<p>My GPA for freshman year was a 2.9, sophomore year was a 4.2, and currently I have a 3.9 for my 1st semester as a junior.
-2 APs so far: taking AP Microeconomics (92 for 1st semester) and AP European History (95 for 1st semester) (plan to take AP English, AP Bio and AP Stats next year)
-Taken 3 honors classes: currently taking Honors English 11 (88 for 1st semester) and Honors Chemistry (88 for 1st semester) and took Honors World History in 9th grade (got a 75)
-Currently in calculus (84 for 1st semester)
-Since science grades are important for OT: I got a 75 in Physics, 98 in Biology, 97 (1st semester; currently taking) in Anatomy & Physiology and a 88 (1st semester; currently talking) in Honors Chemistry
-I got a 150 and a 161 on my 2 PSATs and a 1740 on the Kaplan SAT vs ACT Test (have not studied at all; plan to bring my scores up a lot)
-Also 200 hours of community service/volunteering (100 at a therapeutic riding barn)
-Also 30 hours of shadowing OT's (in 2 different special needs schools & 2 different hospitals)
-Will be sending in a recommendation from one of the OT's I shadowed
Do I have a chance at getting in to one of these programs?
Thank you!!!</p>
<p>wannabeot,</p>
<p>Sounds like you’re a H.S.unior right now - is that correct?</p>
<p>Your H.S. GPA and curriculum will also depend on your High School’s overall rating (is it public or private, etc.). You don’t mention your class rank. AP BIO in Senior year is very good. It doesn’t sound like you’ve taken the SAT for real yet - make sure you do well, cause that’s often a good barometer for the merit financial aid you get from any school.</p>
<p>I think your community service and OT Shadowing experience is OUTSTANDING. My D has been trying to get OT shadowing experience and it’s NOT easy from what we’ve learned. People just don’t have time and availability to help kids out these days. In fact, the QU application has a writing supplement about why you want to go into your chosen field, so you should have an easy time writing about that from your OT shadowing experiences. 30 hours is A LOT for someone not even in their Senior year yet. I think your chances are great just based on the community service and OT shadowing you have done … but that’s just me.</p>
<p>Can I ask what other schools offering BS/MS OT you’re considering? If you’re on the east coast, there are more than just QU. And visit QU first (at least twice) while classes are in session before you decide on your level of love for the place.</p>
<p>Yes I am a junior! I go to a private boarding school, but my school doesn’t do class rankings.
The schools that I am considering are: (Quinnipiac), University of Southern California, Ithaca, University of New Hampshire, University of Puget Sound, Muhlenberg (3+2 with Thomas Jefferson), University of Scranton, Duquense, Western Michigan University and New York Technical Institute. Are there any other schools that you found that offer it?</p>
<p>wannabeot,</p>
<p>Ok, same here with my D - private school (not boarding) and no class rankings.</p>
<p>St. Joseph’s U in PHILA has the same 3+2 program with Thomas Jefferson as Muhlenberg (very competitive to get in from what I understand).</p>
<p>In upstate NY, The college of St. Rose has a 4+2 program leading to the MS OT, but its a very small school (enrollment-wise) compared to the others you’ve listed. Siena college has a collaboration w/Sage Graduate college leading to the MS OT.</p>
<p>My D’s top 3 are Scranton, Ithaca, QU.</p>
<p>Sounds like you have a lot of college visits planned for this coming Spring and then Fall of your Senior year. Are you on the east coast?</p>
<p>Yep I’m from RI - I’ve already toured Ithaca and QU, and I only think I’m going to tour UNH, Scranton and USC since those are my top 5 schools. St. Joseph’s looks really nice; do you think it ranks higher than Scranton? Do you know if both are super conservative/religious?</p>
<p>I don’t think either SJU or U Scranton are super conservative. Each school is a Jesuit institution that puts a high value on community service and service learning opportunities, but the kids at each school have their fun, the same as any other mid-size university or college.</p>
<p>While neither of them are as big as USC or maybe UNH (which would probably have larger opportunities for the social aspects of college life), both are sound academically for OT.</p>
<p>But, Scranton is building a brand new $50 Million heath sciences building right on campus where the OT students are going to do their studies (it will be ready Fall 2015 I believe). Plus at Scranton, I believe the whole 6 years of the BS/MS program, you can be there on campus and walk to all your classes (at least the full 4 years of undergrad study - courtesy of that new building they’re constructing). </p>
<p>Field work is always going to be off-campus no matter where you go (as I am sure you know).</p>
<p>So Ithaca is similar to Scranton - all the classes, all the buildings, all the places you complete your BS/MS, are there on the acreage you’re settling into as a Freshman…</p>
<p>At St. Joe’s, you do 3 years at SJU and then you have to “transfer” to Thomas Jefferson in downtown PHILA, which is separate from the mail SJU campus, and you don’t live at SJU anymore. Plus I think undergrad merit scholarships does not transfer to TJU, but I could be wrong (for what would be the senior year at least).</p>
<p>But I do know that the SJU OT program is real competitive to gain admission; you apply as a H.S. Senior, then they accept you into a B.S. degree program, then they screen all the applications to the TJU OT program, and if you make the cut, they invite you back for an interview, and if you then make THAT cut, you get into the 3+2 program.</p>
<p>Frankly, my D will learn just as much and be just as employable from either the Scranton or Ithaca programs.</p>
