Program-Specific Info / Q's Pacific University OTD

[labailarina11]

Hey fellow OT enthusiasts!

Are any of you applying to Pacific University this round?

If so:
Have you heard back about your application?
Is this your first time applying?
What are your stats/hours/experiences?

I am so excited to be turning in my application, and would love to chat with y'all!

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[90sOT]

I am applying! I submitted my application via email mid-November and recently checked on its status and found out it will not be reviewed until my official transcripts are received. I didn't realize I had to have them mailed to me first and then mail them myself to Pacific. This is my first time applying.
My stats:
University: University of Southern California
Overall GPA: 3.3
Pre-req GPA: 3.0-3.4 (still need physiology)
GRE: Verbal (154) Quant (155) Writing (4.5)
OT hours: 300+ in pediatrics

 

[OThopefulF17]

I applied in August! This is my top choice. I do not think they will even start reviewing applications until early December - that is what the admissions rep told me during our email exchanges a couple of months ago.

 

[labailarina11]

I applied in August! This is my top choice. I do not think they will even start reviewing applications until early December - that is what the admissions rep told me during our email exchanges a couple of months ago.

What are your stats?

 

[wannabeOT2]

Hi guys! I have also applied to Pacific University! It is my top choice school!
My friend went there for undergrad and said she loved it.

I have also not heard anything back yet. I submitted my application late October.

STATS:

University: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Major: Psychology
Overall GPA: 3.4
Pre-Req GPA: 3.2 (depends on school)
Major GPA: 3.5

Not taking the GRE

Extra-Curric:
-Currently working in the activities department through a rehab and nursing facility
-Worked as a nurse aide through a home care company
- Also currently working with autistic children through a private behavioral health company as a skills trainer
- Was in the honors program for 2 years in college (obtained a certificate)
- Member of psi chi honor society
- was in Pre-med club and HOSA club
-Dean's list in college
-Honor roll for most of high school career (if that counts towards anything)
-CPR certified

Volunteer: 50 shadowing an OT in a hospital setting and another 55 in a nursing and rehabilitation center, Also currently volunteering in an outpatient pediatric setting- 40 hours

 

[OThopefulF17]

What are your stats?

University: University of California, Davis
Overall GPA: 3.6
Pre-req GPA: 3.8 (still need anatomy)
GRE: Verbal (160) Quant (150) Writing (5)
OT hours: 200 (pediatric clinic, hand therapy, school setting)

I also am in an Honors Society at my college and am on a sports team, and officers of several clubs on campus!

 

[OThopefulF17]

I am super curious as to what kind of students they are looking for - I know they are super competitive, but I am hoping that I will be competitive enough to at least get an interview! I have not talked to anyone in their program and I have not been able to find much about the profiles of their previously accepted students.

 

[cailahOT]

Hi guys! I recently submitted my Pacific University app! Just in time for the preferred deadline. Pacific is at the top of my list because of their gerontology duel certificate/degree program.

University: University of California, Santa Cruz
Major: Psychology and Art
Overall GPA: 3.4
Pre-Req GPA: 3.5-4.0 (depends on school)
Last 45 GPA: 3.8

In the past I have worked as a respite provider for disabled individuals. Right now I work as administrator at UCSC.

Extracurriculars:
- Internship with clinical-child psychologist
- Internship at elementary school
- Volunteer at art studio
- Committee member for workplace health initiative

Volunteer/Observation: 65 hours in pediatric clinic, 50 hours SNF/rehabilitation

This is my first round of applications. I am applying to a lot of schools because I don't want to wait any longer to become an occupational therapist. Hoping you all have good luck this application season!

 

[Xela213]

Hello future OTs!

Major: Sociology
Overall GPA: 3.98
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0 (still waiting to take Physiology)
OT hours: 100+ (pediatrics, hospital setting, hand therapy)

Extracurriculars:
-Volunteer mediator for juvenile offenders
-Volunteer with an organization that takes people with disabilities river rafting
-2 1/2 years working for a non-profit that serves marginalized communities in India and Cambodia

@cailahOT, I am at UCSC for my last quarter! Did you do your hours at the Pediatric Therapy Center? Good luck!

This is my first round of applications. I am looking forward to hearing back from schools soon!

 

[cailahOT]

Hello future OTs!

Major: Sociology
Overall GPA: 3.98
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0 (still waiting to take Physiology)
OT hours: 100+ (pediatrics, hospital setting, hand therapy)

Extracurriculars:
-Volunteer mediator for juvenile offenders
-Volunteer with an organization that takes people with disabilities river rafting
-2 1/2 years working for a non-profit that serves marginalized communities in India and Cambodia

@cailahOT, I am at UCSC for my last quarter! Did you do your hours at the Pediatric Therapy Center? Good luck!

