I browsed this forum often and see many threads regarding Nova, NECO, PCO, ICO but barely see any on Pacific. Is Pacific not a popular school? Would you consider Pacific to be harder to get into than Nova, NECO, PCO, or ICO? With a 3.1 cGPA (sci 2.8) and potentially improved OAT 330-350 can one expect to land an interview at Pacific?
Pacific university anyone?
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It is somewhat discouraging that Pacific doesn't have the representation on this forum that some of the other schools do. I think the best way to change that is to get current students involved in the forum and try to promote SDN through word-of-mouth.
As for an interview, it is definitely possible. I had similar stats and got accepted, although my sicence GPA was a bit higher. Get in touch with Janelle as soon as you can and find out what she recommends in order for you to be as competitive as possible.
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The Pacific Optometry Admissions office number is 800-933-9308 or 503-352-2900.
I took the OAT twice and the second time my scores were 350AA and 330TS (370QR, 380RC, 380PHY, 320OC, 330GC and 290BIO). My cumulative GPA is 3.15 (with science GPA 3.15 and Last 45 GPA 3.50).
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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My GPA is 3.0 and my OAT was 360TS, 350AA. Don't let the GPA fool you though, I've gotten about a 3.5-3.6 for the last two years and I've gotten only 2 B's in the last year (Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry). The early part of undergrad was very unkind to me, but I refocused and I've lived up to my potential, and Pacifc really liked the improvement and upward trend. I also gave a very good interview. Your GPA is higher than mine was when I started my upswing, so I would say that it is definitely possible for you to pull it off.
sigh, you guys have such high OATs which makes me worry. I didn't really show an upward trend though. I started out with 3.3-3.6 first two years and starting third year everything went downhill. Hence, the reason why I am nervous.
Thanks ODduck and eyelectric for sharing your thoughts. Can you guys tell me how you studied for the OAT esp. for the RC and physics portion.
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For the Physics section, just know the concepts in and out. Get very familiar with kinematics and FREE BODY DIAGRAMS (the bane of my existence, at least physics-wise).
As far as Reading Comp goes, different things work for different people. Personally, I can't do the "skim" method, because I can't skim and get it. So I just trained myself by reading primary literature from a lot of different scientific disciplines. I eventually got to the point where I could read an entire paper once through and get most or all of the pertinent information. After that, reading through the passages and getting it the first time through felt like a snap. However, like I said before, everyone has something different that works for them.
As far as Reading Comp goes, different things work for different people. Personally, I can't do the "skim" method, because I can't skim and get it. So I just trained myself by reading primary literature from a lot of different scientific disciplines. I eventually got to the point where I could read an entire paper once through and get most or all of the pertinent information. After that, reading through the passages and getting it the first time through felt like a snap. However, like I said before, everyone has something different that works for them.
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For physics, do as many problems as you can. Concentrate heavily on statics and dynamics (i.e. kinnematics, forces, collisions, etc). There were very few electrical problems; you should still know the concepts (like V=IR and how to find an equivalent resistance) but the problems are not that in depth. When I was studying I used TopScore Pro and it seemed to really help refresh my memory. Go through and take the tests and then go back and look up how to do the ones you get wrong. Also, don't be intimidated by the OAT; they're not going to give you some extremely complex problem that you would have seen in physics class. The problems are all straightforward and are easier than the problems you will encounter if you use TopScore. Also, watch your units...I can't stress this enough. If you encounter a problem and the needed formula escapes you there is a good chance you can manipulate the units to find the answer.
For RC I also used TopScore and it seemed to really help with timing and with a plan of action. Use it to find the best method for you. My method was to skip ahead to the first question and then begin reading the passage. Once I found the answer in the passage I would read the next question and then continue where I left off in the passage. Keep in mind I would actually read the passage and not just skim it so that if I came upon a question that I already saw I could easily find it again. This method worked really well for me, but it's not for everyone. You just need to practice with sample exams and find the best method for you.
