Optometry school a possibility?

[Member246]

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Im just about to graduated with a Biochem degree with a 2.8 gpa. On my OAT I got a 350. I TON of people on here are talking about how students with a GPA below a 3.0 shouldn't be accepted to Optometry school. What if they showed GREAT improvement their last few semesters? My GPA went up and down basically for my first three years. I was very irresponsible and careless and wasn't quite sure of what I wanted to do. I've had to repeat courses and etc. my 4th year of college I realized what I wanted to do and ended up getting a 4.0 GPA for my last 3 semesters. But my GPA was so low it only got raised to a 2.8. I know you're all thinking "this person is such a failure" but everyone makes mistakes in life. Obviously some are much bigger than others. There is one school in specific that I would truly love to be accepted to. Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. Their average GPA acceptance rate was a 3.5 with a 320 OAT. I have some experience shadowing a few optometrists and have done a 100 hours of volunteer work at an eye institute, plus over 5000 hours i've gained throughout high school at a local hospital. What more can I do to show Optometry schools that I'm improving myself and that I CAN handle the workload of Optometry school? And I would prefer no sarcastic comments from anyone. If you don't like my stats then move onto another forum. I'm not asking for your approval, I'm asking for your help. Thanks!

 

[q1we3]

You do have a chance. Everything besides your GPA looks above average. But, your GPA will limit your options in terms of schools. If you are applying now then it would be even tougher since most of seats are already filled for fall 2012.
Here are some tips if you haven't
1) Apply early as possible and apply to 8-10 schools
2) Make sure essay conveys what went wrong in terms of your GPA and how it is not reflective of your academic abilities or work ethic. Make sure they are well aware of your strengths, it should be personal and from the heart, showing your passion for optometry.
3) Apply to few of the newer schools as a back up
4) Be flexible in terms of where you might end up
5) VERY STRONG recommendation from professor and optometrist. Make sure you had a A in the class of professor you are asking for recommendation.
6) Apply to schools whose avg. accepted GPA is not too high.

You should get few interviews. So, nail the ones you get. Check the interview feedback section to prepare. Rest is out of your control. Good Luck!

 

[thecgrblue]

In all honesty...with the new schools you will get in somewhere if you apply widely. I had similar stats to you (GPA was 3.3 though) with no positive trend and one of the new schools offered me a scholarship.

Are you from the midwest? I only ask just to make sure you know that NSUCO only takes residents from that area.

 

[Member246]

In all honesty...with the new schools you will get in somewhere if you apply widely. I had similar stats to you (GPA was 3.3 though) with no positive trend and one of the new schools offered me a scholarship.

Are you from the midwest? I only ask just to make sure you know that NSUCO only takes residents from that area.

Hey thanks for the feedback! I REALLY appreciate it! I'm actually in Oklahoma. NSUCO is about 2 hours away from home so it's VERY practical. I totally agree about being flexible when it comes to applying to more than one school. I definitely don't want to only rely on just one chance. I plan to apply for fall 2013 so until then I could get a lot more experience under my belt! Thanks for your help and good luck to you all too!

 

[Member246]

You do have a chance. Everything besides your GPA looks above average. But, your GPA will limit your options in terms of schools. If you are applying now then it would be even tougher since most of seats are already filled for fall 2012.
Here are some tips if you haven't
1) Apply early as possible and apply to 8-10 schools
2) Make sure essay conveys what went wrong in terms of your GPA and how it is not reflective of your academic abilities or work ethic. Make sure they are well aware of your strengths, it should be personal and from the heart, showing your passion for optometry.
3) Apply to few of the newer schools as a back up
4) Be flexible in terms of where you might end up
5) VERY STRONG recommendation from professor and optometrist. Make sure you had a A in the class of professor you are asking for recommendation.
6) Apply to schools whose avg. accepted GPA is not too high.

You should get few interviews. So, nail the ones you get. Check the interview feedback section to prepare. Rest is out of your control. Good Luck!

Thanks for the advice! I couldn't agree more. I do plan to enroll in 2013 so I have another year. I can get more hands on experience. The averages for a majority of the schools is around 3.5 GPA but the PCAT scores are oddly lower... around 305ish... so I plan to apply to about 6 schools and stay hopeful! Good luck to you too! Wasn't sure if you were still in undergrad but if you are then here are some stats to get you prepared!
http://www.opted.org/files/Profile of the Entering Class 2011.pdf

 

[CL Doc]

