I will be taking the OAT in a month and Im just getting nervous about my chances of getting into optometry school. My GPA is kind of low, 3.0, though I have taken all of the required courses except for maybe one. Just finished Biochemistry. I will be a senior at the University of Pittsburgh and took all of my classes there. I didn't take a OAT prep class but I did get some practice materials and I plan to spend the next month studying.
Some things that might help me stand apart from other students is that I have worked at Lenscrafters as an eyewear consultant for almost three years now. An eyewear consultant is basically an optician that is not licensed. I know more about the store, the lab, and the lenses than most of the opticians in the store though 😛. I have a lot of time watching the doctors in the store and have picked up a lot of good information from them. I am also good friends with another optometrist who I'm sure will write me a glowing letter of recommendation.
Finally I am an organizer for my store's OneSight program, a charity that accepts donated glasses and then takes applications from people who can't afford new glasses for whatever reason. We use the donated frames and get these people in free sets of glasses with lenses that work just for them. I also am an organizer for the Pittsburgh chapter's American Chemical Society's "National Chemistry Week" at the Carnegie Science Center downtown each year, where different schools and companies gather to promote chemistry in the community.
My pre-rew GPA is lower than my overall GPA, so that combined with the fact that my OAT test materials are scaring the HECK out of me is making me pretty nervous. Anyone have some encouragement? Or some suggestions to increase my chances?
Some things that might help me stand apart from other students is that I have worked at Lenscrafters as an eyewear consultant for almost three years now. An eyewear consultant is basically an optician that is not licensed. I know more about the store, the lab, and the lenses than most of the opticians in the store though 😛. I have a lot of time watching the doctors in the store and have picked up a lot of good information from them. I am also good friends with another optometrist who I'm sure will write me a glowing letter of recommendation.
Finally I am an organizer for my store's OneSight program, a charity that accepts donated glasses and then takes applications from people who can't afford new glasses for whatever reason. We use the donated frames and get these people in free sets of glasses with lenses that work just for them. I also am an organizer for the Pittsburgh chapter's American Chemical Society's "National Chemistry Week" at the Carnegie Science Center downtown each year, where different schools and companies gather to promote chemistry in the community.
My pre-rew GPA is lower than my overall GPA, so that combined with the fact that my OAT test materials are scaring the HECK out of me is making me pretty nervous. Anyone have some encouragement? Or some suggestions to increase my chances?
