Albert Said:

Admission to Occupational Therapy school?

We Answered:

I'm in an OT master's program right now and, especially in this economy with everyone applying to schools, and since OT is being discovered as an up-and-coming career, I'd say do your absolute best to get your GPA up. Maybe even consider re-taking prerequisite classes for grad programs like anatomy & physiology, psychology, chemistry- whatever the program is going to look at most- to see if you can boost your GPA for those prereqs at least.

Most schools also want your GRE score, so make sure to do really well and that will help your chances.

Try to get as many hours of observing OT in different settings as you can. I signed up to be a volunteer at a hospital with the up-front understanding that I'd only be observing OT and got to see a lot of different areas- pediatrics, acute care, hand therapy, neuro/physical disability. Public school systems or private practices (rehab facilities, etc.) are also good places to check out.

The competition is going to be stiff, so you just have to make yourself stand out from the rest, but being a guy will help you here, so you've got that going for you already.

It's hard to say what schools to consider. I'd really look into their programs and talk to as many admissions people as I could to get a feel for the program and see if their values will jive with yours. Some programs are way more hard science and research based, some are way more touchy-feely based.

Good luck, it's a great path!!