Easy OT schools to get into

Not sure about "easy" schools, but I'm pretty sure Colorado State University is pretty competitive. From what I heard, last year they had about 250 apply for about 40-45 slots. I just applied to CSU's early acceptance and was rejected. I hope I am accepted during regular acceptance.

Samuel Merrit?

My guess would actually be USC. Last year they accepted a cohort of around 200 students, that's the largest cohort from all the OT schools in California. I'm currently a student at CSUDH and they accepted a cohort of 72 students this year. St. Augustine in San Diego is probably easy to get into too..only because it's still a new OT program that started last year. The only problem with St. Augustine is that it's not an accredited program yet and supposedly it takes about 5 years for a program to get accredited. Loma Linda only accepts about 30 students per year so their program is probably the most competitive out of the schools in CA.

SJSU accepts 32 per year at 2.8 GPA minimum... and its an impacted program in the CSU system now as well so it truly is competitive (impacted means the min reqmts. are not enough to get in because they can look at additional criteria when considering applicants). Loma Linda has stricter requirements with a 3.0GPA and only accepts 30 students, but it is also a private university with a lot less students vying for spots. So if you have the money to go to Loma Linda it would probably be easier to get into (comparably)... I know that last year we had 350+ ppl apply at SJSU.

OTstudent in San Jose, California said: SJSU accepts 32 per year at 2.8 GPA minimum... and its an impacted program in the CSU system now as well so it truly is competitive (impacted means the min reqmts. are not enough to get in because they can look at additional criteria when considering applicants). Loma Linda has stricter requirements with a 3.0GPA and only accepts 30 students, but it is also a private university with a lot less students vying for spots. So if you have the money to go to Loma Linda it would probably be easier to get into (comparably)... I know that last year we had 350+ ppl apply at SJSU.

OTstudent, are you Pattern I or II? What do you have to say about the OT program at SJSU? Has it been a good experience for you? Also wondering if you knew how many applicants you had for Fall 2011. Thanks!

I was accepted to Loma Linda for this summer. I would def recommend the program to everyone. The faculty is AMAZING. Yes it is a private school but its nice because most of the students are graduate students (medical, dental, PT) and the campus has many medical facilities (LLU medical center, childrens medical center, veterans medical center) so you can get lots of experience. Plus, from what I have noticed they interview a lot of people so even if your grades are borderline I would still apply. I had anatomy and physio in progress and they still interviewed and accepted me. GOODLUCK TO ALL

@ OT GIRL

You applied for the Masters right?

Jeff in Berkeley, California said: OTstudent, are you Pattern I or II? What do you have to say about the OT program at SJSU? Has it been a good experience for you? Also wondering if you knew how many applicants you had for Fall 2011. Thanks!

Pattern I bro... I'm finishing up my 4th semester now. I think our program is great, most of our textbooks were written by the faculty teaching that course or other faculty in our department so they are very knowledgeable about what they are teaching. Every cohort is different in terms of experience because if you ask me the experience depends on the people around you. Mine is pretty cool or at least it used to be. I loved the way we interacted and helped each other throughout our first year. But as time has gone by SO MANY people have either not passed a class or dropped out, and even more won't make it to the masters portion due to GPA requirements :(((( so it isn't really as "fun" as it used to be for me. I was really close with a lot of the people that haven't made it, and it seems like more of my friends won't be going on to the last year (grad year). So in THAT sense the experience has been somewhat "mixed". The good part is the classes, I LOVE almost every OT class I have had and am learning SO MUCH! People say its "rigorous" but honestly its just good old fashioned hard work if you ask me. My first few years at SJSU were spent working full time as well as about 15 or so credits so being in this program and not working isn't really much different in my opinion... I have more free time now than I've ever had so I guess my opinion is a little biased lol.

