Dismissed from optometry school...going to appeal. UPDATE: REINSTATED

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heocon95

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Hello, I hope you can take the time out to read about my situation and offer some advice (particularly if you have been in a similar situation and what you did to move forward).

I recently graduated in May 2018 with a B.S. in neuroscience and a minor in psychology. I then started optometry school in August 2018. Unfortunately, this semester has been tough for me, and my transition into optometry school was not the best. I was going through my own problems, but I am not bringing them up or using them as an excuse for my grades. Initially, I was only worried about 2 classes, and was going to accept the fact that I was going to repeat these courses. Then, finals week rolled around...I got overwhelmed and didn't properly prepare well for all of my finals so it did not go well causing my final grades to go down. To be honest, I'm so sad and disappointed in myself right now. I have already written my appeal, but I will have to wait until March of 2019 for the academic review committee to decide whether they will reinstate me or not (there will be an interview with them). In the meantime, I plan on proving to myself and my school that I am capable of being in the program. I will audit the spring semester courses that I had previously enrolled in. I will take a vision science course (for undergraduates and graduates) that covers the foundations of optometry. I will start over again with the first semester material on my own. I am also planning on finding a part-time job working for an optometrist. I take full responsibility for my poor grades, and I have already went into detail explaining my situation in my appeal letter. I think everyone deserves a second chance, and all I want right now is a second chance to prove myself 🙁 I wouldn't choose to go through 4 more years of school if I didn't want to pursue this career.
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Hey heocon95, I decided to come on to studentdoctornetwork after almost 2 years. Your post was the first one that came up. I just wanted to reach out and say I'm sorry youre going through this:/ I know its hard but if this is what you really want to do, you should keep fighting for it. I hope the committee decides to give you another chance!
 
mlk01 said:
Hey heocon95, I decided to come on to studentdoctornetwork after almost 2 years. Your post was the first one that came up. I just wanted to reach out and say I'm sorry youre going through this:/ I know its hard but if this is what you really want to do, you should keep fighting for it. I hope the committee decides to give you another chance!
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Thanks so much for your words of comfort! 🙂 I will update on whether I get reinstated or not after my interview in the latter of March.
 
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Hey heocon, sorry to hear all this.

Someone close to me went through the same thing, appealed, loss the appeal, followed up with other programs and never heard back.
This was at a well-respected program with high board pass rates so on so forth.

Eventually cut their losses and learned to happily pursue another career.

Things you need to consider when sitting in front of the panel for your appeal meeting:
-What went wrong? Pinpoint them. Be specific.
-You need to have your timeline of what went wrong, what you did to mitigate, so on so forth memorized clearly and succinctly. Don't go in there like a lost hamster. It will be painful when they point out everything you did wrong, how you did not reach out for help, how you did not take steps to get ahead of your problem. Suck it up, be humble, be firm.
-Have you been in touch with faculty at all? Is there a faculty member you've specifically reached out to or get along with very well?
-Did you have a good track record at the program? No behavioral issues? Get along well and respected all your professors?
-Were you doing well grades wise before finals happened? Did you have a good passing trend that you can point back to?

Also consider your worse case scenario- the committee will strike down the appeal and other programs will not take a chance on you.

If this happens, take some time and surround yourself with people who support you. Then chase your next dream.
 
Weirdy said:
Hey heocon, sorry to hear all this.

Someone close to me went through the same thing, appealed, loss the appeal, followed up with other programs and never heard back.
This was at a well-respected program with high board pass rates so on so forth.

Eventually cut their losses and learned to happily pursue another career.

Things you need to consider when sitting in front of the panel for your appeal meeting:
-What went wrong? Pinpoint them. Be specific.
-You need to have your timeline of what went wrong, what you did to mitigate, so on so forth memorized clearly and succinctly. Don't go in there like a lost hamster. It will be painful when they point out everything you did wrong, how you did not reach out for help, how you did not take steps to get ahead of your problem. Suck it up, be humble, be firm.
-Have you been in touch with faculty at all? Is there a faculty member you've specifically reached out to or get along with very well?
-Did you have a good track record at the program? No behavioral issues? Get along well and respected all your professors?
-Were you doing well grades wise before finals happened? Did you have a good passing trend that you can point back to?

