Matthew Shaw
01:00:17 PM
Welcome everyone!!!
Alright, welcome everyone. We're so happy to have you logging in. We're going to give everyone just a second to make sure their sound on and they can hear us. You can see our numbers going up as folks are logging in. Just give us a second and we'll be with you in just a moment. Thank you so much for coming.
It looks like we have most of our books here. So thank you so much for joining us. My name is Tara. I'm the Associate Director for Graduate Admissions here at Doctor University, and we are really happy to have you here to learn more about our Master of Science and Occupational Therapy. And I'm joined by the program chair, Doctor Mary Kent, who is going to give us the wonderful overview of the program. I want to share a few items with you.
In regard to the housekeeping, first thing is I know that you may have questions and what we want to do is we're going to have all the questions for the end we are performing. But you will see that there is a participant check as one of the features through our webinar form up here.
Please put your questions in the chat. But again, we ask that you wait until the very end. Those Americans more than likely are going to cover your question. In this presentation, we have a really in-depth overview, but if we do anything, then we'll make sure that we covered those at the end. So with that being said, I want to turn things over to you. Mary, thank you so much if you want to introduce yourself and you.
Hi, everybody. So my name is Doctor Mary Kent. I am the program Chair and a Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy here at Stockton. I have been at Stockton, this is my 15th year. I have been an OT for over 30 years and still love being an OT. So we're always very excited to know that we have people interested and excited about coming into our profession. So I'm here today.
To talk to you about our program, we are a masters level program and we'll talk about why we have chosen to stay at a masters level a little bit and and it is a 2 1/2 year full time entry level program.
So we are on Stockton's main campus. This is just a picture of the Health Science center where we have some of our events, but most of the time we're in West Quad in a different, different building. We're going to skip through these, umm, because you guys are coming and interested about the the Masters program. But we do have a school of Health Sciences. We have programs from Health Science. You'll see. We have a whole plethora of public health.
Nursing, Communication Disorders, OT, PT, Exercise Science and Holistic Health, one of the main things to know I think about knowing that we have the School of Health Sciences is that we do do a lot of interprofessional activities with the other programs within the school of Health Science, particularly PT and Communication Disorders. We also do quite a bit with Nursing. So umm just you know to just to kind of give you a general overview of of Stockton's.
Schoolhouse science. So sometimes one of the big questions we get is what undergraduate degree will best prepare me for a career in OT. You know, it doesn't matter what you've been studying as long as you have your prereqs. We have a lot of second career students who also come in. So the the big thing is, you know, Health Sciences, we get a lot psychology, exercise science.
Uh, yeah. So you know, whatever works for you is fine. OK, we're going to show you a quick video.
OK. So umm, that is also on our on our website. You can tell that was from a couple of years ago. We still had masks on due to COVID and Dana is now a practicing OT out in the community. Trevor is now finishing his his program and will be graduating in December. So the 2 1/2 years go by very quickly. There's a lot plugged into into the program, so the West.
My building is where we are housed. Why should you choose Stockton?
Um, you know, well why should you choose OT? So if hopefully because you're all on this call, you guys are definitely committed and wanting to be an OT, but it really is a dynamic and exciting career. Like I mentioned, I've been an OT. I'm in my 35th year. I have had done many different things in my career. I've worked with adults and acute care. My primary practice area has been Pediatrics. I've worked community based. I've had my own private practice.
I've worked in school based practice, early intervention. Now I teach and that's always 1 degree. So we have such a wide birth and wide scope of practice that you can find many different places and different things that you can do with your degree once you're once you're done. We tend to have lots of flexibility and work schedules. You know we're important members of the healthcare teams, but hopefully the biggest thing is that.
That you're coming in because you really want to be able to work with people and help them to be able to, to maximize their lives and being able to do things that are meaningful and purposeful for them. OK, we're going to.
Not do that one, OK. That's a long one. So OK, so why choose Stockton? So like the video said, we have been around since 1999. We have always had excellent, you know, pass rates. We have most of the time in 97 to 100% pass rate on the NBC COT exam. We only have 30 students per class. So we have a very small cohort.
Um, which we really enjoy because we get to know you very well. You also get to know us very well. That really helps us be able to individualize the instruction and help our students as best as we can because they're we are a smaller size comparable to other programs. We use really innovative teaching methods. Everything that we do is hands on. Your classes are held once a week.
Each course is only once a week, which is different than undergrad, and it can be anywhere from three, four to five hours long. That sounds awful, but that's where our our innovative teaching techniques come in. Because you're not just sitting, you're not just doing lectures. There's hands on activities, hands on labs, You do community based learning, lots and lots of different variations of things that that we do to help you to learn this. Umm, we have a variety of field.
