General Admissions & OTCAS Applying to Hofstra and could really use some insight

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Chevy1957

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Hi everyone as the name of this thread states I need some major insight. I'm currently looking into applying to Hofstra Universities Occupational Therapy school for Fall of 2018. I'm looking to get my pre-reqs done along with the volunteer hours that I need however I'm starting to have my doubts.

My undergrad degree is in accounting of all things and when I graduated close to 4 years ago my gpa wasn't that great it was a 2.67.

After doing my research I'm finding that OT school is very competitive and it's very difficult to get into with programs taking 20 to maybe 30 students a year at most.

I'm at a point in my life where I really don't have time to waste and don't want to waste time. What I mean by that is I don't want to spend all of this summer, the fall, the winter, and the spring getting the pre-reqs and volunteer hours done but be told no at the end of the whole year of pursing this when I could have been spending that time pursing other things that could potentially get me ahead in life.

Just what exactly am I up against here? Anyone who could help point me in the right direction would seriously be appreciated! Thanks everyone

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It took my two tries to get into school. I underestimated how competitive it was to get into school the first year and only did the bare minimum requirements (i.e. Volunteer hours). Needless to say, I was rejected from all schools.

In the gap year, I went above and beyond in terms of volunteer hours but also applied to more schools.

I wish I had not underestimated the competitiveness that first year but I suppose I learned more about the profession and grew to love it even more. That insight also helped me improve my personal statement.

Long story short, I would look at the minimum requirements for Hofstra and set your goals higher. Apply to more than one school. Put your best application out there but also understand that some people don't get in the first time around. If this is your dream job, a rejection will sting but will give you the encouragement to push forward.

Good luck!
 
It took my two tries to get into school. I underestimated how competitive it was to get into school the first year and only did the bare minimum requirements (i.e. Volunteer hours). Needless to say, I was rejected from all schools.

In the gap year, I went above and beyond in terms of volunteer hours but also applied to more schools.

I wish I had not underestimated the competitiveness that first year but I suppose I learned more about the profession and grew to love it even more. That insight also helped me improve my personal statement.

Long story short, I would look at the minimum requirements for Hofstra and set your goals higher. Apply to more than one school. Put your best application out there but also understand that some people don't get in the first time around. If this is your dream job, a rejection will sting but will give you the encouragement to push forward.

Good luck!

Hi thank you for replying to my question. I've just hit a point now where I need a career. Yes I'm well aware that a person shouldn't go into something just based on the amount of jobs itself but we all need to make a living which is pretty tough to do today. Honestly if I were to do this I would really only want to do it where I'd be working with kids or in the Service such for the Navy or the Air Force. I'm sorry but I don't want anything to do with the elderly. I was working at an apartment complex a year ago for about a year and a half. Most of the people there were elderly and dealing with them was a tough experience something of which I don't want to repeat.
 
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Hi everyone as the name of this thread states I need some major insight. I'm currently looking into applying to Hofstra Universities Occupational Therapy school for Fall of 2018. I'm looking to get my pre-reqs done along with the volunteer hours that I need however I'm starting to have my doubts.

My undergrad degree is in accounting of all things and when I graduated close to 4 years ago my gpa wasn't that great it was a 2.67.

After doing my research I'm finding that OT school is very competitive and it's very difficult to get into with programs taking 20 to maybe 30 students a year at most.

I'm at a point in my life where I really don't have time to waste and don't want to waste time. What I mean by that is I don't want to spend all of this summer, the fall, the winter, and the spring getting the pre-reqs and volunteer hours done but be told no at the end of the whole year of pursing this when I could have been spending that time pursing other things that could potentially get me ahead in life.

Just what exactly am I up against here? Anyone who could help point me in the right direction would seriously be appreciated! Thanks everyone

It is considerable that you are at least acknowledging your doubts. There are many people who just jump into applying to OT schools without really realizing what they are getting into. As far as your GPA, I quickly looked into Hofstra's admission requirements, and they do require a MINIMUM of a 3.0 just to apply. You may want to look into schools that accept your last "60 units GPA" instead of your cumulative GPA from all 4 years. If you are adamant about attending Hofstra, I would work really hard to get your GPA up to at least meet the minimum requirement. If not, you will be wasting your time. Because they have a minimum requirement, they could flat out disregard your application because it does not reach the minimum. I am not exactly sure how strict Hofstra is with this requirement, but because OT schools are really competitive, I would really aim to get to a 3.0 by taking more classes.

