Lying back on the padded couch...

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hfpepperbean47

You wish you were me
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The psychologist asks me, "What's troubling you?"

"Waiting," I reply, "just waiting to find out whether or not I will be attending school this fall. I hate waiting."

That is my dilemma. PCO will hold their next Admissions Committee meeting next Friday, and I will find out shortly after. Taking into account my qualifications, I think I will get in. But, there is this nagging feeling that I won't. Maybe this is an "assume the worst and you won't be disappointed" reaction.

My qualifications:
1) 3.55 overall undergraduate GPA
2) 3.50 science GPA
3) Approximately 180 credit hours, BS in Biology from Univ. of Wisconsin- Madison and graduate courses at Johns Hopkins University
4) Undergraduate senior thesis in molecular biology
5) A few extracurriculars and modest amount of volunteer experience
6) Extensive medical/health related work experience (CNA and working with developmentally and mentally disabled adults) and modest amount of optometric shadowing experience.
7) 3 years post-BS research experience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (half the time with the cornea, the other half with adult stem cells)
8) Presented a paper at the ARVO meeting in 2005 dealing with gene expression in the maturing cornea (in front of 200 people, the only BS to give a presentation in our section...all the others were MDs or PhDs)
9) Decent OAT scores...340 GChem, 340 OChem, 350 RC, 350 Bio, 360 Physics, and 380 QRT (=360TS and 350AA)
10) Thought my interview went pretty well, that's hard to quantify

This looks, and I'm trying to be modest, like I'd be a shoe-in. But I'm not completely confident.

You are my psychologist...what do you think? Am I just being an f'ing worry-wart?

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I think if the class isnt full you should get in? i dunno; i got accepted there with way worse stats... why did you wait so long to interview and apply???? This never makes any sense to me; there is no good reason not to apply as soon as you can in the admissions season; even if you are trying to raise your grades a little or retake the oat or whatever; apply and let them know that... they fill up the class as soon as they can with whatever qualified people apply first so even if you are the most qualified candidate ever if they already got 150 people good enough for their school that already accepted admission you are not getting in no matter how good you are. its april!!! some people have known they were going to a school since october!
 
I applied back in October and interviewed in very early January. They put my application on hold pending the results of my OAT (which I took at the end of March). I should still be considered a priority applicant since everything but my OAT was in by the March 31st deadline.
 
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The psychologist asks me, "What's troubling you?"

"Waiting," I reply, "just waiting to find out whether or not I will be attending school this fall. I hate waiting."

That is my dilemma. PCO will hold their next Admissions Committee meeting next Friday, and I will find out shortly after. Taking into account my qualifications, I think I will get in. But, there is this nagging feeling that I won't. Maybe this is an "assume the worst and you won't be disappointed" reaction.

My qualifications:
1) 3.55 overall undergraduate GPA
2) 3.50 science GPA
3) Approximately 180 credit hours, BS in Biology from Univ. of Wisconsin- Madison and graduate courses at Johns Hopkins University
4) Undergraduate senior thesis in molecular biology
5) A few extracurriculars and modest amount of volunteer experience
6) Extensive medical/health related work experience (CNA and working with developmentally and mentally disabled adults) and modest amount of optometric shadowing experience.
7) 3 years post-BS research experience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (half the time with the cornea, the other half with adult stem cells)
8) Presented a paper at the ARVO meeting in 2005 dealing with gene expression in the maturing cornea (in front of 200 people, the only BS to give a presentation in our section...all the others were MDs or PhDs)
9) Decent OAT scores...340 GChem, 340 OChem, 350 RC, 350 Bio, 360 Physics, and 380 QRT (=360TS and 350AA)
10) Thought my interview went pretty well, that's hard to quantify

This looks, and I'm trying to be modest, like I'd be a shoe-in. But I'm not completely confident.

You are my psychologist...what do you think? Am I just being an f'ing worry-wart?

Judging by your stats that I have before me, if the admissions committee doesn't accept you, then THEY are probably the ones that need a psychologist. LOL. Seriously though, those are great stats and I'm pretty sure you'll get in.

Good luck!

By the way, does anyone know how many seats are left at PCO????
 
You're not entitled to anything. It's your own fault for putting yourself at risk of not getting in this cycle. Why wait so long to take the oat? From your "qualifications" it shouldn't have taken that long for you to have studied for it. It seems to me by your "qualifications" you were on the medical school route (correct me if i'm wrong) and decided to switch to optometry last minute. Don't just look at the school's average gpa and oat scores and assumed that you're better than the rest of the people who get accepted.
 
You're not entitled to anything. It's your own fault for putting yourself at risk of not getting in this cycle. Why wait so long to take the oat? From your "qualifications" it shouldn't have taken that long for you to have studied for it. It seems to me by your "qualifications" you were on the medical school route (correct me if i'm wrong) and decided to switch to optometry last minute. Don't just look at the school's average gpa and oat scores and assumed that you're better than the rest of the people who get accepted.


