Chances of getting in?

[meowjessica]

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Hi everyone! I wanted to start off by saying that I just decided to go into the field of optometry. I really think it's the right path for me and I'm kind of new to all of this..

But I'm currently a second year at UC Davis, (junior standing), and am planning on graduating next spring (3 years) with all the prerequisites done. I am planning on staying in California (if possible) and applying to SCCO, Western, and UC Berkeley. My current GPA is 3.56 (not the highest...) and I have yet to take my OATs. I plan on shadowing an optometrist in the summer or next year.

General questions:
When should I take my OATs if I want to be admitted for 2014?
When do people generally submit their applications?
When do people find when they are accepted?
How do interviews work?
Is my GPA good enough to be considered?
Any other general info would be great!

I've been worried because I see that most of these schools have low acceptance rates.. And I just wanted to make sure that by going into optometry, I will be able to be admitted somewhere.

Thanks in advanced everyone! I just don't really know where to find all this information and I keep getting mixed results wherever I look. Any help would be greatly appreciated 🙂

 

[optomgirl578]

To be admitted for 2014, that means you would be applying this upcoming cycle (which starts July 2013). So ideally you should take your OAT this summer. People generally try to submit their app as soon as possible since it is rolling admissions, so the earlier..the better. But I'd say anytime before December is still considered "early".
If you have your optomcas application completed, your official OAT scores sent to the schools, and you've paid their application fee, you should get interview invitations within a few weeks after they receive your completed application. The interview invitation can be via phone, email, or mail..depending on the school. Then after you have your interview, most schools will let you know their decision (waitlist/accepted/rejected) within 2-3 weeks. You might even hear back within a few days, it just depends on the school and how quickly they review their files.
Your GPA is fine! You don't have to worry about that. Just do well on the OAT and get started on your shadowing/interning...and I'm sure you'll get accepted by all 3 schools you mentioned. Good luck!

 

[hopefulstudents]

How do OAT scores get sent out? Do you receive them personally and send them to the schools yourself? Or do they automatically get sent to all schools? How does this work?

 

[Loptometriste]

How do OAT scores get sent out? Do you receive them personally and send them to the schools yourself? Or do they automatically get sent to all schools? How does this work?

https://www.ada.org/oat/

https://www.ada.org/oat/oat_faq.pdf