Desperate help...Please help!

[jj2009]

I have an overall 2.38 gpa, and I really want to get in optometry school. I have done a lot of extra curriculum activities, such as being historian and treasurer of the optometry club in my university and been involved in the club for about 3 years and 1/2, I also volunteered, shadowed and worked with 2 doctors at a Foreyes optical, shadowed at a Bascom Palmer eye institute, Miami Children's hospital, and i am currently volunteering at the Miami Lighthouse for the blind. I am currently studying for the OAT, and I know with my gpa I won't be able to get into the states so I am considering InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico Optometry School, which is fine because as long as i am doing what I want which is to become an optometrist, but the thing is that I read that for Puerto rico you need at least a 2.5 gpa.

I am graduating from a bachelors in Biology and minor in nutrition in the summer, and I am taking the OAT next wk and hoping for the best(been studying a lot). But I am really worried that Puerto Rico Optometry school won't even take me. I have tried to call and get in touch with them and I get no response, or the number says not in service. I know I have messed up in the past,but this is what I really want to do since I started college, but unfortunately situations in my life have not helped. The point is should i apply now this summer or should I try to do another major to improve my chances? I know with the gpa i can't get into a master's program, what should i do? or do they look more at your science gpa? does the science gpa include the math courses too? In Science I think I have around a 2.9 gpa, it is higher. I am in desperate help. Thank you for the help, god bless you!

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[Penguin2012]

You must raise your GPA. Strive to get a 4.0 this semester. Consider doing a post bac. Talk to a college counselor and ask how to take additional classes to raise your GPA.

I don't think there are many college counselors on the optometry forum. Go see one. Everyone here is going to tell you the same thing you already know, "RAISE YOUR GPA." It's not rocket science. Many people on this forum will then tell you how dumb you are or how you shouldn't go to optometry school and while may be true won't help you move forward.

good luck.

 

[lilmisseyeballs]

This is probably different from advice other people would give you, but I would apply this year regardless of your GPA (you may very possibly do well on the OAT; I don't think GPA necessarily indicates how well you'll do on the OAT). I've seem people with close to 4.0 GPA's who have gotten 290 on the OAT; but I've also seem people with 2.8 GPA's who have gotten 380 on the OAT. Applying every year regardless of your GPA hurts you in no way. And if anything, if you apply this year and have to reapply the next, it shows schools of your huge ambition/interest to become an optometrist. I know people who applied to a school twice and never got an interview, and when they applied their third time, the school gave them an interview, even though their GPA and OAT were no higher than the first time they applied (they sat out for a couple years and just worked at an optometry office). From what I've learned, although GPA is important, OAT seems to be more important to the schools since it's standardized. One candidate's GPA compared to another's from a different institution doesn't mean much, since the difficulty of the coursework as well as easiness of different professors can cause one person's GPA to be high, while another student who knows just as much as the first student may have a much lower GPA.

And when you have 100+ credits, strengthening your GPA is TOUGH. I did a 5th year after my 4 years of undergrad mainly to boost my GPA, and it didn't do much for me (in fact it went down). Plus the money you'll spend trying to boost it is ridiculous.

At this point, my advice would be to get your GPA up to a 2.5 (the min. requirement for most schools I think), which should be doable in a semester or two. I would then concentrate most of my time on the OAT, striving for a score of 350. In your case, I think it would be beneficial to pay $1400 to take a Kaplan OAT classroom course (not the online one), as I have peers who have raised their score from a 290 to 350 within a couple months just by taking that course. Just think--you can't raise a GPA that significantly in 2 or 3 years, but with the OAT, the schools always take your highest score, and you can take it an unlimited number of times, so you are perfectly capable of getting your score up to a 350 within a year if you take it enough times/study enough. Also, I know of a school that guarantees an interview if you have a 330 OAT, regardless of your GPA. So I'm sure there are other schools that go by the same policy. Just make sure you apply ASAP during the admission cycle (it begins July 15 I believe) every year, and use the 2008 entering class profile on opted.org to gauge which schools you will have the best chances of applying at. Good luck and don't give up! You will regret it down the road if you don't go for your dreams. And once you get into optometry school, your undergrad GPA won't ever matter again and you start over with a fresh GPA.

