Program-Specific Info / Q's USC 2016

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10ninja

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Anyone applying to USC for either early decision or the regular decision, february deadline? The last deadline is coming up soon and I thought we could start a discussion here if anyone is interested :)
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Great idea! I applied for regular decision. Good luck!!
 
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I think they start reviewing applications at the start of February and let people know in March? I'm not 100% on that
 
10ninja said:
Anyone applying to USC for either early decision or the regular decision, february deadline? The last deadline is coming up soon and I thought we could start a discussion here if anyone is interested :)
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I am applying regular decision... hoping to get my app in ASAP so I can find out ASAP. Good luck to everyone applying!!
 
@10ninja Thanks for starting the thread! I was looking for one for the 2015-16 cycle :) I applied for regular decision on 1/26 and was verified today!

Do any of you know if USC looks at the OTCAS personal statement? After I submitted, I read on another thread that they only read the USC-specific PS :(
 
@nicole_meow Of course! I am pretty sure that USC only reads their personal statement prompt. When I went on their website and read through the instructions on how to apply for the masters program, the usc specific personal statement was mentioned.
 
10ninja said:
@nicole_meow Of course! I am pretty sure that USC only reads their personal statement prompt. When I went on their website and read through the instructions on how to apply for the masters program, the usc specific personal statement was mentioned.
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I just re-read their instructions... Well that's a bummer! I can't do much about that now. Haha thanks for your reply!
 
@nicole_meow I had the exact same question when I was applying for early decision. When I spoke to Helen, she said that they MAINLY look at their own personal statement prompt. However, if they are between two applicants or want to know more about you, they may look at the OTCAS personal statement to get more info. She told me that it doesn't hurt to do both. Hope that helps a bit! :)
 
tangolikemango said:
@nicole_meow I had the exact same question when I was applying for early decision. When I spoke to Helen, she said that they MAINLY look at their own personal statement prompt. However, if they are between two applicants or want to know more about you, they may look at the OTCAS personal statement to get more info. She told me that it doesn't hurt to do both. Hope that helps a bit! :)
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Have you heard back regarding early decision? Would you mind sharing your stats with us regular decision folk? :)
 
Does anyone know if you have the USC personal statement and the OTCAS personal statement-- can they be quite similar? Thanks for your help! Anyone heard back yet?
 
tangolikemango said:
@nicole_meow I had the exact same question when I was applying for early decision. When I spoke to Helen, she said that they MAINLY look at their own personal statement prompt. However, if they are between two applicants or want to know more about you, they may look at the OTCAS personal statement to get more info. She told me that it doesn't hurt to do both. Hope that helps a bit! :)
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Thank you! That gives me some piece of mind while I wait. Congrats on your acceptance! Must've been an awesome Christmas present :D
 
are we suppose to create an USC portal like the other pre-health programs do? my friends applying to dental said they all created an USC portal where they find out their admissions decisions...
 
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tangolikemango said:
Yes, I actually got accepted a few days before Christmas for early decision! :) I'm really happy/excited about it!

My stats are below:
Undergrad Major: Biology
GPA: 3.4
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: 161V 162Q 5.0AW

Extracurriculars: 200+ hours volunteering with Hospice patients (playing piano, taking walks, reading, etc), I've taught piano for 5+ years, learned coding and built websites for a few months, did an internship in technology where I programmed with PHP, JS, JQuery, TA for anatomy & physiology

Volunteer work: To be honest, I didn't have many direct volunteer hours w/ an OT, but from my own personal experience, I went through OT myself and expressed that in my personal statement.

My stats really aren't that great (I had a bad year in undergrad), but I think my letters of rec may have helped? I had one from my organic chemistry professor, my anatomy professor, and my Hospice volunteer coordinator. I asked them each to focus on specific traits, so they would know what to emphasize & write.

