Competitive for Optometry School?

[PA_dud3]

Hello all,

I am contemplating some different alternatives to grad school. I am graduating in the Summer with a B.A. in History/Minor in Biology. I have a lower GPA/sGPA (3.68/3.54) with a nasty downward trend starting with COVID and ending hopefully with this semester. I have 2 C's in Prereqs (Physics I and Biochem). Could someone point me in the right direction as to what I would need to do to be competitive for Optometry School? What prerequisites would be necessary? I would also like to know what avenues there are for optometry in terms of jobs and salary. I am very new to this field but I feel like I would like the lifestyle it would afford and I find the eye fascinating. Thank you so much!

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[optimisticpreopt]

Hey! Your GPA/sGPA look solid. A couple of C's won't hurt you. Pair it with a good OAT score (schools say anything over 300 is competitive, but I wanna say it's over 320), and you should be good! All schools have pretty much the same pre-reqs so you can just research individual schools that you're interested in. To be competitive, try shadowing or working with an optometrist so the schools know that you've had exposure to the field. Optometry schools want to see a well-rounded applicant as well as your passion for optometry.

 

[PA_dud3]

Hey! Your GPA/sGPA look solid. A couple of C's won't hurt you. Pair it with a good OAT score (schools say anything over 300 is competitive, but I wanna say it's over 320), and you should be good! All schools have pretty much the same pre-reqs so you can just research individual schools that you're interested in. To be competitive, try shadowing or working with an optometrist so the schools know that you've had exposure to the field. Optometry schools want to see a well-rounded applicant as well as your passion for optometry.

Thank you so much!!! I'm so glad my GPA isn't an issue. How hard is the OAT? Would it be out of line to ask my personal optometrist to shadow him? He has his own practice so I don't want to disturb him too much.

 

[FutureOptometrist01]

The OAT is a very difficult exam that is comprised of Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Reading Comprehension, Physics and Math! It is a five hour exam, and most people spend 2-3 months full of every day prep to ready themselves for it. It is no easy feat, but it is doable! I think it would be a great idea for you to ask your optometrist about an opportunity to shadow him. Most optometrists welcome shadowing experiences for pre-optometry students, because they love to see that growth in the younger generations that will be optometrists in the future. Best of luck!

 

[kopto1997]

Thank you so much!!! I'm so glad my GPA isn't an issue. How hard is the OAT? Would it be out of line to ask my personal optometrist to shadow him? He has his own practice so I don't want to disturb him too much.

You definitely don't want to go in and wing the OAT, if that's what you're asking in regards to difficulty! I'd plan to spend 2-3 months studying for it, depending on what your schedule looks like. Also, it wouldn't be out of line to ask to shadow! I shadowed my optometrist in addition to some others in the area.