I have no idea how many applicants we have for this upcoming year, but I know its been going up DRAMATICALLY every single year. It used to be around 100 or so, but for my cohort it was up in the 300's, so I'm sure its either hovered around there or gone up... hope i answered your question :)

BigRoy=OTStudent lol fyi

I'm from LA originally though (plan on going back as soon as I get my feet wet in hand therapy) and DH and Loma Linda are koo schools. Loma Linda is far from LA though, I think its in Riverside so if your comin out there for the beaches you might want to go to SC or DH so your actually IN LA ya digg... But from the looks of it it might be easier to get into their programs cuz SJSU is getting RIDICULOUS with new students... If I had my same high school grades I wouldn't have gotten in now adays... AND If I had applied to the OT program just 1 year later I wouldn't of qualified lol... things are gettin CRAZY!

I'm still deciding on SJSU or USC, I got accepted to both. My plan is to come back to the Bay. SJSU was actually harder to get into this year than USC was. I need to speak with some FA counselors before I completely decide. Who knows we might run into each other if I stay up here.

What colleges offer bachelors for OT besides sjsu and usc? any others?

Does anyone know anything about the St. Augustine San Diego campus MOT program? I would love to get some insight about it from someone who is attending or knows someone who attends!

Hey Jeff, how were your grades and GRE scores?

Tiff in Davis, California said: Hey Jeff, how were your grades and GRE scores?

When I graduated with my BS in 2005, it sucked it was like a 2.7. I took 45 units of prereqs + some between Summer 2009 and Summer 2010 and got straight A's, that brought my cumulative up to like a 3.0. My GRE was a 1200 and a AWA of 5.0 on my only try. SJSU only looked at my last 60 GPA, which was a 3.6.

Suzie Que in Hawaii said: Samuel Merrit?

Samuel Merritt is pretty competitive... This year they had over 250 applicants competing for 36 spots... good luck! Dominican University in San Rafael is easier to get in and they do not do interviews or accept GRE...

Domincan Univ in San Raf do require GRE.. Where did you see that they do not?

I think dominguez hills is easier to get into because they accept large cohorts. My school sjsu only takes 32 a year but I've heard CSUDH is in the 70's... USC as well.

USC isn't really that difficult to get into from what I heard... its just the MOST difficult to pay for ;) lol.

I think USC was sort of difficult to get into, but probably not as difficult as SJSU, but moreso than CSUDH because those two are mostly receiving the same southern California applicants and in addition USC gets applications from all over because of name recognition. This years cohort at USC was 100 or some number very close to it out of 350+ applications I heard, I went to the new admit orientation in late March. My Pattern II cohort at SJSU is 32, so I definitely felt blessed to get in as I am local to the Bay and I get to pay the resident tuition. I've heard that Dominican wasn't too competitive because they're on the 3 year format so they charge another years tuition, plus I know a few students who came out of there. Samuel Merritt I've felt was somewhat competitive because plenty of people apply there since they don't require GRE scores and their GPA calculator is very generous, plus they are smack dab in the middle of the Bay.

Regarding Dominican and the GRE, when I was applying last year their website did not mention the GRE. They currently only state that you send in your GRE scores without listing a minimum score, so I guess taking it will suffice.

Youjin in Huntington Beach, California said: My guess would actually be USC. Last year they accepted a cohort of around 200 students, that's the largest cohort from all the OT schools in California. I'm currently a student at CSUDH and they accepted a cohort of 72 students this year. St. Augustine in San Diego is probably easy to get into too..only because it's still a new OT program that started last year. The only problem with St. Augustine is that it's not an accredited program yet and supposedly it takes about 5 years for a program to get accredited. Loma Linda only accepts about 30 students per year so their program is probably the most competitive out of the schools in CA.

what did you do to get accepted??? lol I'm not sure if I'm qualified, it's my goal school though...

I will be applying at Loma Linda University as well as Dominguez Hills. I am currently studying for the GRE that I plan on taking in January of 2012. Dominguez Hills requires applicants to take the GRE but LLU doesn´t. As far as tuition, Dominguez Hills is far more cheaper than LLU. I have a low GPA of 2.8 but I´m hoping that I´ll get straight A´s on all my prereq classes to boost my GPA. Does anyone have any advice on what school is better overall? pros and cons? what are my chances of getting into the program considering that i have such a low GPA?

peg in Saint Louis, Missouri said: what did you do to get accepted??? lol I'm not sure if I'm qualified, it's my goal school though...