Also consider your worse case scenario- the committee will strike down the appeal and other programs will not take a chance on you.

If this happens, take some time and surround yourself with people who support you. Then chase your next dream.
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Hello Weirdy, thank you so much for your advice and help! I'll update once I find out whether I'm reinstated or not.
 
heocon95 said:
Hello, I hope you can take the time out to read about my situation and offer some advice (particularly if you have been in a similar situation and what you did to move forward).

I recently graduated in May 2018 with a B.S. in neuroscience and a minor in psychology. I then started optometry school in August 2018. Unfortunately, this semester has been tough for me, and my transition into optometry school was not the best. I was going through my own problems, but I am not bringing them up or using them as an excuse for my grades. Initially, I was only worried about 2 classes, and was going to accept the fact that I was going to repeat these courses. Then, finals week rolled around...I got overwhelmed and didn't properly prepare well for all of my finals so it did not go well causing my final grades to go down. To be honest, I'm so sad and disappointed in myself right now. I have already written my appeal, but I will have to wait until March of 2019 for the academic review committee to decide whether they will reinstate me or not (there will be an interview with them). In the meantime, I plan on proving to myself and my school that I am capable of being in the program. I will audit the spring semester courses that I had previously enrolled in. I will take a vision science course (for undergraduates and graduates) that covers the foundations of optometry. I will start over again with the first semester material on my own. I am also planning on finding a part-time job working for an optometrist. I take full responsibility for my poor grades, and I have already went into detail explaining my situation in my appeal letter. I think everyone deserves a second chance, and all I want right now is a second chance to prove myself 🙁 I wouldn't choose to go through 4 more years of school if I didn't want to pursue this career.
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Heocon95, I'm sorry to hear what you are going through, that is really tough! I was not in the exact same situation, but I did repeat classes during optometry school and was put up for review by the Academic Committee for failing classes twice in the time I was in school. A lot of reasons were behind the failures, mostly dealing with panic attacks, anxiety, lack of sleep, and illness. What I found most helpful for the committee to keep me going was showing them how passionate I was about optometry and what I was going to do to change my circumstances. I consulted with counselors and asked around for advice, I made a plan, a long term study plan to show exactly how I was going to be successful in optometry school. If you show them that you are serious and willing to put in the effort, that what happened before was just a matter of circumstance that you believe you can overcome now, they likely will be receptive. Also being open to their suggestions, such as repeating the first year might be what you have to do. They will be more receptive if you are willing to do what they ask, rather then tell them what you want from them.
 
j1989 said:
Heocon95, I'm sorry to hear what you are going through, that is really tough! I was not in the exact same situation, but I did repeat classes during optometry school and was put up for review by the Academic Committee for failing classes twice in the time I was in school. A lot of reasons were behind the failures, mostly dealing with panic attacks, anxiety, lack of sleep, and illness. What I found most helpful for the committee to keep me going was showing them how passionate I was about optometry and what I was going to do to change my circumstances. I consulted with counselors and asked around for advice, I made a plan, a long term study plan to show exactly how I was going to be successful in optometry school. If you show them that you are serious and willing to put in the effort, that what happened before was just a matter of circumstance that you believe you can overcome now, they likely will be receptive. Also being open to their suggestions, such as repeating the first year might be what you have to do. They will be more receptive if you are willing to do what they ask, rather then tell them what you want from them.
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Hi j1989, thanks so much for sharing your experience and advice! When I knew I was going to be dismissed, I felt like I had hit rock bottom. I have never felt so low about myself, and I lost confidence in myself at that point. As of right now, I'm doing my best to prove to my school that I am capable of being in the program, but most importantly, I want to prove to myself that I am capable. Some days are hard. Some days are a bit easier. Nevertheless, I push myself out of bed every morning to audit the lecture classes that I was previously enrolled in. I've been reviewing the first semester material on my own. I even enrolled as a non-degree student just so I could take a vision science course (for graduates and undergraduates) at my school. I've been trying various ways of studying to find out which one works best for me. I wanted to find a part-time job for an optometrist, but my current status kinda discouraged me from doing so. I think if they reinstate me, I will most likely have to repeat the first year which is fine with me. A second chance is all I want right now. Thanks so much again! March is coming sooner than I thought! :O
 