This is my first round of applications. I am looking forward to hearing back from schools soon!

Yes! It was a great experience. Did you observe there as well?

 

[Xela213]

Yes! It was a great experience. Did you observe there as well?

Yes! I did too. I loved it. As of right now I am more interested in home health and aging, but I really appreciated the mentorship I received there.
Let me know if you ever want to grab a cup of coffee on campus and chat OT!

 

[labailarina11]

Got an interview for Feb 4!

 

[90sOT]

Got an interview for Feb 4!

Congrats!! How did you hear?

 

[labailarina11]

Congrats!! How did you hear?

Email this morning

 

[Xela213]

Email this morning

Congrats! Glad to know that Pacific is starting to let people know. If you don't me asking, what are your stats?

 

[labailarina11]

Congrats! Glad to know that Pacific is starting to let people know. If you don't me asking, what are your stats?

No problem!

GPA and Pre-Req: 3.65, Spanish/Nutrition
Experience: 1 Yr OT internship abroad, several other OT shadowing, 3-month full time work as OT assistant, 1-yr Alzheimer's care experience, quite a bit of school involvement (clubs, offices, etc), and several mission trips to different countries

 

[cailahOT]

No problem!

GPA and Pre-Req: 3.65, Spanish/Nutrition
Experience: 1 Yr OT internship abroad, several other OT shadowing, 3-month full time work as OT assistant, 1-yr Alzheimer's care experience, quite a bit of school involvement (clubs, offices, etc), and several mission trips to different countries

Congrats! Are you an Oregon local?

 

[labailarina11]

Contrats! Are you an Oregon local?

No, I am from N Idaho

 

[Xela213]

I just received an email for the February 4th date! Im going to book my flight now and start looking at places to stay. Let me know if anyone has recommendations!

 

[OThopefulF17]

I will also be interviewing on Feb 4th! Looking forward to meeting some of you and visiting the campus! (Not so much the writing sample haha)

 

[Xela213]

I will also be interviewing on Feb 4th! Looking forward to meeting some of you and visiting the campus! (Not so much the writing sample haha)

That is so exciting. Congratulations. See you there!

 

[cdot]

Hi everyone! Congratulations to those who have received interviews so far! I am wondering if any of you may know how many interview sessions they will be doing?

 

[Xela213]

Hi everyone! Congratulations to those who have received interviews so far! I am wondering if any of you may know how many interview sessions they will be doing?

Hello! In the past they have done two different interview days. One in February and one in March. There is still time!

 

[Xela213]

I am curious if anyone knows how many people are invited to interview(both dates). I know that the class is usually limited to 40 students and am wondering how many prospective students they invite to the campus.

 

[labailarina11]

I've heard they invite around 120 to interview and select from there. I'm not sure if there is a difference in preference between the first group or the second group though, maybe it just has to do with when you turned in your application?

 

[cailahOT]

Those of you who have received interview invitations, when did you submit your application?

 

[labailarina11]

Those of you who have received interview invitations, when did you submit your application?

I submitted the first week of December I believe.

 

[wannabeOT2]

Ahh hopefully I hear back soon

 

[Xela213]

I've heard they invite around 120 to interview and select from there. I'm not sure if there is a difference in preference between the first group or the second group though, maybe it just has to do with when you turned in your application?

Thank you for your answer. 120, wow thats a lot! It's hard to know how excited to get about being invited to interview.

Yes, i'm not sure either if there is a different value of the two interview dates.

 

[Xela213]

Those of you who have received interview invitations, when did you submit your application?

I submitted early November.

 

[OT3]

I emailed them and they told me that they weren't even doing interviews until March

 

[labailarina11]

I emailed them and they told me that they weren't even doing interviews until March

There are interviews in feb and march. I think it depends when you submitted your app is what I've heard so maybe that's why they said that?

 

[OThopefulF17]

I've heard earlier applications and stronger applications typically get interviewed the first round - just what I've heard - no real proof.

 

[OT3]

I've heard earlier applications and stronger applications typically get interviewed the first round - just what I've heard - no real proof.

I wouldnt doubt that... But I did submit my application like a few days before the deadline

 

[OThopefulF17]

I submitted mine in August, and I have an interview on the 4th, and obviously mine was very early - but I'm not sure what the average submission deadline was.

 

[Xela213]

Does anyone have an idea of what the writing prompt will look like for the writing sample?

