Advice on OSU...please help!

[rsrfish22]

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Has anyone interviewed/applied to OSU? What were your scores/grades/apps like? I haven't heard back yet, but I got a 350 (TS & AA) on my OAT, have a 3.75 gpa, over 100 hours of observation - at 3 different types of practices, letters of reference from alumni, and plenty of volunteer/ leadership activities...

Any advice? Are my gpa and OAT scores good enough? OSU is the only place I've applied...should I apply elsewhere to be safe?

 

[hello07]

wow! 3.75 undergrad GPA with 350 OAT scores. Stellar record on my account. Apply to more OD schools you will get in. I am not familiar with OSU criteria but those are high and solid numbers.

Why don't you take the MCAT's and apply to Medical School. You should be considered a competitive applicant for medicine. You sure you want to become an optometrist with those stats?

AIM HIGHER, become a PHYSICIAN. more opportunities and you will be more marketable than an OD will ever be. TRUST ME ON THIS!!!

 

[Tortugabebe]

Ahhh the grass is always greener on the other side... Guess it depends on your priorities.

For the OSU applicant: OSU average stats are available, and I can't imagine you haven't seen them if it's the only school you've applied to... Do your research, and calm yourself.

wow! 3.75 undergrad GPA with 350 OAT scores. Stellar record on my account. Apply to more OD schools you will get in. I am not familiar with OSU criteria but those are high and solid numbers.

Why don't you take the MCAT's and apply to Medical School. You should be considered a competitive applicant for medicine. You sure you want to become an optometrist with those stats?

AIM HIGHER, become a PHYSICIAN. more opportunities and you will be more marketable than an OD will ever be. TRUST ME ON THIS!!!

 

[hello07]

I beg to differ. How do you know as an optometry student the grass isn't greener on the other side? The majority of MD's I know are very happy; contrary to what you say. What specialty are they in that you have spoken to them and are not happy?
Why would you want an applicant such as r-22 with those marvelous stats become just an optometrist? Prestige? Respect? Money? Tell me why?

 

[thomasp9]

To answer the original question and not to add to the pointless banter.... I have already heard from OSU. I have similar stats as you yourself. If I were you I would call them asap and see what the deal is. It takes OSU a few months to process their applications, so it depends on when you originally applied as to when you will hear from them. Good Luck!

 

[Oculomotor]

rsrfish22,

I am an ohio state alum (undergrad) so listen to me. You have a GPA and MCAT that is signifigantly higher than OSU's averages so you should be in good shape...CALL them and see what the status is. You should be fine🙂

hello07 if you really ARE a bitter OD that has an inferiority complex to medical physicians than you really should consider going back to school to get a medical degree. This will provide you with your desire to achieve the prestige of the century! After you earn your MD you can walk outside, the clouds will part, and god's light will shine on you to grant you all of the magical "md powers" that you currently do not possess. When you go to Mt. Olympus to get your MD and become a health care god, tell God I said thank you for helping me get my OD degree! I along with the other mortals---OD's, DDS's, DMD's, and DPM's will be stuck on earth during your transformation.

optometrists are physicians they are OPTOMETRIC PHYSICIANS (this will be on my coat in my future practice as it is with my mentor)

you are fooling yourself if you think that a family practice MD or DO has more respect than an OD, Especially considering the fact that PA's and nurse practiitoners are taking over primary care medicine. All doctorate level providers have a healty degree of respect from joe public.

I work hard to maintain a 3.5 GPA in optometry school and believe it or not 😉 I got a 33 on the MCAT (average for MD matriculation is 27, for DO matriculation is 25--less competitive) and I chose optometry!!!!!! I can name off the top of my head 3 classmates of mine who had 4.0, 3.9, and 3.95 GPA's ( one has a masters degree in physics) and they all chose to become primary eye doctors (OD's). hello07 your comments on here are insulting. I am so proud of what I am doing becoming an OD.