 

[iVision]

This is probably different from advice other people would give you, but I would apply this year regardless of your GPA (you may very possibly do well on the OAT; I don't think GPA necessarily indicates how well you'll do on the OAT). I've seem people with close to 4.0 GPA's who have gotten 290 on the OAT; but I've also seem people with 2.8 GPA's who have gotten 380 on the OAT. Applying every year regardless of your GPA hurts you in no way. And if anything, if you apply this year and have to reapply the next, it shows schools of your huge ambition/interest to become an optometrist. I know people who applied to a school twice and never got an interview, and when they applied their third time, the school gave them an interview, even though their GPA and OAT were no higher than the first time they applied (they sat out for a couple years and just worked at an optometry office). From what I've learned, although GPA is important, OAT seems to be more important to the schools since it's standardized. One candidate's GPA compared to another's from a different institution doesn't mean much, since the difficulty of the coursework as well as easiness of different professors can cause one person's GPA to be high, while another student who knows just as much as the first student may have a much lower GPA.

I'm sorry but this is very wishful thinking. Let's be realistic...applicant pools only get competitive each year. Esp with the new OptomCas, it will be easier for applicants to apply to more schools since there is a centralized application.

Also, simply re-applying without improving your weaknesses will only work against you. Sure, it may show that this is something you're willing to give another chance to, but it does not show ambition and determination if you don't even care to raise your GPA (do a post-bacc, masters, etc). Even if you get an interview a 3rd time around doesn't guarantee you a spot and you'd still have a lot of explaining to do if you haven't done anything to work towards improving your app. You need to show that you can master rigorous science courses and have what it takes to endure a 4-year long OD program. You need to get in contact with schools admissions to see how you can improve your chances of getting in as well. You cannot just simply resubmit the same entry and hope you improve your chances of getting in the second time around because, like i had said and would like to REITERATE, the applicant pool only gets more competitive each year.

And when you have 100+ credits, strengthening your GPA is TOUGH. I did a 5th year after my 4 years of undergrad mainly to boost my GPA, and it didn't do much for me (in fact it went down). Plus the money you'll spend trying to boost it is ridiculous.

Do a post-bacc. and explain why your undergrad GPA is so poor.

At this point, my advice would be to get your GPA up to a 2.5 (the min. requirement for most schools I think), which should be doable in a semester or two.

You don't want to AIM for below minimum, you should aim for at least AVERAGE and 2.5 is way below the average GPA for most schools. Even IAUPR (with the lowest avg) had an average GPA of 3.05 for 2008. Perhaps you shouldn't be giving advice for what you haven't researched.

 

[IndianaOD]

Your GPA is too low.

I would try for some graduate school work, get good grades and then apply to OD school.

 

[jabreal00]

A 2.38 is a pretty low GPA. It doesn't hurt to study really hard for the admission test to get the best possible score. I would apply this year, it won't hurt. Maybe you can get one or two interviews and learn from them. Most likely you will not get in this time around. Do a post-bac and go from there.

 

[mathcod]

Didn't topic creator want to do vet school? You mention in your other posts that you were eager to go to vet school 6 months ago, what happened to that? And you did all these optometry oriented extracurriculars too? Also your gpa decreasing by three-tenths in 6 months during your senior year is incredibly alarming.

Oh well, I think your gpa is way too low and won't be considered seriously unless you have great OAT scores and a damn good reason. Get a Masters degree and ace those classes. Get publications. These will get your foot in the door and demonstrate that you actually are fit for higher education.

If you apply with your current stats (not including OAT), I think you would be wasting time and money.

 

[jymezg]

Didn't topic creator want to do vet school? You mention in your other posts that you were eager to go to vet school 6 months ago, what happened to that?

