Lots of pre-optometry questions!!

[kek7r]

Hi, I've just started thinking about pursuing optometry this summer. I'm going to be a junior next year and I'm getting my B.S. in biomedical engineering. Mostly I'm concerned about my GPA (3.311) and getting a high enough OAT score. Is anyone else majoring in biomed engineering or know someone who's doing the same thing? Do you think its a good major to transition from? What about GPA wise-- is mine competitive? I have time to raise it but engineering classes are difficult and I feel engineering GPAs tend to be lower (at least where I go to school). I'm just afraid I won't be competitive once I start applying!

Other questions you may not know anything about... my optometrist at home said there used to be a way for VA students to get in state tuition at certain optometry schools. Does anyone know if this is still in effect or not?

Thanks so much for your help!

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[NatashaColorado]

Hi, I've just started thinking about pursuing optometry this summer. I'm going to be a junior next year and I'm getting my B.S. in biomedical engineering. Mostly I'm concerned about my GPA (3.311) and getting a high enough OAT score. Is anyone else majoring in biomed engineering or know someone who's doing the same thing? Do you think its a good major to transition from? What about GPA wise-- is mine competitive? I have time to raise it but engineering classes are difficult and I feel engineering GPAs tend to be lower (at least where I go to school). I'm just afraid I won't be competitive once I start applying!

Other questions you may not know anything about... my optometrist at home said there used to be a way for VA students to get in state tuition at certain optometry schools. Does anyone know if this is still in effect or not?


Thanks so much for your help!

Your Optometrist is probably talking about WICHE program - look it up online, on Optometry Association website. I know Colorado will pay 15K per year towards your tuition with a commitment from you to come back and practice Optometry for at least 4 years, after the graduation.
Your GPA will be fine if your OAT scores are high. So, when time comes, study for OAT like your life depend on it 🙂

 

[mathcod]

I'm not sure what classes biomed engineers take but you're taking the pre-reqs for optometry school, and those are the subjects that will be on the OAT. Sounds like an interesting major, but I know nothing of your subject matter. I assume you look at chemistry, molecular biology, and classical physics. helpful stuff.

I thought physical chemistry was a great class to prepare for the OATs gen and organic chem, as a biochemistry major.

I think your GPA is not non-competitive, and I bet you're a pretty smart person who'll rock their OAT (which, in my honest opinion and evaluation, isn't that hard to do).

p.s. so I looked up what biomedical engineering was and wow it seems very cool. Wikipedia says "Biomedical Engineering which actually includes so much biological science content that many students use it as a "pre-med" major in preparation for medical school." So can't go wrong there. I always envied the engineers at my school. You guys can do so much. I still feel like I know so little about biochem. It really didn't go in more depth than the intro courses at my school despite popular opinion that it was one of the more intense majors in biological science at my school.

 

[kek7r]

Thanks for your replies!

Biomed is a great major-- I don't know what else I'd do. I've just come to realize that I don't think I like research enough to make a career out of it and I don't want to be an MD. I want something I bit more exciting and people oriented. As for using it as a pre-med major, most of my friends in the major (and probably about 1/3 of my class) is pre-med. The rest go to grad school and do research or go into industry. You get so many of the requirements and get a lot of research in. It's intense, but totally worth it. I definitely recommend taking a biomed engineering class if you can and have the time!

I haven't taken a general biology class-- I've only taken cell and molecular biology (as an engineering class) but there was no lab. I have two semesters of physics, three of calc, two of general chemistry, and an anatomy/physiology class. But yeah, the optometry prereqs come as requirements for biomed engineering except orgo. I guess I have to fit that in somewhere!

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Thanks for your replies!

Biomed is a great major-- I don't know what else I'd do. I've just come to realize that I don't think I like research enough to make a career out of it and I don't want to be an MD. I want something I bit more exciting and people oriented. As for using it as a pre-med major, most of my friends in the major (and probably about 1/3 of my class) is pre-med. The rest go to grad school and do research or go into industry. You get so many of the requirements and get a lot of research in. It's intense, but totally worth it. I definitely recommend taking a biomed engineering class if you can and have the time!

I haven't taken a general biology class-- I've only taken cell and molecular biology (as an engineering class) but there was no lab. I have two semesters of physics, three of calc, two of general chemistry, and an anatomy/physiology class. But yeah, the optometry prereqs come as requirements for biomed engineering except orgo. I guess I have to fit that in somewhere!

I understand what you mean...im about to be a physics major and everyone i have talked to either thinks im crazy or that i should major in bio or something to do optometry. There is nothing wrong, and as you know physics major just as biomed is pretty demanding with the amount of engineering classes we have to take.

Just try to do well....raising your gpa to as much as possible is always a good thing. Make sure you have time to study for the OATs and have your pre-reqs done (orgo) as its important for the OATs. IF you do well im sure you will recieve interviews and eventually be accepted.

 

[thanotoriousfob]

I understand what you mean...im about to be a physics major and everyone i have talked to either thinks im crazy or that i should major in bio or something to do pre-optometry. There is nothing wrong, and as you know physics major just as biomed is pretty demanding with the amount of engineering classes we have to take.

Just try to do well....raising your gpa to as much as possible is always a good thing. Make sure you have time to study for the OATs and have your pre-reqs done (orgo) as its important for the OATs. IF you do well im sure you will recieve interviews and eventually be accepted.

You are crazy. 😉

 

[EyEnStein 07]

You are crazy. 😉

haha...hey i could always change my mind =/

 

[JMU07]

Virginia no longer has in-state tuition anywhere. SCO and PCO used to a while back but they were both canceled. I'm from VA too, it stinks. Where do you go to school?

 

[kek7r]

UVA-- you went to JMU I assume? Haha. Nice to see someone else from VA on these boards!

But anywhere I apply is going to be out of state/private tuition, right? Not too excited about that...

 

[JMU07]

UVA-- you went to JMU I assume? Haha. Nice to see someone else from VA on these boards!

But anywhere I apply is going to be out of state/private tuition, right? Not too excited about that...

LOL how did you guess?! 😀

Yeah, everywhere is out of state. That's the main reason I'm at SCO - we have the cheapest out of state tuition.