in the OT field and skills you have developed from the experiences. I'm a little stuck on the 4th question: Outline the key way Canada's health care system can meet the challenges of tomorrow. Is this question asking specifically about the unique role of OT in healthcare? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OThopeful2017 Posted November 22, 2016 Report Share Posted November 22, 2016 I think question 1 is more about your personal experiences (extension outside of school and work but can also include those things as well) as well as personal qualities. And I think question 2 is asking for your specific experiences in the OT field and skills you have developed from the experiences. I'm a little stuck on the 4th question: Outline the key way Canada's health care system can meet the challenges of tomorrow. Is this question asking specifically about the unique role of OT in healthcare? Any input would be greatly appreciated! Hey, thanks for your input! For the fourth question I first described emerging trends/challenges that Canada's healthcare system will have to tackle and then I outlined how OTs have special skills that will enable them to meet these challenges.. basically I borrowed a lot from my answers for the ORPAS application Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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