Found out there were no accredited vet schools in the Caribbean.

A 2.38 at FIU does not suggest she will be able to handle much of any graduate education.

 

[blysssful]

To the OP: Essentially, the only shot you stand is doing a post-bacc, taking upper level science courses, acing those courses, and obviously doing REALLY well on the OAT. Good luck, it won't be easy.

This is probably different from advice other people would give you, but I would apply this year regardless of your GPA (you may very possibly do well on the OAT; I don't think GPA necessarily indicates how well you'll do on the OAT). I've seem people with close to 4.0 GPA's who have gotten 290 on the OAT; but I've also seem people with 2.8 GPA's who have gotten 380 on the OAT.

These are flukes. The OAT is NOT like the SAT, which pretty much just tests the applicant's test-taking abilities. The OAT is straightforward and VERY content driven. Obviously, the differences between universities can account for differences in GPA vs knowledge (which the OAT tries to alleviate), but these extreme examples are ridiculous and not commonplace.

Applying every year regardless of your GPA hurts you in no way. And if anything, if you apply this year and have to reapply the next, it shows schools of your huge ambition/interest to become an optometrist.

Wow. Reapplying year after year is RIDICULOUS, unless you actually DO SOMETHING to improve your application. The admissions committees don't send out acceptance letters based on lotteries; it's based on merit. If you don't show that you deserve admission the first time, what makes you think you'd get a change of heart the next time? Because you *reeeeaally reaaaalllly want it*?

From what I've learned, although GPA is important, OAT seems to be more important to the schools since it's standardized. One candidate's GPA compared to another's from a different institution doesn't mean much, since the difficulty of the coursework as well as easiness of different professors can cause one person's GPA to be high, while another student who knows just as much as the first student may have a much lower GPA.

Optometry schools are well aware of the level of difficulty of undergrad institutions and implement that information when considering applicants' GPAs (info I've personally gotten straight from three different admissions committees).

And when you have 100+ credits, strengthening your GPA is TOUGH.

This is true, however admissions committees consider trends. Especially trends that indicate that this may not be the profession for someone who cannot handle their undergraduate coursework.

 

[jj2009]

Yes, at some pt I thought about Vet school, actually 1 semester because I love animals and I care about all of them, but I realized after that 1 semester that it is not a passion, because if it were a passion I would do what it takes, like how I will for optometry, even if that means leaving to the carribean. Since I started college I have always had in my mind that I wanted to be in the optometry field, but not everything comes out the way you want it to be, and for certain personal reasons, unfortunately, I cannot go back and change, but that's fine. My gpa is certainly low, and I know I will not get accepted into a grad program with that gpa, but I will apply after I take my OAT this summer to Puerto Rico, and if I don't get accepted I think I will take someone's advise I will do another major,besides my biology, in order to improve my grades...and a stronger application to apply for the next year. Thank you to those that took their time and replied to the thread with great advise, I really appreciate it, and to those that just love critizing: if you can't help then don't write.

 

[ctincc9274]

U may wish to re-take some of your previous courses and raise your GPA that way. If u did not do well the 1st time in undergrad courses, I doubt taking upper level courses will be of any use, but may help lower your GPA. Of course, repeating courses should mean that u end up earning A's in all of them this time around, at least, that is what the schools will expect to see in repeated courses. If you've studied for the OAT as hard as u say, then it will only make re-taking your courses a breeze. Now that the major distraction in your life is over and done, you can focus on doing much better in school. Whatever path u take, I wish u the best!

 

[blysssful]

Yes, at some pt I thought about Vet school, actually 1 semester because I love animals and I care about all of them, but I realized after that 1 semester that it is not a passion, because if it were a passion I would do what it takes, like how I will for optometry, even if that means leaving to the carribean. Since I started college I have always had in my mind that I wanted to be in the optometry field, but not everything comes out the way you want it to be, and for certain personal reasons, unfortunately, I cannot go back and change, but that's fine. My gpa is certainly low, and I know I will not get accepted into a grad program with that gpa, but I will apply after I take my OAT this summer to Puerto Rico, and if I don't get accepted I think I will take someone's advise I will do another major,besides my biology, in order to improve my grades...and a stronger application to apply for the next year. Thank you to those that took their time and replied to the thread with great advise, I really appreciate it, and to those that just love critizing: if you can't help then don't write.

