General Admissions & OTCAS Any Tips to Strengthen Application? (Applying 18-19 cycle)

[MPHGOALSSSS]

Hi everyone! This is my first time making a post on here, but I've been constantly checking this forum for months to give me an idea of what to expect when it's time to apply to OT programs (so much anxiety already....) I will be applying this summer during the 18-19 cycle.

I was wondering if some of you can give me tips on how to strengthen my application, in terms of volunteering and extracurricular activities. I will be finished with undergrad in Fall 2018 and have finished majority of pre-reqs with the exception of A&PII, which I'm currently taking.

Here are my stats:
University: State University in California
Major: Health Science
Overall GPA: 3.75
Pre-Req GPA: 3.7-3.8
GRE: haven't taken yet, but planning to in the summer!

Extra-Curric:
- Research Assistant with professor on children with autism (Fall 2017-present)
- Public Health internship with local food bank (Fall 2016)
- Hospital volunteer (Summer 2016)
- Public Health internship with professor (Spring 2016)
- Various leadership positions in multicultural sorority
- Vice president for multicultural greek council

Volunteer: Pediatrics outpatient (100+), Hand therapy (100+), Inpatient (40)
~240 hours total

Work:
- Clerical assistant for a social science department on campus (Fall 2016-present)
- Clerical assistant for another office on campus (Fall 2015-Spring 2016)

I feel discouraged because my stats seem very lackluster compared to everyone else on here. I don't think I have much experience related to OT and I'm having trouble thinking outside the box....

Any advice on what I can start doing would be very very much appreciated! Thank you in advance!

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[ZachMXafOT]

Your stats seem competitive. Think you're being harder on yourself than you should be. I too will be applying this cycle for the first time. My stats are similar with less TA/CA stuff as I'm active duty and that takes up most of my time outside school and observation/volunteering.

 

[mjb2017]

Hi everyone! This is my first time making a post on here, but I've been constantly checking this forum for months to give me an idea of what to expect when it's time to apply to OT programs (so much anxiety already....) I will be applying this summer during the 18-19 cycle.

I was wondering if some of you can give me tips on how to strengthen my application, in terms of volunteering and extracurricular activities. I will be finished with undergrad in Fall 2018 and have finished majority of pre-reqs with the exception of A&PII, which I'm currently taking.

Here are my stats:
University: State University in California
Major: Health Science
Overall GPA: 3.75
Pre-Req GPA: 3.7-3.8
GRE: haven't taken yet, but planning to in the summer!

Extra-Curric:
- Research Assistant with professor on children with autism (Fall 2017-present)
- Public Health internship with local food bank (Fall 2016)
- Hospital volunteer (Summer 2016)
- Public Health internship with professor (Spring 2016)
- Various leadership positions in multicultural sorority
- Vice president for multicultural greek council

Volunteer: Pediatrics outpatient (100+), Hand therapy (100+), Inpatient (40)
~240 hours total

Work:
- Clerical assistant for a social science department on campus (Fall 2016-present)
- Clerical assistant for another office on campus (Fall 2015-Spring 2016)

I feel discouraged because my stats seem very lackluster compared to everyone else on here. I don't think I have much experience related to OT and I'm having trouble thinking outside the box....

Any advice on what I can start doing would be very very much appreciated! Thank you in advance!

Your stats look fine! Just study hard so you can get decent GRE scores. Something that could give you even more of an edge is shadowing in more settings just to really see the range of OT services even though you have plenty of shadowing hours. Try maybe a school or an outpatient facility for adults, even just for 15/20 hrs. I only had three settings with a little over 100 hrs total (still received 4 interviews) so you have me beat already, but more settings won't hurt! Good luck!

 

[MPHGOALSSSS]

Your stats seem competitive. Think you're being harder on yourself than you should be. I too will be applying this cycle for the first time. My stats are similar with less TA/CA stuff as I'm active duty and that takes up most of my time outside school and observation/volunteering.

thank you for your reply (and service!) i have the tendency to be harsher on myself than anything else lol

 

[MPHGOALSSSS]

Your stats look fine! Just study hard so you can get decent GRE scores. Something that could give you even more of an edge is shadowing in more settings just to really see the range of OT services even though you have plenty of shadowing hours. Try maybe a school or an outpatient facility for adults, even just for 15/20 hrs. I only had three settings with a little over 100 hrs total (still received 4 interviews) so you have me beat already, but more settings won't hurt! Good luck!

thanks for the advice!! i'm definitely going to study my butt off for the GRE and hopefully get a decent score.

 

[ZachMXafOT]

thanks for the advice!! i'm definitely going to study my butt off for the GRE and hopefully get a decent score.

No problem! You seem right on track, as mentioned I would just focus on the GRE now. I met with my school's admission office to make sure I had my ducks in a row so to speak and to get a straight answer if I was competitive or not before I deployed. Good luck, July can't come soon enough (when OTCAS app opens for our cycle).