Work experiences, Of course, we have many in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania area because that's where most of our students come from. We really encourage you to think about leaving New Jersey for a Level 2 field work experience, think about going. We've had students in Colorado, California, Arizona, South Carolina, Georgia, you know, many, many different states. And so think about that.
It gives you a whole different type of experience in being able to um.
To experience health care and practice in a different state.
Like I said, we're an accredited program. We have been for over 20 years. We have outstanding faculty. There are seven of us on the faculty and I would say that the with most of us have over 20 years of experience as OT's. We have an excellent reputation. We have a very strong alumni.
Web that I'd like to say that goes out to everybody because we.
They're out there working. They're really good OTS and then that helps strengthen our reputation as this program. Our alumni come back and help us continuously. They are a guest lecturers. They help with different programming that we do. They take our students as field work educators. We have lots of different student activities. As the video mentioned, we have soda, which is just for OT students. The Student Occupational Therapy Association, it is.
In UH has a relationship with AOTA, our national organization. And again, we have gotten many awards from Stockton for the amount of community engagement that we do. We help with the Faces for Autism Group A lot. We help run out with autism, for adults with autism group. We do that 5K walk every year. Plus we do lots of other service activities. Umm.
And again, I've already talked about our really good UM pass rate UM. So what are some of the learning resources that we have. We have really outstanding facilities on on campus and and even you know our IT department is terrific. So you know I think most universities have gotten very used to combination of of you know being able to have online resources because of COVID and ours was no different.
And really upping our game with that. So you know, if we need to, we do stuff virtually. Sometimes we do and it's scheduled, sometimes it's because we have to, but we have lots and lots of IT support the library, computer labs are on campus. You have space just for graduate students in our profession in our common areas. So like I mentioned, we have clinical sites, plethora of those.
Like I said all over the country and we there is a lot of assistance that's available through financial aid, counseling, the learning access program, graduate assistantships. If you're interested in a GA, we really encourage you at the time of your your application to think about applying for one in our department GA they for one credit.
Gives you a tuition reimbursement for one credit of work, that's what one credit means and that work is about 3 hours of work per week for 415 weeks. OK. So and it's not that you you work directly with one of our faculty.
Um, like my gas. I run the Get Fit program, which is an exercise in nutrition program for adults and older adults with, well, older adults and then adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. So my graduate assistants help me run the program alongside GA's from from PT. And so, you know, they're not sitting there. You know, we don't give our GA's typically busy work. There's always some that we need help with.
Um, you know, sometimes there might be different things that we need to think, but most of the time you're helping us with research, you're helping us with programming, you're helping, you know, maybe going to open houses, you became a face for our program. So really think about the graduate assistantships. It helps you with the cost. So I would say most of the time, most of our GA's apply for two credits. Umm.
Kiara Vasquez
01:16:22 PM
Are traveling OT’s a thing ?
And uh, per semester and which is a very reasonable, um thing that that helps, OK, with your cost and then also get you involved at a whole different level within the program.
OK. Umm, OK. So our curriculum, our curriculum is a 2 1/2 year program. We follow a developmental model. So what does that mean? So that means that we start you off your first semester our foundational courses. So one of them is actually called Foundations of OT. And then you learn like, you know, it's like a clinical conditions course and you do a group process course.
These are all like the basis of things to come, so you need all of this information to then move on to the next one. So then starting the 2nd semester you start your evaluation and intervention courses and those courses include Pediatrics, eval and intervention. You do an intervention for your mental health and you do a level 1 field work which is a one day a week field work for both Pediatrics and your mental health in that second semester. So you're starting to apply those clinical skills.
Very early in in the program combined with that semester, you also do start your research courses, so the first ones in evidence based practice you do.
Yeah, and then, uh, motor motor science. Because you have motor learning and and that stuff the first semester and you have the second one starting the 2nd semester, there are two classes that you take that are online between the first summer session between at the end of your first year. Then you have the rest of that summer off.
You then come back for your second year. The third semester is adults and older adults, and again some more research classes. But again, you have a Level 1 field work working with adults. The last semester is the field work that's focused on older adults, another Level 1 field work embedded in that.
And then when you're done those two full years that may you start your level 2 field work which are 12 week clinical placements, you need to complete 24 weeks according to ACO standards. So you do one for 12 weeks, you have typically off August till September and then you start your second one and then you're done and graduate on the in December of that start of that.
