OAT and Opt School Advice needed !!!

[royaleye2018]

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I’m new to this but thought I could find some helpful advice so please offer any that you may have because anything will help me at this point!!

I am currently a junior in college with a 3.54 GPA. I switched majors very late into college and I am currently fulfilling the prerequisites for optometry school. In order to graduate on time, I basically have to take classes all year round until graduation and I had to switch my degree to liberal studies to fit everything in. I have not taken ochem yet, but will be taking it summer of 2019. Ideally I will take the OAT at the end of next summer (August 2019) and do well enough that I can apply early into the cycle because I have heard that those who apply earliest have the best chance (I can use all the help I can get) of getting in.

I feel like I’m not a good candidate because I don’t have a great GPA nor do I have a biology degree. I do work as an OD tech and I have for the last 9 months, which is how I discovered I wanted to do optometry in the first place.

Basically, my questions are, how should I go about taking the OAT? Should I give myself more time by taking a year off to study instead of trying to cram it all in with classes? If you think I should go for it, how should I go about studying for the OAT? Do you think I’m a decent candidate (pending my OAT scores) based on what I’ve said?

Optometry isn’t big at my school and there really isn’t anyone to turn to for help so again, please post any and all advice you’re willing to share. Thank you!!!

 

[tastyshuffles]

Hey!

I just recently took my OAT yesterday (12/20/2018). For the OAT you really want to be in the mentality of "one and done". By that meaning you have to be highly motivated to get a competitive score your first try. Studying for the OAT varies on the individual. Some people only need 2 weeks while others need a couple to few months so I can't really tell you how long you should prepare for the exam. However, I would recommend studying for no longer than 3-4 months because it would be overkill for your brain to study longer than that. And I don't think it would be wise to cram your OAT studies with other classes because there is indeed A LOT of information you need to know and understand for the OAT in order to score well. You want to get the best score possible. So I would recommend studying sometime after your spring term while your brain is still active. Also, since you'll be taking o-chem in the summer next year that would also be beneficial for studying the OAT! In addition, completing your pre-reqs prior to studying for the OAT would be very beneficial, especially for the Biology section. If you need any advice on studying the OAT or information then just pm me! These forums have helped me a lot.

And for the other question, your OVERALL GPA is good. However, your science GPA and pre-req GPA must also be competitive (at least over a 3.0). Also, it doesn't matter if your degree is Liberal studies and is not science based. For example, I have a relative who just received their DO and his degree in undergrad was Literature! What matters is completing the pre-reqs with a good GPA, good overall GPA, competitive OAT score, your experience in the Optometry field and your passion, your extracurricular activities, community service, and overall round character. Overall if you display any of these, then I think you can be a good candidate. Just make sure your personal statement is on point also! Along with 3-4 letters of rec!