Could you please tell me why you are on such a rampage? My question was a simple one, but your tone is rather rude and frankly un-called for. I don't appreciate being labeled/judged as you have so clearly done...where did I say I was better than anybody being accepted? You can make any inferences you want about my "qualifications" but don't go assuming things about my decisions and motivations - and yes, i was on the medical school path early in undergraduate, but that was years ago - but I have been on the optometry path for most of my "qualifications". Did I switch to optometry last minute? No, I didn't. I didn't switch paths because I felt optometry is "good enough", but I don't need to explain my beliefs or motivations.

Sorry, I was just shocked at your response to my post.
 
Did I say ANYWHERE that I was entitled to anything?
 
I like how you put "qualifications" in quotations...what is that supposed to mean? Or is it supposed to have a condescending connotation, a way in which you "pass judgement" on someone by thinking that whatever "word" you put in quotations has a "special" meaning.:rolleyes:
 
ouch everyone is soo harsh and judgemental on here. basically i think you should all just chill out. it sounds like you are prolly kinda old already since you have done so much extra work after the normal graduating time so what is one more year really? honestly why in the world would you wait until march to take the oat? it really doesnt matter whether or not you got everything else in in time or not.... what is basically going to happen is that if they have seats that are open and you didnt majorly screw up your interview you will get an admissions letter; otherwise you will get a waitlist letter...
for someone who is soo defensive and really really wants to be an optometrist since early in undergrad i cant even imagine why you wouldnt have taken the oat a year ago or something. it doesnt make any sense to be taking it in march for this cycle; i bet 99 percent of the people taking it in march are taking it to apply in the fall.
basically optometry school is not THAT hard to get into; if you are a science student and know what to say and know how to take standardized tests there is no reason why you wont get in... whether or not you do this year is kinda a crapshoot based on how many people want to go to your school this year and how qualified they are.
my advice... apply early; apply to more than one school. i have been on the interviewing committee and when people apply to only one school they sound self righteous like they just know they are getting in and deserve it so they dont need to bother doing the whole admissions process
 
Its not a matter of being defensive. I didn't come to a definite decision about Optometry school until about a year ago, definite meaning that was what I was going to do. The reason I took the OAT so much later is partly for what you said - being a little older (although just turning 26 isn't THAT old, lol) means I took the physics, chem, and ochem prereq classes 5+ years ago. It wasn't imperative to take the OATs as soon as humanly possible so I didn't until I was confident that I was able to reteach myself those subjects. Not just teach myself enough to get a passing score, but enough to actually understand the material.

You are doing quite a bit of assuming when you say that people come off as self-righteous when they only apply to one school. What if I was married and had a child and applied to only one school because that would be the one nearest my family? Would that person be considered self-righteous and have an air of self-entitlement? Its probably not that great to a whole lot of assuming if you are on an interview committee...first impressions are not always the case, are they? I'm not saying that I am married and have a child, that's irrelevant, but applying to one school should not give off that kind of undertone. What if it is the only school a person wanted to go to? Labeling people as self-righteous because they only apply to one does a great disservice and shows me that a member of a supposedly objective committee that prejudges a person on this fact probably should heed to someone who can leave those at the door.

What if a person applied to 10 schools, does it make that person insecure and full of self-doubt? If I understand your reasoning, then it would. What is the magic number? The number of schools you apply to shouldn't even be a topic of discussion or judgement.

I'm not trying to be combative here, just trying to make a point.
 
Hey hfpepperbean47 ,
With those stats you should have definitely applied earlier, but what's done is done already. However, I too applied to PCO and it took them a while to make a decision on me. I interviewed Nov. 10th and got an acceptance letter about 3 weeks ago! At any rate, hopefully me declining their seat will open one for you =). BUT...this is going to be the bummer, I am sure you are probably already going to be accepted except, like me, I have been out of school for almost 2 years (just turned 24 in March) and they don't like seeing that. PCO wanted me to take their summer enrichment program to "sharpen" my study skills, get me back in the habit of studying since I have been out of school for more than a year. I know of many students like us who have been out school for a bit with fairly good marks and have had to wait a while for an answer. Anyway, unless you have recently taken unversity level courses after graduation mentally prepare yourself to take their summer classes. I put a deposit at ICO in January, it was my first choice and no summer program! woohoo. Anyway, be optimistic about the situation and Good Luck!

Keep me posted =P
 
thanks for corroborating with my assertion that GPAs dont mean jack. you have good gpa but still not getting acceptance. i can bet you my pair of timberlands that the school sensed a lack of true dedication from your part. your desire to be an optometrist is a deceptive charade and everyone knows it.
 
You're not entitled to anything. It's your own fault for putting yourself at risk of not getting in this cycle. Why wait so long to take the oat? From your "qualifications" it shouldn't have taken that long for you to have studied for it. It seems to me by your "qualifications" you were on the medical school route (correct me if i'm wrong) and decided to switch to optometry last minute. Don't just look at the school's average gpa and oat scores and assumed that you're better than the rest of the people who get accepted.