 

[atroposlachesis]

Hi all! I applied to Pacific last year, was waitlisted, and decided to drop from the waitlist study/strengthen my application for the next cycle. I was invited to interview this year, which I'm very thankful for, but will be attending WUSTL. Here's what I experienced during the interview:

1. First thing is you go in and meet at the current students, who will be acting as guides and answering your questions. Quite a few professors and administrators were there last time too. They mill around in the lobby. I highly recommend going up and talking to them - it's likely they could be your interviewers.

2. Q&A session with current students and some faculty. Info on the field of OT, what Pacific has to offer, etc. Again, a good time to engage and ask questions that show your knowledge of the field. Applicants are then broken up into groups, and the next steps are done in different rotations. If you happen to see the program director, ask him how he feels about OT's role in helping artists. He is very passionate and knowledgeable about this area (often shares the story of how OT helped famous artist Chuck Close).

3. Tour of the labs and classrooms.

4. Handwritten writing sample. This by far was my least favorite part of the process. They put A LOT of weight on the writing sample, and I have wrist ligament problems that make writing by hand very uncomfortable. I wish I had asked for a modification beforehand that would have allowed me to type it instead. So, anticipate a writing sample and ask for modifications ahead of time if there might be an issue.

Another point on the writing sample: mine had to do with a personal experience of encountering/overcoming challenge. You will learn that this narrative is HUGE for OT schools - not just Pacific. I don't know if they'll use the same one, but I would recommend brainstorming how to answer if some variation of that is asked. Discuss your own personal strategies for adaptation/remediation.

5. Interview with a faculty member and a current student. Again, ask a lot of questions. If you have Sean Roush as your interviewer (who is AWESOME), ask about integration of OT with mental health. That's a huge focus of his practice and research. Both the faculty member and student will be asked if they recommend you to the program. So, yes, the weight of the interview is pretty significant.

Good luck all!

 

[Xela213]

Hi all! I applied to Pacific last year, was waitlisted, and decided to drop from the waitlist study/strengthen my application for the next cycle. I was invited to interview this year, which I'm very thankful for, but will be attending WUSTL. Here's what I experienced during the interview:

1. First thing is you go in and meet at the current students, who will be acting as guides and answering your questions. Quite a few professors and administrators were there last time too. They mill around in the lobby. I highly recommend going up and talking to them - it's likely they could be your interviewers.

2. Q&A session with current students and some faculty. Info on the field of OT, what Pacific has to offer, etc. Again, a good time to engage and ask questions that show your knowledge of the field. Applicants are then broken up into groups, and the next steps are done in different rotations. If you happen to see the program director, ask him how he feels about OT's role in helping artists. He is very passionate and knowledgeable about this area (often shares the story of how OT helped famous artist Chuck Close).

3. Tour of the labs and classrooms.

4. Handwritten writing sample. This by far was my least favorite part of the process. They put A LOT of weight on the writing sample, and I have wrist ligament problems that make writing by hand very uncomfortable. I wish I had asked for a modification beforehand that would have allowed me to type it instead. So, anticipate a writing sample and ask for modifications ahead of time if there might be an issue.

Another point on the writing sample: mine had to do with a personal experience of encountering/overcoming challenge. You will learn that this narrative is HUGE for OT schools - not just Pacific. I don't know if they'll use the same one, but I would recommend brainstorming how to answer if some variation of that is asked. Discuss your own personal strategies for adaptation/remediation.

5. Interview with a faculty member and a current student. Again, ask a lot of questions. If you have Sean Roush as your interviewer (who is AWESOME), ask about integration of OT with mental health. That's a huge focus of his practice and research. Both the faculty member and student will be asked if they recommend you to the program. So, yes, the weight of the interview is pretty significant.

Good luck all!

Thank you! I appreciate this insight so much. I hope you enjoy WUSTL, i'm sure they're happy to have you!

 

[OT_Dreamer]

Hi everyone,

I just received my invitation to interview in March. I'm so happy to get an interview, but it's so hard for me to accept the price of the program ($100K). Unlike other schools, I didn't find any information on financial aid that is not a loan, like a tuition waiver. Can anyone who went to the interview this past weekend or previous years talk about what the school, faculty, and program was like? Is the price of the program justified, aside from the fact that it's an OTD? I'm debating if buying a plane ticket for the interview is worth it since I will be fully paying for my education. Thank you!

 

[labailarina11]

Hi everyone,

I just received my invitation to interview in March. I'm so happy to get an interview, but it's so hard for me to accept the price of the program ($100K). Unlike other schools, I didn't find any information on financial aid that is not a loan, like a tuition waiver. Can anyone who went to the interview this past weekend or previous years talk about what the school, faculty, and program was like? Is the price of the program justified, aside from the fact that it's an OTD? I'm debating if buying a plane ticket for the interview is worth it since I will be fully paying for my education. Thank you!