3rd year, so it's 80 credits total. Like I said, first summer is kind of off. Second summer is full time Level 2 field work.
We also have international experience which was mentioned in the video. So we have a relationship with two universities that offer OT and Bogota Colombia. Traditionally we've been taking a trip on spring break to go and see clinical sites and cultural sites over in the Bogota area. We also have students from Colombia from PT, OT and speech programs over there that come and.
Learn with us and they do clinical placements here in the fall, so you get a nice experience of of that whole international OT. We are all over the world might look a little different and of course how Healthcare is different in every country. So things are different that way but we really focus a lot on on that cultural diversity within our program.
OK, so to apply to the program you have to have a 3.2 GPA. So I'm going to say now if you do not have a cumulative 3.2 GPA your your file does not even get looked at. That is the minimum requirement. OK Do you have to have any type of degree? No, no specific degree is required as long as you have all of the prerequisites, OK?
Do you have to have your degree done now? So can you be a senior and apply for the program for next fall? Yes, as long as it's reasonable. And there is a plan that we can see that you're going to have that degree done before September 1 of 2024, OK.
So, um, we're going to talk about the differences between masters and doctoral entry level programs and another slide, but either one an entry level, masters oral entry level doctorate, you sit for the same NBCT exam and then you are going to be applying for the same exact job. So we'll talk about that in, in a minute.
OK. The prerequisite, Ohh, there it goes. OK, required prereqs, you have to have a B minus or better on all of the prerequisite courses. OK.
And so you have to have A and P1 and two with a lab. All right. You have to have a general psychology course or an intro to psych course. You need to have anthropology or intro to sociology. Abnormal psych. Human development or lifespan. Now let me say that again, that has to be lifespan. So you can't just take a childhood development course.
You have to, if that was what you took. You also then have to have another development course that shows adolescents through older adults. OK, so it can be one class if it's lifespan or it has to be two so that we can see that it covers the whole lifespan. OK, we also have to take statistics. You won't be using statistics, as in I have to figure out how to do this, but you have to understand statistics to understand our research and to understand things like standardized testing and all of that, so.
That is why that is a requirement for the program.
Um, OK, other prerequisites? Uh, you will have to complete a CPR course.
And if it has to be, the first time has to be in person, and then it can be renewed virtually. But the first one has to be in person again. That would just need to be in before the classes start on September 1. We need documentation of 40 hours a week, 40 hours of work or volunteer work or community service with an OT. So we often get asked, can it be with the PT? No, it has to be.
With an OT, there is on our website a form of a that asks you to have the OTC sign that and verify your hours. That is required. So you can't just say I did 40 hours here. We need that that signed form on Stockton's forum, OK? And the reason that we do that is because we want students to understand the scope of OT.
Jennifer Radwanski
01:23:59 PM
40 Hour Documentation form:
Jennifer Radwanski
01:24:01 PM
https://intraweb.stockton.edu/eyos/gradstudies/content/docs/Application%20and%20Application%20Supplements/MSOT%20Hours%20Form.pdf
Practice and to understand what it is before you commit to the program. This is a big commitment timewise, money wise. So we want to make sure that you understand what it is that you're getting into, you know? So for instance, sometimes students will be like, you know, well, I know I want to work with with kids. Well, that's great and I'd love to have you as a colleague working with kids. But you also have to learn. You come out as what we call a generalist, so you're going to learn.
Jennifer Radwanski
01:24:46 PM
Full Admissions Criteria can be found here:
Jennifer Radwanski
01:24:48 PM
https://stockton.edu/graduate/occupational-therapy.html
The lifespan. So as much as you say, I'm just gonna work in PEDs and never see an older adult, that's great. But you still have to take all your courses about older adults and do a probably a field work working with older adults. OK. So you learn to be an OT, not a pediatric OT in particular. So. So we want you just to make sure you understand the scope and breadth of what you're going to be learning and that it matches what your goals are before you come into the program, OK.
So you also have to meet the technical standards form and that again is on our website and that just means that you can meet all of those standards of what we need you to be able to do to be successful within the program.
OK, so GRE's are not required. Applicants can reapply to the MSOT program. So if you previously have applied and you did not get in, please reapply. If you did not get in the first time and you're still entering our program, please reapply.
I will say that that sometimes having a gear off, especially if you're coming out of undergrad some of our students who got denied the first time or waitlisted the first time and didn't get in the program for the first time and then reapplied. They got a job related to healthcare doing something in that that year and the majority of them have said, you know it was hard to to be waitlisted. But on the other hand they're like I'm so much better equipped to to be doing this program.
