how many opt schools did you apply to?

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Suey

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I was wondering, how many opt schools did you guys apply to? There are so many that I am interested in right now. Even though I havent started thoroughly researching on schools yet, I feel like if there's only 17 schools there's paranoia that I wont get into 1. Or is it better just to apply to 2-3 schools? Do optometry schools know all the other schools that you applied to?

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I only applied to one, ICO. I lucked out and got in. If I did it again, I would have applied to more than one. At least three probably. It is always a gamble. I'm nearly positive the schools don't know if you are applying to more than one. Even if they did, it would not matter. They don't accept you on whether or not you really only want to go to that one school or not, it is if you have what it takes. Apply to one or all 17, it won't affect if schools accept you.

Good luck

P.S. ICO is the best one.:D
 
Hi Suey:

I applied to 5 schools mainly because you can send your OAT scores to 5 schools without getting charged extra.

I felt that applying to 5/17 schools gave me a good chance to get into at least 1 school. Also, I felt there were only 5 optometry schools that I would seriously consider going to if I was accepted.

You can apply to any number of schools that you feel comfortable with. Because there is no centralized application for optometry schools, each school will not know if you applied or were accepted into another place. However, some schools do ask which other schools you have applied to in their application. In addition, several schools may also ask if you were accepted into another optometry school during your interview. I was asked that during my Newenco, SCCO, and UCBSO interview. However, I don't think that will affect their decision in any way if you are a strong applicant.

Best wishes,

Rosanna
 
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I applied to the two schools that I liked the best and that were in places I knew my husband and I would be able to relocate to for his job.

When I started the application process I was concerned that there were only 17 schools (vs. the zillions of med schools!), but the reality is that there are many fewer applicants per optometry school than applicants per med school. If your stats/interview are good enough to get you into one school, chances are you'd be able to get into all of them. (The notable exception is UC Berkeley...)

If I were you, I'd research the heck out of the schools you're interested in first -- even visit them if you have the opportunity -- and then apply only to the ones you *really* can see yourself going to. Even if for some reason you didn't get into the first schools you apply to, with rolling admissions you'd have the chance to go through another application round during the same year.

Good luck!
 
I applied to three. (one of them was UC Berkeley) I only applied to three because those were the only ones I could really see myself attending. I didn't want to spend years on applications and essays for schools I really wasn't even interested in. So, I applied to UHCO, UCBSO, and SCCO. I got into all of them except berkeley and then had to make the decision of which one I wanted to go to. (UHCO won... mostly because of the in state tuition).

So, if your scores are good enough to get into one school you're generally good enough to get into all of them. (Berkeley is the exception)
 
I applied to three optometry schools in 2001, SUNY, Pacific University, and Berkeley. Interviewed at all of them and could have seen myself attending any of them. I didn't end up attending but I still think it's a neat profession -- Eyes are just plain cool. Good luck to you on the application trail.
 
haha, everyone is like UC Berkeley is the exception. Well that would be one school i would really consider going to because that would be the cheapest one (because of instate tuition)! ugh! Why is Berkeley so hard to get into?
 
Hi again Suey:

I don't know the specific reasons why UCBSO is so difficult to get into. I can offer some suggestions, though.

UCBSO has a smaller class size than most schools at 60 students admitted each year. In addition, they only have one interview day with 80 prospective students. There were two interview dates last year, but only one this year. Because your file will be compared with the other 79 students there, your chances are not as high. Compared to SCCO, where your acceptance is based on a point system, chances are that you'll be accepted if your file reaches a certain point value. Also, UCBSO usually accepts a good number of early applicants. During my interview, we found out that 25 students were accepted through early application. That means there were 80 of us (all in black suits!) vying for 35 spots.

I hope some other people can shed some light into their application process. I'm not sure if they do use a point system, but I doubt it. My good friend just found out today that she was rejected from UCBSO. She applied with a 3.8 GPA and 380 average OAT score. I still haven't heard from them. However, I'm being realistic and I expect my rejection letter in a few days. I applied with just a 3.2 GPA and 330 OAT score, so I doubt I made the cut. My other two friends that applied and received their acceptance letters last week had a GPA around 3.6-3.8, and an average OAT score of 360-380. On a side note, it was my male friends that got accepted. UCBSO has a male/female ratio of 48/99, also. Maybe they are trying to even out the ratio by accepting more men? I doubt it, but it's kind of funny to think about :)

I hope this information helps you out.