Best of luck to everyone else! :) The waiting game is THE WORST, so I know what you're going through!
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do you mind me asking how you found out about your acceptance? congratulations, btw! :D
 
whitesockss said:
do you mind me asking how you found out about your acceptance? congratulations, btw! :D
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Thank you! I received an email from Dr. Liz Carley actually. I was frantically checking my mail everyday, but I think they're sending acceptances by email this year!

The next day, I received an email from the university telling me that a decision was made and that I should log-in to see it. I didn't get anything through snail mail.
 
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tangolikemango said:
Thank you! I received an email from Dr. Liz Carley actually. I was frantically checking my mail everyday, but I think they're sending acceptances by email this year!

The next day, I received an email from the university telling me that a decision was made and that I should log-in to see it. I didn't get anything through snail mail.
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oh thanks for sharing! are we suppose to create some kind of portal before decisions or is it when they email you to check, we just go and create a portal or some sort lol :p
 
Hello, prospective applicant here! How much weight does USC place on each factor of the app (GPA, pre-req GPA, GRE, LOR, personal statement, etc.)?
 
password_ said:
Hello, prospective applicant here! How much weight does USC place on each factor of the app (GPA, pre-req GPA, GRE, LOR, personal statement, etc.)?
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According to some students who are currently in the program...USC places most the weight on the personal statement and LOR. Your GPA and GRE scores are still important of course but not as much. (again this is from students in the program so I am not completely sure) Good luck!
 
whitesockss said:
oh thanks for sharing! are we suppose to create some kind of portal before decisions or is it when they email you to check, we just go and create a portal or some sort lol :p
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For me, I only created the portal after they emailed me to check, but I think maybe you can create one before decisions? I'm actually not too sure! :(
 
Do you just send in your application through OTCAS or do we have to send in an application through the USC website?
 
Has anyone turned in their app recently? I am a little worried about the verification process. I didn't decide to apply until pretty late so I turned in my app on February 1st. I haven't been verified yet though, hopefully it will happen before 2/15! ;)
 
futureeot2015 said:
Do you just send in your application through OTCAS or do we have to send in an application through the USC website?
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you should be able to go through OTCAS-- and fill out all the program materials for USC
 
jackimac888 said:
Has anyone turned in their app recently? I am a little worried about the verification process. I didn't decide to apply until pretty late so I turned in my app on February 1st. I haven't been verified yet though, hopefully it will happen before 2/15! ;)
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I'm sure you will! I submitted 1/26 and was verified 1/28. Also, anyone know if USC looks at the 'experiences' section on OTCAS?
 
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Hey all! I just paid for my application today (2/10/2016) and I was wondering if you guys think it will be verified by 2/15/2016? I submitted all of my required transcripts for other schools and I was under the assumption that if you were verified for 1 school, you are verified for the rest of your subsequent applications immediately after you pay. Is that not the case? I'm sorry, currently freaking out right now.

When I look on OTCAS, it says that both my transcripts and all my evaluations have been received in October. I have applied to other schools in October and they got verified then. Yet, next to USC, the tab is yellow and says "awaiting materials". What materials? Am I missing something I need to send to OTCAS? I called last week and they have my GRE scores.

Should I call later today? I think I'll do that and sort of grovel that someone look at my app before Monday :(
 
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10ninja said:
Hey all! I just paid for my application today (2/10/2016) and I was wondering if you guys think it will be verified by 2/15/2016? I submitted all of my required transcripts for other schools and I was under the assumption that if you were verified for 1 school, you are verified for the rest of your subsequent applications immediately after you pay. Is that not the case? I'm sorry, currently freaking out right now.

When I look on OTCAS, it says that both my transcripts and all my evaluations have been received in October. I have applied to other schools in October and they got verified then. Yet, next to USC, the tab is yellow and says "awaiting materials". What materials? Am I missing something I need to send to OTCAS? I called last week and they have my GRE scores.