Eye-love90 said:
So I am in the same situation as you and I already had my hearing for appeal and it was denied. But I have been dealing with my anxiety and depression for some time and I guess that was not enough to indicate that my failures wouldn't happen again. I basically did everything that J1989 did and was still denied, but I guess the main thing to do is show them what went wrong, what caused it to happen and that it will never happen again. If you still need to chat, private message me. I 100% understand where you are coming from best of luck
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Hi Eye-love90, I'm sorry to hear that 🙁 Of course, this is not the end, and I hope you continue chasing your dreams. Thank you for sharing your experience with me, and I wish you the very best!
 
heocon95 said:
Hi j1989, thanks so much for sharing your experience and advice! When I knew I was going to be dismissed, I felt like I had hit rock bottom. I have never felt so low about myself, and I lost confidence in myself at that point. As of right now, I'm doing my best to prove to my school that I am capable of being in the program, but most importantly, I want to prove to myself that I am capable. Some days are hard. Some days are a bit easier. Nevertheless, I push myself out of bed every morning to audit the lecture classes that I was previously enrolled in. I've been reviewing the first semester material on my own. I even enrolled as a non-degree student just so I could take a vision science course (for graduates and undergraduates) at my school. I've been trying various ways of studying to find out which one works best for me. I wanted to find a part-time job for an optometrist, but my current status kinda discouraged me from doing so. I think if they reinstate me, I will most likely have to repeat the first year which is fine with me. A second chance is all I want right now. Thanks so much again! March is coming sooner than I thought! :O
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Heocon95, I totally understand feeling like you are at rock bottom. There was a point during my first year of school where I thought I was losing my mind, I was quite mentally ill. Somehow I trudged on, and I went to therapy and started taking better care of myself. But it is very difficult to navigate your own physical/mental health when you are under the pressures of graduate school. I totally understand the confidence issue, since I struggled so much in optometry school now that I am going out in to practice I can feel my anxiety creeping up. Am I good enough? Can I really do this? How do I avoid making mistakes? Many veteran optometrists have told me, grades to not determine your success. So though it may feel that you are being rated as inadequate, there are a lot of other qualities that can make you successful and it is important to capitalize on your strengths. If you know this is what you want, keep trying and doors will open for you. Just remember to take care of yourself in the process!
 
Eye-love90 said:
So I am in the same situation as you and I already had my hearing for appeal and it was denied. But I have been dealing with my anxiety and depression for some time and I guess that was not enough to indicate that my failures wouldn't happen again. I basically did everything that J1989 did and was still denied, but I guess the main thing to do is show them what went wrong, what caused it to happen and that it will never happen again. If you still need to chat, private message me. I 100% understand where you are coming from best of luck
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Eye-love90, I'm sorry to hear that happened to you, that is super tough. Have you considered applying to other optometry schools? You may have a chance at being accepted elsewhere.
 
