General Admissions & OTCAS OT stats and personal statement

[h.h]

Hi y'all!!

pls help

Im feeling kinda nervous looking at everyone else stats on here so I'd like to share mine to get some input on how competitive others would consider my stats and gain insight on what I can do to improve them.

GPA: 3.4, psychology major
Observation hours: 182 outpatient pediatric facility, 10 hippo therapy, 6 subacute care (plan on doing 40 total over the course of the next couple months)
Experiences: worked as TA at special needs school, academic coach to at risk high schoolers,

Also, if anyone wants to swap personal statements to review, let me know. I could definitely benefit from a fresh pair of eyes going over mine before I finally submit it on OTCAS.

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[gntk]

Hi y'all!!

pls help

Im feeling kinda nervous looking at everyone else stats on here so I'd like to share mine to get some input on how competitive others would consider my stats and gain insight on what I can do to improve them.

GPA: 3.4, psychology major
Observation hours: 182 outpatient pediatric facility, 10 hippo therapy, 6 subacute care (plan on doing 40 total over the course of the next couple months)
Experiences: worked as TA at special needs school, academic coach to at risk high schoolers,

Also, if anyone wants to swap personal statements to review, let me know. I could definitely benefit from a fresh pair of eyes going over mine before I finally submit it on OTCAS.

It's normal to feel nervous. Easier said than done, try not to compare your stats to anyone else and focus on building your story into how you discovered OT. There really is no magic formula for improving your stats such as GPA, volunteer hours, experiences besides just going out and doing it. Typically, you'll get the same response as others. What schools look for is well-rounded applicants who are genuinely seeking OT for the right reasons.

For some honest insight into what you can do to improve, focus on creating meaningful relationships with the OTs at each of your observation sites. Become their friends! Talk to them about OT, ask them thoughtful questions about their reasoning when you observe interventions with them. From your experiences and based on your current knowledge of OT, imagine yourself as the "OT" in that scenario and try to see what you can do for those students. Build your story.

At the end of the day, you can have a bajillon volunteer hours, a 4.0 GPA, and the best GRE scores as every other applicant does. Ultimately, schools may potentially seek to how your OT or past supervisor rated you on your performance during volunteering hours. If you developed that relationship with your OT, this can make or break your progression into the OT profession.

If you would like a personal statement review, I wouldn't mind giving yours a read with some feedback. I just recently got registered and licensed in the state of California and been a long time lurker of these forums throughout OT school, so I can give you some feedback through an OT lense.

gntk, OTR/L =)