My Year-Long Experience (Application Process/ Interviews/ Acceptance)

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futureOD2019

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Hi everyone!

This is my first post, so I thought I would share with you all my experience with the application process, taking my OAT, interviews, acceptances, and share some advice. I took my OAT in June of 2014 after studying during April and May by using Cracking the OAT, Barron's MCAT book and Kaplan's OAT book. Barron's definitely helped me in the biology section, I used Kaplan's for practice questions in the general and organic chemistry and quantitative reasoning sections, and I used Cracking the OAT for physics. After taking the test, my overall score wasn't very good, specifically in general and organic chemistry, but, I began my application in July and completed it by August (I applied to five schools (OSU, PCO, MCO, ICO and Indiana)). In September, PCO and OSU both extended me an interview, and I completed these interviews during October. To get ready for them, I looked up different interview questions online and prepared answers for them. Specific questions I remember being asked were, "Besides the education, what do you expect to gain from optometry school?" and "What is a mistake that you have made and how did you correct it?". A few weeks after my PCO interview, I was offered acceptance contingent upon me retaking the OAT, and OSU wanted me to retake my OAT before making their admissions decision. I retook my OAT in February and focused on improving my lowest scores (Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry). My scores did improve and I submitted these new scores to OSU, PCO Indiana and ICO. In March, I was offered and accepted admission to OSU (my top choice!) I was also offered an interview with ICO after being admitted to OSU, but I declined. I never heard back from Indiana and I was not accepted to MCO (but again, I did not submit my updated scores to them).

My first piece of advice is don't give up! If there is a school that you want to get into, do not stop striving to gain admission! Obtaining a higher GPA, OAT score and more shadowing experience are all doable tasks if you stay focused and put the time in. Second, find a study strategy that works best for you! As mentioned above, after studying the first time by using practice problems for organic and general chemistry, I realized that I needed a better study strategy. I found one through youtube (specifically Mike Christiansen's channel, he's great!). However, I know others who have used Chad's videos and the Kaplan OAT course and those strategies worked for them. Finding one strategy and sticking to it definitely helps. My final piece of advice is that you do not compare yourself to others. Everyone's processes are different lengths, everyone has different scores, GPAs, shadowing hours and different personalities. This being said, it doesn't help to compare yourself to others. Just do the best that you can do and stay determined!

Good luck to all of you applying this admissions cycle! If you have any questions, let me know!

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Do you mind sharing both of your OAT scores and your GPA?
 
Definitely! So my first OAT was a 280 and my second was a 310. Even though my score the second time was only a 310, I made a huge improvement in my low areas and I think that made more of an impression to the schools than the actual score. My GPA was a 3.68.
 
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Thank you very much & congratulations on your acceptance!
 
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