Could you please tell me why you are on such a rampage? My question was a simple one, but your tone is rather rude and frankly un-called for. I don't appreciate being labeled/judged as you have so clearly done...where did I say I was better than anybody being accepted? You can make any inferences you want about my "qualifications" but don't go assuming things about my decisions and motivations - and yes, i was on the medical school path early in undergraduate, but that was years ago - but I have been on the optometry path for most of my "qualifications". Did I switch to optometry last minute? No, I didn't. I didn't switch paths because I felt optometry is "good enough", but I don't need to explain my beliefs or motivations.

Sorry, I was just shocked at your response to my post.

The tone of Spearmint is a little condescending, however you asked for a 'psychological' assessment of you. I think Spearmint did an okay job for the most part as more than 50% of what he/she predicted is dead on - as your followup post have indicated. Learn from what Spearmint has said and let his/her condescending tone go. You can only benefit from the comments.
 
Maybe I should have asked solely for an objective opinion on the deal and left the psychologist part out of it.

And I expected nothing less from you, iproblem, and I see your Timberlands and raise you my pair of mocassins.

I haven't heard about acceptance because the Admissions committee hasn't met since I sent in my OAT scores, not because of any perceived lack of desire on my part. You're funny:D.
 
You're partly right, ucbsowarrior, but I would put that percentage at about 33% correct on what Spearmint posted. The only part I can benefit from are the sincere statements, not the ones riddled with undertone. Waiting to take the OAT was a necessary evil. In retrospect I should have had all of my application materials ready when I first applied last fall, but my OATs would have been much worse and I may have been playing the same waiting game. All I know is if I am not accepted, I will have a choice of schools the next time around, even though PCO is my first choice. Its a Catch-22.
 
Hey hfpepperbean47 ,
With those stats you should have definitely applied earlier, but what's done is done already. However, I too applied to PCO and it took them a while to make a decision on me. I interviewed Nov. 10th and got an acceptance letter about 3 weeks ago! At any rate, hopefully me declining their seat will open one for you =). BUT...this is going to be the bummer, I am sure you are probably already going to be accepted except, like me, I have been out of school for almost 2 years (just turned 24 in March) and they don't like seeing that. PCO wanted me to take their summer enrichment program to "sharpen" my study skills, get me back in the habit of studying since I have been out of school for more than a year. I know of many students like us who have been out school for a bit with fairly good marks and have had to wait a while for an answer. Anyway, unless you have recently taken unversity level courses after graduation mentally prepare yourself to take their summer classes. I put a deposit at ICO in January, it was my first choice and no summer program! woohoo. Anyway, be optimistic about the situation and Good Luck!

Keep me posted =P

I have been taking graduate courses since getting my undergrad degree...biochem, immuno, micro (prereq), science writing, and human phys. I understand why they do that, for fear of falling behind. Taking the summer enrichment courses would be the humble thing to do (there's nothing wrong with humility) if required...but something tells me I would decline "we would love you to come here...if and only if you do this..."

Its like a significant other telling you, "You know I love you...but..." then comes the catch.

But maybe I'd swallow my pride and do it anyway. Lets hope it doesn't come down to that! I'd rather not have to take another year to begin.
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wow sometimes people can get really worked up. it is important to chill out as some of us think- be happy- makes you healthier:)

I think that they will accept you for sure! come on- think about it- the reason they didnt send you a rejection letter was because they were waiting for your OAT scores right? if they didnt like you then they would have just shot out your application- you have better than average grades- even Waterloo in canada would accept you!!!! or Berkeley= but of course PCO's curriculum is really one of the best in my opinion
- they are really there to help the students
=-great program to help with you career choice
-0 great clinical exposure and nice atmosphere

so since you;ve done your oats and your score is above the mean by sooo many points- you are almost in the 85th percentile- sorry i may be incorrect there but you are up there my friend:)

it is healthy to feel some pressure and have some healthy stress over waiting for their response- means you are psyc healthy:) i;m a psyc and immunology major so i can def assess you:) but not professionaly of course hehe

no worries ok- if they dont accept you its prob only because they are full BUT....... dont worry! apparently many schools have a process now that they will accept those on a waiting list for those who turn down a seat at the school:)

And I disagree with those who may think that you are not showing sincereity in terms of:
1- you applying to one school- it shows the upmost loyalty and sincereity to go to their school right? and perhaps there are circumstantial reasons as you had mentionned

0 they do ask a question as to why we think pco is the one for you right?

2- you did apply right5 away because you were not sure if optometry was your thing right but when you did after appropriate exploration you showed greart dedication- optometry shadowing and research on the cornea! soooo cool= hey msg me about that because i;m doing some vision related research at themoment- well sort of strrting adn would love to get some advice from you!!!=- so if you told them in the interview why you applied after master's then that is great

i hope to hear good news from you1

i raelly hope you dont apply for next year bc you would be some hot competition with me lol
 
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