I don't know what to do...I feel like giving up

[yoyomad]

Hey guys,
I'm new here and after reading several topics I just feel like giving up trying to go to Optometry school . I'm not particularly fond of my GPA which is a 2.77 right now. I know what I'm going to say is stupid and has nothing to do with it maybe but from my family I'm the only one to have graduated from college and I never had any advice or guidance from anyone when I first entered college....so it was a trial and error for me when I first started (first 2 years)...hence the GPA. At the end, like my last year I started racking up excellent grades but not enough to improve my GPA. I've already graduated with a Bachelors. I registered to take the OAT but I'm thinking that its going to be a waste of time...AND on top of that I've never done any volunteer experience or what not I know, boo for me... I feel like this is all going to be useless.............

I've never told this to anyone in my family or friends because they all are pushing me to continue and that they know I can do it...but honestly they don't know all the details and how hard it is.....

Is there someone out there that can maybe reassure me that they are right...or that I should just look for something else to do?

If you were in my position, what would you do?

Thanks for your time and listening to me whining....

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[physicslover]

I know its hard to continue your pursuit with pressure from families because you don't want to let them down. But if optometry, is something you really want to pursue, I say don't give up. It may not be a fast or easy process, but you can still do it. I think you will regret just giving up and settling for something else without giving it your all. This is a major decision you need to make in your life, so really weigh out what your priorities are. I'm also the first person in my family to go to college so I understand what it feels like to be lost in the academic setting.

If optometry is something you want for yourself, and not due to family pressures, you should pursue it. If you just graduated, what are you doing next year? Maybe re-taking some courses to boost your GPA would be a good idea. Also, study very hard for the OAT and ace it! As for extracurricular, hopefully there was some things you did? If not, you can start now, but, you gotta have a legitimate excuse to why you have not been participating for the last couple years.

I say try your best! Don't go into it with the attitude like you will fail, because then you probably will. Gdluck! Feel free to msg me for advice =)

 

[yoyomad]

physicslover, thanks so much for your reply...I haven't had that type of encouragement from someone in a looonnnggg time (other than what my parents tell me about applying to Opt. School ) I appreciate it.

Well I've been out of school now for about 1 year and a half (or maybe a little more ) but during that time I got engaged and married and have been busy adjusting to my new life... I know, I know, like so what? I've done a couple of things like volunteered as a school for a year, worked in my community, etc...but I feel like its not enough or strong enough or even related!

But you know, I really am going to try my best! Optometry is what I want to do sooo bad! I just love it! You don't realize how you just made me feel...I'm sooo .....my God what a little encouragement can do...thanks!!!

 

[Mewcakes]

I'm going to admit that you have a long way to go before you have a complete application. Study as hard and score as high as you possibly can on the OAT. Low GPA + Low OAT = no admittance. Low GPA + High OAT = They might give you a chance. So this is your last chance, academically, to redeem yourself. I know it's tough to go back to school after graduating, but is it possible for you to go back to a community college and retake some of your lower grades? Even if you don't *want* to, I would definitely do this. If you're working, take classes at night or something, but do NOT let your grades stand where they are. The schools will see this and wonder why you didn't try to retake some classes, as so many of your other competing applicants do.

As for optometric experience, you should really go shadow with an optometrist. This is more of a requirement than a recommendation. You said it's what you really want to do, but if you haven't shadowed or watched a doctor in their day to day life, how can you be sure? So just reaffirm your wants by shadowing a few optometrists in at least 2 different modalities (ie private practice and corporate). I know at least one school who requires 30 hours of unpaid interning from their applicants (PUCO), so you will definitely need to do this before you apply.

I personally think that you won't be quite ready to apply until next cycle unless I have some of your details wrong. And that's if you really put your nose to the grindstone and crank it out starting NOW. Don't forget letters of recommendation, too.

Sorry if I brought you down after Physics' encouragement, but I just wanted to lay out for you what you must do before you apply. It seems like a lot, but you will feel better knowing all the things you must do than you would will just knowing you have "a lot to do".

On a lighter note, I KNOW people have gotten in with sub-3.0 GPAs (myself included), so it's definitely possible. I don't know if 2.71 is high enough though, so that's why you should go back to school, bring it up at least .25 if you can.

Sorry to be a bumcakes! But all you need to do is write down the things that you must do to achieve your goal and simply follow the path you've put down for yourself, no matter how frustrated you get, you must follow through. Don't reject yourself, let the schools do that. So build your app and do your best!

 

[lsmc888]

dont give up!
ive heard that some schools may have a program for people in your situation where you had problems early in college and couldnt do enough to bring your GPA back up. its separate from the OD program, but if you can get through it, then they accept you. i think Nova does it, but you still have to apply normally to optometry and they decide whether or not you fit the program. just study hard for the OAT and show them that you want this

 

[kiwi5frog]

I'm going to second mewcakes, mostly on the shadowing part.