Keep in mind, that there are students who have been accepted with a low GPA. They might of applied to schools in which they accepted the last 60 units as their GPA. In addition, they could of applied to schools that required the GRE. I have seen some schools accept students with a low GPA (below 3.0), but the student had a HIGH GRE score. The high GRE score essentially compensated for their low GPA. I would diligently do your research on other schools and look for ones that count your last 60 units as your GPA.

In the end, you are going to have to sacrifice your time and effort in order to find out if you can get into OT school. If you are not willing to put in the time and effort to get a 4.0 on your pre-reqs, volunteer as many hours as possible, write an amazing personal statement, and establish great relationships in order to get the best possible letter of rec, I DO NOT recommend that you continue to pursue OT, because you surely might waste a year trying to pursue this, but if you are truly passionate about this field you WILL find a way to get in.

I wish you the best of luck! And hope that you are able to accomplish whatever you are out to accomplish! :)
 
it's going to be an uphill battle with no guarantees. i'd say only go for it if OT is what you have your heart set on. otherwise, pursue the other options you spoke of.
 
I applied to Hofstra for the last cycle, but won't be attending. I did not know this when I was applying, but apparently they only accepted 18 students this year (Someone please correct me if I am wrong). This is on the small end for an OT class size. I also did not realize when I applied (I don't think it said it on their website!), but Hofstra's OT program is a night program. If you plan to work during the day, then go for it! Additionally, don't worry about taking kinesiology before applying, they offer it in the summer before OT school begins for their admitted students. These are just some things that I wish I knew when I applied. They have a really nice department, and it was easy to communicate with the director and get all my questions answered. Good luck!
 
Fair warning: If you have not started any of your prereqs yet, especially Anatomy and Physiology, your chances of getting into any school for Fall 2018 will be extremely low. Many schools are on a rolling admission basis, meaning they accept qualified students as they come. If they are not rolling admission, the application date is usually due before 2017 is over. Based on your opening post, it also sounds like you haven't started earning volunteer hours yet too. You will want to get to know the OT's you're shadowing very well to get excellent letters of recommendation, which can make up for a low GPA.

If I were in your shoes, depending on how you can handle your finances, I'd try for 2019 admissions and not 2018. This will give you ample time to get your prereq courses AND MORE to boost your GPA and give you sufficient time to observe and volunteer under an OT (and thus getting good LOR's). And depending on the schools you apply to, this will be a good amount of time to study and get the GRE done and work on your personal statement and supplemental essays.

I'm telling you this because I decided in August 2016 that I wanted to be an OT as a career. I'm 30 years old and also have no time to waste. But I did my research and it would have been impossible for me to get into Fall 2017 because I had none of the prereqs and admission qualifications done. I went all in for Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Got a 4.0 in all the prereq classes and more. Getting in over 100 hours in acute/outpatient/rehab settings, and really getting to know the OT's for an amazing LOR (not just a "good" one). Apps are coming in now and I'm hustling to get a good GRE score and working on my essays. It really takes time to get this stuff done (btw, I graduated with a degree in Econ about 8 years ago with a 2.5 GPA). You get as much as you put into it and it is possible to get into a school. Definitely figure out which schools look at applications holistically and that won't weed you out based on GPA/GRE alone (I know that I don't want to go to schools that will take my application and application money just to throw my application out based on one factor).

Sorry if I sound a little harsh, but it's good that you realize how competitive it is. You just need a realistic timeline. I don't think it would be possible for Fall 2018 admissions for you. But I believe 2019 admissions could be very possible for you depending on how you commit yourself to the process and don't mess with your own head about getting into a school.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I've talked to some advisors at various schools. Even with my low undergrad GPA, some of the schools were impressed with my resume, prereq GPA, and potential for my essays and LOR's.
 
Hi folks thank you all for getting back to me here. I really appreciate what the last person especially wrote and believe me it isn't harsh in anyway. It helped put some things into perspective for me. I think shooting for Fall 2019 is a much better choice instead of Fall 2018. It's another year and you know something......so what! Yes I myself am 30 as well ( 30 isn't old I hope we can all agree on that ) I just would like life to seriously start moving ahead here.
 
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