I need some advice.

[Sushingreentea]

I'm a 2nd year undergrad and well I'm having some problems with grades this quarters. I'm taking ochem, biochem, and physics at the same time, which was probably one of the worst ideas for me. After taking my finals, I just hope I pass. How will this affect my admission? Getting maybe a 2.0 GPA when my overall is around a 3.2. Has anyone currently in optometry school, not pass a prereq class and had to retake it? I'm so scared right now. I really hope my chances aren't ruined. Besides having a tough time in school, I also have been working parttime at an optometry office and trying very hard to get my vision screening club going. Both are very time consuming and my job keeps asking me to work more and more which is hard for me to do when I'm taking 18 unit course loads. I'm forced to take 18 units almost every quarter since I'm a double major. Will the admission committees see a double major as a plus??

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[KHE]

I'm a 2nd year undergrad and well I'm having some problems with grades this quarters. I'm taking ochem, biochem, and physics at the same time, which was probably one of the worst ideas for me. After taking my finals, I just hope I pass. How will this affect my admission? Getting maybe a 2.0 GPA when my overall is around a 3.2. Has anyone currently in optometry school, not pass a prereq class and had to retake it? I'm so scared right now. I really hope my chances aren't ruined. Besides having a tough time in school, I also have been working parttime at an optometry office and trying very hard to get my vision screening club going. Both are very time consuming and my job keeps asking me to work more and more which is hard for me to do when I'm taking 18 unit course loads. I'm forced to take 18 units almost every quarter since I'm a double major. Will the admission committees see a double major as a plus??

What classes are you taking other than ochem, biochem and physics? Your chances aren't going to be ruined by one bad semester but you may want to hold off on your vision screening club and reduce the hours you are working. All the extra curricular stuff is fine and dandy but you need stellar grades and test scores first and foremost. Concentrate on that first and worry about the other stuff second.

 

[luckyfool]

I'm a 2nd year undergrad and well I'm having some problems with grades this quarters. I'm taking ochem, biochem, and physics at the same time, which was probably one of the worst ideas for me. After taking my finals, I just hope I pass. How will this affect my admission? Getting maybe a 2.0 GPA when my overall is around a 3.2. Has anyone currently in optometry school, not pass a prereq class and had to retake it? I'm so scared right now. I really hope my chances aren't ruined. Besides having a tough time in school, I also have been working parttime at an optometry office and trying very hard to get my vision screening club going. Both are very time consuming and my job keeps asking me to work more and more which is hard for me to do when I'm taking 18 unit course loads. I'm forced to take 18 units almost every quarter since I'm a double major. Will the admission committees see a double major as a plus??

I agree with KHE. You might also want to consider dropping that 2nd major. Most optometry schools don't really care for double majors as long as you have one legitimate major and a bachelor's degree. Besides, having a 2nd major with some barely presentable grades isn't going to impress anyone. You should concentrate on one and do spectacularly well in it. Good luck to you.

 

[ODduck]

I'm a 2nd year undergrad and well I'm having some problems with grades this quarters. I'm taking ochem, biochem, and physics at the same time, which was probably one of the worst ideas for me. After taking my finals, I just hope I pass. How will this affect my admission? Getting maybe a 2.0 GPA when my overall is around a 3.2. Has anyone currently in optometry school, not pass a prereq class and had to retake it? I'm so scared right now. I really hope my chances aren't ruined. Besides having a tough time in school, I also have been working parttime at an optometry office and trying very hard to get my vision screening club going. Both are very time consuming and my job keeps asking me to work more and more which is hard for me to do when I'm taking 18 unit course loads. I'm forced to take 18 units almost every quarter since I'm a double major. Will the admission committees see a double major as a plus??

I got D's in OChem I and Calc II the first time I took them, but I retook them (B and an A respectively) and I got into my first choice. Just do better from now on (and don't take so many hard classes at once), get good OAT scores, and give a kick-ass interview.

 

[Sushingreentea]

I got D's in OChem I and Calc II the first time I took them, but I retook them (B and an A respectively) and I got into my first choice. Just do better from now on (and don't take so many hard classes at once), get good OAT scores, and give a kick-ass interview.

Thanks for the reply. I feel a little better. I just saw my grades and well...i probably won't pass 2 of my classes. Its pretty depressing. May I ask what your 1st choice school was?