Im just about to graduated with a Biochem degree with a 2.8 gpa. On my OAT I got a 350. I TON of people on here are talking about how students with a GPA below a 3.0 shouldn't be accepted to Optometry school. What if they showed GREAT improvement their last few semesters? My GPA went up and down basically for my first three years. I was very irresponsible and careless and wasn't quite sure of what I wanted to do. I've had to repeat courses and etc. my 4th year of college I realized what I wanted to do and ended up getting a 4.0 GPA for my last 3 semesters. But my GPA was so low it only got raised to a 2.8. I know you're all thinking "this person is such a failure" but everyone makes mistakes in life. Obviously some are much bigger than others. There is one school in specific that I would truly love to be accepted to. Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. Their average GPA acceptance rate was a 3.5 with a 320 OAT. I have some experience shadowing a few optometrists and have done a 100 hours of volunteer work at an eye institute, plus over 5000 hours i've gained throughout high school at a local hospital. What more can I do to show Optometry schools that I'm improving myself and that I CAN handle the workload of Optometry school? And I would prefer no sarcastic comments from anyone. If you don't like my stats then move onto another forum. I'm not asking for your approval, I'm asking for your help. Thanks!

What you need to understand is that the job of the admissions department in an optometry program is to select individuals who have the best chance of succeeding in the program. This is why GPA and OATs are more important than volunteer hours and shadowing. You can't make up for low academic achievement by adding more volunteer hours, it simply doesn't work.

What you need to do is prove to the schools that you can succeed in the program. How do you do this? Take more challenging classes and do well in them. Take some graduate level classes. You need to prove that you can perform well academically.

Good luck.

 

[Member246]

What you need to understand is that the job of the admissions department in an optometry program is to select individuals who have the best chance of succeeding in the program. This is why GPA and OATs are more important than volunteer hours and shadowing. You can't make up for low academic achievement by adding more volunteer hours, it simply doesn't work.

What you need to do is prove to the schools that you can succeed in the program. How do you do this? Take more challenging classes and do well in them. Take some graduate level classes. You need to prove that you can perform well academically.

Good luck.

Thanks for the response. I agree about taking more classes. Do you mean that after I graduate, just take an extra few science classes as a full time student? Or just take an extra class here and there. I'm open to either. Or would you suggest possible also applying for a graduates degree in public health, just as a backup? I'm completely open to any suggestions what-so-ever (besides quitting). Thanks.

 

[Shnurek]

http://www.opted.org/files/Profile of the Entering Class 2011.pdf

WTH, Oklahoma's stats are so low! I want to do a residency there. Maybe that's why they let in applicants from all 50 states now.

 

[CL Doc]

Thanks for the response. I agree about taking more classes. Do you mean that after I graduate, just take an extra few science classes as a full time student? Or just take an extra class here and there. I'm open to either. Or would you suggest possible also applying for a graduates degree in public health, just as a backup? I'm completely open to any suggestions what-so-ever (besides quitting). Thanks.

Yes, I was talking post grad, also they will consider course load, so more difficult course load is better. The only problem with public health is it is more of a social science and not particularly difficult.

 

[Meibomian SxN]

Im just about to graduated with a Biochem degree with a 2.8 gpa. On my OAT I got a 350. I TON of people on here are talking about how students with a GPA below a 3.0 shouldn't be accepted to Optometry school. What if they showed GREAT improvement their last few semesters? My GPA went up and down basically for my first three years. I was very irresponsible and careless and wasn't quite sure of what I wanted to do. I've had to repeat courses and etc. my 4th year of college I realized what I wanted to do and ended up getting a 4.0 GPA for my last 3 semesters. But my GPA was so low it only got raised to a 2.8. I know you're all thinking "this person is such a failure" but everyone makes mistakes in life. Obviously some are much bigger than others. There is one school in specific that I would truly love to be accepted to. Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. Their average GPA acceptance rate was a 3.5 with a 320 OAT. I have some experience shadowing a few optometrists and have done a 100 hours of volunteer work at an eye institute, plus over 5000 hours i've gained throughout high school at a local hospital. What more can I do to show Optometry schools that I'm improving myself and that I CAN handle the workload of Optometry school? And I would prefer no sarcastic comments from anyone. If you don't like my stats then move onto another forum. I'm not asking for your approval, I'm asking for your help. Thanks!

It seems the GPA is the only thing that needs improvement. I would either take a few courses like biochem and anatomy/physiology at a local community college or go all out and enroll in a post-bach pre-med program (more intense).

Either way, best of luck

 

[blazenmadison]

I agree with Meibomian. Retake courses with C or lower or do a post-bach premed program. Your GPA needs to be higher.

 

[coloradosky]

I think you'll have a great shot. Show your personality in your essay, make them want to interview you and meet you in person. Don't waste character count on excuses of why you messed up, rather write about how you discovered your passion for optometry and your qualities that will make you a successful OD. Good Luck!