emailing admissions

[deleted1017515]

---

Members don't see this ad.

i have a gpa on the lower side, a 310 TS/320 AA OAT, and majored in a non-stem field (econ and global studies) in 2019. I am planning on applying for the 2021 application cycle and was thinking of reaching out to some of the admissions officers at the schools i am interested to see where i stand.

Is this something that people do and if so, what information or what do i say in the email when writing to them. Any help will be useful. Thank you!!

 

[futod2020]

In my experience, I’ve been told to look at each school’s class profile from the previously admitted year. There, you’ll find the GPA/OAT average of all of the students within that class. You probably won’t get an answer that’s much more extensive than this because each applicant is so different and the application process as a whole is very holistic (i.e. they’re looking at not only GPA/OAT scores but also work experience, personal statements, interview performances, etc.).

Now in my personal opinion, I think your OAT score is pretty competitive, but if your GPA is on the low side then it wouldn’t hurt to have other areas that strengthen you as an applicant.

 

[DoctorOD]

I agree completely with futod2020. As a non-STEM degree, that makes you more competitive. Remember, the average OAT means that students have scored higher and lower on the OAT. If you're from out-of-state and applying to another school, you're seen as a "diverse" applicant. I think you're definitely competitive with a 310/320. Have you looked at schools like UH, UAB, Indiana, UMSL, and OSU? That seems very similar to their class profiles.

 

[AcademicEyes]

i have a gpa on the lower side, a 310 TS/320 AA OAT, and majored in a non-stem field (econ and global studies) in 2019. I am planning on applying for the 2021 application cycle and was thinking of reaching out to some of the admissions officers at the schools i am interested to see where i stand.

Is this something that people do and if so, what information or what do i say in the email when writing to them. Any help will be useful. Thank you!!

This is something I did and I believe it helped. I actually scheduled an advising appointment with the schools I was most interested in. One offered an appointment by phone and the other told me I could come in person during a visit program that they host. Right now it'll be difficult to do things in person, but I do think it helps to either talk by phone or maybe even video. There is a higher likelihood that they will remember you when looking over your application if you make it a little more personal.
The important thing is to own your grades/OAT and show how you will change instead of focusing on why you think you got those low grades.

I messaged them with a brief summary of my history, letting them know that I wanted to focus on how to make my application more competitive rather than dwelling on things I could not change, and was hoping to speak to someone about the recommended next steps. I found it incredibly helpful.

 

[deleted1017515]

This is something I did and I believe it helped. I actually scheduled an advising appointment with the schools I was most interested in. One offered an appointment by phone and the other told me I could come in person during a visit program that they host. Right now it'll be difficult to do things in person, but I do think it helps to either talk by phone or maybe even video. There is a higher likelihood that they will remember you when looking over your application if you make it a little more personal.
The important thing is to own your grades/OAT and show how you will change instead of focusing on why you think you got those low grades.

I messaged them with a brief summary of my history, letting them know that I wanted to focus on how to make my application more competitive rather than dwelling on things I could not change, and was hoping to speak to someone about the recommended next steps. I found it incredibly helpful.

thank you so much!! i know salus offers advising appointments but wasn't sure if other schools did. when you emailed them, did you send them an unofficial transcript or your stats or anything? or did you just have all of that ready to discuss in front of you when you actually chatted with them?

 

[AcademicEyes]

thank you so much!! i know salus offers advising appointments but wasn't sure if other schools did. when you emailed them, did you send them an unofficial transcript or your stats or anything? or did you just have all of that ready to discuss in front of you when you actually chatted with them?

I didn't email it to them, but I did have it ready for me to access in case they had any questions. They actually didn't ask for specifics, but they were able to offer a lot of tips based on what I told them.

 

[iridologist]

I had an almost identical situation/ stats as you. I would 100% recommend you apply EARLY!

I was in the same boat- if you have any questions about details/ what advisors told me, feel free to message me!

 

[Rus439]

Did you take any practice exams before you took your real OAT such as Kaplan exams or the free ADA exam? If so how would you say your scores on those compared to the real exam?

 

[deleted1017515]

Did you take any practice exams before you took your real OAT such as Kaplan exams or the free ADA exam? If so how would you say your scores on those compared to the real exam?

i took many practice exams (Kaplan, Princeton Review, free ADA exam, and even looked at some sections of the DAT practice exams that were out there) and I found myself scoring pretty decent on those (340/350 AA) and then i got a 310 TS/ 320 AA on the real thing so not sure what happened there. But i've seen most people scoring about the same as they do on the ADA exam on the real thing! I get really bad test anxiety and that may have played a factor in the score decrease. Feel free to private message me abt any specifics of the oat though