Best wishes,

Rosanna
 
I don't know berkeley's admission process. I know the interview counts for practically nothing. When I got rejected the doctors I worked for called to find out why. They told the docs my interview was excellent.. I just didn't make the grade. I was in an interview group of 120. Honestly, with my stats I was shocked I even make the interview round. But, once you make that you start to think you have a chance. (especially since I interview well... I thought it might make me stand out). Since I was the only one in a GREY suit while EVERYONE else was in black!!!

Oh well... talking to my few friends who go there.. I wouldn't have fit in anyway. so it's all for the best.
 
Rosanna,
Why would anyone with a 3.6-3.8 GPA from a solid undergraduate institution (I imagine) want to apply to Optometry school? No disrepect with my comments but why wouldn't anyone aspire on becoming something more than an optometrist in life? With those credentials, wouldn't you want to challenge yourself and achieve something more and higher in life than just an optomety? Like an ophthalmology? Why would you become an OD and have your life shadowed by ophthalmology -respect, salaries, and so forth........? when you have the stats on going to medical school?
I never understood this?
 
Originally posted by Reality check
Rosanna,
Why would anyone with a 3.6-3.8 GPA from a solid undergraduate institution (I imagine) want to apply to Optometry school? No disrepect with my comments but why wouldn't anyone aspire on becoming something more than an optometrist in life? With those credentials, wouldn't you want to challenge yourself and achieve something more and higher in life than just an optomety? Like an ophthalmology? Why would you become an OD and have your life shadowed by ophthalmology -respect, salaries, and so forth........? when you have the stats on going to medical school?
I never understood this?

Lifestyle and length of training are two reasons. I don't quite understand want "more and higher in life" means. I can pick a million other professions that could be "more and higher in life" than an "ophthalmology". Why do people stop there?
 
Originally posted by Reality check
Rosanna,
Why would anyone with a 3.6-3.8 GPA from a solid undergraduate institution (I imagine) want to apply to Optometry school? No disrepect with my comments but why wouldn't anyone aspire on becoming something more than an optometrist in life? With those credentials, wouldn't you want to challenge yourself and achieve something more and higher in life than just an optomety? Like an ophthalmology? Why would you become an OD and have your life shadowed by ophthalmology -respect, salaries, and so forth........? when you have the stats on going to medical school?
I never understood this?

no disrespect??? this comment had disrespect written all over it. Why can't people get it through their heads that some people actually WANT to be ODs!!! I only know of TWO people in my class in OD school that even applied to MD school. (and one of them has dropped out of OD school already) I never even CONSIDERED MD school. I never wanted to go.... ever!

ODs have a great lifestyle, pull in good money, and the work is very rewarding. And I don't know about the others..but to me I "aspired" to do it. By saying what you said you implied that we're beneath people who apply to med school. And that.. is disrespect.

Happy I "Settled" on being an OD,
cpw :rolleyes:
 
It's not disrespect. It's reality. I'm a realist. I look at the way things are and I accept them for what they are. My comments were not meant to be condescending to anyone? All states allow optometrists therapeutic privileges including many glaucoma treatment and oral meds. With this in mind, many states will continue to add on more-orals, injectables, perhaps laser (YAG capsulotomies as in Oklahoma in the past, etc.......)and so on.... The bread and butter of the profession -refractions and contact lenses - still remains optometry's domain. Many optometrists practice as "junior ophthalmologists" and have been recently more concerned with medical treatments than the core of the profession. What am I getting at? Since optometric curriculums have recently changed and have become geared towards more to medicine why not go to med school and become an ophthalmologist? and waste your time and money in optometry school? Since OD's have won significant battles thru legislature and continue to win why not become an MD and do it all- medicine- surgery-optics? just like optometrist would certainly want all three one day?????????????????????
 
there we go again...
 