 

[hello07]

Greetings Oculomotor,

In a previous post, you never answered my questions when I asked you what was your undergraduate GPA, OAT scores and to which Optometry schools you applied before gaining admission on your third try. I applaud you for your perseverance and determination for hanging in there and getting in. Also, as long as you are so proud on the road to becoming an OD, that's all that counts.
Than you for providing me with a psychotherapy session. It was most impressive especially the part of becoming an "optometric physician."
When I graduated, I was awarded the degree "Doctor of Optometry." No where did it say physician in there but I see your point.

The term you will use on your coat is a cry for help. I wonder who has the inferiority complex in this case hummmmmmm. If that makes you feel better and sleep better at night; I will address you as an optometric physician.
Don't forget to take your LASIK courses over the weekend when you graduate so you can really feel like a junior MD.
All the Best to you,

 

[Oculomotor]

Actually, hello 07, I got in on the second try (if you read closely my post said two tries! lol) and the reason for that was the fact I applied in Feb-March of the first year I applied. I know you understand the concept of "rolling admissions"----> the later you apply your possibilities become more limited. I am sure you understand this! I took medical school courses (by petition of course--ala carte, pharmacology, medical physiology, medical histology, and radiology--all A's) to improve my application and it did. As to your junior "MD " comment----what in the name of sam hell is that? I feel that all doctorate level health practitioners are equal and don't discriminate. You think otherwise with your obvious position that MD's are superior to you. Do you acknowledge that you are a primary eye doctor as an optometrist? Or do you feel that you are inferior to Medical Doctors. I just feel it is irresponsible and unsupportive of you to direct inspiring optometry students to a different career! I am involved in the political process in with my state optometry association and know a great deal about the history of this profession from jewlers in the late 1800's to the last 30yrs of scope battles.
Another thing, hello 07, you obviously want to be an MD so why not go back to medical school yourself so you can satisfy the hole in your professional heart? Why don't you go back to medical school? I have never encountered an optometrist with the negative attitude about the profession as you. Other people I know who have read your posts are equally disappointed. Forgive me if I am taken back by that.

 

[hello07]

Oculomotor,
There are tons of practicing OD's out there that feel the same sentiment as I do. They however, don't waste their time expressing themselves on these forums like I do. I never bad mouthed Optometry. read all my posts. Not once did i say I hate or I am miserable being an optometrist. Never. I realized after practicing optometry for 15 yeras, as wonderful as this profession is, I wanted more to stimulate and challenge my mind. that is where medicine and surgery came in. Obviously, you do not understand at the moment what I am talking about. You are a student going thru the motions of school. once you get out and go into private practice, corporate(retail optical) and clinic working side by side with ophthalmology you too will understand that you are limited by boundaries of how much you can and can't do.
i can go on and on and defend my position; but i will be wasting my time with you. Once you get out in the real world one day, it might all make sense to you. Perception is not always Realization. and to change that takes alot of effort with public opinion. i'm done argueing because you don't understand presently what it is all about. You are in academia and it's very different in that mind of your.
One day, you too might will say, that SOB was right.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and BLESSINGS TO YOU!

 

[blobs]

hey, i'm gonna go to optometry school, and consciously picked it over MD. money and prestige has diminishing returns effect on satisfaction, but spare time and lifestype doesnt.... optometry makes "enough" money but with a level of comfort much higher than MD. MD doesn't necesarrilly mean you're all-that... all it takes to go to med school is eating alot of fish oil before the test and making sure you buy a kaplan book or something, and choosing easy biology classes with easy-A professors and do some memory exercises you can find in any psych book.

I got a 42T on MCAT before taking the OAT and obtained 390 AA/400 TS on that, have 3.75 science gpa and about four research positions under the belt. Thats good enough to get into most med schools, AND i'm a huge reader of ODwire and STILL picked optometry. I also seriously considered becoming a welder or electrician for around a year, but didn't do that since i hate wearing the rubber shoes.

about the prestige thing... the only people who I respect enough to care about their opinion are those people who are educated enough to not judge my character based on my degree. the prestige problem solves itself naturally unless you actually care what imbeciles think of you, in which case you got bigger problems than just having a low prestige job.



about the OSU: friend of mine who got in last year had only a few days of observations and 340/340 OAT, 3.5 gpa... and he was from california! so it'll work out for you, definately

 

[Oculomotor]

hello07,

I actually worked in a couple optometric practices for a couple years and shadowed several ophthalmologists as well. I have been in the REAL world and currently I am in my mid 30's! I am probably as old as you are! I am also aware of the limitiations and feel that I am totally fine with being a primary eye care physician prescribing medications, contacts, glasses, and doing "minor surgical procedures". This is the essence of a gatekeeping profession and one that can treat "most people most of the time".


