Advice on where to go from here? Very low GPA

[CrimsonRed90]

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Hello all,
I am about to graduate with a biochemistry major but have very low grades in all my classes. My average grade for the prereq classes is a B-/C+.

I'll keep it short for a easier read:
-biochemistry major: 2.4gpa; its not that material was hard, it was because I had previously lacked motivation to study for my clases (would just pull allnighters right before exams)
-spent 90% of college not knowing what I wanted to do
-came into college as a premed student
-switched to prepharmacy and scored 85th percentile after studying during a summer
-realized that i didnt enjoy pharmacy and wanted more patient interaction
-volunteered at vision screenings and really enjoyed it
-been working at optometrist office for past 5 months and have really enjoyed it

I was wondering what should I do since I am not sure what optometry schools look heavily on?

-should i take advanced science classes?
-should i try do a masters?
-should i retake all my prereqs (i heard that optomcas takes the higher grade if retake is at same institution)
-i had AP-ed out of calculus 1 and statistics. should i take them as gpa boosters?

I know the road wont be easy but I am willing to do whatever it takes to become a optometrist. I haven't felt so sure about something since entering college and have changed old habits to be more focused on studies. My GPA has been on the upward trend since last summer and is on track to stay that way with this semester. I plan to study for the OAT after this semester and take it by new years. I am actually excited to study this time around ^^

Thank you for your time!

 

[EyeCaptain]

Most schools will give you information from the last entering class, and typically accept students within the range of 2.8-4.0, and the averages vary. That means probably one or two people made it in with a GPA below a 3.0, and I would guess that they had excellent OAT scores. I would do anything within my power to get my GPA as close to a 3.0 as possible. I wouldn't take calc or stats to boost the GPA, you might as well spend that effort on getting a better grade for some of your prereqs. Retaking your prereqs would help immensely. It all depends on your time frame, but my personal opinion is that you probably won't be invited for an interview with your current GPA. I could be wrong, but no matter what happens, you will want to score high on the OAT.

You need to make the cut on paper before you are even invited for an interview, and that means cumulative GPA, science GPA and OAT scores.

 

[lighteye]

I was where you are right now a few years ago with just a little higher GPA. I am starting optometry school in the fall! If this is really what you want to do, you can do it with the effort. I dont think you can do a masters since almost all master programs want a 3.0. So you have to either do a post-bacc or take classes on your own at a four year. You need to take classes for at least a year ( probably more) as a full time student and get straight As . If you have anymore questions than you can private message me and ill be happy to give you advice.

 

[CrimsonRed90]

Thank you for your replies! When it comes to grades do schools only look at the gpa calculated by Optomcas or do they calculate it themselves? I am pondering to decide between just retaking the classes I did poorly on (prereq and nonprereq) or taking GPA booster classes as well.

I am considering taking "new" classes at CC while retaking classes I already have taken at the same university to save money while best affecting my GPA.

Also I was wondering if y'all knew if schools used grades you receive in one class in place for a prereq? To be specific I was wondering if they would use the grade I received in Calculus 2 or 3 in place of calculus 1 since I had AP-ed out? Same goes for regular statistics and science related statistics, biochemistry 2 for biochemistry 1, etc.

 

[EyeCaptain]

Different schools look at different criteria. These are questions you should ask the admissions committees of the schools you are interested in.

 

[imthe_ishhh]

I was where you are right now a few years ago with just a little higher GPA. I am starting optometry school in the fall! If this is really what you want to do, you can do it with the effort. I dont think you can do a masters since almost all master programs want a 3.0. So you have to either do a post-bacc or take classes on your own at a four year. You need to take classes for at least a year ( probably more) as a full time student and get straight As . If you have anymore questions than you can private message me and ill be happy to give you advice.

Hi what optometry school will you be starting at ? I have a 3.01 GPA and am a bit worried.