apply this year or next?

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I'm trying to decide whether I should take another year to gain GPA and experience, or just taking what I have and firing away this year. Main problem is the time constraint.

I've got a 3.57/3.75 cum/science GPA, biochemistry, and a very large amount of research experience. However I don't have any documentable optometry experience, and I havent taken the OAT. I'm in the process of getting myself into an optometrists office as of right now, and I signed up for the OAT already (don't need any extra preparation time). So realisitically, I would only be able to have all my stuff ready in november/december or so, at the earliest.

Since the optometry schools all have rolling admissions, is it SIGNIFICANTLY worse to apply in december? Their deadlines are all march or febuary but I have a feeling that the "real" deadline for having a plausible chance to get in is much earlier.

So I have the option of waiting a year and having much more time to beef up the application, or trying to squeeze in two months of shadowing/working with 2 different optometrists bewteen now and november, taking the OAT, and trying for fall 2008.

any suggestions? to wait or not.....

 

[Oogilily]

If it were me, I would try to get in this year. I would hate to wait a whole year. But that's me, I'm 25 and want to get going now 🙂. They do say to get in applications as early as possible, and december might be a little late but, depending on your OAT score, you could stand a good chance of getting in depending on what state you live in and what school you are applying to. If you could get everything in by November, that would be much better.

As for shadowing, you don't need 200 hours. Just do enough to get a feel for the field of optometry. I'm only doing 32 hours and from what I've heard, that would be plenty. Others have only done like 18 hours and have got accepted. They mostly just want you to see what optometrists do and how the different practices work.

Just my 2 pennies.