Have a good new year.

 

[KHE]

hello07,

I actually worked in a couple optometric practices for a couple years and shadowed several ophthalmologists as well. I have been in the REAL world and currently I am in my mid 30's! I am probably as old as you are! I am also aware of the limitiations and feel that I am totally fine with being a primary eye care physician prescribing medications, contacts, glasses, and doing "minor surgical procedures". This is the essence of a gatekeeping profession and one that can treat "most people most of the time".


Have a good new year.

A gatekeeper profession? What exactly does optometry "keep the gates" of?

 

[Oculomotor]

Gatekeeper as defined by the Congressional Health Committee:
A gatekeeper physician, which is the term used during Congressional Health Committee meetings to refer to primary care physicians due to their role as 'gatekeepers' to ration out patient access to specialized subspecialty doctors.

This is an analogy used for primary care physician providers such as "optometric physicians" in terms of their role as a "gatekeeper." The gates would be that of eye care in general.

Come on KHE you of all people should know this or are you just being sarcastic?

 

[KHE]

Gatekeeper as defined by the Congressional Health Committee:
A gatekeeper physician, which is the term used during Congressional Health Committee meetings to refer to primary care physicians due to their role as 'gatekeepers' to ration out patient access to specialized subspecialty doctors.

This is an analogy used for primary care physician providers such as "optometric physicians" in terms of their role as a "gatekeeper." The gates would be that of eye care in general.

Come on KHE you of all people should know this or are you just being sarcastic?

If you think that optometrists act as gatekeepers to eye care in any way shape or form then I would respectfully ask you to pass that dutchie on the left hand side because it must be really really fine.

Patients can be referred for eye care from their PCP or they can SELF refer to ophthalmology on virtually every insurance plan out there because ophthalmology is considered a specialist in the same sense that gynecologists are....patients can self refer themselves to these specialties.

Optometrists act as the gatekeeper of nothing, and they CERTAINLY don't act as gatekeepers in any way that fits that definition you posted.

 

[Ben Chudner]

If you think that optometrists act as gatekeepers to eye care in any way shape or form then I would respectfully ask you to pass that dutchie on the left hand side because it must be really really fine.

A Musical Youth reference. That's reaching way back. I bet most of these kids have never even heard that song. And by the way, you are right, we are not the gatekeepers for eye care. We WANT to be, and we CLAIM we can be, but currently we are not.

 

[hello07]

I was done posting here but after reading blobs post couldn't help myself. 42 on the MCAT's and almost perfect score on OAT's with 3.75 GPA- WOW!
You are a smart individual. Instead of being Harvard Medical bound, you chose Optometry. If you believe you made the right choice, then that's all that counts. You will become a most BRILLIANT OPTOMETRIST IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. I am so glad you will be my colleague one day.

Blobs and Oculomoter- Have a Healthy and Happy New Year!

 

[Motiv8]

For Hello 07, I was wondering in which environment did you not find fulfillment in the optometry profession? Was it retail ?

 

[hello07]

Motiv8,
Happy New Year! Working in retail is what you make of it. You practice as you wish if you are not working for large corporations inside a mall. I have had problems in my past working for retail stores because of the abuse and disrespect you get. The opticians/ businessmen, the sales girls who happen to have a GED, lab techs etc......even patients coming in and calling you by your first name like you are buddy with them or because you did such a wonderful job with them and get friendly with them in the exam room, next time around they come in calling you by your first name - the overall atmosphere CAN be degrading.
Private practice and clinincs are more professional but there can be problems there too.