 

[Sushingreentea]

What classes are you taking other than ochem, biochem and physics? Your chances aren't going to be ruined by one bad semester but you may want to hold off on your vision screening club and reduce the hours you are working. All the extra curricular stuff is fine and dandy but you need stellar grades and test scores first and foremost. Concentrate on that first and worry about the other stuff second.

I am taking a linguistic class, but that may not be looking good either. But thanks for the advice. It's probably better for me to just focus on some better grades instead of trying to do so many things at one.

 

[Sushingreentea]

I agree with KHE. You might also want to consider dropping that 2nd major. Most optometry schools don't really care for double majors as long as you have one legitimate major and a bachelor's degree. Besides, having a 2nd major with some barely presentable grades isn't going to impress anyone. You should concentrate on one and do spectacularly well in it. Good luck to you.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm just going to minor since I would only have to take a few more classes.

 

[heretic]

I had to retake the second part of OCHEM and went from a D to a B. This actually came up in the interview at UCBSO b/c they conduct their interviews with an open file. I ended up getting waitlisted, but there were too many variables in play to say if that had any bearing.

At SCCO it never came up because they interview with a closed file. At least for our graduating year, if you were offered an interview based on your stats then the rest of the decision was based on your interview.

 

[cpw]

I would consider cutting down to one major, to retrain your focus. Also, make sure your job knows that school is your main job right now. If your grades are suffering, you might need to cut back your work hours and refocus.

Good luck!

 

[ODduck]

Thanks for the reply. I feel a little better. I just saw my grades and well...i probably won't pass 2 of my classes. Its pretty depressing. May I ask what your 1st choice school was?

Pacific was my first choice. Honestly, my GPA from my first two years was downright pathetic. However, I turned it on and got excellent grades my junior/senior year and it was the main reason (along with what they said was a great interview) that got me in.

Just don't let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough, if you want to be an optometrist (really) and show them that, then they will like you.

 

[IndianaOD]

Not to come down on anyone at all, but do the others on here feel that some people are not qualified to get into optometry school? Should the desire to become an OD be enough? Would other professions accept such students?

While i was going through OD school, I saw several fail out in their 3rd and 4th years who never should have been accepted.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

Not to come down on anyone at all, but do the others on here feel that some people are not qualified to get into optometry school? Should the desire to become an OD be enough? Would other professions accept such students?

While i was going through OD school, I saw several fail out in their 3rd and 4th years who never should have been accepted.

I don't think that undergrad grades are that good of an indicator about success in our types of schools (I'm med school, but close enough). I did great work in undergrad but struggled something awful through my first year here. Conversely, some of our steller students didn't have near the same grades/MCAT/research that I did coming in.

 

[IndianaOD]

I agree completely that good grades does not always equal good clinician. However it seems like everyone on these forums ranks how good a school is by how high the AVG entering GPA is. GPA, though, does have a direct link to boards scores. Statistically, and I've looked over the data, students with the higher GPAs more often pass the boards.

 

[ODduck]

I agree completely that good grades does not always equal good clinician. However it seems like everyone on these forums ranks how good a school is by how high the AVG entering GPA is. GPA, though, does have a direct link to boards scores. Statistically, and I've looked over the data, students with the higher GPAs more often pass the boards.

My cumulative GPA has been held down by philosophy and geography classes that I (1) didn't want to take in the first place and (2) the professors made harder because they were mad that 90% of the class was taking it as a gen ed requirement and not because they were interested in the subject.

Once I started taking science classes only, my GPA shot up and was well above any of the average GPA scores for most OD schools.

Undergrad GPA's don't reflect much of anything IMO.

 

[IndianaOD]

better yet, maybe we can just throw out the GPAs and OATs and take the best sob stories!

The lack of work ethic in today's youth makes me sick at times!

I think undergrad GPAs do show work ethic though. True some classes are unreasonably hard, but it was always the slackers who never attended class and partied every night at the bottom of my OD class. Granted there are also a few who worked hard and just weren't good test takers. I still respect those, I don't respect the former. Doubly because a lot of them are out in commercial slinging mud at my profession.

Ahh well, there is a new school in California opening up to take the tution of those who can't get in elsewhere.

Sorry, my 4 week old won't let me sleep and its making me cranky.

 

[eyestrain]

better yet, maybe we can just throw out the GPAs and OATs and take the best sob stories!