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j1989 said:
Heocon95, I totally understand feeling like you are at rock bottom. There was a point during my first year of school where I thought I was losing my mind, I was quite mentally ill. Somehow I trudged on, and I went to therapy and started taking better care of myself. But it is very difficult to navigate your own physical/mental health when you are under the pressures of graduate school. I totally understand the confidence issue, since I struggled so much in optometry school now that I am going out in to practice I can feel my anxiety creeping up. Am I good enough? Can I really do this? How do I avoid making mistakes? Many veteran optometrists have told me, grades to not determine your success. So though it may feel that you are being rated as inadequate, there are a lot of other qualities that can make you successful and it is important to capitalize on your strengths. If you know this is what you want, keep trying and doors will open for you. Just remember to take care of yourself in the process!
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Hi j1989, thank you for your advice! We might have different circumstances, but I understand the feeling of having your physical/mental health deteriorate as you're trying to handle the academic rigor of professional school. Prior to the start of 2018, I have never really experienced so many changes and sudden events in my life, and so when it happened, I didn't really know how to cope with them. I knew I wasn't taking care of myself as much as I used to, but it didn't really hit me when I came home to my parents and told them about my dismissal. My dad looked at me, and said, "Look at you. Look at how much weight you've lost. You don't look like you're getting any sleep. How do you expect to perform at your best and retain all of this information when you're not taking care of yourself? Before you do anything else, you need to start taking care of yourself first." That was a wake-up call to me. I started taking better care of myself, exercising, and eating adequately again. The heaviness of my dismissal and uncertainty about the future is still hard on me, but I'm still pushing on. Not going to give up now!
 
I appreciate both of your honestly Eye-love90 and heocon95, it's really tough to be in these situations and it is nice to have support of others to inspire you to keep pushing through. I believe in you both!
 
Eye-love90 said:
Thanks, I am trying to figure out my next steps so I can reapply to other schools. I contacted an admissions officer and she had said that she needs to see the exact reason of why i was dismissed in the first place. I mean I know it is because of my grades but I dont know why telling them that I struggled with mental health issues what not enough to at least get me allowed to re-take the first year. I am pretty nervous to let this admissions counselor see this info, especially as the school wont let me see it, but I think i am just going to suck it up and see what she can do with it. Maybe she can tell me what went wrong (I mean besides the bad grades)

Let me know what happens next. I will try to keep you posted too. I think it always helps to see what others are doing and see what works and what doesnt.
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I am happy to hear that you are continuing on and taking the next steps to accomplishing your goals! I understand why you are nervous, and it's good that you are putting your worries/fears aside to do whatever you can now. A common advice I received from my professor and others is that you have to pinpoint and explain to them exactly what went wrong (not a generic explanation). Take responsibility for it, and tell them your long-term plan on how this is not going to happen again. Also, I think it's important to be proactive instead of just telling them how you are going to change. Start now by reviewing the material, studying ahead, taking classes...do whatever you can to give you a stronger foundation and understanding of the material. I will certainly keep you updated! Yes, please do the same too 🙂
 
Well OP, looks like you have started ( i hope ) your plan and you have support here - including me.
I can only suggest sticking to your plan : appeal to get a chance to improve your grades and get past first year. That will take some hubris, and plenty of planning - and sticking to the plan 🙂
I advise writing it all down as you have in the OP, then revisiting your incentive to become an optometrist. I think shadowing an OD for a day or even better working P/T with one is a very good way of doing that. Is it the thrill of the Rx, finding kewl stuff on SLE, or the easy lifestyle. Knowing that you can get there once you get past OD school is imho really good incentive to get past this.
And of course remember that the appeal boarad has these rule since they want to see you pass boards and graduate. Help them help you. Seek counselling from faculty, a mentor from a higher year - who knows maybe one of them can help tutor you thru first year. The tuition, and the time, your putting in will make boards and eventually work a lot easier.

Good luck in your endeavours.
 
itek2OD said:
Well OP, looks like you have started ( i hope ) your plan and you have support here - including me.
I can only suggest sticking to your plan : appeal to get a chance to improve your grades and get past first year. That will take some hubris, and plenty of planning - and sticking to the plan 🙂
I advise writing it all down as you have in the OP, then revisiting your incentive to become an optometrist. I think shadowing an OD for a day or even better working P/T with one is a very good way of doing that. Is it the thrill of the Rx, finding kewl stuff on SLE, or the easy lifestyle. Knowing that you can get there once you get past OD school is imho really good incentive to get past this.
And of course remember that the appeal boarad has these rule since they want to see you pass boards and graduate. Help them help you. Seek counselling from faculty, a mentor from a higher year - who knows maybe one of them can help tutor you thru first year. The tuition, and the time, your putting in will make boards and eventually work a lot easier.