Now, so they've learned, they got work experience, so it's not always a bad thing. OK, so, so just kind of keep that that in mind. All our applications are through OT casts.
Kayla Ates
01:26:39 PM
Where is the stockton application?
That again is on our website. So just know that when you do OT cast, you also have to complete a separate Stockton application and it's a different essay. So it's not long, it's 500 words, but we require a different essay than OT cast does. OK, so separate Stockton application and essay for that.
Wendy Nguyen
01:27:06 PM
Hi! I had a question about the completion of our observation hours. I am still in the process of getting into inpatient locations to observe. Do the hours have to be completed before our applications are submitted?
Wendy Nguyen
01:27:06 PM
Sending...
When you look at UH Frequently Asked questions, um, some of them are like how many students? We admit 30 students. So every cohort is 30 students. So the number of applications really varies. You can see that even by our numbers, we had 250 in fall of 2022. We had 109 in fall of last year.
Jennifer Radwanski
01:27:18 PM
The OTCAS log in can be found on our website above. This is the direct link: https://otcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login
You know, we don't know, uh, year to year, it really varies. I think our highest has probably been 350. So you know, we just don't know year to year how many people are going to be be applying. Umm, one of the things that you need to to understand is that you have to have that 3.2 cumulative GPA. We do look at both your cumulative GPA and your prerequisite GPA. OK. So and you can see we put these on here again.
Matthew Shaw
01:27:58 PM
Hey Kayla! When your OTCAS application is Verified, you will receive an email from the "Stockton Application" to log in and complete your profile and pay a $50 application fee
Just to kind of let you know, I don't want it to scare anybody away. Does that mean that Ohh, if I'm near a 3.2 cumulative GPA won't get in? No. We look at a lot of different things and we look at really look at complete applications. We do not just look at at GPA, OK, But we just put that in there because that is a frequently question whenever we get that, OK.
Kayla Ates
01:28:19 PM
Thank you, Matthew.
Matthew Shaw
01:28:21 PM
That side of the process will only involve creating your account with a password and paying the fee
Matthew Shaw
01:28:29 PM
No problem!
Um, yeah. So here. So what is it that we consider? You know, we look at your, your academics, but we also look at non academics. We look at your your recommendation forms. Please, my big suggestion that I can say is to please to ask somebody who you know can give you a strong recommendation. Umm, if somebody kind of hesitates and like, OK, yeah, I guess I can do it. Ask somebody else. Make sure that you're getting strong recommendations.
Ally Costello
01:28:49 PM
Do you apply for graduate assistantships on the Stockton application once OTCAS is verified?
And that's again for any program that you're going to apply to um, you know then what will happen is once we review all of the the submissions for that and then we will, we have interviews, we do have again now all applicants, but our top applicants are then looking at will be invited to an interview and then once we do the interviews they are in person. If you are far away that is OK we will make them a zoom.
Kayla Ates
01:29:10 PM
So I can’t do the Stockton application until after the OTCAS application is verified? Is that correct?
Jennifer Radwanski
01:29:22 PM
Correct
Kayla Ates
01:29:29 PM
Got it.
But typically like and we do them during the day and we have evening ones. So if you happen to live within a 2 hour radius you can go and and you know make it here safe for an evening. But if it's beyond that, we're not looking for you to drive four hours each way because you're you know going to school at Penn State or whatever. OK. So and then the we also look at the quality of the interview. You will have an on site essay to write that day. So we take a look at that. So there's a lot of.
Matthew Shaw
01:29:37 PM
Ally, correct as well!
Different things that go into this, so it's not just GPA. So again, if you are over that 3.2 then please still do do apply.
OK, so this is kind of small on here, but one of the things that we just want to talk about is you know, why should I do an MSOT program versus an OOTD program? OK, so as a faculty we have committed to staying at an entry level masters program. A OTA is not requiring programs to become to go to an entry level doctorate, many who are just opening.
Monmouth ruckers like their new programs. They are electing to open as a as a doctoral program. OK?
Seton Hall has stayed a masters program. Kane has 2 tracks. They are kept their masters and they added a doctoral program. We have elected to stay the masters because we almost the entire class most of the time are in state New Jersey residents. We understand as a State University you're coming to us to try and keep costs down. So having a doctoral program.
Is going to add another semester or two of time, which means increased money.
Um, when you get out, you have the take the same exact test, you work for the same exact jobs, and you do not get more money for those jobs. The only setting where that might be is going into a school district because they do it by what degree you have. Sometimes it might make a difference of $1000, but when you're going to an outpatient facility, they just care that you pass the NBC OT exam.