I could be wrong, but I don't believe there is anything besides loans for this program except for a few scholarships you can be given as an outstanding student once you are in the program.

If you are worried about the price of the plane ticket, I should warn you that this program is highly selective, looking for students who fit and apply themselves to the program. This requires really studying what the school has to offer and how it's program differs from others. If an OTD education and the specifics of the program are important to you, the 100k will pay for itself in the future.

 

[PuppyloverOT]

Hi everyone,

I just received my invitation to interview in March. I'm so happy to get an interview, but it's so hard for me to accept the price of the program ($100K). Unlike other schools, I didn't find any information on financial aid that is not a loan, like a tuition waiver. Can anyone who went to the interview this past weekend or previous years talk about what the school, faculty, and program was like? Is the price of the program justified, aside from the fact that it's an OTD? I'm debating if buying a plane ticket for the interview is worth it since I will be fully paying for my education. Thank you!

I didn't apply to pacific, but I got into two OTD programs on the east coast and 100k seems about right ): My instate OTD program is about 102k and the out of state is around 112K (ouch right?). I personally have not found any school that offers anything other than a loan...am I missing something? I've never heard of a tuition waiver except for PhD programs. I didn't think that OT really gave scholarships aside from small ones and those seemed to be geared towards second year students.

 

[OT_Dreamer]

I didn't apply to pacific, but I got into two OTD programs on the east coast and 100k seems about right ): My instate OTD program is about 102k and the out of state is around 112K (ouch right?). I personally have not found any school that offers anything other than a loan...am I missing something? I've never heard of a tuition waiver except for PhD programs. I didn't think that OT really gave scholarships aside from small ones and those seemed to be geared towards second year students.

Congrats on getting into TWO programs! How exciting! I got an interview with EWU and when I browsed their financial aid section for graduate students, I saw that they offered a few options to lower tuition (such as getting nominated for a reduced non-resident tuition and teaching/providing admin services for discounted tuition). I'm really interested in offers that lower tuition without the need to repay. I thought other schools also offered the same options, but I was disappointed to not see any for Pacific U. I will probably go to the interview since I've been given the chance to get into their program. I'm also debating MOT vs OTD, but that's a whole another animal... Can I ask why you decided to apply to OTD programs?

 

[PuppyloverOT]

Congrats on getting into TWO programs! How exciting! I got an interview with EWU and when I browsed their financial aid section for graduate students, I saw that they offered a few options to lower tuition (such as getting nominated for a reduced non-resident tuition and teaching/providing admin services for discounted tuition). I'm really interested in offers that lower tuition without the need to repay. I thought other schools also offered the same options, but I was disappointed to not see any for Pacific U. I will probably go to the interview since I've been given the chance to get into their program. I'm also debating MOT vs OTD, but that's a whole another animal... Can I ask why you decided to apply to OTD programs?

Thank you, I am very excited and thankful! That's awesome that some schools do that! I applied to 7 schools and none of them have anything along those lines. I stuck to mainly east coast schools and did not see anything like that when I researched schools, but I wish I would have known it existed.

Ugh, that is such a hard decision of MOT vs. OTD. To be honest, I applied to both and the OTD programs I applied to was solely because the programs and schools are good not necessarily because they were OTD's. The one school is also my alma mater so I figured I would have a better chance of getting in. I looked more into the location, campus, program, and how well the program is known and the MOT/OTD was more of an afterthought. I just ended up getting into the OTD program, but I don't know if I would pick the OTD or MOT if I got into a masters program :/

 

[labailarina11]

Has anyone gotten at interview for March 11th?

 

[MadiOTplease]

Has anyone gotten at interview for March 11th?

Nope.....at this point...I don't know what to do. I have tried so hard. For years..literally. Maybe it's time to go to plan B?

 

[wannabeOT2]

Hey everyone! I got invited for an interview on march 11th!! If anyone has any tips or has been through the interview process here please share!! This is my top choice school!

 

[MadiOTplease]

Hey everyone! I got invited for an interview on march 11th!! If anyone has any tips or has been through the interview process here please share!! This is my top choice school!

When did you get your invite? Good luck!!!!!!

 

[wannabeOT2]

When did you get your invite? Good luck!!!!!!

Yesterday morning!

 

[cdot]

Just got invited to interview on March 11!

 

[wannabeOT2]

Hey everyone! Just had my interview with Pacific today and I thought it went pretty well! Very laid back and casual interview. I had a skype interview btw since I'm all the way out in Hawaii. I'm pretty sure they want the candidates to feel as comfortable as possible. Good luck to anyone else interviewing soon!