APPLYING TO OT GRAD SCHOOL.

I've had many inquiries about the application process and I thought long and hard about how I can better your application process- we've been through it with undergrad and I don't need to remind you how horrific the common app was. Unfortunately, I cannot say that it is any easier when applying to OT schools. But with these tips, I found it fairly painless to go through the application process. I would love to hear your tips/advice/more questions below as well :)

Tip #1- Organize, Organize, Organize!!!

I cannot emphasize this part enough. Each OT program has different prerequisites to apply. It is next to impossible to keep track of everything unless you had a photographic memory- which I do not. I am very much a visual person and my type A kicks in because I love crossing things off! In undergrad, I went into Microsoft and listed the top 5 schools I wanted to apply to: USC, NYU, Columbia, Boston University, and Tufts. Then underneath each school, I EVERYTHING the school required of me from the prereqs to recommendations to GPA. Which brings me to my second point...

Tip #2- DO YOUR RESEARCH.

As a current student ambassador for USC admissions, I can tell you that things are changing constantly. Recently, USC's application deadline has been moved up by a couple of months. Things are not always constant, therefore do your research thoroughly. This is a key point as even prerequisites are constantly changing. You want to be updated on the most recent information so that your application process goes as smoothly as possible.

I included screenshots of my word document that I printed out, taped it onto my wall and slowly highlighted the requirements as I completed them.

Screen Shot 2018-08-19 at 6.01.38 PM

Screen Shot 2018-08-19 at 6.01.56 PM

Tip #3- LOOK INTO FEE WAIVERS.

This is one thing that I regret NOT doing because it could have saved me a lot of $$$$. Especially for the GRE ($200) and application fees ($70-$90 each school), things really add up. It was only after I took my GREs that my friend told me about the fee waiver. The thing is, you can't apply for this the day before your test date. You have to apply for a fee waiver, include some financial information, and wait about 3 weeks before you get the fee waiver approved/denied. I highly recommend this because it will save you so much money!! Some schools also offer fee waivers but this again is really a case by case scenario. I highly recommend reaching out to the admissions office to find out more about this option.

Tip #4- GET CLOSE WITH OTCAS.

This will be YOUR commonapp for most OT schools. Now I say most because while 90% of the schools are in OTCAS, there are a few schools that prefer to use a separate site for their application process (ahem I'm pointing to Columbia). It's important to keep track of which schools use OTCAS because your life gets much easier. Once you submit your files like recommendations, transcripts, personal statement, through OTCAS- the schools can access them. This avoids much of the paper mailing and postage stamps and things getting lost nonsense.

Tip #5- CHECK CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK.

There are a lot of small details that might fall through the cracks and slow down your application process. For example, USC requires all prerequisites to have been completed within the past 5 years...BU allows them to be taken within the past 7 years. Therefore, if you're going into grad school after working or pursuing a different career, you want to confirm the timeline because the psych class that you took in 2010 would not eligible this year. Another small detail includes the prereq grades for each school. USC requires a minimum of a C in each prereq course while Columbia requires a minimum of a B.

Tip #6- REACH OUT.

Especially for PREREQ courses, I had to email both BU and USC constantly through the application process to get my courses approved. In my senior year at Boston College, the Education department wanted to destigmatize mental illness. Therefore, they changed the course name from Abnormal Psychology to Mental Illness- Stigma and Meaning in the Community. I knew that the colleges would be confused even though the CONTENT was the same. So I had to email schools the syllabus for them to approve that it did indeed fulfill the Abnormal Pysch requirement. I've always had a great experience reaching out to admissions team, especially USC (I'm not biased, I swear!). They replied so quickly with either a YES/NO and even recommended online classes that I can take if the course was not approved (My Mental Illness class was approved!). Admissions teams are often very helpful and you can learn a lot about the school through their admissions team. Do they care about their applicants? How much effort are they putting into communicating with you? These are things that you should take note of.

Tip #7- EARLIER THE BETTER...

Yes, of course earlier the better. However, if that means a crappy application, the no, earlier is not better. When I applied to grad programs, I took my time but aimed to complete each application 3 weeks before deadline. The only thing that I held out until the end was my personal statement and the application fee. These were two things that were in my control. But things like the recommendations, transcripts, etc. were things that needed time to process because it involved other parties and anything can go wrong really. In addition, professors really appreciate having time to complete your recommendation rather than being rushed to do it. So in order to not stress out, make things on time, I go back to my first point... ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE!!! Creating a chart, using a calendar, whatever it is to help you organize your thoughts and deadlines, DO IT.

I hope this was helpful and would love to hear other questions/thoughts/concerns and I'll try my best to address them. Enjoy Living and In Joy, Live!