Everything about why you "love optometry" really needs to be grounded in your real life extensive experience in the field. and i dont mean working...i mean just quietly observing several different optometrists who all work in different specialties/different modes of practice. In the interview, if they start question what your personal experiences in the field and all the situations you came across, if you have only a small pool of experience to pull from you wont be ready for it

i work 40-50 a week at an unrelated job for financial reasons, but i still request 2 days off every month: 1 for volunteering at the braille institute and 1 for shadowing an OD. I emailed admissions because i felt like i had no time to volunteer, and the answer is there is no excuse to not take at least 1 day out of a month to do something for someone else. additionally, if you have no volunteering history....start NOW! don't sit on your hands, start building that history ASAP, even if its just once a month because that is all you can eek out.

good luck. also check out http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=691316
it shows some stats from various SDN members who were accepted. There are a few low stats in there, which will hopefully encourage you.

 

[KHE]

Hey guys,
I'm new here and after reading several topics I just feel like giving up trying to go to Optometry school . I'm not particularly fond of my GPA which is a 2.71 right now. I know what I'm going to say is stupid and has nothing to do with it maybe but from my family I'm the only one to have graduated from college and I never had any advice or guidance from anyone when I first entered college....so it was a trial and error for me when I first started (first 2 years)...hence the GPA. At the end, like my last year I started racking up excellent grades but not enough to improve my GPA. I've already graduated with a Bachelors. I registered to take the OAT but I'm thinking that its going to be a waste of time...AND on top of that I've never done any volunteer experience or what not I know, boo for me... I feel like this is all going to be useless.............

I've never told this to anyone in my family or friends because they all are pushing me to continue and that they know I can do it...but honestly they don't know all the details and how hard it is.....

Is there someone out there that can maybe reassure me that they are right...or that I should just look for something else to do?

If you were in my position, what would you do?

Thanks for your time and listening to me whining....

The important thing here is to not reject yourself. You should apply. If they're going to, let the schools reject you.

Your GPA is obviously not good. But if you had say a horrible first year but have done very well since then, the vast majority of schools will overlook that. One bad year isn't going to ruin your entire chance.

So if you've had a significant positive trend in your grades over the 4 years and you do well on the OAT, you should throw your name into the hat.

 

[subedude]

I would say go back and re-take any classes you didn't do well in, as mentioned before, and get your GPA up to about a 3.0...and crush your OAT, if you're the type of person that can't find a place to start, I'd go ahead and invest in Kaplan's course. I don't know about others but it's worked for me. Most of all though, as others said, you definitely won't get in by giving up and there's no time limit on getting into school so just do your best and don't feel discouraged. Best of luck!!

 

[jerheimer]

hang in there

jerheimer

 

[yoyomad]

Thank you ALL for responding...I appreciate all the words and advice that you gave me. Mewcakes, you did not bring me down...you fired me up! So did the rest of you....thank you so much because now you guys put the confidence in me, I know what to do now! You guys have set my thoughts straight and I'm going to pull through. I'm going to try to go back to school and repeat those classes that I didn't do so well in. Only question though...if I retake them even after I have graduated it still will be able to change my undergraduate GPA? So I just register for the class as a Student-At-Large?

I'm going to volunteer at an office at soon as possible and study, study, study the OAT to the core.

Thank you so much guys!

 

[yoyomad]

Actually I just re looked at my transcripts and I actually have a GPA of a 2.77 not 2.71 as previously thought...I know its still not good....but its better!

 

[tresrisque]

yoyomad,

I will give you props for recognizing that your GPA isn't great and that you haven't shadowed. I honestly think you should apply at a later cycle, retake some classes, and definitely shadow. Keep your head up!

 

[sweetsorrow]

The important thing here is to not reject yourself. You should apply. If they're going to, let the schools reject you.

This is the single most important thing I have read on this site and I am attending optometry school this fall.

NEVER reject yourself, I was much like you in the same position, wondering if I'll get in, whether my grades will cut it but I applied anyway and got accepted (conditionally), I had to boost my grades this summer, but still secured a spot in a great school...SO ALWAYS APPLY but PREPARE YOURSELF WELL.

Volunteering is EXTREMELY important, if not one of THE MOST important things along with your grades. My volunteering got me my interviews and made up for my not-so stellar grades, I know that for a fact. Not only does it show you've taken time out to give back, but it shows you've really looked into the career. Along with that, I don't understand how it would be possible for you to write your personal statements and supplementary forms...also you're interviews would be eerily silent ~

Don't stress yourself out looking at the big picture at how much you have to do to achieve you're goal, you're only going to be disheartened and not even begin. Instead, take it one step at a time and focus on one thing. If you really want this, you're gonna have to work for it. Pick up a couple courses and start your volunteering. When you're more confident about your grades, ace your OATs in the first shot =)

 

[quackquack]

Your GPA is a bit low... so i'm not going to pretend they won't raise a brow at that. But I've heard of people getting in with a borderline GPA but with good OAT/experience.

