IS it worth applying?

[Triplopia]

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Okay, so I am taking my OAT in two weeks. I was wondering if its too late to apply to a school. I am a 4th year undergrad finishing BS by Dec 10'. I was wondering if I should apply to new schools, because the old school might have already got their kids and now harder to get in. Should I wait another year or should I go ahead and apply w/o my BS.

Anybody here, attending new schools? What is your experience like?? I saw the stat on opted, and Incarnate word have good stat for the entering class with 3.36 GPA, but I don't know if I would like 100 degree weather.but Optometry school is more important to me so. it doesn't matter.

more info
I hold a GPA of 3.4 and being shadowing and volunteering for opt for six months now.


thanks for your time.

 

[ibalz]

Hi there

Most of the schools require a BS/BA, and you would have to have all pre reqs completed by August of the year you're entering. So for the class of 2014, you should have completed all classes and, in most cases, received your degree by Aug. 2010.
If you won't have all pre reqs completed by August, you may want to try for the next admissions cycle. Your OAT scores will be good for 2 years, so getting that out of the way now will put you ahead of the game for the next admissions cycle. This cycle started July 15th '09 and will close sometime in March or April, I believe. I imagine that next year's cycle will have a similar opening date.

Keep in mind that there are schools that prefer, but don't require a BS/BA. Go to www.opted.org to see which ones do or don't. This site will also tell you the last OAT date accepted for each school (each one is different).

Have you done any shadowing? Many schools prefer that you log several (30+) shadowing hours in different settings (VA, retail, MD, etc.)


Hope this was helpful. Good luck with your choice!

 

[chic4rm714]

^i agree....,
here are a few other things you should consider if you still want to apply this year.
you'll have to fork up $125 OptomCAS application fee, official transcript fees, have everything in and submitted to OptomCAS (like letters of recs) within the next few weeks. Also, OAT scores are not sent to your school of choice right away, "your test responses are audited for accuracy before official scores are reported to the optometry schools requested on your OAT application." So the school probably won't receive the score until a few weeks later.
After all that, even a good estimate would put you at a month from now...which would be mid march, which is already past a lot of schools' deadlines. UIWSO's deadline is 05/01/2010 this year, so you might still have a chance...but it's cutting it close. so it's a tough call.

good luck!

 

[lnh]

I was in the same situation as you a year ago, and I decided to wait. Applications, essays, and LoRs take plenty of time and money. If you wait, you will have your degree, and many more choices of schools to apply to. This is your future! Don't rush it if you can afford to wait. 🙂

I got my degree in Dec 09 (took me 4.5 years) and spent my final semester in school finishing my degree, taking fun electives, and TA-ing for one of my profs. I ended up getting a great LoR out of him, and had a wonderful experience. I spent my winter taking the OATs, and put the finishing touches on my application. I decided to take the spring semester off to just relax, work, spend time with friends and family, read SDN posts 😛, etc. And having no classes really makes scheduling and attending interviews easy! 👍

You're suppose to apply early (and I still recommend that you do), but things happened, and my application was much stronger late in the cycle so I decided to take my chances. I also suggest you take the OAT early like you intend to, rather than waiting like I did. That way you have time to take it again if you need, and the schools will have your scores well in advance.

Good luck!

 

[danxdan]

I would say go for it. I am also a non-degree student who would receive their degree by Dec. '10. I applied this year to four schools in January and I have gotten 2 interviews so far. I would give it a shot still.

 

[Commando303]

Why don't you contact a few of the schools to which you're considering applying, explain to them your situation, and seek their council? Doing so, detail which classes you've taken and which you have left; it would be helpful if you could provide O.A.T. scores, as well, but you can note in your message when you'll be taking the test.

Some schools do admit applicants who've not completed their Bachelor's program (I think a few might even grant B.S.es) (so you might have a chance), but, typically, they do so only when considering very strong candidates. Of course, there's no harm in asking, and I do suggest you do so.

 

[Triplopia]

Thanks everyone, me and family decided to wait one more year, like you guys said I will have better chance of getting to a good school with my BS degree. also I can concentrate more on my studies now and get better GPA, well I am gonna take my OAT anyway in two weeks. thanks again.

I hav done may be 20+ hours of shadowing so far
Its not a big deal if I wait one more year, I am only 22.thanks again

Triplopia.

 

[ibalz]

Good luck to you

 

[yippee]

I graduated in June last year, and around February, I was faced with the same dilemma. It was a difficult decision, but after putting in a lot of thought, I realized it was better to wait for the next cycle. My reasoning was that this is one of the most important processes in our lives--why rush it? Don't limit yourself to certain schools just because the deadlines have passed or some schools already have most of their seats filled. If you take your time to take your OAT and write your personal statements, you will not only have the advantage of an early applicant, but you'll also be able to pick the right school for you and know that you put your all into it. The interview process is stressful, but it's also a lot of fun! Of course, if you're in a hurry and need to finish school ASAP and don't really care about where you go, then it would make sense to apply now. Definitely check on which prereqs you need to have completed by August 2009, though. You wouldn't want to be conditionally accepted and not finish your prereqs. Whatever you decide, good luck!

 

[lnh]

Yes, you are very young! Don't underestimate the value of your BS degree--both for optometry school applications and for life. Despite all the talk of how worthless a Bachelors has become, it still feels damn good to walk across the stage, and to know that you have that under your belt.

Good luck to you, Triplopia! Your GPA and shadowing are already looking good. Keep up that pace, take advantage of an early application, and I'm sure you'll be able to get into one of your top schools. 🙂 Make the most of your final undergraduate years, and have fun with it. 👍 And good luck with the OAT!