Good luck in your endeavours.
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Thank you for your kind words and advice! I'm really grateful for all of the support I've received from family, friends, classmates, professors, and kind strangers since my dismissal.

I have stuck to my plan 🙂...pushing myself out of bed every morning to audit classes, going to the library afterwards to review first semester material, seeking help from professors, enrolling in a vision science course that I currently have an A in...I know it doesn't mean much, but it's something. I have used the last several months to reflect on myself. I think hitting a low point in your life teaches you things that no one else can teach you. I've decided to wait a couple more weeks to revisit my initial appeal letter to see if there is anything that I want to change, because I have certainly grown/changed since I first wrote it. Sorry for my rambling! These last several months have flown by for me. My interview is coming up in a few weeks, and I'm feeling a bit nervous yet hopeful.
 
Hi all,

I might not be able to share everything, but basically, I thought the interview went okay. I cried a lot though. They were nice to me, but when I came back in, they told me it was a split decision...ultimately, they decided to not reinstate me. They believe that I am capable of being in the program but I lack the "maturity" level now which I do not understand. It would make more sense to me if they said your grades were so bad...we can't let you back in, but they told me to take a year off and reapply. "You said all the right things, but we see a young lady who lacks maturity." At that point, I just think to myself...so you made me wait since December only to not reinstate me, and now you're telling me to wait another year to reapply and see if you will take me back then? I don't mean to sound ungrateful or entitled, but I believe I deserve a second chance. We all make mistakes, but I've made an effort these last several months to prove to them how much I want this. It's just hard to wrap my head around the whole situation right now....The others at my school as well as my friends and sister are shocked at the outcome...it's hard to stay strong now. I wish I could go back in time and do things differently. I feel so broken and alone, but I have to believe that bigger and better things are to come. I just have to learn things the hard way from my mistakes.
 
heocon95 said:
Hi all,

I might not be able to share everything, but basically, I thought the interview went okay. I cried a lot though. They were nice to me, but when I came back in, they told me it was a split decision...ultimately, they decided to not reinstate me. They believe that I am capable of being in the program but I lack the "maturity" level now which I do not understand. It would make more sense to me if they said your grades were so bad...we can't let you back in, but they told me to take a year off and reapply. "You said all the right things, but we see a young lady who lacks maturity." At that point, I just think to myself...so you made me wait since December only to not reinstate me, and now you're telling me to wait another year to reapply and see if you will take me back then? I don't mean to sound ungrateful or entitled, but I believe I deserve a second chance. We all make mistakes, but I've made an effort these last several months to prove to them how much I want this. It's just hard to wrap my head around the whole situation right now....The others at my school as well as my friends and sister are shocked at the outcome...it's hard to stay strong now. I wish I could go back in time and do things differently. I feel so broken and alone, but I have to believe that bigger and better things are to come. I just have to learn things the hard way from my mistakes.
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Them telling you- you should reapply was a nice way of letting you down.

If this OD program is extremely strong, they have their pick of high stat applicants who have no problems getting through academics.

They have no incentive to keep students who slip through the cracks. If anything, it would make their board stats look a little better without having students who could potentially fail boards (i.e. not doing so well in didactics).

What you see is not what they see. You may think you deserve a second chance, but your grades did not show that.

I am extremely sorry you are going through this. If you truly believe you can succeed academically, consider reapplying for the next cycle to a program that fits your stats.
 
Weirdy said:
Them telling you- you should reapply was a nice way of letting you down.

If this OD program is extremely strong, they have their pick of high stat applicants who have no problems getting through academics.

They have no incentive to keep students who slip through the cracks. If anything, it would make their board stats look a little better without having students who could potentially fail boards (i.e. not doing so well in didactics).

What you see is not what they see. You may think you deserve a second chance, but your grades did not show that.

