Need some help and advice....

Hello, I'm just answer a question here and there, and the other members could fill you in.

I was in a similar position as you, in some ways I guess. Not overly passionate about any particular field, having a sister in med school...although it wasn't quite a horror for her.

Anywho, I would say that while it's not competitive to enter into optometry school, it is competitive finding a job, especially in CA. In contrast, while it is competitve to enter med school, I would say it's easier to find a job.

I would encourage you to go to medical school or DO school if you want...But above all, if you find optometry more to your liking, then follow it with your heart.

Hello:

I would recommend that you shadow an optometrist to get an idea of what the profession is really like. You do not have to commit a lot of time (perhaps a few times a week for a month) but it will be worth it if you find that optometry is the profession for you.

Since you are a Berkeley student and you are considering to stay in CA, I would suggest that you first start by contacting the Foresight pre-optometry club. It would be beneficial if you could attend their meeting and learn more about what services they offer as a club (volunteer positions, OAT review sessions, etc.) and they also serve as a more direct liaison between the optometry school and interested students. The associate dean of the optometry school has spoken to Foresight a few times and even a few members of the club have sat in on lectures for optometry students to provide feedback to their club. The club members can also tell you about how they decided that optometry was for them or even if they are still unsure about it. People take different paths to find out what they want to do in life so there will be a lot of different perspectives about what optometry is and what you want optometry to be for you.

And the best part about you being in Berkeley already is that it would be relatively easier for you to get in touch with the admissions office. There are not that many people working in the office so e-mail correspondence would be slow but you can actually call the office and schedule an appointment with Alberto Ledesma (admissions director) and get one-on-one feedback from him. Alberto can also provide you with the names of several clinical doctors at UCBSO who also have a private practice which you can volunteer at. That would be a great opportunity to explore and you can potentially get a wonderful LOR later.

Optometry school is less competitive to get accepted into compared to medical school. However, don't go into optometry just for that reason and if your heart is not into it.

I became interested in optometry by volunteering for an optometrist and also after working for an ophthalmologist. I was always interested in vision because I've been going to eye doctors since 6 months old since I have an eye turn. I participated in the pre-optometry club, volunteered at vision screenings and also was a teacher's assistant for the School of the Blind. My point is that optometry was not a definitive choice for me and I explored my options before deciding this was what I want to do.

Studying hard and prioritizing your time is important to success in any graduate school. You should check which classes are prerequisites for Berkeley and the other optometry schools and make sure you study hard for them.

Berkeley is one of the tougher schools to get into. If you have a high GPA (3.5+) and good OAT scores (340+), then your chances are better. The admissions board is also looking for great LOR and good experience and volunteer activities you participated in. Above all, they are looking for that desire in you to attend the school and succeed.

SCCO is not as difficult to get accepted but it's still not a walk in the park. SCCO stresses "professionalism" so you need to make sure what that means to you before interviewing there.

Optometry school is a lot different than undergraduate in that your class will become your family. The class size at Berkeley is 60 and SCCO is about 98. You will see the same group of students nearly everyday for 2 years so you will get close to a lot of people. I feel that the friends I've met at optometry school are just as close to me as friends that I've known since the first grade. Another thing is that everyone in optometry school is intelligent. You can't expect to study the same amount as in undergraduate and still score over the mean on exams. Everyone studies hard and does really well so the averages on exams will be very high. Don't get discouraged because everyone will help you succeed. Your classmates will be such a huge support system for you and also the professors and faculty members. You will not be alone when you start school.

Good luck and feel free to post again if you have any other questions.

Best wishes,

Rosanna

Alberto will be the best at answering questions about the admission process. If you do schedule a meeting with him, it may be best if you can bring a copy of your transcript and a short resume describing whatever relevant work or volunteer experience you have in the field. Besides a good GPA and OAT scores, I would ask how extracurricular activities and letters of recommendations are weighed in. You can also ask him for the contact information for clinical doctors who are looking for pre-optometry students to shadow them. Alberto may not have that information, but he can always direct you to either the clinical director or dean of student affairs. Alberto can also help you answer questions about the optometry program at Berkeley and about class structure, classes, etc.

An optometrist will probably be the best at answering questions you have about the profession. You can ask them about their lifestyle, training, financial debt, family life, regrets, etc.

Good luck,

Rosanna

first off congrats for being at Cal. Second, since it's ur second year and you've only done chem 1a and bio 1b, then it's going to be hard to finish the IB major in 4 yrs...The requirement for IB is a lot and you shouldn't try to squeeze the rest of the science classes in. Chem 3A, Bio 1a, and MCB 102 are the hardest class at cal. GChem and Bio 1B are the easier of the prereq.
chem 1a
chem 3a,b
physics 8a,b
math 1a,b
bio 1a,b
one genetics class: IB 141 offerred in the summer is the easiest
2 lecture and lab class
3 class from three different category
1) IB 167 easiest for category 1
2) IB 131 for category 2
3) i don't know haven't taken it.

and your 7 Cal requirement also. Good luck.