Admissioni question

Started by hye345
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hye345

Full Member
15+ Year Member
I was just wondering...

Does the college/university you attend significantly affect your chances for admission at an optometry school? Like, does it matter if the college that you attend for undergrad is highly ranked or not? Thanks.
 
hye345 said:
I was just wondering...

Does the college/university you attend significantly affect your chances for admission at an optometry school? Like, does it matter if the college that you attend for undergrad is highly ranked or not? Thanks.
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I remember Dr. Johnston (the admissions guy at SUNY) said that the undergrad school has some kind of weight to it. I'm sure other schools consider that fact too. It make sense because not all undergrad schools are equal right?
 
I see that you are from SoCal. So, I ask you: which Cal States are geared more towards the health sciences? I heard that CSUN is pretty good. Are there any others? Thanks.
 
hye345 said:
I see that you are from SoCal. So, I ask you: which Cal States are geared more towards the health sciences? I heard that CSUN is pretty good. Are there any others? Thanks.
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As far as CA schools go, you really ought to go to a UC if you want to do a grad program like optometry. IMHO, the CSU system aims for more practical fields (i.e. accounting, business administration, etc.), while the UC system aims for grad school and research.
 
Thanks; and one more question: would microbiology or cellular development be good majors to choose if you are trying to fufill the prerequisites/get accepted into an optometry school?
 
hye345 said:
Thanks; and one more question: would microbiology or cellular development be good majors to choose if you are trying to fufill the prerequisites/get accepted into an optometry school?
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You should major in something that you are interested in. If that means micro or cell then do it. As long as you complete the prereqs and do well in them, there is little advantage to having a specific science degree, other than you might have seen some of the material before. If you love English Lit or Business Administration... go for it.

I would also add that I believe your undergrad institution has little, if any weight. The one situation where it could play a role is if you have slightly lower grades, they may consider whether or not your insitition was "tough" or not. But, if you went to "insert name of average university here", you shouldn't appear to be any less qualified of a candidate. The OAT is a way to "level the playing field" among candidates from different institutions.

So... my free advice (and you get what you pay for) is to major in what you love or are interested in, and go to the university where you will be happy... and graduate with the least amount of debt.
 
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