Low GPA

[thunderfan]

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I have a low gpa (3.0) and I am taking the OAT in the next week. My goal is to make around a 320. Do I have any chance of getting an interview? Does anyone have a recommendation on which schools I would have the best chance of getting accepted with a lower gpa. I played 4 years of D2 basketball and am the president of my universities optometry club, will those help me out any on my application? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[TheMotivator]

Hey,

You have a great chance. Focus on the exam and rock it. You can do it! Good luck!

 

[thunderfan]

Hey,

You have a great chance. Focus on the exam and rock it. You can do it! Good luck!

Thank you for your encouraging words.

 

[paasnaas]

I have a low gpa (3.0) and I am taking the OAT in the next week. My goal is to make around a 320. Do I have any chance of getting an interview? Does anyone have a recommendation on which schools I would have the best chance of getting accepted with a lower gpa. I played 4 years of D2 basketball and am the president of my universities optometry club, will those help me out any on my application? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Yes absolutely. If you get a 320 you should definitely have a good chance of being offered interviews. If you apply to the relatively "newer" schools like Midwestern or WesternU, you should have a good chance. But it's always a good idea to research schools and see if its right for you to as well. My GPA was not that competitive but I had a competitive OAT score and that helped me tremendously. Your OAT score is weighed more heavily that your GPA, so make sure you try really hard to do well on the OAT. A good OAT score can help make-up for a lower GPA. And the fact you were a student athlete & have some leadership skills is a big plus. Those experiences can show that you are a well-rounded applicant and I believe that's what a lot of schools are looking for. So keep it up!

 

[thunderfan]

Yes absolutely. If you get a 320 you should definitely have a good chance of being offered interviews. If you apply to the relatively "newer" schools like Midwestern or WesternU, you should have a good chance. But it's always a good idea to research schools and see if its right for you to as well. My GPA was not that competitive but I had a competitive OAT score and that helped me tremendously. Your OAT score is weighed more heavily that your GPA, so make sure you try really hard to do well on the OAT. A good OAT score can help make-up for a lower GPA. And the fact you were a student athlete & have some leadership skills is a big plus. Those experiences can show that you are a well-rounded applicant and I believe that's what a lot of schools are looking for. So keep it up!

Thank you for spending the time to reply and for the advice! Midwestern is one of the school I am going to apply to. Makes me feel a lot better going into the OAT!

 

[optometrygirl29]

a great OAT score can buffer a low GPA for sure how much shadowing time do you have? and as for which,school pick a school that suits you. dont just look at a school that will accept you also look at the surrounding area, is it safe? whats the cost of living? is everything cost an arm and a leg? you have to be at a school where you will be happy......I had a low gpa didnt do so well on the OAT and even when 4 schools asked that I retake it the OAT before deciding i didnt retake it....i went to the first school that accepted me and quite frankly im not soo happy where im at......the cost of living is astronomical for me in comparison to home which is a minus the school is great and the everyone is nice but its in general not a great place....the road ways are terrible and everyone drives like psychos here milk is nearly 6/gal and will probably spoil before you can drink it.....just my advice....i took the "go to whatever school accepts you" advice and its a regret at the moment maybe in time i will like it but as of now im not soo keen on where i live...and that weighs heavily

 

[vb0311]

Hey guys,

I just recently wrote my OAT and got an AA of 320 and a TS of 330. My GPA is not too good but I anticipate it getting higher this semester.. do you recommend that I wait till December to have my fall grades to apply or should I apply anyways?

 

[drumstix]

Does anyone know if schools look at the entire OAT score, ie, if they look at scores of individual sections such as OC, GC, Physics, Bio, etc., or just gloss over the AA and TS scores? Would they look at how high of a score someone got on their o-chem section and bio, etc. or just look at the overall picture?

 

[thunderfan]

a great OAT score can buffer a low GPA for sure how much shadowing time do you have? and as for which,school pick a school that suits you. dont just look at a school that will accept you also look at the surrounding area, is it safe? whats the cost of living? is everything cost an arm and a leg? you have to be at a school where you will be happy......I had a low gpa didnt do so well on the OAT and even when 4 schools asked that I retake it the OAT before deciding i didnt retake it....i went to the first school that accepted me and quite frankly im not soo happy where im at......the cost of living is astronomical for me in comparison to home which is a minus the school is great and the everyone is nice but its in general not a great place....the road ways are terrible and everyone drives like psychos here milk is nearly 6/gal and will probably spoil before you can drink it.....just my advice....i took the "go to whatever school accepts you" advice and its a regret at the moment maybe in time i will like it but as of now im not soo keen on where i live...and that weighs heavily

Thanks for your response and input! Your right, being at a place that will fit me is very important I will keep that in mind. I have a decent amount of shadowing hours as of now and I am currently enrolled in a co-op class that I will shadow different doctors 3 hours a week so that will boost my shadowing hours some more.