Advice needed for School Application

[liang0823]

Hello everyone,

My Cumulative GPA: 3.0, Major(Biochem) GPA: 3.0.
My OAT scores:
TS: 330
AA: 310
RC: 250
GC: 310
OC: 310
Physics: 340
QR: 320
Bio: 310

I just finished undergrad with Biochem in Canada. And, I did internships in labs from my university for about two years. As you see, my reading comprehension score was terrible... As an international student from Asia, English is not my first language but I have been working on overcoming the language barrier. I come from a family which has no experience in optometry. Also, the education system for the health profession is different in my country than in Canada or the USA. I am extremely worried about the chances of getting in any optometry school since there are a bunch of people out there having much higher OAT scores and GPA than me...

I would appreciate a lot if I could get some advice from schools that I should apply to based on my low score. :'(

Thank you so much for your time and any feedback!!

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[dent20xx]

Hey liang0823! You're OAT score and GPA seem to meet the cut-off for a few US Schools, and even if your stats are a bit lower than the average for some of the other schools, the US Schools tend to take a holistic review of your admission portfolio (like, extra stuff you've done, show that you understand the field, leadership stuff, community involvement). They emphasize that they're looking for well-rounded, highly motivated, passionate candidates- not just top academic performers.
Here's a link for the updated stats of US Schools and Waterloo: OAT Scores for Optometry Schools
Hope this helps, good luck!!

 

[liang0823]

Hey liang0823! You're OAT score and GPA seem to meet the cut-off for a few US Schools, and even if your stats are a bit lower than the average for some of the other schools, the US Schools tend to take a holistic review of your admission portfolio (like, extra stuff you've done, show that you understand the field, leadership stuff, community involvement). They emphasize that they're looking for well-rounded, highly motivated, passionate candidates- not just top academic performers.
Here's a link for the updated stats of US Schools and Waterloo: OAT Scores for Optometry Schools
Hope this helps, good luck!!

Thank you for your comment and the link, Sasha! That makes me feel much better. I was super depressed right after finishing the test because I wanted to go to Waterloo U. But it seems very competitive... I had been a VP in a student association at university. I hope this could help in the portfolio.

 

[anonnnnnnnnn123]

Thank you for your comment and the link, Sasha! That makes me feel much better. I was super depressed right after finishing the test because I wanted to go to Waterloo U. But it seems very competitive... I had been a VP in a student association at university. I hope this could help in the portfolio.

Yea Waterloo is crazy competitive, and cheaper for us Canadians. I'm applying too but don't have the expectation of getting in at the moment. Good luck with your application, I believe you'll get in somewhere!

 

[dent20xx]

Thank you for your comment and the link, Sasha! That makes me feel much better. I was super depressed right after finishing the test because I wanted to go to Waterloo U. But it seems very competitive... I had been a VP in a student association at university. I hope this could help in the portfolio.

No problem! I felt so empathetic after reading your post, I really wanted to help! Waterloo is definitely competitive, but I believe they do want to see passionate, well-rounded individuals as well as good academic stats! I'm VP of my university's Pre-Optometry club, so anything that shows leadership and passion for the field will help you stand out! Also, my friend got in for the Class of 2023, with just below average OAT and GPA, but she was a really well-rounded individual, so i think the extra stuff helped her