To be honest, the process of applying to OT school may have been more stressful for me than actually completing the program. As many of you know, it took me 3 application cycles to finally get in!
If you are re-applying next year because you didn’t get in this year — check out this short blog discussing what to do in between application cycles if you did not have success on your first try.
Part of talking about this is in my efforts to decrease the stigma around not having success in something on your first try! Our culture praises success, not effort — but there is beauty in the effort and process. 100% — growth does not occur when we are not challenged.
Here are some pieces of advice to consider while you’re waiting for the next cycle to start:
VOLUNTEER//WORK
Volunteer or work in a rehab setting to increase your experience and your hours that you add into your application.
⇢There are opportunities available for Rehab Aids and OT Aides that can get your foot in the door somewhere and also increase your listed experience hours on apps.
PICK UP THE PHONE
Call the school(s) you are trying to get into and talk to the admissions staff.
⇢Ask to go over your application and ask which areas you can improve in. If you are applying for the first time — call and ask what they focus on for applications. I found that some schools favored prerequisite GPA’s and some focused more on the essay! — tailor your application accordingly.
ENROLL
Become enrolled in your local community college and retake prerequisites.
⇢If you have any prerequisite grades that are a B or lower, you can take them online while you work. I retook sociology, psychology, abnormal psych, biology, and psychics to improve my grades which then increased my overall prerequisite GPA. I found out this is something schools look at even more so then your overall GPA
Find PATIENCE — but also KINDNESS
Yes, be patient but also be KIND to yourself.
⇢When we are pursuing something that we are passionate about, and we are not immediately having success, we can get wrapped up into others opinions of ourselves and even our own opinions of ourselves. Most do not share all of their failures or denials letters, only their acceptances and the announcements of their successes. Looking back the only regret that I had was the negative self-talk each time I was denied! Be good to yourself and try your best to trust the process!
featured image: psychologytoday.com
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