You can do a post-bacc without a major and just take the courses you are interested in (or the courses that would help your application). You don't have to be accepted specifically to a graduate program in order to do the post-bacc, so your current GPA or major might not matter in that regard. If you chose to do that at a different institution from your undergrad, you would be considered a "non-degree transfer" student. Talk to a college counselor.

There's nothing wrong with changing your mind about which type of professional program you want to go into. I think the reason for others bringing up your previous vet related posts is to question whether your interest in optometry is genuine or whether it is because you feel you wouldn't be able to get into vet school. I believe the purpose is less to criticize you, and more to make you question your own motives.

You have already acknowledged the fact that you have dug yourself into a hole, and to get yourself out of it your best option is to take more upper level courses and get as close to a 4.0 as possible in those courses. Schools will certainly consider that positive trend. Your biggest obstacle will be to prove to them that you can handle a heavy courseload without letting your personal life interfere. Those that are "criticizing" you are trying to make the reality abundantly clear that it will take time (~1-2 years?) and a LOT of effort to overcome your GPA.

 

[blysssful]

U may wish to re-take some of your previous courses and raise your GPA that way. If u did not do well the 1st time in undergrad courses, I doubt taking upper level courses will be of any use, but may help lower your GPA. Of course, repeating courses should mean that u end up earning A's in all of them this time around, at least, that is what the schools will expect to see in repeated courses. If you've studied for the OAT as hard as u say, then it will only make re-taking your courses a breeze. Now that the major distraction in your life is over and done, you can focus on doing much better in school. Whatever path u take, I wish u the best!

Good point... if you didn't understand the basics the upper level courses might end up hurting you... but just make sure if you're retaking courses you do get those A's.

 

[plshelpme]

I have an overall 2.38 gpa, and I really want to get in optometry school. I have done a lot of extra curriculum activities, such as being historian and treasurer of the optometry club in my university and been involved in the club for about 3 years and 1/2, I also volunteered, shadowed and worked with 2 doctors at a Foreyes optical, shadowed at a Bascom Palmer eye institute, Miami Children's hospital, and i am currently volunteering at the Miami Lighthouse for the blind. I am currently studying for the OAT, and I know with my gpa I won't be able to get into the states so I am considering InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico Optometry School, which is fine because as long as i am doing what I want which is to become an optometrist, but the thing is that I read that for Puerto rico you need at least a 2.5 gpa.

Okay so let see what you can do, as other ppl already told you, GPA is imp, but science GPA is more imp than other GPAs (that's what I heard) I mean OAT should be good, another thing you can do if you really really wanna go to Optometry school, ( yaa well I deleted somthing here) POSt bac will be the best thing, repeat all the Fs and Ds. I mean not all, like may be three classes at max( more than three R are not good, check with your school pls), take teh science courses and improve you gPA, I am in the same boat as you, well I lied about my GPA to see how ppl respond and it was bad so, I told them my real scores, well I mean even though ppl were tough on me, gave me ideas, so well I am in good shape now, so thanks to all who replied to me, anyway seems you are religious, PRAY REALLY HARD AND I AM NOT NOT JOKING, u will find a place, if you have the right intention, good luck, dont worry, pls goes to school when they are 28 and 27 so.

 

[cloud99]

Is anyone else's head spinning?