I am extremely sorry you are going through this. If you truly believe you can succeed academically, consider reapplying for the next cycle to a program that fits your stats.
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Thanks for your advice. I really appreciate your honesty. If that was the case, I wish they would have been upfront with me. Like I previously mentioned, it would make more sense to me if they had told me they can't reinstate me due to my poor academic performance. I would accept that, but here...they are telling me that I am capable, but I don't have the maturity level yet so take a year off. The program I was in is a well-respected one with high board pass rates. Once a student is dismissed in the program, they don't get the chance to reapply, but they decided to give me another opportunity to petition for reinstatement. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole situation. Maybe you're right, they were probably just letting me down in a nice way, but I really don't know right now. I'm just trying to get myself back together and move forward.
 
Hey OP.
I am so sorry about what happened to you.

Think about this, Optometry school is not "heaven" and you have to reach it.
If it is screwing your life, your health, your sanity, your happiness, your confidence, your balance.
Then it's not the one

Try to fix your mental issues, I suspect you have depression. Depression can really impact your life negatively, try to see a therapist to work on that.

Take a year rest, travel if you can. Change the scenery.

Return after a while and improve your app and apply again if you want. Travel can show you the world, expand your knowledge, and make you a more experienced person.
 
Faefly said:
Hey OP.
I am so sorry about what happened to you.

Think about this, Optometry school is not "heaven" and you have to reach it.
If it is screwing your life, your health, your sanity, your happiness, your confidence, your balance.
Then it's not the one

Try to fix your mental issues, I suspect you have depression. Depression can really impact your life negatively, try to see a therapist to work on that.

Take a year rest, travel if you can. Change the scenery.

Return after a while and improve your app and apply again if you want. Travel can show you the world, expand your knowledge, and make you a more experienced person.
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Hi, thanks for reaching out! I understand your concerns, but I can assure you that I do not have depression. Although I was dealing with some personal problems, I'm not going to use them as an excuse for my grades. Reflecting back, I was not truly prepared for professional school...perhaps a gap year would have been better for me. I've certainly grown/matured since December, but perhaps the committee is right and I have some more maturing to do. Who knows, maybe a year from now, I will look back and think that this was all for the best. As of right now, I'm planning to get a job working for an optometrist. I'm also definitely up for traveling 🙂
 
While I’m empathetic to your cause please try to understand that at the end of the day schools have to play to the best interest of public welfare.Unfortunately,much about Optometric care doesn’t lend itself to second chances.

The privilege to look inside the eye HAS to be taken seriously in every regard.

Good Luck and keep your chin up
 
Purkinja said:
While I’m empathetic to your cause please try to understand that at the end of the day schools have to play to the best interest of public welfare.Unfortunately,much about Optometric care doesn’t lend itself to second chances.

The privilege to look inside the eye HAS to be taken seriously in every regard.

Good Luck and keep your chin up
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Hi, thank you for reaching out; I really appreciate your honesty. I completely understand where you are coming from, and I'm not upset at anyone but myself :/ I worked hard to get into optometry school, and I just don't want to give up now. If that means waiting another year (and doing everything I can to be a stronger candidate), then I will accept that. However, I don't want the committee to be giving me false hope...and not reinstate me after one year 🙁
 
Hi heocon,

I'm sorry to hear about your outcome. I have to disagree with a previous post, in that I don't think they were trying to let you down nicely by saying to apply again. They would not say that if they would not consider having you back. They do see potential in you, it's hard to know exactly what made them decide what they did. But I do not believe those committees are up for giving false hope, that would be cruel. And I would be disappointed in any school that would say something like that without being serious.

I also disagree with another post, in that there aren't things in optometric care, or health care in general for that matter, that lend itself to second chances. EVERYONE makes mistakes, we are all human. And those who act like they don't are ignorant to reality and that is a flaw in itself. And those who put others down for mistakes just want to believe the lie that they are above such mistakes.

Anyway, I'm going to get off my soapbox and say that you can do, or be whatever you set your mind to. Perhaps now is a good time to focus on yourself and figure out what you are willing to sacrifice for this career, or if there are other options that you feel might be a better fit. I believe that in our journeys, sometimes great things can come from very difficult times. For one, you will grow, that is for sure.

I wish you the best of luck, and know that everything will turn out okay if you keep an open mind and an open heart.
 
