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- May 22, 2004
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Hello guys!
I just done my first yr science in Univeristy of British Columbia, but my overall average for a first year student is not too impressive, only 78%
. Is my average too low enough to apply for state optometry school? Am I being realistic?
Recently I have grown interest in Optometry, and willing to invest more time to research on this field. I notice this field is often being overlooked by many undergrads here. All the talks are around med schools. When I told one of my friends that I am interested in state optometry school. She said, man, it's really hard to get in optometry schools, even harder than med schools. I don't know if it's true?
I will soon have to decide my undergrad major. Right now, I want to get in UBC'sphysiology program, but it's a honor program , which means I will have to take load of courses from 2nd years and on with a thesis at the end, that mean my overall GPA may suffer taking other hard non-preq courses for optometry in the long run, and probably don't have too much free time to spend on volunteering. Would majoring in physiology help me prepare for optometry school? Do admission committee actually take in consideration the difficulty level of my major (ie honor program, program that require me to take load of courses)?
I can also go for Intergrated Science program in UBC which allows me to combin different areas of science together and make my own major. That means I can still take few anatamy course and physiology courses without hurting my GPA. In fact, my GPA will be better since I can choose to take the courses that I am interested in. However, it will be a harder route to grad school, which mean I don't have a good backup plan if I don't get in optometry.
So, in the end up, is overall GPA really crucial for optometry school addmission? If so, I just don't really want to shoot myself on the foot by going for honor major. Any advice is welcomed. Thanx!
I just done my first yr science in Univeristy of British Columbia, but my overall average for a first year student is not too impressive, only 78%
. Is my average too low enough to apply for state optometry school? Am I being realistic? Recently I have grown interest in Optometry, and willing to invest more time to research on this field. I notice this field is often being overlooked by many undergrads here. All the talks are around med schools. When I told one of my friends that I am interested in state optometry school. She said, man, it's really hard to get in optometry schools, even harder than med schools. I don't know if it's true?
I will soon have to decide my undergrad major. Right now, I want to get in UBC'sphysiology program, but it's a honor program , which means I will have to take load of courses from 2nd years and on with a thesis at the end, that mean my overall GPA may suffer taking other hard non-preq courses for optometry in the long run, and probably don't have too much free time to spend on volunteering. Would majoring in physiology help me prepare for optometry school? Do admission committee actually take in consideration the difficulty level of my major (ie honor program, program that require me to take load of courses)?
I can also go for Intergrated Science program in UBC which allows me to combin different areas of science together and make my own major. That means I can still take few anatamy course and physiology courses without hurting my GPA. In fact, my GPA will be better since I can choose to take the courses that I am interested in. However, it will be a harder route to grad school, which mean I don't have a good backup plan if I don't get in optometry.
So, in the end up, is overall GPA really crucial for optometry school addmission? If so, I just don't really want to shoot myself on the foot by going for honor major. Any advice is welcomed. Thanx!
