Hey!!
So I am in the same boat except I have a decent gpa and low OAT. I haven't heard opinions from any optom schools or faculty directly but my personal opinion is that this cycle will be more slightly more competitive. The way I see it is there might be more people applying because they have the extra time to study for the OAT, complete applications, and you don't have to request time off from work and spend a bunch of money on flights and hotel rooms for interviews. I think because of that more applicants are accepting interviews just to have backups, whereas before they would decline interviews so they didn't unnecessarily spend more money. In that way, seats are being given out to applicants that aren't going to choose that school, which might make for more waitlisted students this cycle. If you look at the class of 2025 thread it gives you a good idea of how many people are accepting interviews.
However, on the other hand, I could see why fewer people would be applying. Some people are going through some serious financial hardship, and applications, OAT registration, and study resources are super expensive. Other people might feel like this pandemic isn't going to be over by next year, and just aren't comfortable moving and starting the endeavor that is graduate school during this time, so more people might be taking a gap year. Plus I bet there are fewer international students applying this cycle.
I see both sides, but one thing to keep in mind is that schools are probably freaking out just as much as us. They have most likely been feeling stressed about how they are going to successfully portray their school virtually, and showcase their campus without being able to do in-person tours. Good luck with everything, you got this!