They don't care if it's a masters or a doctorate and bacot doesn't care as long as we're you're graduated from an accredited program. So the only difference in having an entry level doctorate is that you have to do an additional capstone for 16 weeks and you have a couple of more research courses. And we believed more strongly in knowing the students who come to our program. We have a lot of first generation students coming that were first gens for for undergrad and now first.
Jennifer Radwanski
01:32:21 PM
The Graduate Assistantship application can be found on our website: https://stockton.edu/graduate/financial-information/graduate-assistantships.html
Stands for graduate. Many of you live at home and commute to campus. We get that. And so we don't feel the need for it to become a doctoral program. And then at a certain point, if you decide once you're an OT that you want to advance your career, then we think you should think about an advanced degree and a grant and an advanced graduate degree. So that's what.
That's what that is about for the frequently asked questions along and that was OK.
OK. So um some preference because we are a public institution in state of New Jersey is given to residents of the state of New Jersey. If you are invited to an interview, you will be asked to verify with us with the drivers license, your state of residence. But we do have students out of state that do absolutely come to to our program there is.
Jennifer Becker
01:33:34 PM
can you apply if you will be taking your last pre req in the spring?
There's um, those are in the Stockton's BSHS program. There's no guaranteed admittance from that program. You're applying just as as everybody else is is applying. But again, I would say that it always ends up being a really nice mix that that between students who were undergraduate Stockton students who were not undergrad at Stockton, a mix of students who are Jersey residents from all over the state, North Jersey.
South Jersey everywhere in between central if you believe there's a Central Jersey and and even and again and a mix of of spattering of students from out of state that come OK so and some of you may have reached out to me and asked to meet with me and I have said no.
Matthew Shaw
01:34:05 PM
Hey Jenn, absolutely
Jennifer Radwanski
01:34:09 PM
Yes, you simply the list the course as in progress.
We do not meet individually with applicants because we are the OT faculty are the admissions committee. So we don't want it to feel like we're giving preferential treatment to any particular student because they had a chance to meet with me and another student didn't. But again, you're here to get all your questions answered. Today you can meet absolutely with Jen or somebody else from.
Grad admissions. They are the ones that can help you through the entire process. You have OT cast questions. You have anything you know along those lines. Especially with OT cast, that's all goes through grad admissions.
OK. So that is the end of that. So what questions do we have?
Taylor Counsellor
01:34:58 PM
If I already applied for Fall 2024 am I able to still apply for a graduate assistantship?
So we've had a couple of questions in the chat that we've been able to answer just as we've gone through. For those of you who haven't been monitoring the chat, take a peek cause we've dropped some links to some of the items that we've been discussing in there, including the graduate assistantships, the link to OT cast links to our web page. So those are a couple of things that you'll want to check out in that in that chat.
Mary Kientz
01:35:24 PM
yes!
Kelly Cappo
01:35:36 PM
Are there any observations that can be done at Stockton University over the summer?
We have another question. If I already applied for Fall 2024, am I able to still apply for Graduate Assistantship? Yes, So the Graduate Assistantship applications for Fall 2024 are not due until next semester, so you have plenty of time to do that. So March 31st is the deadline for Fall 2024. And that again is on our website. If you'd like some more information, details on that and the application to actually complete it is on there too.
Dorian Kropinack
01:35:56 PM
Is fall the only time for acceptance?
And if you get, if you get asked to, um, come for an interview, we'll review the GA stuff again and then, yeah, then you can give us the application at that time as well, so.
Um, OK, see. Are there any observations could be done at Stockton UM?
Matthew Shaw
01:36:30 PM
MSOT admits a cohort of 30 every Fall Term
Now so there is no, there are no OT's at Stockton working in clinical practice on campus. So are there many places around Stockton? Yes. So but that's up to you as a student to find those. So that's sometimes another frequent one that I get like can you help me find places to observe, No, but I will say that think about those places where where OT's work so.
Ally Costello
01:36:44 PM
Sorry, I'm having trouble accessing the camera/microphone. I have a more specific question. At my undergrad school anatomy and physiology are separate courses so I took anatomy with lab one semester and then physiology with lab the semester after that. Will that be accepted?
Bella Pisapia
01:36:48 PM
Does Stockton grant any scholarships or financial aid?
Chichi Nnajiofor
01:36:52 PM
So I applied on OTCAS and did the extra essay on OTCAS and got sent to pay another $50 fee for my stockton application. Is there supposed to be another essay there? I did not see anything other than a fee
Charles Thumm
01:37:14 PM
I know it was mentioned that alumni return to speak to the cohort. Do they speak about their experience working in different settings or states?
