Accepted early decision to SCCO c/o 2014

[send2ann]

Hi everyone, I've never posted but I decided to give those who may be discouraged or in doubt to JUST DO IT! Although these forums should be encouraging, I sometimes think they scare students away. Especially when we are comparing OAT, grades, and the cost to buy books to study for the OAT.

I was accepted to SCCO c/o 2014 for early decision (so I am a junior)

My stats:

overall 3.26
science 3.30
--> so the post that says you need a really high GPA is now proven wrong

OAT
phys - 330 --> had only taken 1 quarter
bio- 350
QR- 330 --> never practiced
RC-310 --> never practiced
GC- 340
OC-360

I refuse to spend money on college textbooks, so for the OAT I refused to buy all of the expensive programs and books ppl suggested. After all, this is not a philosophy exam, it's science. The information is consistent, you don't need a course or 3 books to tell you the same information.
So instead I used the free online sparknotes for everything, and bought the physics exam crackers to make up for only having 1 quarter of physics. And also whatever was provided on opted.org.

experience:

hospital eye center and 4 optometrists and research

leadership:

president of my sorority

so good luck to everyone! if you get accepted to SCCO 2014 then message me so i can add you on facebook

ps. it's never too early to look for roommates

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[j3w3li]

Congratulations! Your stats are great! And thank you for bringing your positivity to this forum.

For everyone else that is applying for c/o 2014, I just want to emphasize that even though experience with optometry and leadership is important, your ability to communicate what you know and your level of maturity really gets you in the door (during the interview). Its not all about what is on the paper!

I am SCCO c/o 2013, so hope to see you next year

 

[Kally]

The overall gpa average for SCCO in 2008 was 3.35, so your gpa wasnt that low for that school.

"I refuse to spend money on college textbooks, so for the OAT I refused to buy all of the expensive programs and books ppl suggested. After all, this is not a philosophy exam, it's science."

Maybe this is why your OAT scores were just average (or maybe slightly above average but still). Im aiming for 360+ on all sections so i think ill spend $100-200 on OAT books. But i agree, i wouldnt spend like 2k on a Kaplan course or something.

Also some schools are harder to get into then SCCO. As I said above SCCO's average was 3.35 in 2008 compare this with

OKlahoma 3.70
Alabama 3.56
Berkley 3.53
Michigan 3.54
Ohio 3.56
Oregon 3.50
I believe waterloo's was 82% avg
etc...

Anyways, goodluck at SCCO!!

 

[send2ann]

when i said low, i was referring to posts that said Early Decision applicants should have a 3.6++ for SCCO

and this post was to encourage those who doubt their strengths as an applicant if their GPA and scores aren't extraordinary, not for those who know they can get 360++ on everything. Also, for those who think they have to buy all of these books to do well on the OATs. Personally, even $100 would put a strain on my parents so I wanted to do whatever I can to rely on free resources, and I'd like for others to think they can too.

 

[RegularGuy]

send2ann-- Congratulations!
kally-- Let's not hate! Nobody likes a gloomy gus!

I'm a student at SCCO, so I may be biased, but I wouldn't read too much into GPA averages (which may be lower here) or OAT averages (which may be higher here).

See, SCCO's interview process is only partially based only on grades and OAT. Passing a minimum level of academic achievement will get you an interview. The interview is very important, and will basically make or break you.

IMHO, this avoids having a class full of academically smart robots who will be horrible optometrists because they can't work with people. My class is positive, well-rounded, personable, fun, and full of leaders. (That sounds like you, send2ann!) On the other hand, SCCO's undergrad GPA is lower than it could be.

For those who haven't decided on what school to attend-- I figure that education is what you make of it. You can get a great education (or terrible one) anywhere. So when choosing a school, I'd look to see where you'll be happy and where you'll save money.

And just because SCCO's gpa isn't high doesn't mean our classes aren't difficult. My undergrad prereq GPA was about 3.85? I got a 400 TS and 390 Overall on the OAT. I thought that SCCO would be cake, but I am scoring in the average range here! Intelligence is more than just a GPA or OAT score!

So send2ann-- Enjoy life while you can! Things will get really busy once you get to SCCO! Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to help.

Ok, it's 4 am and I need to study neurophysiology. Good night!

 

[blysssful]

The overall gpa average for SCCO in 2008 was 3.35, so your gpa wasnt that low for that school.

"I refuse to spend money on college textbooks, so for the OAT I refused to buy all of the expensive programs and books ppl suggested. After all, this is not a philosophy exam, it's science."

Maybe this is why your OAT scores were just average (or maybe slightly above average but still). Im aiming for 360+ on all sections so i think ill spend $100-200 on OAT books. But i agree, i wouldnt spend like 2k on a Kaplan course or something.

Also some schools are harder to get into then SCCO. As I said above SCCO's average was 3.35 in 2008 compare this with

OKlahoma 3.70
Alabama 3.56
Berkley 3.53
Michigan 3.54
Ohio 3.56
Oregon 3.50
I believe waterloo's was 82% avg
etc...

Anyways, goodluck at SCCO!!

The point of this thread was to show that someone can get into a great school without spending tons of money in the process. At the end of the day, as long as you get into the school you want to go to, does it REALLY matter if you get 360+ on each section? NO.

There's no point in trying to bring someone down because you're unsure about whether you'll get in. Don't forget, just because you're PLANNING on scoring above 360 in each section doesn't mean you actually will, so get off your soapbox.

 

[iVision]

The overall gpa average for SCCO in 2008 was 3.35, so your gpa wasnt that low for that school.

Maybe this is why your OAT scores were just average (or maybe slightly above average but still). Im aiming for 360+ on all sections so i think ill spend $100-200 on OAT books. But i agree, i wouldnt spend like 2k on a Kaplan course or something.

Anyways, goodluck at SCCO!!

I agree with blyssful...just because you're aiming for something, doesn't mean it's guaranteed. I bet you're planning on getting accepted to each school you apply to, but that doesn't mean you're going to. So please stop hating on someone's acceptance when you haven't even taken the OATs or gotten accepted yourself.

 

[mulberry]

I've noticed a trend about people wanted to get into/go to SCCO. why is this? is it because the school is in So. Cal?

 

[UCFopthopeful]

Congrats on your acceptance!

leadership:

president of my sorority

What sorority are you in??

 

[send2ann]

yes thank you!!! for everyone who understood the reasoning behind my post. these forums are so disheartening sometimes because ppl can always find a negative spin on everything. by no means was i trying to show off my grades or scores, they are not spectacular I know, but they got me into the school I DREAMED of going to. I applied for early decision not because I thought I have the killer grades and would be a shoo in. I did it (despite having to study for my OAT and take 18 quarter credits) because I knew if this was my dream school then I had to do whatever it took, and if that meant attempting to get in on an earlier cycle then so be it! i figured if i got in i would be saving my parents a lot of money if i had to apply during the regular cycle, in which I would have to apply to multiple schools because it'd be my senior year. btw, the sections i didn't study for is not because i was confident, but because I had to sacrifice something in order to keep up in my school work.

 

[send2ann]

Congrats on your acceptance!


What sorority are you in??

Sigma psi zeta!

 

[send2ann]

RegularGuy -- wow you make me nervous now! if you came in with such high grades and now you're scoring average, what is someone like me supposed to do?!!! and i would definitely love to know some ins and outs of SCCO, is the forum the best way to talk to you about it?