Optometry Application: Personal Statement (NEED ADVICE)

[straightpath]

Hi everyone!!

I'll be applying for Optometry schools and had the following questions about my personal statement:

- I lived with my family during my undergrad, and certain difficulties at home intervened with my studies. Would it be valid to mention this? I don't want the admissions committee to pity me though...

- I completed 3 prerequisite courses online at 2 different universities (not through my home university). Would this be a good place in my application to mention why I had done this?

- I initially went into university without having Optometry in mind as a career goal. This was obvious in my volunteer activities as well. Would it be good to mention this, and explain that I only realized that I wanted to become an Optometrist after my first university year? But I did poorly that year... so would it sound like I only opted for a "less competitive" career option (although this isn't the case at all, and I believe that it's just as hard to get into as any other health-related field) ?

I've improved my GPA since first year, but it still isn't that great. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!!

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[undecisiveone1]

I am in your situation too. I used to be premed but chanced to preoptometry. However my grades are terrible and I don't want them to think I switched to preoptometry just because of that. Any answers to this post would be great because I am also doing my personal statement :/

 

[OpticalBlackOut]

- I lived with my family during my undergrad, and certain difficulties at home intervened with my studies. Would it be valid to mention this? I don't want the admissions committee to pity me though...

- I completed 3 prerequisite courses online at 2 different universities (not through my home university). Would this be a good place in my application to mention why I had done this?

- I initially went into university without having Optometry in mind as a career goal. This was obvious in my volunteer activities as well. Would it be good to mention this, and explain that I only realized that I wanted to become an Optometrist after my first university year? But I did poorly that year... so would it sound like I only opted for a "less competitive" career option (although this isn't the case at all, and I believe that it's just as hard to get into as any other health-related field) ?

I've improved my GPA since first year, but it still isn't that great. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

A. Everyone has their own struggles- whether it's working multiple jobs during undergrad, coping with the loss of loved ones, or professors who were out to get you. That's life. Rather than focus on the reasons you struggled, give the admissions committee your reasons on how you shined. At the end of the day, no one likes to hear excuses.

B. Not the best person to answer this since I never took any online courses. (In an old man's voice "Kids these days...")

C. Don't worry- this is extremely common for our profession. The important thing to focus on is how you became passionate about optometry. Show them your shadowing experiences; tell them your life-changing patient stories. Anecdotes that show your compassionate side really help. For me personally, I would prefer an applicant who is realistic about optometry (plenty of uncertainties in the future), as opposed to someone who conveys a 'rainbows & sunshine' approach.

D. Apply early, get rock solid letters, and a great OAT score can offset a lower GPA.
If there's time, retaking courses with poor grades is always a bonus.

Best of luck

 

[undecisiveone1]

C. Don't worry- this is extremely common for our profession. The important thing to focus on is how you became passionate about optometry. Show them your shadowing experiences; tell them your life-changing patient stories. Anecdotes that show your compassionate side really help. For me personally, I would prefer an applicant who is realistic about optometry (plenty of uncertainties in the future), as opposed to someone who conveys a 'rainbows & sunshine' approach.
Best of luck

I was actually debating this. Would it be looked down upon if I mentioned something along the lines of I realize the risks of optometry especially with regards to employment? Also is it wrong to assume I would have more family time as an optometrist vs. an ophthalmologist?

 

[Hello_]

You could write that deciding on optometry helped you get motivation to do better in school because you finally picked what you're actually interested. For me, I didn't have a future planned out for most of my college life, so I would slack off a lot and just hang out with friends and do the bare minimum. But once I picked optometry as my career goal, I wanted to do better in school and it actually helped me focus a lot better because I had an actual goal in mind. I had a purpose. You could write something similar like this! Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[straightpath]

Thank you !!!!! I appreciate your advice! If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free to contribute

 

[OpticalBlackOut]

I was actually debating this. Would it be looked down upon if I mentioned something along the lines of I realize the risks of optometry especially with regards to employment? Also is it wrong to assume I would have more family time as an optometrist vs. an ophthalmologist?

As long as you've given it some thought, I think anything can be spun into a positive.
I.E. Warby Parker- is it a serious threat to private practices? Sure, but due to our increased scope of practice and abilities to manage medical ocular pathology, we are no longer as reliant on optical sales alone. We are headed towards treating glaucoma, ocular surface disease, while managing diabetic retinopathy, and AMD to compensate for the lost of revenue.
Again, (TO ME), this is a lot better than someone who doesn't even know about the existence of Warby Parker and therefore won't partake in expanding our scope of practice/state associations.

 

[soreyes]

Here is the prompt for the optometry school personal statement: “Please describe what inspires your decision for becoming an optometrist, including your preparation for training in this profession, your aptitude and motivation, the basis for your interest in optometry, and your future career goals.”

Your personal statement should really be about WHY you want to be an optometrist (what was your inspiration, etc?), what you have learned about in the field through your shadowing/volunteering, and why YOU would make a good optometrist. All of the things you mentioned above can be addressed when you have your optometry school interviews. They will usually ask you if you have any additional information you would like to mention that may help them in the decision. If you want to talk about why you switched from ___ to optometry, you can briefly state that in a sentence or two saying you've shadowed other professions and it wasn't "right" for you (or something along those lines). However, that can also be mentioned during your interviews.

Try to make your personal statement sound as positive as you can, but also be sincere and thoughtful. Avoid any negativity (I would NOT mention the possible "downfalls" of the optometry field, as they aren't always certain to happen). I agree with one of the previous posters that you should show your passion for the field in your essay. I also agree that your essay should tell a story, as this will keep the admissions officers interested (no one likes to read a boring essay ).

Finally, I really encourage you to have others to go over your essay with you. Generally, you should have at least 3 people review your essay: someone who knows grammar really well (i.e. an English professor), someone who knows what optometry admissions look for (i.e. an optometrist you've shadowed/ your own optometrist), and someone who knows you very well (friends, family, professors).

 

[straightpath]

I'm so glad I posted this thread! I definitely now know what NOT to include, and how to go about this. THANK YOU, you are all so amazing (taking your time to care for a stranger's future). Cheers!

 

[msrandomheart143]

A. Everyone has their own struggles- whether it's working multiple jobs during undergrad, coping with the loss of loved ones, or professors who were out to get you. That's life. Rather than focus on the reasons you struggled, give the admissions committee your reasons on how you shined. At the end of the day, no one likes to hear excuses.

B. Not the best person to answer this since I never took any online courses. (In an old man's voice "Kids these days...")

C. Don't worry- this is extremely common for our profession. The important thing to focus on is how you became passionate about optometry. Show them your shadowing experiences; tell them your life-changing patient stories. Anecdotes that show your compassionate side really help. For me personally, I would prefer an applicant who is realistic about optometry (plenty of uncertainties in the future), as opposed to someone who conveys a 'rainbows & sunshine' approach.

D. Apply early, get rock solid letters, and a great OAT score can offset a lower GPA.
If there's time, retaking courses with poor grades is always a bonus.

Best of luck

Everyone keeps advising to apply early... But relatively speaking what does this mean? Within the first month? within the first two months?

 

[Snakedoctor1]

Everyone keeps advising to apply early... But relatively speaking what does this mean? Within the first month? within the first two months?

In my opinion, early means before October.

 

[msrandomheart143]

In my opinion, early means before October.

Thank you so much! I've posted this question several times and no one has answered. I really appreciate it!