Hey,

Check your application status on mycsudh..I think theyve already made decisions!

Jeff in Berkeley, California said: When I graduated with my BS in 2005, it sucked it was like a 2.7. I took 45 units of prereqs + some between Summer 2009 and Summer 2010 and got straight A's, that brought my cumulative up to like a 3.0. My GRE was a 1200 and a AWA of 5.0 on my only try. SJSU only looked at my last 60 GPA, which was a 3.6.

Thanks Jeff for sharing that info. Now I have a cumulative of 3.01 but some of my prereqs sucks. I have a D on Anatomy 2 and I have about 3 Cs on the others and some Bs. What do you think? My GRE was about 800, hated that exam and I got sick while taking it lol. Any advice pls. Thanks.

Which schools were you interested in applying to Funmmee? I know some of the Texas schools are very competitive (3.6 GPA to even qualify for an interview!)

You may want to consider retaking your prereqs for better grades. Especially the science courses, since a lot of programs really look at your anatomy, physiology, etc grades. I would also suggest retaking the GRE. SJSU (the school that Jeff is attending) requires a minimum 1000 on the GRE. I believe last year USC weeded out some of the applicants that had lower than 1000 on the GRE as well (unless they were outstanding in a different category to balance out a lower score).

You want to prove to the schools you apply to that you can survive their academic program. Strive for a stronger GRE or a stronger GPA to help balance out your academic scores as an applicant. Also, having a lot of exposure (couple hundred hours of volunteering) to the field and a strong essay can help lean the admissions people in your favor.

Good luck.

I think any school is not easy to get into now. OT is becoming a popular career and with that it is becoming competitive. I'm a student at Dominican and last year was the first year there was a waiting list. Dominican does require the GRE and starting for the next cohort (Fall 2012) the word is that interviews are being done. I don't think there are any "easy" schools to get into.

T in Hemet, California said: I think any school is not easy to get into now. OT is becoming a popular career and with that it is becoming competitive. I'm a student at Dominican and last year was the first year there was a waiting list. Dominican does require the GRE and starting for the next cohort (Fall 2012) the word is that interviews are being done. I don't think there are any "easy" schools to get into.

Hi T!

Could you share your experience in the admission process? Does Dominican has a spring and fall program? I believe this is a 3 years program, and it seems that is about 13 units per semester. How does the schedule look like?

OT GIRL in Turlock, California said: I was accepted to Loma Linda for this summer. I would def recommend the program to everyone. The faculty is AMAZING. Yes it is a private school but its nice because most of the students are graduate students (medical, dental, PT) and the campus has many medical facilities (LLU medical center, childrens medical center, veterans medical center) so you can get lots of experience. Plus, from what I have noticed they interview a lot of people so even if your grades are borderline I would still apply. I had anatomy and physio in progress and they still interviewed and accepted me. GOODLUCK TO ALL

Wow congrats! I'm taking Physio, lifespan psych and abnormal psych (only for csudh) this semester and my goal is to get all As. My undergrad g.p.a was a 2.8 :/ so I'm hoping my pre req grades will help. What do you think helped you get accepted? Any advice? I'm so nervous!

The admission process was not bad, just stressful like any other big decision is. Dominican keeps you updated on what they have, need and so forth.
Dominican only has a fall start program and although it is 3 years, it is not really. What I mean by that is you go to school your 1st year fall and spring semesters. Then summer you have 2 online classes. Then 2nd year again you have fall and spring semesters. That summer you do your 1st level 2 fieldwork. Then 3rd year you go to school fall semester and spring semester you have your 2nd level 2 fieldwork. As you can see it takes 3 years to graduate, but it is only 5 full semesters of actual school.
The classes run M-Th with F off. Most days we are done by 1, with some days until 4.