<p>At QU, all the health sciences students ultimately attend their health classes at the North Haven campus, which is separate from the main, scenic campus in Hamden which you likely toured already. So that means beginning in (or after) your sophmore year, you have to probably drive yourself to North Haven (or take shuttles I think) to complete the OT MS.</p>
<p>We visited Ithaca, Scranton, and QU and met with OT students at each. When I asked my D which group of students she liked best from the open house meetings she attended, she replied “Scranton”. At SJU, there wasn’t a TJU rep at their open house to really explain the OT program there - just a screener that explained that interview process we already knew about.</p>
<p>Okay thank you so much! That’s very convenient that Scranton has everything in one place; one thing I didn’t like about QU was the necessary transportation back and forth between campuses.</p>
<p>My roommate is in the OT program and she did a shadow program like you mentioned. Generally for health science majors Quinnipiac likes to have students who recieve grades that are around B+/As. Quinnipiac also just added a new medical school which will allow you to have access to simulators which act as real patients and it is a completely new campus that allows all health science majors access to the most up to date equipment, so that is something to consider as well.</p>
<p>onemiletoB -</p>
<p>Yes, completely agree with all you’re saying here, but the point of my post was that:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The QU North Haven campus (old Blue Cross / Blue Shield office complex) is new; Scranton is building the same thing - a brand new $50M health sciences building - which will also have new updated equipment. It won’t have a medical school and law school like QU, but… this thread is about OT.</p></li>
<li><p>QU Students have to drive themselves or take a shuttle to North Haven (beginning as early as Sophomore year). Scranton Students can walk to that new health sciences building - all four years they’re undergrads.</p></li>
<li><p>QU costs upwards of $54K a year; Scranton is $1K or $2K less (which matters, unless its someone else’s money other than your own). Scranton is also more generous with its merit aid and its OT program just as competitive to gain admission from what I understand.</p></li>
<li><p>While Ithaca doesn’t have a brand new health sciences building, theirs is relatively new (a decade old) and is also on campus - meaning no commuting to class during the undergrad years.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Wannabeot - I will send you a PM on my other thoughts.</p>
<p>My Daughter was accepted to both QU and Scranton’s OT programs. QU was more generous with her merit aid. We visited both schools and liked both very much. She is still waiting to hear back from Ithaca. </p>
<p>@wannabeot, From everything we have learned in my D’s application process you are definitely on the right track. As MindExplosion mentioned your OT shadowing experience is great. Keep up with your grades and do well on your SAT/ACT and you should be fine.
Good Luck!</p>
<p>@Cruze13, when did your D apply to QU? Just curious cause we’re still waiting (for my D2’s status) and getting more turned off with each passing day. BTW - Ithaca’s EA notification time window is 2/01 so we knew they’d be last in line in terms of all the notifications we’re waiting on. I am surprised at QU offering more $ than Scranton, cause with my D1 it was the other way around (which at the time I thought was typical for each school)…</p>
<p>@MindExplosion, She submitted her application on 10/21 and received her decision on 12/5. She was definitely lucky to hear back in the first batch of letters sent out. I think getting her app in before Nov. was key. I’m sure the amount of applications received per week increased as time went on. I hope your Daughter hears back soon!!!
Did your D1 end up attending Scranton?</p>
<p>@Cruze13 - D1 ended up attending Loyola University Maryland, which was her reach school at the time. D1 wasn’t OT, she’s Speech Path / Audiology. Working out well for her.</p>
<p>I just caught sight of this thread. Hi Cruze!!!</p>
<p>Just wanted to say thanks for all the info between Scranton and QU (and others). Nursing major here, but like to hear other people’s thoughts on the medical side of things since kids will all be in the science building together. My D received her acceptance from Scranton but we are visiting at the end of the month. We love everything about it so far from a distance and our schools sends a bunch of students there every year, so decision is probably between Scranton and QU (and maybe TCNJ. Of course if she gets into her reaches–Northeastern and/or Villanova, will consider those as well…LOL and the other colleges as we hear; but her fav by far is QU). QU said decision made on portal on 12/25 so we are checking the mailbox every day and should hear something soon.</p>
<p>Ok…I’ll stay off the OT thread now…just wanted to chime in a thank you! :)</p>
<p>We went through this process this year with D. We only looked into 5 year BS/MS programs in OT. Currently, she’s received acceptances to 4 OT schools and one of them is Scranton. Although QU was on her list of schools to apply to, she decided not to send her application in because she after visiting and attending open houses at several schools, including University at Buffalo, Stony Brook, Philadelphia, Scranton etc, - she ended up wanting to go to Misericordia. We are just waiting for the financial packages from the schools so she can make her final decision. Scranton has a nice campus and the food is amazing! Although listed as a 5 year BS/MS, it’s also a 5.5 (like QU)which also includes summer and intercession classes starting in the junior year.</p>
<p>BTW, although Stony Brook has a BS/MS, but it doesn’t give direct entry to the professional phase of the OT program. One has to re-apply in junior year after pre-reqs - so we have crossed that off our list.</p>