Can I go into Optometry school with a record?

[All about eyes]

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Hi there,

Like a year ago I went to a store with a friend and to make a long story short, we were stopped by a security guard when exiting the store because she had councealed some items in her purse. So, thanks to that I got a record. The big quetion is: Do I have a chance of getting accepted into any school with this problem? I have been doing some research and they will definitely wont accept a felony but it says nothing about a misdemeanor. Any thoughts? I was told that every school checks your record by the time you start working with patients. I do not know if I should mention anything about it on my 1st appliations or should I leave it for my secondary application????? My gpa is 4.25, and I have a lot of shadowing expirience. Optometry is my passion. Please, advice.🙁

 

[Jason K]

Hi there,

Like a year ago I went to a store with a friend and to make a long story short, we were stopped by a security guard when exiting the store because she had councealed some items in her purse. So, thanks to that I got a record. The big quetion is: Do I have a chance of getting accepted into any school with this problem? I have been doing some research and they will definitely wont accept a felony but it says nothing about a misdemeanor. Any thoughts? I was told that every school checks your record by the time you start working with patients. I do not know if I should mention anything about it on my 1st appliations or should I leave it for my secondary application????? My gpa is 4.25, and I have a lot of shadowing expirience. Optometry is my passion. Please, advice.🙁

That truly sucks - you may be in for an uphill battle on that one. Older professional school applications used to ask "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" Now days, I've seen a lot more "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" Unfortunately, you can't even think about leaving that off your application if they ask about a misdemeanor or nonspecific crime since you can end up with career-ending consequences later if it's discovered and the school and/or state board takes action. My approach would be to defuse the bomb before it has a chance to blow up in your face. A well written, sincere letter of intent can go a long way for an admission committee. I wouldn't lead with it in your letter, however. I'd lead with all of the reasons that you are the absolute best addition to the profession they have ever seen (in a humble sort of way.....) If you can just get yourself into the interview room and you impress them with your personality and knowledge of the profession, you could sway a committee based on your personal interaction with them. The attitude you would want to convey would be one of "Here it is, I have this mark on my record, it doesn't reflect on me as a person, but it's there. More important than this mark is the fact thatI have a lot to offer as a candidate and as a future addition to the profession." Don't focus on the negative, but don't look like you're trying to hide it either - definitely a delicate balance. I've sat on admission committees before and I always liked to see honesty and sincerity in an applicant more so than just brilliant academics. If I were interviewing you and you could convince me that you truthfully did not have anything to do with your "sticky-fingered" friend, I'd have no problem admitting you if the rest of your app looked impressive. If you have the right personality and profile, I think you have a good shot at it.

Also, as I say on just about all of my posts on this forum, be careful about going into optometry right now. A lot of applicants to OD programs have no idea what they're signing up for and envision themselves graduating from and OD program and starting their dream private practice and living on happily ever after. That sort of thing simply doesn't happen anymore to any extent that it is a practical expectation or goal upon graduating. I'm not saying you can't be successful anymore as an OD, but I am saying that the odds are extraordinarily high that you will spend a good amount of time working in commercial optometry. Depending on where you go, you may have a very hard time keeping up with your student loan payments (if you require them) since your pay right out of school will not likely be high enough to pay them off comfortably. The days of recent grads opening up and creating booming private practices are gone, unfortunately. Shadowing experience is fine to give you a rough idea, but it's really not a way to really get a feel for where the profession is and where it's going. For that, you almost have to work in the field for some time and have access to experienced docs/professionals who understand what's happening. I hear a lot of folks saying "I have a strong passion for optometry," but when confronted on the reasons for the passion, they don't have much to offer. In preparation for an interview, I'd have a long list of credible reasons to back up where your passion came from and what you expect to get from your career. I'd do this both for yourself and for the interview committee. Don't go into optometry because of what you want it to be, go into it because of what it can realistically offer to you as a profession. I learned that lesson the hard way and I'm paying every bit of about 30% of my income because if it. Best of luck to you.

 

[All about eyes]

Hi Jason,


Thanks a lot for your reply. I really apprecite your comments because they are very helpful and constructive. Let me tell you that I'm super scare of just have blown my golden opportunity and everything I have just worken so hard for. Its going to be really hard trying to convince the committe, but I will definetely be following your advice: focusing on the positive things I will offer. Once more, thanks and good luck