T in Greenbrae, California said: The admission process was not bad, just stressful like any other big decision is. Dominican keeps you updated on what they have, need and so forth.
Dominican only has a fall start program and although it is 3 years, it is not really. What I mean by that is you go to school your 1st year fall and spring semesters. Then summer you have 2 online classes. Then 2nd year again you have fall and spring semesters. That summer you do your 1st level 2 fieldwork. Then 3rd year you go to school fall semester and spring semester you have your 2nd level 2 fieldwork. As you can see it takes 3 years to graduate, but it is only 5 full semesters of actual school.
The classes run M-Th with F off. Most days we are done by 1, with some days until 4.

I would love to hear more about DU's program, I was accepted for fall 2012 and couldn't be more excited. Are the classes pretty rigorous? Do you feel talking less units is beneficial? Fo r fieldwork are you allowed to request an area?

Congrats on the acceptance! The first semester was not too rigorous, but this semester has been. I think the amount of units that we are taking is enough, as each class has plenty of work to do. Yes, for fieldwork you can ask for an area and if they don't have anything there, they can try to set up a site.

I want to apply to CSUDH and St. Augustine in September, and I was wondering if any one could give me an idea what my chances are! I have a little over a 3.2 gpa, ( I know not that great) but I did do a sport all four years of my undergrad and I am not sure if this will help my odd or not.My GRE on the new test was a 305.

I was wondering if you you could help me figure out my chances of getting into the MOT programs at CSUDH and St. Ausgustine in SD. I have a little over a 3.2 GPA with a Kinesiology degree. I know this is not that great but I did a Division 1 sport all 4 yrs, and held mulitple school records, and I was wondering if this could help chances being an athlete for if it makes no difference. I got a 305 on the new GRE scoring system. I am planning on applying to approach to both these programs this summer,
Thanks!

I am preparing to apply to CSUDH program this September and very nervous. I am taking Anatomy, Life-span psych(which repeating since its been more than 10yr) and Abnormal Psych this semester. My overall undergrad GPA is 3.8 so I am not worried about that, trying to get A's in prereqs also.

I am very nervous about GRE's, never done it before and will not be able to take it anytime before Summer. Any suggestions on doing good at GRE's?

Also, anyone studying at CSUDH, any pros or cons about the program? I am mainly concentrated on that school as it is most local and cheapest. USC will probably cost me 3 times more.

Any recomendations?

s322 in Laramie, Wyoming said: I was wondering if you you could help me figure out my chances of getting into the MOT programs at CSUDH and St. Ausgustine in SD. I have a little over a 3.2 GPA with a Kinesiology degree. I know this is not that great but I did a Division 1 sport all 4 yrs, and held mulitple school records, and I was wondering if this could help chances being an athlete for if it makes no difference. I got a 305 on the new GRE scoring system. I am planning on applying to approach to both these programs this summer,
Thanks!

What is you gre score equivalent to on the old score rating? If you go to the ets website, they have charts that give you ur equivalent "old score" based on your "new" score for each section.

Mon01 in Burbank, California said: I am preparing to apply to CSUDH program this September and very nervous. I am taking Anatomy, Life-span psych(which repeating since its been more than 10yr) and Abnormal Psych this semester. My overall undergrad GPA is 3.8 so I am not worried about that, trying to get A's in prereqs also.

I am very nervous about GRE's, never done it before and will not be able to take it anytime before Summer. Any suggestions on doing good at GRE's?

Also, anyone studying at CSUDH, any pros or cons about the program? I am mainly concentrated on that school as it is most local and cheapest. USC will probably cost me 3 times more.

Any recomendations?

Have you attended an info session yet? The info session will give you more of an idea of what the program is like. It's hard for me to give you a list of pros and cons because I have no other ot grad school experience to compare it to. I enjoy the program, but im sure it's not perfect. There is an emphasis on fieldwork experiences (you start fieldwork 1 during ur second semester and continue each semester til u reach your fieldwork 2). I know there are other schools that emphasize other aspects like research (dominican university).

Concerning your gre, use test guides to help you out. Also, you want to aim for above a 1000 to be on the safe side. Yes, I know the scoring changed recently, but just check the ets website for the equivalent score on their new testing scale. You have a good gpa, so that will work out in your favor incase your gre isn't 1000+. And csudh doesn't mind if you take the gre multiple times.

