Has anyone been accepted with...

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RLK

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with oat scores below 300?

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I know someone who has, but it not much below. I think 290, but they had tons of experience in optometry.
 
rpames said:
I know someone who has, but it not much below. I think 290, but they had tons of experience in optometry.


What kind of GPA did your friend have, rpames?
 
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I know someone who had a 3.9 G.P.A. and couldn't get accepted anywhere with a 300 OAT. How did they get in with a 290? 10 years of experience......?
 
I got in with a 290. Probably you have a better chance of getting in with a lower score at schools that only accept the October OAT (altough I don't know how's it going to work now that there are more test dates). The schools that accepted the Feb OAT asked me to retake it.
For most people their OAT score is one of their strongest points, for me it happened to be the weakest. I think some schools are looking for applicants with a well rounded background, rather than students with a very high GPA.
If you've got a low OAT score, there is still hope.
 
i took the oat today. TS 270 AA 280

My grades are decent 3.2 - 3.3, but I just can't seem to get these scores up to 300. Where do you think I would have a chance with these scores, or nowhere?
 
Is this your first time doing it? Your GPA seems pretty decent.
 
duracell said:
What kind of GPA did your friend have, rpames?


I'm not sure exactly, but I think it was about a 3.0.
 
I called Penn, Ill, alabama, nova and Puerto rico all accepted 290 oats.
 
do you know about UMSL?
 
I don't think UMSL wants to take anyone under 300. 300 is the magic number, and without it I'm not sure if they would take you. They would definately tell you to retake the OAT if you had only taken it once. They made me retake it, but luckily I did much better the second time. So I guess I will never know if they would have taken me with my first score. I think it also depends upon your circumstance. Just try to get at least a 300!
 
Dr.wannabe said:
I called Penn, Ill, alabama, nova and Puerto rico all accepted 290 oats.

When you say 290, do you mean an Academic Average of 290 or Total Science of 290? Do you know which score schools go by the most?
 
FYI, I was told that your undergrad school influences your GPA's weight. In other words, a 4.0 in Joe Schmoe State U would be like a 2.9 in Ivy League U (NOT an exact conversion but you get the point).

So even if somebody here got in to opt school with a 2.9 and 390, you have to consider the undergrad school that he/she got that GPA in.
 
alferec said:
FYI, I was told that your undergrad school influences your GPA's weight. In other words, a 4.0 in Joe Schmoe State U would be like a 2.9 in Ivy League U (NOT an exact conversion but you get the point).

So even if somebody here got in to opt school with a 2.9 and 390, you have to consider the undergrad school that he/she got that GPA in.

i agree with alferec. i spoke with some representatives of optometry schools when they were at my university's health fair, and they said that the reputation of the school attended factors into the admission committee's decision.
 
scraders said:
i agree with alferec. i spoke with some representatives of optometry schools when they were at my university's health fair, and they said that the reputation of the school attended factors into the admission committee's decision.
On the other hand I don't think that it'd be a big deal if someone went to a small state university. My junior year an OD advised me to transfer from my small-town univerity in Oklahoma, to a well known university (where I would have had to pay several times as much for tuition). I stayed at the small school, and never had a problem.
 
J.opt said:
On the other hand I don't think that it'd be a big deal if someone went to a small state university. My junior year an OD advised me to transfer from my small-town univerity in Oklahoma, to a well known university (where I would have had to pay several times as much for tuition). I stayed at the small school, and never had a problem.


I hope that is true. However, when PCO visited my school I was shocked to hear they would weigh a 4 year university organic class the same as community college. Where you attended school doesn't factor in unless you're on the borderline.
 
hflyer said:
I hope that is true. However, when PCO visited my school I was shocked to hear they would weigh a 4 year university organic class the same as community college. Where you attended school doesn't factor in unless you're on the borderline.[/QU



how can they comapre a community college course with a 4 year university course. espicailly the science ones. The difficulty is way different. They should weigh that more carefully.
 
odstudent said:
hflyer said:
I hope that is true. However, when PCO visited my school I was shocked to hear they would weigh a 4 year university organic class the same as community college. Where you attended school doesn't factor in unless you're on the borderline.[/QU



how can they comapre a community college course with a 4 year university course. espicailly the science ones. The difficulty is way different. They should weigh that more carefully.


I don't agree with that. I've taken courses at community college that were much harder than courses at a university. How would you know that the difficulty is way different? It just depends on the professor and how the class is taught. I'm taking an anatomy and physiology course now at a community college that's harder than any bio class i had at a 4 year college.
 
RLK said:
odstudent said:
I don't agree with that. I've taken courses at community college that were much harder than courses at a university. How would you know that the difficulty is way different? It just depends on the professor and how the class is taught. I'm taking an anatomy and physiology course now at a community college that's harder than any bio class i had at a 4 year college.


good point... I guess i'm just talking about my experiences from the community college in my town.
 
RLK said:
odstudent said:
I don't agree with that. I've taken courses at community college that were much harder than courses at a university. How would you know that the difficulty is way different? It just depends on the professor and how the class is taught. I'm taking an anatomy and physiology course now at a community college that's harder than any bio class i had at a 4 year college.


RLK, Just out of curiosity what university do you go to right now?
 
odstudent said:
RLK said:
good point... I guess i'm just talking about my experiences from the community college in my town.

I totally agree with odstudent because I went to a top 50 ranked university and the community college classes are way easier than the ones offered through my university. I am not saying people that attend community college should not be allowed in optometry schools, but I do think a four-year college should be weighed more heavily.
 
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