Should I call later today? I think I'll do that and sort of grovel that someone look at my app before Monday :(
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Hey! If you check back tomorrow you will probably be verified! You are correct in assuming that once you are verified initially, you are verified for subsequent applications. It just takes a little time for OTCAS to catch up. Hope that helps!
 
@OTheart THANK YOU!!!! I am so grateful for your reply. Thank you so much for responding to my question and I hope that you're right!

Edit: I got verified 3 hours after turning in my app!
 
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And now the waiting begins. Does anyone know how many students are accepted for early decision and how many for regular?
 
10ninja said:
And now the waiting begins. Does anyone know how many students are accepted for early decision and how many for regular?
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From what I remember from the info session, I think around 1/3 are accepted for early decision and the rest for regular. I'm not sure about the class size tho.
 
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10ninja said:
And now the waiting begins. Does anyone know how many students are accepted for early decision and how many for regular?
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10ninja,
According to Liz Carley Admissions Director, less than half the cohort is admitted for early decision. Sorry, but I can't find the total cohort size at the moment though.

I applied for early admissions and was deferred to the regular admissions decision date (Feb. 15th) - she said the latest I would hear back is the end of March.

Is anyone else concerned with the cost of USC? $120,000.000 tuition for the Master's and another $60,000.00 on top of that if interested in pursuing an OTD.
 
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@LAtoSDtoOT Thanks for the estimate! It is helpful :)

@password_ About 2/3 of the cohort is left to fill. Not bad odds! Thank you!

To answer your question about cost, my suggestion would be to become an OT first, work for 5 years to figure out which area of OT you enjoy and want to specialize in and then return for your doctorate. The advantages of getting a doctorate (from my basic understanding) are so that you could carry out clinical research at a university or hospital or become a professor. Your potential research interests and areas you may teach as a professor will beinformed by having work experience. Taking some time to work before getting an OTD will also help ease your loans rather than you taking out 180k right away. The interest on on a 120k loan versus 180k loan will be very different.

As I learned more about USC, it has become my top choice. It does have unique resources for OT students that want to get into competitive specialties and I'm only interested in a certain specialty that most CA schools don't have resources in. I should have applied for early decision in hindsight
 
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Hi everyone, I've been lurking this forum for a long while now. This is my first go at applying for OT school. The OTCAS process is a lot more daunting and tedious than I expected. There's a handful of schools that I have my eye on. Unfortunately, I missed the February deadline for USC this past week. Does anyone know if USC typically extends their regular deadline? I know on their website it said they'll accept applications after the deadline if space permits. (OTCAS won't allow anyone to submit after a deadline -unless if there is an extension.) I saw that Touro University extended theirs from 2/1 to 2/19.

Good luck to all the applicants! :)
 
butterfly29 said:
Hi everyone, I've been lurking this forum for a long while now. This is my first go at applying for OT school. The OTCAS process is a lot more daunting and tedious than I expected. There's a handful of schools that I have my eye on. Unfortunately, I missed the February deadline for USC this past week. Does anyone know if USC typically extends their regular deadline? I know on their website it said they'll accept applications after the deadline if space permits. (OTCAS won't allow anyone to submit after a deadline -unless if there is an extension.) I saw that Touro University extended theirs from 2/1 to 2/19.

Good luck to all the applicants! :)
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Hi! You should email them. They encourage all students to be in touch throughout the admission process and are extremely helpful in answering questions. Good luck!!
 
jackimac888 said:
Hi! You should email them. They encourage all students to be in touch throughout the admission process and are extremely helpful in answering questions. Good luck!!
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Hi, I emailed the director of admissions of Wednesday and she replied back early Friday morning. I honestly didn't think she'd reply. They've extended their regular deadline to 5/15! I submitted my application. (And I think I want to throw up lol.)

Did anyone submit an awards application?
 
butterfly29 said:
Hi, I emailed the director of admissions of Wednesday and she replied back early Friday morning. I honestly didn't think she'd reply. They've extended their regular deadline to 5/15! I submitted my application. (And I think I want to throw up lol.)