Taylor Counsellor
01:37:24 PM
Okay, thank you! I had another question, when will we hear about an interview for Fall 2024? I know the deadline isn't until November but I wanted to know if a timeline was set.
Abby Guzik
01:37:43 PM
Is there a higher chance of getting accepted if you submit your application early?
We don't have that updated information for fall 2024, but we hope to.
So as far as I know they're all have been open to having students be able to to observe and and access that. OK. So look around wherever whether you're home, whether you're on campus, there should be plenty of other things. So umm, OK, it's a fall only time for acceptance. Yes. So we only accept the cohort because because it's a cohort. So everybody in that developmental model. So you all take classes at the same at the same time because we only offer a.
For our classes once a year, so first year cohort has certain classes, excuse me, and 2nd year cohort has certain classes.
You work in skilled nursing facilities. There are many just along Jimmy Leeds Rd. In near Galloway's Campus. I think there's at least three that I can tell you off the top of my head that all have OT's working there. So you would need to call and you need to be able to and you need to be able to go and and you know talk to them about that, but school based practice, outpatient, adult and Pediatrics, you know pediatric hospital settings, regular hospital settings.
Starting grant any scholarships or financial aid, so the graduate assistants, That's definitely help.
Is admission still offering the scholarship or we do not know?
OK. So in the past couple of years, there has been some funds available for some of our top applicants.
When they first get admitted and then from there they have foundation scholarships for the second year of your program, second and third. So when you're doing field work, you can also apply for those Many, many of our students get awarded those foundation scholarships, so and they are of different amounts of of money for those.
OK. That one you guys can answer Chichi, I do not know that so.
So we have the question. So I think we're looking at the same one. So I applied to the OT cast and did an extra essay on Outcast and got.
Jennifer Becker
01:39:09 PM
I have taken A&P 1 at a different school, do I have to take A&P 2 at that same school and transfer it over or can I have A&P 1 and 2 from two different schools
Since you pay another $50 fee for my Stockton application, is there supposed to be another essay there? I did not see anything other than WC. I think it is just that I'm going to let Matt maybe chime into the chat on that one, just to clarify. But I think everything there's not an additional city in that space. They're going to ask for some updated just contact information, but anything you may need to upload is on the OT cast site and then going back up. I also missed the one that says questions about.
Anatomy and Physiology are separate courses, so I took anatomy with lab 1 semester and then Physiology with Lab the other semester after that. Will that be accepted?
Matthew Shaw
01:39:38 PM
@Chichi, there is no additional essays or materials once you get verified and imported into our application system
Matthew Shaw
01:39:42 PM
Just the fee is due!
And if you have specific questions, you can send them to Jen. And if you have, you know you're really worried, send the copy of the syllabi and then we will double, double check that. But yeah, and anatomy and Physiology class is fine.
They're not always combined. And then um.
Matthew Shaw
01:40:16 PM
@Abby, there isn't, but it's best to get the application complete ASAP so that you have the best chance to be verified on time
And I'll see all the timeline. OK. So yeah, it's not until end of November. We do file reviews until about mid January. So you should be hearing from us about an interview sometime in the middle of January. And Doctor Kim Furphy, that will be the one that you'll be getting. She is our Director of admissions and she'll send you a video and instructions and and all of that stuff at that time. OK.
Taylor Counsellor
01:40:38 PM
Thank you!
Is there a chance of getting accepted if you submit an application early Now at this time, we don't do early admits because we do the whole interview process. So the way our process is right now, we do it all at the the same time. Final interviews are in the beginning of.
Are on Wednesdays and they're in the beginning of February if it does not snow. So knock on wood, we've been good the last couple of years. We've been able to get the letters out before the end of February, our latest date that we always shoot for us beginning of March, but we really do like when we can wish to move that a couple weeks earlier. But again, sometimes that is weather dependent on whether or not we can do that.
Alyssa Gagnon
01:41:29 PM
Are your interviews conducted virtually or all in-person?
Um, OK. I have taken uh A and P1 of the different school. Do I have to take a P2 now? It can be two different schools as long as as long as they meet the the criteria that we have on on the outline. OK. And that's the other thing like you can take it. So say if you took AP one at where you're getting your undergrad and then you take A and P2 at a Community College, that's absolutely fine, you know? Or if you don't any of your prereqs, you're like you know.
You know, I didn't do any of the sciences. I didn't know I wanted to do this. And you already have your degree and you went back to school to get the prereqs. All of those can be done at a Community College. There's no requirement on that.
