Low GPA from a good school?

[eafutureeyedoc]

I will be applying to optometry schools over winter break and am curious as to how they will view a lower GPA from a highly-ranked institution. I attend UNC-Chapel Hill, which is known for its extremely rigorous science classes, and as a result, my GPA is barely a 3.0, science GPA probably slightly lower than that. I have retaken a few of these science classes at UNC-Greensboro over the summer and got A's on the retakes.

I took the OAT over the summer without really studying and got 300 TS and 310 AA (this was before taking a Physics II course, which really hurt me on that section). Since then, I purchased Chad's videos and OAT Destroyer, and will be retaking the OAT over Thanksgiving break. Hopefully, I will be able to do much better this time and offset my crappy GPA.
**UPDATE: retook the OAT and didn't improve as much as I would have liked... scored 320 for both AA and TS. Not sure if retaking it helped me or hurt me...

I have also worked as a tech at my optometrist's office for two years, and I know my boss will write me an excellent recommendation letter. However, I am concerned about getting the other two rec letters from professors because 1) most science classes I have taken here have been humongous lectures halls with over 300 students, so profs probably won't remember me from stopping by office hours a couple of times 2) I haven't gotten an A in any science class at UNC, so I don't know what they would write about me if I didn't even get an awesome grade...

As for extracurriculars, I am President of my school's pre-optometry student organization and am in a sorority. I have also worked at UNC Hospitals as an administrative assistant and shadowed at an optometrist's office near campus. And like I said, I worked at my optometrist's office for two years - as a result have a lot of experience with patient care, data entry, doing eyedrops, and am proficient with screening tests like the snellen chart, visual field test, pressure tests (NCT and iCare tonometer), autorefractor, topography mapping, and (my favorite) taking retinal photos (Canon and Optos). I feel like these experiences will allow me to speak intelligently on why I am so passionate about optometry in interviews and on essays.

So I guess my two questions are:
1) What are my chances of getting into optometry school given my low GPA and lack of good professor recommendations? Is a 3.0 from UNC-Chapel Hill looked down on compared to a 4.0 from say, UNC-G? (Love being a Tar heel, but I kind of wish I had went to an easier undergrad school instead at this point...) My top choices are NOVA and Salus, but I will also be applying to UAB, SCO, and maybe SUNY.
2) How are classes retaken at another (4-year) institution taken into account? Would I count the retake in calculating my science GPA, or both courses?

Any success stories of people with stats similar to mine would be really uplifting haha. But be honest! Optometry has been my dream since middle school and if I don't get in initially, I will retake whatever classes I need to and apply again for the next cycle. Thanks!

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[futureusaeyedoc]

Hey! Is there a reason you are waiting until winter break to apply? If you are for sure planning on applying this cycle, I would put in your application immediately, because optometry schools are based on rolling admissions. The sooner you get an app in, the more spots each school has to offer. Since you are planning on retaking the OAT, there is a spot in OptomCas where you can mark that you are planning to retake, so they will know that your old OAT score won't be your final one.

 

[eafutureeyedoc]

Hey! Is there a reason you are waiting until winter break to apply? If you are for sure planning on applying this cycle, I would put in your application immediately, because optometry schools are based on rolling admissions. The sooner you get an app in, the more spots each school has to offer. Since you are planning on retaking the OAT, there is a spot in OptomCas where you can mark that you are planning to retake, so they will know that your old OAT score won't be your final one.

I was planning on waiting because I wanted to study a lot and retake the OAT, and also to use this semester to bump up my GPA as much as possible before applying. It has been a really busy semester and I haven't had the time to start working on the application, and figured a solid month off from school would give me the time to perfect it and put my best foot forward. I also haven't gotten rec letters from any professors yet, I need to figure out how I'm going to do that. Is it too late, should I have already applied by now??

 

[futureusaeyedoc]

Oh no, you are definitely not too late! Most schools only started interviewing within the last month or month and a half. You should still be fine to apply next month, especially if you think you can significantly boost your GPA by then. That was just my general advice, what with the nature of rolling admissions and all.
I would maybe ask your people for your letters now, at least open up an OptomCas application so they have the option to submit a letter, because then that gives your recommenders a solid month or so to write a letter (especially because they are probably busy at this time of year also!). That way once you have your OAT done, bugging your recommenders for a letter is one less thing you have to worry about. I know when I applied, several school emailed me saying I needed to have my letters in place by the time I interview. Just a thought!