Originally posted by Reality check
...why not become an MD and do it all- medicine- surgery-optics?
*Sigh*... No disrespect intended, but only a total -loser- ophthalmologist would just get an MD. You really want to get into a MD/PhD program if you want to deserve any respect at all.
 
A thread having nothing to do with OD v. MD and someone brings it up. My question is; Why is refracting and prescribing a lens Rx considered so shameful? It needs to be done and takes more skill than most would think.

Perhaps those who choose OD aspire to achieve a happy and fullfilling life outside the office. Perhaps they want to have a great family life and not worry about being on call during a school concert. Perhaps they dream of NOT being self absorbed.


Reality Check-
If you think you are so much better than ODs, don't come back to this forum. We don't need your attitude.
 
Rosanna and I attend the same undergraduate institution. The Universtiy of California, Irvine. :clap: We both know the same people applying to optometry school. I can't tell you why people in general with extremely high GPAs choose optometry over medicine, but I can give you an individual case. One of our mutual friends has a 3.9 GPA and was admitted to SCCO for early admissions. She chose optometry because her brother and father are MDs, she has relatives who are pharmacists and dentists and she wanted to be something different. She loves the lack of stress, the hours and the idea of becoming an entrepreneur. Our supposed "medical school" friends ask me the same question Reality Check brought up. They want her to go into medicine. Why do people in medical school believe that it is the highest aspiration one can have? That boggles my mind more than someone not wanting to perform surgery, someone who wants to have a stable family life, or someone who doesn't want to be in school until they're 35. :confused: Medical school isn't for everyone. Albeit, there are some people who settle for other careers because their GPA isn't high enough. That goes with every profession though. My advice for these people is to keep trying and never settle. You should choose a career because you LOVE it, not because your GPA is awesome, or your GPA is sub par. You'll never be happy in life that way. This is straight off Rosanna's website!! ""During fall quarter, we had a terrific presentation from one of the admission committee members from Illinois College of Optometry. What he said at the end of his presentation is, what I believe, the best advice someone can ever get. ?No matter what you choose to do in your life, make sure it?s something you LOVE to do. You know you LOVE what you do, if you can tell people that you GET to go to work everyday, not that you HAVE to go to work everyday. Your hobby is your job.?" So, what did we learn here boys and girls?? Some people don't care about performing surgery, going to medical school, being on call 24/7, making more money or being an MD. Wow....amazing isn't it??

P.S. All Suey wanted to know was how many schools people applied to? Sheesh.....

In friendship,
Lauren
 
Lauren.. Lauren.. Lauren.. :)

You said everything I wanted to say. People have different reasons to get into a profession, and you can only hope that it is for the right reasons.

But getting back to Suey's question, Lauren and I do have a friend that only applied to one school like rpames. She did apply early, so she knew that she could always apply the next year if she was not accepted. When I was mock interviewing her, I asked her the question, "What would you do if you weren't accepted this year?" She said she would reapply next year and she would apply to more schools to improve her chances. So, I would recommend applying to at least 2 or 3 schools in addition to your top pick. You'll be surprised sometimes at how much you like a school when you go there for an interview. I was really impressed with ICO and SUNY, which I never expected.

If you could, follow r_salis' advice by researching the schools you are interested in, and even try to visit their school or get to know their current students. A lot of optometry schools do have an undergraduate outreach program you can inquire about, and you could even join current optometry students for social events.

Back to our friend, she lives 15 minutes from SCCO and had visited the campus numerous times since freshman year. Right now, she has several friends at SCCO. Because there are only 17 optometry schools, all of them are pretty good. When you decide which school to go to, remember to factor in how feel towards the students and if you could imagine being at that school for nearly 4 years.

Also, if you are interviewing at UCBSO, listen to cpw and don't wear a black suit :) My friend that was accepted was wearing a white t-shirt with tennis shoes with his suit. He didn't actually plan it that way. What happened was that the airline lost his luggage. However, the look did suit him because he told his interviewers that his dress style reflects how he would practice: professional, yet still fun. ;) I wouldn't recommend dressing like that unless you're comfortable with it, though.

Best wishes,

Rosanna
 
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