Hopeful One

Hello ChasingMavericks! Reading your situation makes me feel more at ease. I still have some hope! I will definitely focus on other aspects of the application because I think I can definitely strengthen those areas. In the past week, I have actually come up with a plan on what to do if I get accepted or rejected for this round of the program. I only plan on applying to 3 schools this time around, and I'll see what happens! Thank you for sharing your scores and your situation. I appreciate it.

I'm not sure how many other applicants have the same idea. Many people who are in their late 20's and early 30's apply as well, who have been working a different job other than occupational therapy. I'm sure this applies to multiple graduate programs though. I'd say a decent majority are getting involved in undergraduate research who are currently in their undergrad, but not everyone. I am actually going to take the undergraduate research for credit so I can officially be on my transcript when I send it off to schools. I hope to obtain some experience in research related to a population in my field. I think at least getting some research experience will help me stand out from other applicants that have not participated in research at all.

Yes it is a professional program, but I think doing undergraduate research during my last term would potentially help me stand out from the other undergraduates applying. I also am going to get 60 hours of observation this term and another 20 hours during my winter break. I think different settings will definitely help me with the hands-on aspect of the application and/or personal letter. I don't know if my professors know as much about OT, but I can try and talk to them. Maybe I will run my stats by one of my professors and see what they think. Thanks for the input rising_star! I appreciate it.

rising_star, I just feel like a 145 and a 146 are on the lower end and aren't good enough for what's considered the competitive scores. But, I keep trying to remind myself that the GRE is just 1 part of the application. I have other parts to the application that I can still modify to make myself stand out. I guess I'm just worried that my application won't be as good as the others since Occupational Therapy is becoming more and more competitive these days. I'm trying to get involved in undergraduate research for my last term before heading off, so hopefully that will help with my application.

Fuzzylogician, Thanks for the advice! Talking to professors about writing LOR's later is a good idea. I will definitely do that during my last term. I see this situation as a win-win. I could apply now, and if I get accepted, move next fall. Or I could not apply, and gain even more experience over the next year for the next application sequence. I am just unsure about life decisions and was wondering on what other people have done during their last term of undergrad.

Hello everyone! So I hear pros and cons about this particular topic. I am in my last term of undergrad (will be finishing up in mid-December) and I am debating on whether or not I should take before applying to graduate school. Some teachers and friends say that a break is good because you're burnt out at the end of 4 years of college (and yes I am definitely burnt out to an extent)! While others say to just go for it. I'm the kind of person to not let a break deter me from my goals, but a break that's about 2 years, is a long time. Here's my issue: I want to get into an MSOT/MOT (Master's of Occupational Therapy), which requires the usual 3 letters of rec, GRE, personal statement, and x number of hours (usually 20-40 in at least 2 settings) relating to job shadowing/volunteer work, etc. My intended program starts annually every Fall (or Spring, depending on the school) and if I apply and get accepted this time around, I get to take about a 9 month break off from school before moving into the program in Fall 2016. However, if I do not get accepted, I get an even longer break, and go into the Fall 2017 program. I have a 3.54 GPA, have 80+ hours of volunteering with people who have disabilities, and I'm going to get around 60 hours of job shadowing with a registered OT this fall. My GRE score wasn't that great but I have all the prerequisites for OT school. Should I apply this time around (meaning this fall) or not apply, and apply next fall? I have a job waiting for me after I graduate as well, that also involves people with mental and physical disabilities. If I have the time off, I can use that to prepare for the GRE, get more shadowing hours in OT, and also just gain more experience. But, I really want to move forward with my academic goals. I guess I just want some opinions on breaks, and if anyone is applying to OT school, to give me their insight as well. All your answers are appreciated! Thanks!

Greetings everyone! I'm new to this graduate forum, but I thought I would join early since I plan on going to graduate school. I am currently in my last term as an undergrad and I'm on the edge about my GRE score/applications. I just took the GRE today and scored 145 on the verbal and 146 on the quantitative. I know, these scores aren't good at all! I plan to retake it again. However, there are two schools that I am looking into that have a "competitive range" of scores and also have a "combined" score for the GRE. The competitive scores range from 145-155 in both sections, and 3.5-4.5 on the writing section. While the other school wants a total of 275 on the GRE. I obtained a 289 total. I was wondering if I should even apply to these schools right now? Should I retake the GRE and then apply to all of my desired schools (I have 4 major ones)? I am kind of bummed but the scores were expected. I only prepped for a month due to finishing up summer classes. What did you do to properly prep for the GRE?