Did anyone submit an awards application?
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Does this mean that they will accept applications up until when then fill all remaining seats? I would assume they would be admitting students based on a rolling admission basis for regular decision? I ask because I hope we don't have to wait until late-May to hear back from them regarding whether we got in or not.
 
Prospective O T said:
Does this mean that they will accept applications up until when then fill all remaining seats? I would assume they would be admitting students based on a rolling admission basis for regular decision? I ask because I hope we don't have to wait until late-May to hear back from them regarding whether we got in or not.
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I'm also curious as to how this will affect applicants who applied by the 2/15 deadline. Maybe they pool all apps before 2/15 in one group (they apparently don't do rolling admissions based on their website) and then offer admissions to those who applied after until all seats are full? If not, it seems unfair since the ones who applied later have more time to polish their apps, while those who've already submitted can't edit theirs. Also, classes start 6/13 so it kinda doesn't make sense to wait until late-May to notify their students.

Even so, it makes it even harder for those who get waitlisted to be accepted since apps might still be coming in until mid-May :/.
 
10ninja said:
@butterfly29 That's great to hear!

@Prospective O T do you know if USC uses rolling admissions? I thought that they review all of the applications after the 2/15 deadline.
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They don't use rolling admission, though like @password_ pointed out, it would be unfair to let people who applied after the initial 2/15 deadline to be held under the same consideration as those who applied earlier.
 
butterfly29 said:
Hi, I emailed the director of admissions of Wednesday and she replied back early Friday morning. I honestly didn't think she'd reply. They've extended their regular deadline to 5/15! I submitted my application. (And I think I want to throw up lol.)

Did anyone submit an awards application?
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Hi,
Did she give any reason why they extended the deadline?
3 extra months seems like a huge extension.
Good luck to everyone!:)
 
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I sent Liz an email a while back (Feb. 5th) when I was worried that my application wouldn't be verified in time for the Feb. 15th deadline. Her response was this: "I would like to assure you that if you are a strong enough applicant to be admitted in our applicant pool this year, it is likely you would be admitted, regardless of when your application becomes verified and ready for review. If it becomes verified after the deadline, it will still be reviewed. It is possible it would be reviewed a bit later than other applications that became verified earlier, however you will still be considered. We also have a wait list process, so if your application is strong enough, it is possible you could be offered a place on the wait list, and then if a space opens up you could be admitted later on."

So while they claim to not be rolling admissions, applicants do become aware of decisions at different times/stages. From reading the forums last year, it appears the first group of acceptances from the Feb. 15th deadline should be sometime next week (Feb. 29-Mar. 4). Then, the next group of acceptances should probably be around 2 weeks from that, and so forth. Waitlists and rejections should be notified around the end of March, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will stop looking at incoming applications from new applicants. Again, if the applicant is strong enough, the date it comes in doesn't matter (as it shouldn't). At the end of the day, they want to bring the strongest applicants, regardless of when they send their application.

I'm sure they hope most applicants send their applications as early as they can, so that's pretty much why they have that Feb. 15th deadline. Though, they also recognize life happens, and they're not going to turn down someone who can bring something to their program because of something so trivial. As for extending the regular deadline to 5/15, I don't think it means exactly what you guys are thinking. That is just so applicants can still send in their applications on OTCAS until that date (since the Feb. 15th deadline blocked them from physically sending their apps). They have always been doing this, by the way. This is nothing new or out of the ordinary. One of my friends applied like a month later than the Feb. 15th deadline last year, and she was notified of her admittance sometime in April.
 