Sometimes I get the impression that this is what a lot of people here would love. The pre-optometry board is full of sob stories from people with 2.8 GPAs for this, that or the other reason. I think the schools need to have some minimum GPA and OAT score to even be considered for optometry school, no matter how what volunteer work you did or how many extracirriculars you were involved in.

 

[odforme]

Hmmm...it seems to me that not only does every applicant have an OAT score and a GPA but also a sob story. I think it is the sob stories that make us interesting and can tell A TON about someone's character. Everyone faces adversity at some point; it's really about what you do with it. Bad times can build character and show an admissions committee how you will handle it when things don't go your way. Do you have courage or will you be defeated? Obviously admission decisions are made on a combo of all the app items, a sob story alone won't get you anywhere. I think it is smarter to have some compassion for people and try to find the strength in these sob stories, not just discount the person's accomplishments b/c they have a sob story to share. Bring on the sob stories...let's hear them!

 

[iproblem]

Hmmm...it seems to me that not only does every applicant have an OAT score and a GPA but also a sob story. I think it is the sob stories that make us interesting and can tell A TON about someone's character. Everyone faces adversity at some point; it's really about what you do with it. Bad times can build character and show an admissions committee how you will handle it when things don't go your way. Do you have courage or will you be defeated? Obviously admission decisions are made on a combo of all the app items, a sob story alone won't get you anywhere. I think it is smarter to have some compassion for people and try to find the strength in these sob stories, not just discount the person's accomplishments b/c they have a sob story to share. Bring on the sob stories...let's hear them!

omg omg omg! I have a 2.5 GPA and 290 OAT but i'm in almost all the organizations in my school, hold 2 jobs, and i support my family. the reason why i have low grades is because my dog keeps eating my homework!! but i luv doggie!! i refuse to kill it! i hope optometry schools will accept me because i'm super dedicated and motivated. I want to become an optometrist ever since i was a little infant. seriously! i hope schools can look past my down right pathetic grades and scores and admit a genuine applicant who can take the optometry profession to a bigger and better future!! omg omg omg!!

proof:

 

[eyestrain]

Hmmm...it seems to me that not only does every applicant have an OAT score and a GPA but also a sob story. I think it is the sob stories that make us interesting and can tell A TON about someone's character. Everyone faces adversity at some point; it's really about what you do with it. Bad times can build character and show an admissions committee how you will handle it when things don't go your way. Do you have courage or will you be defeated? Obviously admission decisions are made on a combo of all the app items, a sob story alone won't get you anywhere. I think it is smarter to have some compassion for people and try to find the strength in these sob stories, not just discount the person's accomplishments b/c they have a sob story to share. Bring on the sob stories...let's hear them!

Exactly. Everyone faces adversity, but a lot of us don't let it affect us to the point that our grades start to really suffer. Unfortunately, a lot of these stories are used to explain why someone's grades suck. As far as I'm concerned, there's almost no excuse for a potential optometry school applicant to not achieve AT LEAST a 3.0 in undergrad and I'm sick of people giving lame excuses for it.

 

[daysend85]

I think that GPA is a really good indicator of potential of any type of grad student. The cumulative GPA represents 4 years of hard work and dedication. The grade is composed of exams as well as other graded exercises like presentations and lab work. It represents FOUR years of learning. How can this not be important? The OAT exam is 4 hrs in standardized format. If anything should not be important, it should be that. Yes, it tests important concepts that you may need to know for optometry school, but it does NOT assess how you will be able to handle optometry school.

I recently was an applicant (now an accepted student for PCO class of 2011!) and I didn't have any sob stories. PCO made the claim that anyone they accept to their school is capable of completing the OD degree. Now I don't know if every school makes this claim, but PCO claims to accept only students that are qualified for admission. Good grades don't make a good doctor, a combination of intellect and a good personality does. That is why admissions people look for people who have a motivation to become an optometrist. If they accept someone who just is looking for a big paycheck, that is a disgrace to the field. It is also a disgrace to the field if they accept a student who has trouble communicating and is not willing to work on it.

 

[PepsiSucks]

I don't understand why some of you guys have problems with other people trying to better themselves by going to grad school. So, you had a perfect life and nothing has happened to you or your family but that doesn't mean everyone's life is the same. With regards to the GPA, yeah there are a few people each year that get accepted with lower than average gpa but that's not the norm. The people on the admission committee aren't stupid, no one gets in with below average GPA AND below average OAT. I had a 2.98 in undergrad from UC Berkeley and 360AA 380TS, I don't think anyone on here can call me stupid for not making 3.0. (not all undergrad are the same, some are cheesecakes, some aren't - live with it, but don't bash other people you don't know.)