Chichi Nnajiofor
01:41:56 PM
So there are two rounds of interviews? Or just one round?
Think that's all of our questions. We now have another one just pop up.
As there are two rounds of interviews. Nope, just one round and then and we'll explain that. So what happens is.
You know if you were in the top 30, you'll get an admit letter. If you if you've been interviewed and not in the top 30, you'll probably get a wait list letter. But we'll explain all of that later And then you know and just to know that that we know there's a lot of programs, there's a lot of opportunities, there's a lot of things that you can choose. And so you know not everybody though we would love to say we've everybody who gets admitted, Stockton stays. That doesn't happen. We understand that life happens and.
Veronica Fallon
01:42:55 PM
Does everyone who applied, get interviewed? How is that decided!
So they decide to stay closer to home or whatever. So just even if you end up getting a a wait list letter, that does not mean you're not in. So things you know things change. And that happens for for all of our our programs because difference the different schools give out letters at different times and we understand that too.
Wendy Nguyen
01:43:19 PM
Are there any opportunities available to talk to current students about their experiences?
Um, does everyone who applied get interviewed? No, So that really depends. That's decided on our first round review of your application. So that first round that looks that we talked about, that looks at your GPA, your overall GPA, your references, your application essay, your observation hours.
No, that's most of it. So we look at all of that and then the top people from that then go and get in an interview after that.
This is a really good question. Are there any opportunities available to talk to current students about their experiences?
I mean, so well, if you get an interview, um, we have our G we actually have the students who are out in, who just finished the program come back and are there to talk to you. But if you want to talk to somebody now you can e-mail me. Umm.
And ask for that. And I can try and set it up with one of my graduate assistants, too, to talk to you. Sure.
Wendy Nguyen
01:44:17 PM
Thanks!!
Chichi Nnajiofor
01:44:26 PM
So with OTD you cant teach? Is that only post-professional?
We always try and have that because that makes a big difference. Um, you know, to hear their experiences, they give you the good, the bad and the and the ugly. So hopefully not too much ugly, but they are the bad, but mainly good.
But it's good to hear from them. So with an odd you can't teach, um, right now. That is only with right right now. It it says with a post professional they might be changing the accreditation standard, so that might change in the future. The thing with the teaching, you still need experience to be able to do that. So right now you can't teach with just the entry level OT D but that there's a strong possibility that's going to be changing in the future with the new accreditation.
Veronica Fallon
01:45:03 PM
Ok thank you! So if you're not called for an interview, is that a sign that you weren't accepted?
Um, yes. So if you're not called for an interview, it's a sign you weren't accepted, yes?
Jennifer Becker
01:45:14 PM
so would the school schedule be Monday-friday about 8-4pm? or 9-5?
That means you you did not make it through your first round, so.
Um, school schedule be 8:00 to 4:00 and 9:00 to 5:00. Good question. So we do it. OK, so the schedule is going to vary every semester, but we ask you to keep it full time knowing that like there afternoons when you may not have a class, something else may come up so that you're doing something special. Like for instance, we do an interprofessional activity called Aphrodite, which is with students from around the world. That was on a Monday morning.
The second year students didn't typically have in the class on Monday afternoon, but they did Aphrodite in the morning. We moved class to the afternoon. So most of the time the classes start at 9:00. There are some semesters they start at 8:30. There are some days, I would say majorities of days, you're done by one or three and then there's always a day in there like second semester. With PEDs, we're in class till 5:00. So that's a long day like that day you're there 8:30 to 5:00, but most other days like first.
Semester, we ease you in. You have class like 9 to to one Tuesdays and Thursdays. You don't have class on Friday, You're off done at 3:00 on Wednesday. So the first semester is pretty easy and I tell you not to get too used to. It gets a little more hectic once you start field work because then you don't have the extra day. But yeah, most of the time classes are at 9, and occasionally you'll have a class that will start at 8:30.
And most days you're going to be done by three, 3:30 at the latest.
Wendy Nguyen
01:46:52 PM
I had to refresh my page and I might have missed your answer. I am still in the process of getting into inpatient locations to observe. It’s been taking longer than expected. Do the hours have to be completed before our applications are submitted?
I'm still a process getting into inpatient locations.
Do our hours have to be completed now? So put in what you what you've done. You just have to.
You just need to make sure you know, but definitely put in what you have done. So if you already say have 25 hours done, make sure you're submitting that. Cause the more complete the app, the more complete the application the better.
Matthew Shaw
01:47:40 PM
Make sure you are adding experiences within your experience section as well in OTCAS!
