A Time line for success?? plus general Qs

[bepiozo]

I'm a Bio major in my 2nd year of college but am a semester ahead so I am at a junior standing right now. I've done some research on what I need to do to get accepted into optometry school, and at this point it feels like a bunch of information from various sources, some of which conflict, floating around in my head. I'm trying to bring it all together and get a good grasp of what I need to do A general time line would be helpful.

Some other Qs:

So I'm a bit confused about when I should take the OAT. I won't finish 2 semesters of Ochem until next year. Should I take the OAT right after I finish or would it be okay to take it before? Does it matter to the opt schools how many times you've tried taking the OAT?

Also, I've heard different things, but science GPA refers to the overall GPA of the required science classes an opt school requires, yes? So it should vary slightly depending on what school one is looking at?

I've heard it's beneficial to apply early. Exactly how early is early?


That's it for now, maybe I'll think of more. Thanks in advance!

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[DrFrankenzyme]

I would strongly recommend taking 2 semester of O-Chem before doing the OAT.

 

[JMU07]

I agree, or else you're going to be spending a LOT of extra time teaching it to yourself. I took the OAT right after I finished my ochem sequence and I'm really glad I did it that way. Most people take it after their third year of college.

Evidently with this new application system they begin accepting apps July 15th. Applying then is early. Most schools have rolling admissions so, the earlier the better! Students apply the summer before their entering year (so applying this summer would be for the entering class of 2010).

Also - you surely don't want to take the OAT a bunch of times, it's around $200 per test. So study and do well the first time, you'll save a lot of money.

 

[OpticalBlackOut]

There's a timeline at the end of this link-
http://bunny.ucdavis.edu/advising/hsa/handouts/information_preoptometry_students.html

The link was taken from:
http://www.optstudent.com/

which also has a detailed timeline-

http://www.optstudent.com/timeline.html

 

[bepiozo]

Evidently with this new application system they begin accepting apps July 15th. Applying then is early. Most schools have rolling admissions so, the earlier the better! Students apply the summer before their entering year (so applying this summer would be for the entering class of 2010).

Oh wow, so it's like the GPA from your senior year classes aren't even taken into consideration? (maybe I'll take my hardest classes then ) Well how would that work out for the pre-reqs? What if I was planning on completing a pre-req during my 2nd semester senior year..?

 

[JMU07]

Oh wow, so it's like the GPA from your senior year classes aren't even taken into consideration? (maybe I'll take my hardest classes then ) Well how would that work out for the pre-reqs? What if I was planning on completing a pre-req during my 2nd semester senior year..?

Well, not quite!

You're required to send in a final transcript after you graduate, so they do get to look at your classes from senior year. And it's okay if you're not done with pre-reqs when you apply just as long as you do end up taking them before you matriculate.

 

[blysssful]

Oh wow, so it's like the GPA from your senior year classes aren't even taken into consideration? (maybe I'll take my hardest classes then ) Well how would that work out for the pre-reqs? What if I was planning on completing a pre-req during my 2nd semester senior year..?

Like others have said, definitely take the OAT after OChem 2. I took OChem 1 & 2 last summer and took the OAT immediately following and didn't have to study for OChem at all during my OAT prep. You could take the exam around June/July of the year you want to apply (that would be the summer before your senior year if you're not planning on taking a break).

As far as pre-reqs go, you can definitely have 2-3 pre-reqs left to finish for most of the schools, but you should try to avoid having more than that. If your application isn't very strong, they often put your application on hold and wait for your fall and/or spring grades, so don't COUNT on being able to slack senior year. However, once you're accepted, its doubtful they'll revoke your acceptance because of one C... but just make sure ALL your grades don't slip (it's REALLY hard not to let them slip...!)

In the mean time, make sure you do some shadowing and start thinking of professors you want to write you letters of recommendation. Join some clubs and think about how to make yourself a well-rounded applicant! If your school doesn't have a pre-opt club, you could start one. Good luck