Here's some advice for you all

[KHE]

This forum always seems to be peppered with people who past their marginal stats, and then ask if they should apply and/or what they can do to improve their applications. Let me offer up some advice for everyone in this situation:

If you think your application is marginal, apply anyways. This advice applies to anything in life, not just optometry school. The thing is, you never want to reject yourself. Obviously, if you have a 2.4 and a 270 OAT score, don't bother hassling people for rec letters and spending money on applications but if you have a borderline application do not reject yourself. Let THEM reject you.

As far as improving your applications goes, that question almost always comes from people who have marginal GPAs/OAT scores. The only advice on that is to take hard science courses, study hard and get good grades. There really is no other way. There's no tricks, no gimmicks, no magic, no nothing. Deep down inside you all know that.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Great advice as usual, I think we should all contribute to compiling a list of these "advices" and sticky them.

The reality is....that people in the next few weeks or maybe even months...will see this thread and learn from it...then as soon as it gets pushed back into the pages, people will start posting "chance" threads again. Though the answers seem to pretty much be the same, sometimes people may have difficult situations which i think is completely understandable.

But since most people don't make use of the search function, i find this advice to be good for those who are active and have read it..but not beneficial to those who will join in the future, since the chances of them seeing it are low.

 

[yyk]

Good piece of advice, KHE!

EyEnStein 07: I think there's bound to be 'chances' threads in the future too, people will keep posting them unless they've been told numerous times that their stats are marginal and what to do next. People don't bother searching or calling to see if their stats are indeed marginal. Either that, or they don't believe the answers they already got, and need strangers in a forum to confirm it.

Calling the school's admissions is the best solution imo, when it comes to getting an idea of your chances.

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Good piece of advice, KHE!

EyEnStein 07: I think there's bound to be 'chances' threads in the future too, people will keep posting them unless they've been told numerous times that their stats are marginal and what to do next. People don't bother searching or calling to see if their stats are indeed marginal. Either that, or they don't believe the answers they already got, and need strangers in a forum to confirm it.

Calling the school's admissions is the best solution imo, when it comes to getting an idea of your chances.

Yeah i guess, i find that optometry schools are willing to "chance" you is unheard of anywhere else. I mean the only process i have gone through so far is college, but i just have not heard of anything like that before. I guess its advantageous to optometry students that schools are willing to do that.

As far as chances, yes there might be one if we asked / pushed for it, but i also feel that there are not that many optometry students. I mean i don't even think the dental or pharmacy sections of this forums have one lol. But it would be a good idea that if we did make one, we sticky some rules. (similar to something i saw in the MD/PhD aka MSTP section).

 

[yyk]

Yeah i guess, i find that optometry schools are willing to "chance" you is unheard of anywhere else. I mean the only process i have gone through so far is college, but i just have not heard of anything like that before. I guess its advantageous to optometry students that schools are willing to do that.

Well, I wouldn't call a school and ask them "Do I have any chances if my stats are [so and so]?".. I'd mention the weaker points of my application I'm most worried about, then mention the stronger points and ask if I have no chance at all, or how I can improve my application. They're nice about it if you ask politely