And so put in what you, you know, have whoever you've seen already signed. So even if like, say, you're going to the same place, have them sign for what you've already done and upload that. And then you can always upload. So as long as all the observations are done. If you're accepted, all the observations have to be done before you matriculate in the fall.
That's great point, Matt. So not just uploading your resume, but make sure you're adding all experiences in everything. Volunteer experiences.
Matthew Shaw
01:48:04 PM
Use everything within the application to really show who you are as an applicant
Wendy Nguyen
01:48:16 PM
thank you!
Work experiences, any clubs or organizations you're part of, put everything in that section that's very, very helpful to your application. And just to add to this too, this is being recorded. If you would like a copy of this recording, we'd be happy to send it to you. Just send an e-mail to grad school at Stockton, Doug Edu, and we'd be happy to supply you with that as well. So you can refer back to this. And then if you have additional questions, we'd be happy to help through that e-mail too.
Veronica Fallon
01:48:27 PM
Are those experiences related to OT?
Yeah, they're great questions.
Um, alright. I think we've gotten through all the questions. You all have some really wonderful questions. Thank you so much for your application.
Ally Costello
01:48:32 PM
I am eligible to shadow where I work full-time after 6 months which won't be until January. Is there somewhere I should add that? It seems that I only can add hours that have started
It's really, it's really, really helpful. We have one more.
Veronica you can you can put in so the the signed ones you have to have the 40 hours of OT but in OT casts you can put you know like say if you worked at a summer camp.
Um, you know and you had with kids with disabilities. That's an A related to OT but doesn't count for your observation hours. Cause an OT wasn't there, so that's there but so you put it in the under your experience tab on OT cast, but that doesn't count for your observation hours.
Veronica Fallon
01:49:06 PM
Ok perfect thankyou!
OK, um, I was able to shadow where I work full time after six months, which won't be until January.
Um, seems that I only can add hours that have started.
Well, I mean you can that will be after the only the only thing I'm going to say is that then it's going to look like you haven't done any observation hours when with the application, right. So if like if that doesn't count, you might want to think about going someplace else and doing you know some some of those 40 hours not just at your workplace to see and so you have some hours signed off on before you apply.
So I mean technically you could do that, but it's going to look like on the application if we look at that, it's going to look like you haven't done any observation hours.
Right. Because then it's not, you know, eligible for them writing that.
Charles Thumm
01:50:03 PM
Is GetFIT at Stockton University apart of the program that is also at Rowan University? Thank you!
UH is get Fit stocked in a part of the program. It's also growing. We're like, we're like siblings.
So, uh, because get fit at Rowan is through their exercise science program, right? And so ours is through OT and PT program. So we don't have a separate gym like they do at Rowan. So ours is more about look just looks different because we do a lot more like go to the gym and play basketball and use free weights and use Theraband and if it's nice out, we walk the track. And so yes, so they're the same program.
And in principle, we followed the same thing. So Rowans just got there, been doing theirs for 15 and Stockton's been doing their program for 10. So yeah, it's been a great, great, great program.
Matthew Shaw
01:51:06 PM
Thank you for coming everyone!
Taylor Counsellor
01:51:14 PM
Is GetFIT involved in HLTH 3310? I'm taking that class next semester
All right. I think that may conclude all of our questions. I wanted to thank you all so, so much again for being a fantastic audience, really great questions. Doctor Ken, thank you so much for your time and your energy and your presentation. I would just like to share with our audience. I think you know folks often ask what's the best part of coming to Stockton. And I would always tell you our faculty, our graduate faculty are above and beyond the best and they truly.
Mary Kientz
01:51:32 PM
Yes that is Get FIT :)
Taylor Counsellor
01:51:45 PM
okay great! can't wait to be involved in that then!!
Matthew Shaw
01:51:51 PM
Gradschool@stockton.edu
Taylor Counsellor
01:51:59 PM
thank you!!!!
Abby Guzik
01:52:00 PM
Thank you!
Care about our students and you can see from this presentation it's it's just we're so very lucky and so I'm good. Thank you again for taking the time to present to us and to share your wealth of knowledge. Again, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to US grad school at stockton.edu. Our phone number is there as well 609-626-3640 and we're happy to help you with anything that you have questions about. So I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Alright, take care everyone. Bye. Bye.
Wendy Nguyen
01:52:01 PM
Thank you!
Madeleine Lisle
01:52:02 PM
Thank you!!
Charles Thumm
01:52:02 PM
Thank you! Have a good one!
Maddie Greaser
01:52:12 PM
Thank you!
Taylor Brunner
01:52:13 PM
Thank you!