“I also disagree with another post, in that there aren't things in optometric care, or health care in general for that matter, that lend itself to second chances.”

Read what I said please.I said “ much about “ optometric care doesn’t lend itself to second chances. I stand by my statement .

Are their complaints and diagnostic entities that take time to figure out ? Absolutely ! Do great docs miss stuff the first time around ? Yep.

However you better be getting MUCH right the first time around.
 
And I still stand by my statement, you can have a bad quarter in school, make some mistakes, and still be a good doctor. And committees also make mistakes as well. The OP can still get much right the first time around, might be just in a different way than the mainstream.
 
Opinions don’t matter,the will to prepare does.Optometry is an advancing profession and looking at nationwide board scores every kid doesn’t get a trophy.

I wish the best for OP
 
I don't see what this has to do with getting trophies. We are talking about opportunities. And anyone who has struggled, been dismissed, came back, took another year, I think has the will to prepare.
 
j1989 said:
Hi heocon,

I'm sorry to hear about your outcome. I have to disagree with a previous post, in that I don't think they were trying to let you down nicely by saying to apply again. They would not say that if they would not consider having you back. They do see potential in you, it's hard to know exactly what made them decide what they did. But I do not believe those committees are up for giving false hope, that would be cruel. And I would be disappointed in any school that would say something like that without being serious.

I also disagree with another post, in that there aren't things in optometric care, or health care in general for that matter, that lend itself to second chances. EVERYONE makes mistakes, we are all human. And those who act like they don't are ignorant to reality and that is a flaw in itself. And those who put others down for mistakes just want to believe the lie that they are above such mistakes.

Anyway, I'm going to get off my soapbox and say that you can do, or be whatever you set your mind to. Perhaps now is a good time to focus on yourself and figure out what you are willing to sacrifice for this career, or if there are other options that you feel might be a better fit. I believe that in our journeys, sometimes great things can come from very difficult times. For one, you will grow, that is for sure.

I wish you the best of luck, and know that everything will turn out okay if you keep an open mind and an open heart.
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Hi j1989, thank you for your words of encouragement! I really appreciate it. In regards to the committee's decision, they did say that they believe I am capable of being in the program, but I just don't have the maturity level yet...and if I were to return in the fall, I will fall into the same trap. Thus, they think I need more time to mature. Perhaps I was too emotional during the interview. Perhaps it was how I reacted during finals week; I was quite overwhelmed during that time. Part of me feels like they are focusing more on my mistakes than on what I've done to improve since December. As for reapplying, I would not have to reapply through OptomCAS. I would just write another appeal letter and interview with them again in about a year from now.

Although things are difficult now and my future is as unclear as ever for me, I have never once doubted that I will be successful one day 🙂
 
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When you become heolon95 you'll know better what's the best path for you. Until then, probably best to continue working in the industry and exercising/training regularly.
 
laughter95 said:
When you become heolon95 you'll know better what's the best path for you. Until then, probably best to continue working in the industry and exercising/training regularly.
Click to expand...

:laugh: "heolon" haha

Yup, I definitely plan on doing that! I'm currently working towards my optometry/business certificate. I'm grateful that it gives me an opportunity to take graduate-level courses that are relevant to my field. I'm trying to find a part-time job in the optometry field, and I'll still be able to stop by my school every week to practice my clinical skills.
 
Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share the news that the academic review committee has decided to reinstate me starting fall of 2020. Later on, I will be happy to share details of my experience and what I've been doing this past year since my dismissal from the program. Right now, I'm still trying to process everything, but I will be happy to share my experience with anyone who might be in the same situation and need advice!

Take care,
heocon
 
heocon95 said:
Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share the news that the academic review committee has decided to reinstate me starting fall of 2020. Later on, I will be happy to share details of my experience and what I've been doing this past year since my dismissal from the program. Right now, I'm still trying to process everything, but I will be happy to share my experience with anyone who might be in the same situation and need advice!

Take care,
heocon
Click to expand...
Woo congrats heocon! So exciting!
 
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