I personally want an optometrist who is an above average clinician, rather than an above average bookworm. (Yes, you can be both too).

 

[IndianaOD]

I think that GPA is a really good indicator of potential of any type of grad student. The cumulative GPA represents 4 years of hard work and dedication. The grade is composed of exams as well as other graded exercises like presentations and lab work. It represents FOUR years of learning. How can this not be important? The OAT exam is 4 hrs in standardized format. If anything should not be important, it should be that. Yes, it tests important concepts that you may need to know for optometry school, but it does NOT assess how you will be able to handle optometry school.

I recently was an applicant (now an accepted student for PCO class of 2011!) and I didn't have any sob stories. PCO made the claim that anyone they accept to their school is capable of completing the OD degree. Now I don't know if every school makes this claim, but PCO claims to accept only students that are qualified for admission. Good grades don't make a good doctor, a combination of intellect and a good personality does. That is why admissions people look for people who have a motivation to become an optometrist. If they accept someone who just is looking for a big paycheck, that is a disgrace to the field. It is also a disgrace to the field if they accept a student who has trouble communicating and is not willing to work on it.

Its a bigger disgrace to spend 8+ years of your life taking difficult classes and sell yourself out to commercial interests.

 

[still_confused]

Its a bigger disgrace to spend 8+ years of your life taking difficult classes and sell yourself out to commercial interests.

biggest disgrace is to spend 8+ years of education to spend all your posts hating commercial interests instead of trying to answer the poster's questions.

 

[KHE]

I don't understand why some of you guys have problems with other people trying to better themselves by going to grad school. So, you had a perfect life and nothing has happened to you or your family but that doesn't mean everyone's life is the same. With regards to the GPA, yeah there are a few people each year that get accepted with lower than average gpa but that's not the norm. The people on the admission committee aren't stupid, no one gets in with below average GPA AND below average OAT. I had a 2.98 in undergrad from UC Berkeley and 360AA 380TS, I don't think anyone on here can call me stupid for not making 3.0. (not all undergrad are the same, some are cheesecakes, some aren't - live with it, but don't bash other people you don't know.)

I personally want an optometrist who is an above average clinician, rather than an above average bookworm. (Yes, you can be both too).

No one is going to begrudge you your acceptance, but is it unreasonable to expect that people who are going to be trained to take part in caring for the visual health of the population be expected to obtain at least a B average?

Yes, a 3.1 at UC Berkley is likely comparable to a 3.6 at "southern mississippi community college" but there needs to be some minimum standard regardless of where you attend school.

I don't think its crazy to expect that standard to be at least a 3.0 and at least a 300 on the OAT on both the overall and TS sections. Yes, I know. We all know people who did poorly in their first year. Hell, I freely admit that I didn't do so hot my first year either and in particular my first semester. That's a very very common thing for people entering college, particularly at elite schools. And I know we all know people who are just sweet as pie and would have wonderful chairside manner and have had all kinds of hardships in their lives and want to be an optometrist so so soooooo badly but there still needs to be some minimum threshold to be obtained.

 

[IndianaOD]

biggest disgrace is to spend 8+ years of education to spend all your posts hating commercial interests instead of trying to answer the poster's questions.

Probably only 25% of my posts . Its probably the second worst problem with optometry. I answered the questions above. I get several PMs a week from other posters agreeing with me.

I think this has turned into a very interesting thread. To me, getting higher grades means you better understand the material. If you knew nothing else about your doctor than one graduated with honors and the other barely made it through, which would you choose? Taking care of people's health is serious business and it should be difficult to get in. Everyone has obstacles to overcome. I'm sure there are worse, but I missed over 3 weeks straight in my first year of Opt school for health reasons and worked my a$$ off to catch up. Still ended up at the top of the class so there really aren't that many real good reasons to do badly. I realize there are some legitimate ones.

 

[PepsiSucks]

There's a difference between getting accepted and how you do when you are actually in the program. At that point, no sad sobbly story is going to help you pass the board exam or help you get your 40K(tuition + fees) back if you get kicked out. I say lets leave the judgements on how people fair while in optometry school and on boards rather than judging the prospective students.
I don't know if you guys know this, but with the exception of UCBSO, most optometry schools only require you to keep a 2.0 to graduate.