R. in Northridge, California said: Have you attended an info session yet? The info session will give you more of an idea of what the program is like. It's hard for me to give you a list of pros and cons because I have no other ot grad school experience to compare it to. I enjoy the program, but im sure it's not perfect. There is an emphasis on fieldwork experiences (you start fieldwork 1 during ur second semester and continue each semester til u reach your fieldwork 2). I know there are other schools that emphasize other aspects like research (dominican university).

Concerning your gre, use test guides to help you out. Also, you want to aim for above a 1000 to be on the safe side. Yes, I know the scoring changed recently, but just check the ets website for the equivalent score on their new testing scale. You have a good gpa, so that will work out in your favor incase your gre isn't 1000+. And csudh doesn't mind if you take the gre multiple times.

Hi T, I attended the info session on January 27 with Eric Hwang. He seemed pretty cool. I am hoping to do my GRE and observation hours in summer. The only subject that I will be doing in Fall is Physiology, but I am hoping that it will not be such a big problem.

Are you a first or second year student? Is your field work once a week after the first semester? I am terrified with the commute, but there is no other schools around here, and I can't move having family and children. Is the program really rigorous, the way they present it to you? What are your school hours like? and were you able to get the field work close to your home at least?

If the location next to your name is correct, then your commute will not be as bad as mine is right now. I drive 46 miles one way, much of it in traffic.

I am just a first year in my first semester. I personally do not think the academic work is extremely difficult. I'm not saying its a piece of cake, but for the most part it is manageable. There are very busy weeks and slower, more relaxed weeks however, I am not working and I do not have children to take care of at home. For people who have to juggle more on their plate, school work may be more difficult to manage. I know a few of our older cohort members tend to get more stressed ouT by the academic work than the younger students (I'm thinking because the older students have to readjust to being students again? And they tend to have more out of school obligations.)

FW I is once a week. And the coordinator does try to assign people to locations near-ish to them, but there may be some semesters where you will still have to drive a bit to your site. Right now we only have class three days a week, but I heard from the previous cohort that the rest of the semesters will keep you busy four days a week.

Thank you so much for your response. I feel a little better now. Although I feel that going back to school is more difficult now having younger children and family. Thankfully my family is understanding. I wish you best of luck in your studies! May be I will see you in school next year!

OTstudent in San Jose, California said: SJSU accepts 32 per year at 2.8 GPA minimum... and its an impacted program in the CSU system now as well so it truly is competitive (impacted means the min reqmts. are not enough to get in because they can look at additional criteria when considering applicants). Loma Linda has stricter requirements with a 3.0GPA and only accepts 30 students, but it is also a private university with a lot less students vying for spots. So if you have the money to go to Loma Linda it would probably be easier to get into (comparably)... I know that last year we had 350+ ppl apply at SJSU.

SJSU only requires that 2.8 gpa for the undergrad pogram. The masters program requires a 3.0 in the last 60 units of work.

SJSU is impacted. You needed a 3.7 to get admitted into SJSU undergraduate OT program this year. Go to SJSU, then to admissions, then to impaction info. It will tell you the minimum GPA to transfer into the program.

3.7 caught me by surprise because it was 2.8 last year.

hi: I am in the same boat, I'm looking for school with a bachelor's to masters program that is relatively easy to get into. I've got two years behind me and 90 credits and I just interviewed at Chicago State University ( I'm currently attending) my gpa will be 3.5 or better by the time I finish this semester out.
does anyone know any easy ( e. g. simple) programs to get into so I can finish.
I've got alot of solid credits, I just want to get this show on the road.;

Well..LIU in Brooklyn has a combined Bs/MS program...SO does York college in Queens..also there is Touro...as well as Stockton college in NJ..right now, there are now "easy" OT programs to get into..

Hi, does anyone know the gpa to be accepted to USC'S bachelor OT program this year? thanks!

I was accepted in to chicago state's program.... totally psyched.....