getting in without full deg.

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fly10

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hey. i am a canadian student
i was just wondering what the probablilty is getting in without a full deg.
has any one here gotten in without one?
i am a 3rd yr student and will be applying to the east coast skools in august for the 2012 cycle.
the problem is that by the end of next yr. im going to be anout 9 credits short to get my full degree. however since classes dont start till spet, i can get those credits in the summer...

any one in the same situation?
 
Hey, not sure how much this will help.... but I got admitted without a bachelors to all 3 of the schools I applied to. I'm from the US, so I'm not sure if the standards are different for a Canadian such as yourself... I applied and was admitted to IUSO, NOVA, and OSU. Some of the schools just flat out require a bachelors from everyone. So check the school in advance. I think around 10-12 will let the right person in without a degree.

I accepted the offer from IUSO, and I believe that you must have a 3.7 and a 330 AA and TS 330 to be considered for "early admission." Incase you are curious what my stats are.... I had a CUM GPA of 3.8, and a Science GPA of 4.00. My AA was 340 and my TS was 370. I'm also a bit older... (26) so I think that also helped me out.

The standards might be lower, as this is just my own inference. The best thing would be to just call you're top choices. But early admission is definitely possible!

Hope this helps....

hey. i am a canadian student
i was just wondering what the probablilty is getting in without a full deg.
has any one here gotten in without one?
i am a 3rd yr student and will be applying to the east coast skools in august for the 2012 cycle.
the problem is that by the end of next yr. im going to be anout 9 credits short to get my full degree. however since classes dont start till spet, i can get those credits in the summer...

any one in the same situation?
 
hey. i am a canadian student
i was just wondering what the probablilty is getting in without a full deg.
has any one here gotten in without one?
i am a 3rd yr student and will be applying to the east coast skools in august for the 2012 cycle.
the problem is that by the end of next yr. im going to be anout 9 credits short to get my full degree. however since classes dont start till spet, i can get those credits in the summer...

any one in the same situation?

Call the schools and find out if this would be okay. This would not only save a full year of studying/waiting, but also get you a year ahead to start making good money in the industry.
 
http://www.opted.org/files/public/Profile of the Entering Class 2010FINALpdf.pdf

This chart will give you an idea on the percentage of acceptance without a degree at the different schools. As was said above, though, check with the individual schools before applying to be sure these numbers still hold. Also, I would ask what they will require from you later on to achieve the BA from them, if at all.
 
i just checked PCO has a 98% acceptance rate with bachelor deg. the chances dont look that good for me..🙁
 
so I just spent an hour calculating my credits trying to see if i can make the June 2012 convocation, which is the only way i will have a full degree by the time i start optometry skool. But in order to get the 120 credits. I will have to take 3 class in both (2month) summer semisters in 2011 and then take 3 more classes in the 2012 summer semister in order to make the june 15 2012 convocation. I did take 2 classes in both the summer semisters last year and it was alot. i dont know if i can take 3 classes over a 2 month period!.........

Its guna be really hard but i am willing to give it a shot.. i dont know what do u guys think?
 
i just checked PCO has a 98% acceptance rate with bachelor deg. the chances dont look that good for me..🙁

That's not how you should read it. There is a very small number of people who apply without a degree, hence these small percentages.

Three people in my immediate family have started opt school like this, saving themselves a year of school. It is not that difficult; it is just not so common because most people shy away from going for it.

Good luck!
 
there are many schools that dont require BS/BA degrees.
Granted, there are many less students that are in OD school without first having a BS/BA. However, it may be due to the fact that most pre-OD students believe that it is necessary to get one first only out of ignorance or fear.

I'm in OD school, and I don't have my BS - though I was a semester away..

Essentially, I saved myself an entire year of waiting by applying early.
many schools are accepting first come - first serve - as classes begin to fill up, (a lesson from economy 101...) Supply becomes less, and demand becomes greater....meaning that as there are less seats available, the more the schools will scrutinize for better candidates.....

the more time that goes by and the more seats that get filled the more competitive it becomes.

my advice is apply early and have a decent GPA (3.2+)
 
yes that is exactly what im trying to avoid because i'll only be 6-9 credits short (AT THE END OF MY 4 YRS) and i have already finished all my pre-reqs (i have to re take 1 though, microbio).. I DONT WANT TO WASTE A WHOLE YEAR OVER THOSE CREDITS. IM TAKING SUMMER CLASS AND TRYING MY BEST TO GET AS MANY CREDITS TOWARDS MY DRGREE AS I POSSIBLY CAN.

HOPFULLY I CAN GET MY GPA > 3.2 AFTER THIS SEM.
 
yes that is exactly what im trying to avoid because i'll only be 6-9 credits short (AT THE END OF MY 4 YRS) and i have already finished all my pre-reqs (i have to re take 1 though, microbio).. I DONT WANT TO WASTE A WHOLE YEAR OVER THOSE CREDITS. IM TAKING SUMMER CLASS AND TRYING MY BEST TO GET AS MANY CREDITS TOWARDS MY DRGREE AS I POSSIBLY CAN.

HOPFULLY I CAN GET MY GPA > 3.2 AFTER THIS SEM.

I can say that the schools won't ignore your application. I don't have a bachelors yet, but I've received interviews from 4 schools so far (PCO, ICO, SUNY, NECO); it isn't acceptance like the above poster, but thats what the interview is for to prove you are a good candidate.

I'm happy just getting interviews since my gpa isn't that hot 3.0-3.1 and applied late in the cycle (feb-march).
 
the best advice anyone gave me (several ODs that I worked for) before applying was something to the effect of:

apply before you get your bachelors...it could save you time and money.
your earning potential increases with the decreased time 'spinning your wheels'...
if you can get in early, than you are that much closer to actually finishing and making money

if you can get in early and dont...you have wasted your time and money
if you can get in, but dont try its the same
the worst they can say is 'no' and youve lost maybe $500 depending on how many schools you apply to..

a loss of $500 is much less than a loss of $100,000+
and paying another year/semester of undergrad tuition when you could be starting finally into your career is a complete waste.

now of course...if you try and dont make it in..oh well..then yeah get your bachelors and try again the next year


I took this challenge..applied early and got in without a BS...saved myself an entire year of waiting...the key is to apply early
 
@cjensen20

If you dont mind me asking, what was your gpa, and OAT score?
and how much shadowing/ extra circular experience did you have?

I AM NOTICING A COMMON TREND THAT MANY PPL ARE GETTING IN WITH LOWER GPA'S BUT THEN THEY HAVE 2-3 YRS. EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR LENS CRAFTER OR AS AN OPTICAL TECHNICIAN...
 
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