 

[IndianaOD]

There's a difference between getting accepted and how you do when you are actually in the program. At that point, no sad sobbly story is going to help you pass the board exam or help you get your 40K(tuition + fees) back if you get kicked out. I say lets leave the judgements on how people fair while in optometry school and on boards rather than judging the prospective students.
I don't know if you guys know this, but with the exception of UCBSO, most optometry schools only require you to keep a 2.0 to graduate.

More than one C- or below at IU and you're on probation and possibly repeating classes.

 

[eyestrain]

I don't know if you guys know this, but with the exception of UCBSO, most optometry schools only require you to keep a 2.0 to graduate.

Most schools need to boot more students.

 

[doofy]

Why/how did those 3rd and 4th years fail out for?

Why should they not have been accepted? No passion?

Not to come down on anyone at all, but do the others on here feel that some people are not qualified to get into optometry school? Should the desire to become an OD be enough? Would other professions accept such students?

While i was going through OD school, I saw several fail out in their 3rd and 4th years who never should have been accepted.

 

[bournehall]

From my experience as a preceptor at SCO, UH, THE OSU, and PCO the schools will keep most anyone as long as they don't commit a felony. We had a PCO student who did not have a clue about acc/conv issues and the straw that broke the camels back was when she said the cornea was clear when a patient had a red, irritated eye. When I looked at a large corneal ulcer that the 4th year PCO student said was clear I called the OD who ran the extern program and they said send her back for remediation...say what!!! Well, she did graduate and got a VA license. If you got the cash they got the degree.

Why/how did those 3rd and 4th years fail out for?

Why should they not have been accepted? No passion?

 

[bournehall]

Yes, but they will not.

Most schools need to boot more students.

 

[cpw]

More than one C- or below at IU and you're on probation and possibly repeating classes.

Same at UHCO.

 

[IndianaOD]

Why/how did those 3rd and 4th years fail out for?

Why should they not have been accepted? No passion?

The couple I most clearly remember failied in the clinic, similar to Dr. B's story above. They were simply incompetent and luckily chose to go another route.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

I don't know if you guys know this, but with the exception of UCBSO, most optometry schools only require you to keep a 2.0 to graduate.

Anything below a 75% is failing at Pacific.

 

[PepsiSucks]

Am I just stupid? What's a C-? Answer: 1.7 What is under a 75%? Answer: C- ==> 1.7. Is 1.7 < 2.0? Like I said, most schools require only a 2.0 (C, not C- average) to graduate.

 

[xmattODx]

Am I just stupid? What's a C-? Answer: 1.7 What is under a 75%? Answer: C- ==> 1.7. Is 1.7 < 2.0? Like I said, most schools require only a 2.0 (C, not C- average) to graduate.

I don't think your conversion scale is accurate.

 

[PepsiSucks]

that's the american conversion scale.
A+/A 4.0
A- 3.7
B+ 3.3
B 3.0
B- 2.7
C+ 2.3
C 2.0
C- 1.7
D+ 1.3
D 1.0
D- 0.7
F 0.0

 

[xmattODx]

that's the american conversion scale.

For grad school?

 

[PepsiSucks]

I don't think there's a difference. Some med schools do have pass/fail system, but I don't know how that translate to gpa.

 

[cpw]

that's the american conversion scale.
A+/A 4.0
A- 3.7
B+ 3.3
B 3.0
B- 2.7
C+ 2.3
C 2.0
C- 1.7
D+ 1.3
D 1.0
D- 0.7
F 0.0

This is the scale UHCO uses. Although, some profs used the +/- and some didn't. It was inconsistent and VERY frustrating. (especially when you REALLY wanted that B+)

 

[doofy]

From my experience as a preceptor at SCO, UH, THE OSU, and PCO the schools will keep most anyone as long as they don't commit a felony. We had a PCO student who did not have a clue about acc/conv issues and the straw that broke the camels back was when she said the cornea was clear when a patient had a red, irritated eye. When I looked at a large corneal ulcer that the 4th year PCO student said was clear I called the OD who ran the extern program and they said send her back for remediation...say what!!! Well, she did graduate and got a VA license. If you got the cash they got the degree.

My question is, how did they ever get to 4th year?