I'm from Canada, B.C and I really want to go into optometry. I have my eyes set on UC Berkeley and was just wondering the following: since I live in Canada, is it harder to get into a U.S school? What GPA is reasonable for admission? OAT score? I read their acceptance rate is 27% above the average for all other U.S optometry schools as well, is this true? Just general information really, any other tips/advice/comments is highly appreciated. Thanks.
UC Berkeley optometry school
- Thread starter SJ_D122
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I don't think your nationality affects your application. Berkeley has one of the highest, if not the highest, averages of GPA/OAT for accepted students. See here: http://www.opted.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ASCO-Profile-of-Applicants-2015.pdf
The acceptance rate is higher than average mostly because it gets fewer applicants than you would expect. They had only 284 applicants for students entering fall 2015. Because they don't do rolling admissions and their first (and only) interview date isn't until Jan/Feb, most applicants who are competitive enough to get into Berkeley will get into another school before then, and not bother applying to Berkeley unless they really want to go there. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.
The acceptance rate is higher than average mostly because it gets fewer applicants than you would expect. They had only 284 applicants for students entering fall 2015. Because they don't do rolling admissions and their first (and only) interview date isn't until Jan/Feb, most applicants who are competitive enough to get into Berkeley will get into another school before then, and not bother applying to Berkeley unless they really want to go there. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.
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Hey I am from Canada BC too and am thinking the same thing. Do you know if we will have to take the SAT test in order to apply?
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Highly unlikely the SAT is needed. The OAT should be sufficient by itself. Generally schools don't care about what you did in high school with the exception of some AP courses fulfilling prerequisites, sometimes
I'm from BC as well and applied for Fall 2016 intake. It is not harder to get into a private school. It may be more difficult for public schools that reserve some seats for residents. Your country of residence otherwise doesn't affect your chances. Schools used to have a minimum 3.00 GPA requirement when I looked into them a few years ago. Now, most school's websites require at least a C or above in prerequisite courses. An OAT of 300 or above is required for all schools, with the average score of accepted students being around 320. You can check each school's website for more information. Look for Class Profile or Student Profile.
The SAT is not required, only the OAT.
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Pretty sure this is not the case - basically every school will tell you that an OAT of 300+ is required to be considered a competitive applicant, but you will still be considered if your score is lower.