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hamburgundy said:
I sent Liz an email a while back (Feb. 5th) when I was worried that my application wouldn't be verified in time for the Feb. 15th deadline. Her response was this: "I would like to assure you that if you are a strong enough applicant to be admitted in our applicant pool this year, it is likely you would be admitted, regardless of when your application becomes verified and ready for review. If it becomes verified after the deadline, it will still be reviewed. It is possible it would be reviewed a bit later than other applications that became verified earlier, however you will still be considered. We also have a wait list process, so if your application is strong enough, it is possible you could be offered a place on the wait list, and then if a space opens up you could be admitted later on."

So while they claim to not be rolling admissions, applicants do become aware of decisions at different times/stages. From reading the forums last year, it appears the first group of acceptances from the Feb. 15th deadline should be sometime next week (Feb. 29-Mar. 4). Then, the next group of acceptances should probably be around 2 weeks from that, and so forth. Waitlists and rejections should be notified around the end of March, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will stop looking at incoming applications from new applicants. Again, if the applicant is strong enough, the date it comes in doesn't matter (as it shouldn't). At the end of the day, they want to bring the strongest applicants, regardless of when they send their application.

I'm sure they hope most applicants send their applications as early as they can, so that's pretty much why they have that Feb. 15th deadline. Though, they also recognize life happens, and they're not going to turn down someone who can bring something to their program because of something so trivial. As for extending the regular deadline to 5/15, I don't think it means exactly what you guys are thinking. That is just so applicants can still send in their applications on OTCAS until that date (since the Feb. 15th deadline blocked them from physically sending their apps). They have always been doing this, by the way. This is nothing new or out of the ordinary. One of my friends applied like a month later than the Feb. 15th deadline last year, and she was notified of her admittance sometime in April.
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Yup, sounds like you are right! This is from USC's admissions blog:

"Now that the February 15th regular application deadline has passed for the Entry-Level Master’s Program, the admissions committee is busy reviewing applications. Applications received after the deadline are welcome and will be processed on a space available basis. The OTCAS deadline has been extended to allow for these late submissions. The regular deadline for this program was February 15th, however OTCAS now indicates that the deadline is May 15th to make it possible for applicants to submit a late application. We strongly recommend submitting your application as soon as possible if you are still interested in being considered for the Summer 2016 start date, as the actual deadlines have now passed. These late applications will be considered on a space available basis. As always, please feel free to contact us directly with any questions you may have."
 
Wow just got accepted via email!!! Sending everyone good vibes~ :soexcited:
 
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I was also accepted via email about an hour ago!
 
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Hi everyone, I guess notifications are being sent out! I too got an acceptance email earlier today! :soexcited:

Here are my stats for those interested. This was my first try at applying.

University: UC Berkeley
Major: History
Overall GPA: 3.7
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0

GRE: 160 Verbal // 153 Quant // 5.5 AW

OT Volunteer:
• 96 hours in skilled nursing facility
• 21 hours in a hand therapy clinic

Extracurricular:

• Roughly 100 hours spent volunteering in a yoga/massage program working with individuals with cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.

Good luck to you all!! I have my fingers crossed!! :highfive:
 
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Thank you, and of course!

Major: Exercise & Sport Science, Pre-Occupational Therapy Option
Overall GPA: 3.88
Pre-Req GPA: 4.0
GRE: 153 V 150 Q 4.5 AW

Observation:
~100 hrs peds outpatient, ~20 hrs school setting, ~20 hrs SNF

Extracurricular:
Pre-Therapy Allied Health Club
Undergraduate Research Assistant-assessed kindergarten students on measures of acheivement and self-regulation
MS Exercise Clinic Volunteer-design/implement exercise program for individuals w/ MS
GoBabyGo Mobility Program Volunteer-modified ride-on toy cars for children w/ disabilities
IMPACT Volunteer-motor skills program for children w/ disabilities
Mature Adult Fitness Specialist-conduct initial evaluations, provide personal training sessions, travel to homes/assisted living facilities, teach group fitness classes
Personal Support Worker for a child w/ autism

Good luck everyone!
 
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