 

[nnessa]

First off, I totally agree with futureusaeyedoc! Apply early! I submitted my application mid-October but my app took a lot longer to process because my recommender did not submit the LOR correctly. It was also nerve-racking for me to bug him about it so it is really good to start up your OptomCAS app first and request LORs the sooner the better. You do not have to pay for the applications until you submit your completed application so do opening an application now will not hurt at all.

As for the LOR, I think the only option for you would be just to contact your professor and tell him/her a little about yourself and throw in how you enjoyed taking his/her class. I guess a good opener would be to thank them because their material helped you with the OAT. Talk about your background and why you want to pursue optometry and the preparation you have done. Mention that you can meet if more information is needed and just kindly ask for the letter.

My situation is fairly similar to yours. My science GPA is 3.05 according to OptomCAS . To top it off, my university is not considered high-ranking (California State University, Long Beach). I did score above average on the OAT 360TS/350AA so I think that kind of helped offset my low GPA. For my personal statement I made it clear that my grades were not ideal because of such and such and that I changed my study habits… as a result, I am confident I can handle the rigors of optometry curricula (my grades exhibited an upward trend). To be clear, I got a D in general chemistry and retook it and got an A. I think OptomCAS still includes the D and takes the average BUT I AM NOT COMPLETELY SURE so you need to do some research. I guess what I am trying to say is stay positive because past grades are something you cannot control at this point and it's great that you're retaking them to boost your GPA. With all this said, I received an interview invitation from SCCO, my top choice . This is not to say I got in but at least the interview round is closed-file so I know I passed the academic round and I think you can too .

 

[futureusaeyedoc]

First off, I totally agree with futureusaeyedoc! Apply early! I submitted my application mid-October but my app took a lot longer to process because my recommender did not submit the LOR correctly. It was also nerve-racking for me to bug him about it so it is really good to start up your OptomCAS app first and request LORs the sooner the better. You do not have to pay for the applications until you submit your completed application so do opening an application now will not hurt at all.

As for the LOR, I think the only option for you would be just to contact your professor and tell him/her a little about yourself and throw in how you enjoyed taking his/her class. I guess a good opener would be to thank them because their material helped you with the OAT. Talk about your background and why you want to pursue optometry and the preparation you have done. Mention that you can meet if more information is needed and just kindly ask for the letter.

My situation is fairly similar to yours. My science GPA is 3.05 according to OptomCAS . To top it off, my university is not considered high-ranking (California State University, Long Beach). I did score above average on the OAT 360TS/350AA so I think that kind of helped offset my low GPA. For my personal statement I made it clear that my grades were not ideal because of such and such and that I changed my study habits… as a result, I am confident I can handle the rigors of optometry curricula (my grades exhibited an upward trend). To be clear, I got a D in general chemistry and retook it and got an A. I think OptomCAS still includes the D and takes the average BUT I AM NOT COMPLETELY SURE so you need to do some research. I guess what I am trying to say is stay positive because past grades are something you cannot control at this point and it's great that you're retaking them to boost your GPA. With all this said, I received an interview invitation from SCCO, my top choice . This is not to say I got in but at least the interview round is closed-file so I know I passed the academic round and I think you can too .

I am going to SCCO next year, I hope to see you in the fall! The interview is actually really enjoyable there, just show your personality and you will do great!

 

[nnessa]

I am going to SCCO next year, I hope to see you in the fall! The interview is actually really enjoyable there, just show your personality and you will do great!

I hope to see you too!! Congratulations on your acceptance! I am pretty nervous… but i have a month to prepare so I will make sure I do my homework

 

[futureusaeyedoc]

I hope to see you too!! Congratulations on your acceptance! I am pretty nervous… but i have a month to prepare so I will make sure I do my homework

Here is a recent thread on the SCCO interview process, maybe this will help!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/scco-interview-2014.1102909/