Chances of getting into Optometry schoool

[dh2020]

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I am a junior in Rutgers University and so far my overall gpa is 3.0 and science GPA is around a 3.1. I was wondering what my chances are looking at what i have done so far. I have shadowed 2 optometrists and a Ophthalmologist. I am registered for my OATS in august. Looking at what i have done so farr.... where do i stand? I am really nervous and was hoping for some advice on what to do. I still have some science courses to take in my senior year which im hoping to get all A's in.

 

[paasnaas]

Your definitely on the right track. Keep working hard in school and really focus on not bringing your GPA down. Having a lower GPA can make it more difficult in getting in, but you can definitely get interview offers with the GPA you have. If your looking into getting into some of the top optometry schools then it will be harder to get in with that GPA, but you can make up for by doing really well on your OAT. As far as your experiences go I think your doing good. Have you shadowed optometrists only in private practice? It's a good idea to shadow optometrists in different settings, both private and commercial. In addition, its also good to shadow optometrists that focus on different fields other than contact lens/glasses, like low vision, pediatrics, vision therapy, research, etc.

Right now I would focus on keeping a good GPA. And if you extra time, you can start studying for the OAT since its slowly coming up. If your not taking any classes in the summer then you should definitely dedicate A LOT of time for studying for the OATs. Practice..practice...practice!

What kind of extracurricular activities do you have other than shadowing experiences?

 

[dh2020]

This made me feel much better! I have shadowed at a vision center in Walmart and im trying to shadow at a private practice around where i live. So far I am a Co-Coordinator at the nonprofitable organization BAPS and I am doing APO service fraternity next semester if thats not too late. Im not sure if high school activities count. I am really nervous because I took physics and i got a C in it in sophmore year. I was thinking of retaking it next semester to help my GPA. what do you think?

 

[paasnaas]

This made me feel much better! I have shadowed at a vision center in Walmart and im trying to shadow at a private practice around where i live. So far I am a Co-Coordinator at the nonprofitable organization BAPS and I am doing APO service fraternity next semester if thats not too late. Im not sure if high school activities count. I am really nervous because I took physics and i got a C in it in sophmore year. I was thinking of retaking it next semester to help my GPA. what do you think?

That's great, keep up those extracurriculars, those will be really good to put on your app and you will rely on your extracurricular experiences in your interviews...seriously. Majority, if not all, of my interviews I had to discuss a lot of my extracurricular activities. I relied on them. Your experiences paint your story and personality.

It's not the end of the world if you get a C. I had a couple of C's in college and I was fortunate enough to get into berkeley. I think I may have retaken one of the classes I got a C in. But I was able to make up for them by trying harder and getting A's in the following classes. If you get 1 C, it shouldn't be a problem. You don't have to retake it but if you do, optometry schools will take your higher score, but you should do better on your second attempt anyways 😉

 

[dh2020]

Okay and I said i was a junior in the beginning of my post which i meant by im done with my junior year and now i will be a senior starting september. I have only a year left to pull up my gpa which i hope wont reduce my chances of getting in. Thank You so much for the advice !

 

[paasnaas]

Okay and I said i was a junior in the beginning of my post which i meant by im done with my junior year and now i will be a senior starting september. I have only a year left to pull up my gpa which i hope wont reduce my chances of getting in. Thank You so much for the advice !

No problem. If you have any more questions, please ask. And I forgot to respond to your question about your high school activities. Sorry but those won't count. Optometry schools don't really want to see what you accomplished in high school, they are much more interested in what you accomplished in college.