Back to your question about reach/target/safety, for me, it is all about acceptance rate. If a student plans on going TO, then do a deep dive into those numbers - in other words if a student applies TO he may have MUCH lower chance at acceptance (large southern state schools hit this category).
Most say any school with an acceptance rate below 30% is a reach for even the most qualified student. Some will say it is even higher.
Is your state in a consortium with adjacent states that might have what he wants?
Yes, the direct entry OT programs, where you complete the BS and either Master’s or OTD in a shortened time frame.
So, a program like this:
He will probably meet all the requirements they list, and goes well beyond in some areas (e.g. GPA will be well above, he has strong EC’s) and squeak by in others (My guess is his SAT/ACT won’t be much higher than those scores, and he’ll have exactly 7 science/math classes). But I assume they aren’t accepting every kid who has everything on that list. So, how do we know if it’s a target vs. a safety or a match?
Nope
One idea would be to contact a knowledgeable person at the school itself (maybe your regional AO for this school? or call and ask for a special tour of this program and ask the program director?)
I don’t know much about Direct Entry programs for OT, but I know that DE programs for PA programs and BA+MD etc are VERY competitive to get into, often much more competitive than the school in general.
It looks like you and your son have done a good amount of research and that he has some contacts with OTs already.
Wondering if he can work backwards and check where OTs he knows completed their undergrad degrees. Sometimes professionals list their undergrad school on their clinic websites as well as where they completed grad school. .
Then he can look at how a music oriented degree would fit at some of those schools with classes required for OT program entry. You probably already know this, but there is a fair amount of anatomy, chemistry, biology etc. which would be needed to apply to OT for grad school. These classes would not be part of a music education degree. I am not as familiar with music therapy programs or curriculum.
I am a PT and a musician. I love his goal of combining OT and his love/interest in music. I will defer to the OTs out there, but it is most important that he gets good grades (whatever the degree), especially in OT program prerequisites and has ongoing exposure to the OT field. This could easily be done at a state college/university.
He is still young so maybe you could wait a year to figure this out-? I am a little confused by your post and what his priorities are, so can’t answer your question about safety/target/reach since I am not clear on the specifics of what he wants to do, and maybe he isn’t either.
I don’t see why he can’t major in OT (if he still wants to, after a year, and after doing some volunteering) and do music lessons and extracurricular performance. I know many talented musicians who do that. He could squeeze in some music electives as well.
If he wants to do music therapy, he can either do that informally or do a grad degree in that to go with his OT. Or find a grad OT program that will incorporate music. I don’t know that much about the field. Berklee has a music therapy grad program as well.
I think so too. And he would still be around musicians.
When chancing people, this is the first place I start. Based on how a student’s stats compare to the school’s stats I might move a school up or down a category (occasionally up/down 2 categories, but rarely), but the basic chance of getting into a school I base on the overall acceptance rate.
(By the way, when I mean categories, I generally will group schools into these categories:
Then I’ll look at what percentage of student submitted a test to the school. If it’s a high percentage and the student is going TO, then it definitely drops the kid’s odds at least one category (and potentially more). If it’s a low percentage of people who submit the test, then I would look at the Common Data Set for GPA breakdowns. If a school is 99+% at 4.0, then I know they’ve used weighted scores and it’s not overly helpful. But if there’s a more typical grade breakdown, then I’d compare the student’s GPA to what is found there. If it’s among the higher GPAs, then I’d keep the kid in the original category or move the kid’s chances up one category. If the reverse, then the kid’s chances would drop.
Obviously, none of this is an exact science, but it’s a way to tackle the issue of not having high school history of admissions, test scores, AP scores, etc.
Additionally, if an overall acceptance rate is below 20%, a school stays categorized as low probability.
DE OT programs are competitive.
With that in mind, i would put these programs in the reach category…even if the school on its own is not a reach.
I would think of a safety school as one that your son will get into. I would consider SUNY Plattsburgh or Pace to be a safety for your son (just an example). 70% of students are accepted to Plattsburgh and your son’s gpa is above the average.
A target is one that seems to be a match, acceptance could happen, but you don’t know for sure. SUNY Buffalo might be a good target. But…I would consider the DE OT program to be a reach.
SUNY New Paltz would be a target imo…58% of students were accepted and the average gpa is a 3.64. ACT range 25-29.
I am writing about SUNY because I am familiar with them. Also- sometimes the lines blur.
Unfortunately, when you factor in a music audition, these stats sometimes don’t mean as much. The audition makes or breaks admissions.
@Sportsball i will say, the audition bar for education majors and music therapy majors is not as high as for music performance majors.
Yes, my comments were about any schools/programs where an audition is not required. If an audition is required, everything I wrote above should be thrown out.
Sometimes the application timeline can shift admission chances, too. At some schools ED or EA has a much higher admission rate. On the flip side, a match school can become a much harder admit if it mostly fills its class in ED/EA and an applicant waited until RD to apply.
Being full pay can also shift admission favorably at need aware schools. If a student isn’t full pay, but instead needs to land a large competitive merit scholarship at a school that doesn’t provide need based aid, that moves an admission safety into the reach category, since an admission without the merit is unaffordable.
Many moderately or less selective schools have stated automatic admission (or scholarship) criteria (including to specific majors, if applicable). In theory, any of these where the student meets the automatic admission criteria and which is affordable can be a 100% sure thing safety.
However, if the goal is a music major subject to audition, or a combined degree program (e.g. BA/BS → MS OT), finding an actual safety is more difficult or impossible, because the criteria cannot be quantified (music audition) or the program is highly competitive and uses subjective admission readings.
I have a family member who’s a music therapist, and another family member (who doesn’t live near the family member who is a music therapist!) who after a brain aneurysm, began music therapy after 18+ months of traditional speech therapy was unsuccessful in them being able say any words at all.
Music therapy “unlocked” their brain, and it was the key factor in them forming new pathways in the brain, and helped them relearn how to use language again - it is extraordinary.
This link is helpful in mapping out an educational pathway and considerations for high school students who are interested in the field.
You can also have stats that match the school profile but still be reaches ie. any school with a sub 20% acceptance rate. you can have a 4.0/36/1600 and have many reach schools (I’m one of those students, I applied to 13 very selective schools and got into 2)
And as this OP has already noted…DE programs in OT or Music Therapy can be more competitive than general admissions too.
Baldwin Wallace might be worth checking out. They have a nice music program. There seem to be pre OT and pre music therapy. @2plustrio might know more. But it could be a sort of safety for music.
It’s early. He might not even want to do OT in a years and might want to stop or increase music. I think he is doing all the right things in exploring these interests right now, and things will be clearer next year.
The answer to your question really depends on what path he wants to take.
A music supplement can help with admissions at some schools that don’t do auditions (BA schools) with recording/video, music resume and music letters of recommendation.
I would say he can do things in different sequences and combinations and the answer on safety/reach/target depends on how that is decided.
A school like Quinnipiac might be a likely school for your son. The average gpa is 3.54 and 84% of students are accepted. There is a music minor.
Quinnipiac also offers a BS/MOT (4+1.5) but I would consider that to be a reach. If you apply EA by 11/15 you hear back by early December.