on hold =(

[kayy]

i knew my stats werent impressive, but i hoped applying early would help...apparently not tho bc i've been put on hold for nova. does anyone know if it would make any difference if i retook my oat (320 ts & aa) and submitted another LOR directly to the school? or should i save $200 bc it wont make much of a difference...?

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[blysssful]

i knew my stats werent impressive, but i hoped applying early would help...apparently not tho bc i've been put on hold for nova. does anyone know if it would make any difference if i retook my oat (320 ts & aa) and submitted another LOR directly to the school? or should i save $200 bc it wont make much of a difference...?

Well, do you really want to do whatever it takes to get into school, or does it not make much of a difference?

 

[OD4eyes]

Look at it this way, its better than a rejection. If you haven't already, get a recommendation from an OD. I would call and ask to speak with an admissions counselor. Perhaps see why you are on hold and what it is that can make you a more competitive candidate. They might tell you that it is still early in the admissions process. Some admissions counselors are more resourceful but others may be clueless.
Just be positive! If necessary retake but speak with admissions 1st. The doctors that I have spoken to from NOVA say that they are really big on serving the community, so you may want to emphasize how you can contribute to your community as an OD. I didn't apply to NOVA but that's the advice they had to offer. Good Luck!!!

 

[crazygirl218]

What to you mean when you say hold?? Like did you already have an interview or they want you to provide more info before reviewing your file??

 

[Commando303]

How badly do you want to practice optometry? Your decision will depend on this answer, not on anyone's advice.

 

[kayy]

thanks for all the responses, i really appreciate the input.

for clarification, i was put on hold after the interview...all my materials have been submitted, and my application is complete to my knowledge.

yeah..i do want it badly enough to retake the OAT, which i'm going to schedule for the soonest date in dec...i was just uncertain abt the "hold" term. i emailed the advisor to ask specifics but she just repeated what the original letter stated: that i should just submit new information (ie; oat scores) when and if they come. otherwise, they will let me know when the file is revisited. the repeated generalized answer just made me fearful that "hold" meant a soft rejection and there wasn't much i could do about it. but it doesn't hurt to try!

thanks for the suggestions again ( :

 

[cloud99]

What is your gpa, if you don't mind sharing it?

How do you think your interview went? Were there any questions that stumped you? Did you get a good or bad feeling when you walked out?

What about your extracurriculars and shadowing experiences, do you think you had enough?

Just trying to narrow down why they put you on hold. Many others have been accepted to programs with 320 oats, depending on the rest of their app. and the interview.

 

[kayy]

What is your gpa, if you don't mind sharing it?

How do you think your interview went? Were there any questions that stumped you? Did you get a good or bad feeling when you walked out?

What about your extracurriculars and shadowing experiences, do you think you had enough?

Just trying to narrow down why they put you on hold. Many others have been accepted to programs with 320 oats, depending on the rest of their app. and the interview.

my overall is 3.14, and the science they calculated was 2.95 (which is lower than optomcas'..i guess they recalculated it) the interview started out shaky b/c i couldn't stop the butterflies from flying out of my stomach..but it turned out alright i thought. they made it very easygoing and were so nice, and even commended me on some answers. i couldnt tell if they really liked me or were just being friendly. i did get stumped on the 'what's your weaknesses' question b/c they asked for another after i listed what i thot was my greatest weakness...

i dont have too many ECs, but i do have some, on top of a heavy workload. i've shadowed at a private, corporate, and lasik center...and currently work for an optometrist. i feel my experience w/ optometry thus far has provided me with a thorough understanding of the field...so my guess is that my grades are holding me back and they want to see how the applicant pool shapes out first?

 

[blysssful]

the repeated generalized answer just made me fearful that "hold" meant a soft rejection and there wasn't much i could do about it.

If they wanted to reject you, they would have. Do what you can now so you don't regret it later.

 

[crazygirl218]

Thanks for the clarification
When did you have your interview and when did they email you back about it if you dont mind me asking??

 

[kayy]

Thanks for the clarification
When did you have your interview and when did they email you back about it if you dont mind me asking??

not at all. my interview was mid sept, and they got back to me within the week.

 

[290504]

i know this response is a bit late, but i think that by placing you on hold it means that although your interview went well, it wasn't spectacular. so, they put you in the "holding pen" until the school interviews other applicants to gage how the general applicant pool stands...

i know SCCO's interviews their applicants with this standard in mind. they told me that there are three possibilities that can happen after an applicant interviews...

1. the interview was a success and you are offered a seat at the school.
2. the interview was okay and you are placed on hold.
3. the interview went poorly and you are denied a seat.

im assuming you probably fall under case #2. but dont worry!! you may get bumped up to the accepted list! its great that you interviewed early on. GOOD LUCK!

 

[CheshmPezeshk]

I am in the same situation and its really stressing me out. Please keep me updated on wether you get accepted or not. my interview was mid october.

 

[CheshmPezeshk]

and my stats are
GPA:3.0 (about the same for sciences)
OAT(AA):360 (97 percentile)
OAT(TS):390 (98 percentile)
I'm not sure if retaking the OAT would be any help, and although my GPA is lower than average there is not much I can do about it since it is based on 127 credit hours thus far. I was hoping to make up for it by doing well on the OAT but seems like it wasnt enough. I thought my interview went well but I was put on the hold category. If you guyz can give me any advice I would really appreciate it.

 

[preopt2010]

im in the same situation as well! they told me they want me to retake the OATs ... i had a 300 overall average , how much do you think I would have to go up?

 

[mshea413]

im in the same situation as well! they told me they want me to retake the OATs ... i had a 300 overall average , how much do you think I would have to go up?

That depends on where you are applying and what your others stats are like (ex. GPA). A safe bet would be to aim for something higher then a 330-350 average.

 

[foreseen]

Which school was this? we have similar OAT scores (I have a slightly lower AA), what do you think made them put you on hold?

and my stats are
GPA:3.0 (about the same for sciences)
OAT(AA):360 (97 percentile)
OAT(TS):390 (98 percentile)
I'm not sure if retaking the OAT would be any help, and although my GPA is lower than average there is not much I can do about it since it is based on 127 credit hours thus far. I was hoping to make up for it by doing well on the OAT but seems like it wasnt enough. I thought my interview went well but I was put on the hold category. If you guyz can give me any advice I would really appreciate it.