 

[thanotoriousfob]

I have an overall 2.38 gpa, and I really want to get in optometry school. I have done a lot of extra curriculum activities, such as being historian and treasurer of the optometry club in my university and been involved in the club for about 3 years and 1/2, I also volunteered, shadowed and worked with 2 doctors at a Foreyes optical, shadowed at a Bascom Palmer eye institute, Miami Children's hospital, and i am currently volunteering at the Miami Lighthouse for the blind. I am currently studying for the OAT, and I know with my gpa I won't be able to get into the states so I am considering InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico Optometry School, which is fine because as long as i am doing what I want which is to become an optometrist, but the thing is that I read that for Puerto rico you need at least a 2.5 gpa.

Okay so let see what you can do, as other ppl already told you, GPA is imp, but science GPA is more imp than other GPAs (that's what I heard) I mean OAT should be good, another thing you can do if you really really wanna go to Optometry school, taking classes at a different community college or university and never send teh previous school stuff, I mean I think it can work, but dont tell them I asked you to do it okay, POSt bac will be the best thing, repeat all the Fs and Ds. I mean not all like may be three at max, take teh science courses and improve you gPA, I am in the same boat as you, well I lied about my GPA to see how ppl respond and it was bad so, I told them my real scores, well I mean even though ppl were tough on me, gave me ideas, so well I am in good shape now, so thanks to all who replied to me, anyway seems you are religious, PRAY REALLY HARD AND I AM NOT NOT JOKING, u will find a place, if you have the right intention, good luck, dont worry, pls goes to school when they are 28 and 27 so.

WTF?

 

[cloud99]

Talk about the blind leading the blind. Lie about your gpa but "don't tell them I asked you to do it..." That's the best. I've read that three times now and still laugh each time! Can you imagine sitting in front of an ad. committee and telling them "plshelpme on studentdoctor.net told me to lie!!!" Seriously, are we being punked???

 

[lilmisseyeballs]

ummmm can't you get kicked out of school for that?? even if you're already accepted and THEN they find out?? I think it's called academic dishonesty or something.. that's certainly some risky business.. and wouldn't it fall under the 'cheating' category??

 

[thanotoriousfob]

ummmm can't you get kicked out of school for that?? even if you're already accepted and THEN they find out?? I think it's called academic dishonesty or something.. that's certainly some risky business.. and wouldn't it fall under the 'cheating' category??

It is called academic dishonesty and it can get you into trouble. I can't believe this poster is giving advice. Whatever you do, do not listen to plshelpme unless you want to make sure you don't get accepted into any program. And what's with the "three max?" Can you clarify on how you came up with that number? Thanks.

 

[OpticalBlackOut]

Can you imagine sitting in front of an ad. committee and telling them "plshelpme on studentdoctor.net told me to lie!!!"

Hahah, that's a funny scenario indeed

 

[plshelpme]

It is called academic dishonesty and it can get you into trouble. I can't believe this poster is giving advice. Whatever you do, do not listen to plshelpme unless you want to make sure you don't get accepted into any program. And what's with the "three max?" Can you clarify on how you came up with that number?


ok, so after reviewing what I wrote, I think you should not do it. I mean so just take some class and improve your GPA> I dont wanna get blamed destroying somebody's life.


I am going to see if I can delete my post, to not get in trouble.

 

[opt912]

Quick question regarding taking classes at a community college and then not showing it to opt schools. I took 3 classes (9 credits) over the summer at a community college after my freshman year. I received B's in 2 classes and I think I failed or received a D in one class. I tried to transfer those credits to my university, but was not able to do it for some reason; therefore I gave up and thought my grades were not that great anyways, so I will just retake the classes here at my university. Would it be academic dishonesty if I do not transfer those credits?

 

[blysssful]

Quick question regarding taking classes at a community college and then not showing it to opt schools. I took 3 classes (9 credits) over the summer at a community college after my freshman year. I received B's in 2 classes and I think I failed or received a D in one class. I tried to transfer those credits to my university, but was not able to do it for some reason; therefore I gave up and thought my grades were not that great anyways, so I will just retake the classes here at my university. Would it be academic dishonesty if I do not transfer those credits?

You are required to send transcripts from all schools attended. Some of the schools even require high school transcripts.