So... what can I say? Just try your best and work hard. You feel like you might not make it? You never know. Like KHE said, that's their decision to make. Your job is to give it your all!

But I kind of get the bit where you said your friends/family don't get how hard it is and try to encourage you. That's how i feel too. Everyone's like 'you'll get in!!" Um hello. My friends are like arts/business majors that knows nothing about what I'm doing. But hey even if they know, it doesn't matter, they got your back, and they're rooting for you.

As for what I would do. I would definitely try to raise that GPA to at least a 3.0. And volunteer A LOT. A lot. If your GPA isn't stellar, at least make sure everything else is. Don't think you have to do this all before this cycle. Sometimes taking a year off is the best thing if you look back and see how much more experience you gained (in my case, it was like, last year I had 0 volunteering, this year i logged a lot of hours, raised my GPA, etc.). Just remember you can still apply this year...and try again next year.

 

[Taven7755]

First of all, a GPA on its own is an almost worthless number. With the amazing amount of grade inflation that occurs in most schools anymore, those of us that went to places where this did not happen are disadvantaged, at least on the surface. The upside of this is that the schools, including medicine, have long since realized this and adjusted their GPA requirements to some schools with a track record. For example, I am a 2nd year student at Nova, and came in with a 3.0 (which gets scoffing anymore), but it was in engineering at Cal Polytech, so a GPA with no school and no major is tough to make any decisions on. A number one in one of our classes came in with "about a 2.8", but majored in mathematics at a tough school....

SOO....my advice is this, and I say this because I started myself as an unlikely candidate. If you REALLY want to do this, here is the plan.

1) Pick a school near you, any school really, and sign up for as hard a classes as you can find. Just a few. Get A's in them. Many schools have become apprehensive over students that have taken time off. I was told this by someone that makes decisions at my school, face to face.

2) Call every OD you can find in the area, and say the following, which I did for both of my jobs I came in with exp in: "I want a job. I don't care what you pay me or what I do. If you want scrubbed floors, I will scrub floors." Try to get into being a lens tech (a lot of docs would LOVE someone to do their finishing for them, my 1st job in the field), and eventually an ophthalmic tech. I came in with 2 and a half years exp in making lenses, and had done everything testing wise, from OCT, Optomap, tono, you name it. This is a HUGE way to get ahead of others on things other than GPA + OAT.

3) Use this relationship with the first Dr you work for to get other rec letters. Shower them with LOR's from as many doctors as you can. I applied with 200 shadowing hours with 14 different doctors, in every scope I could find (I drove to a base for a week an hour away to shadow in military optometry). Like me, you WILL NOT be getting in on the same playing field as everyone else. You must compensate for the bad numbers that I had as well.....I got in to 4 schools, and started without much prospects. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope this helps!

 

[lsmc888]

First of all, a GPA on its own is an almost worthless number. With the amazing amount of grade inflation that occurs in most schools anymore, those of us that went to places where this did not happen are disadvantaged, at least on the surface. The upside of this is that the schools, including medicine, have long since realized this and adjusted their GPA requirements to some schools with a track record. For example, I am a 2nd year student at Nova, and came in with a 3.0 (which gets scoffing anymore), but it was in engineering at Cal Polytech, so a GPA with no school and no major is tough to make any decisions on. A number one in one of our classes came in with "about a 2.8", but majored in mathematics at a tough school....

SOO....my advice is this, and I say this because I started myself as an unlikely candidate. If you REALLY want to do this, here is the plan.

1) Pick a school near you, any school really, and sign up for as hard a classes as you can find. Just a few. Get A's in them. Many schools have become apprehensive over students that have taken time off. I was told this by someone that makes decisions at my school, face to face.

2) Call every OD you can find in the area, and say the following, which I did for both of my jobs I came in with exp in: "I want a job. I don't care what you pay me or what I do. If you want scrubbed floors, I will scrub floors." Try to get into being a lens tech (a lot of docs would LOVE someone to do their finishing for them, my 1st job in the field), and eventually an ophthalmic tech. I came in with 2 and a half years exp in making lenses, and had done everything testing wise, from OCT, Optomap, tono, you name it. This is a HUGE way to get ahead of others on things other than GPA + OAT.

3) Use this relationship with the first Dr you work for to get other rec letters. Shower them with LOR's from as many doctors as you can. I applied with 200 shadowing hours with 14 different doctors, in every scope I could find (I drove to a base for a week an hour away to shadow in military optometry). Like me, you WILL NOT be getting in on the same playing field as everyone else. You must compensate for the bad numbers that I had as well.....I got in to 4 schools, and started without much prospects. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope this helps!

wow, this is really great advice