Pre-Req GPA

[yabis]

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I'm a 5th year Biology/Psychology major. My overall sciences GPA is at a 3.0, but my pre-req GPA is closer to a 2.70. My OAT and experience/extra curricular's are strong.

I've read that a lot of Optometry schools have pre-req GPA requirements. Are these pre-req GPA requirements actual cut-offs, or are they relative? Realistically, would I have to retake a few pre-reqs, even if I passed them with a C (gen-chem classes. got A's in o-chem)?

Thank you,

-Yabis

 

[raidersfan]

not necessarily. i was accepted with a 2.79 but did do pretty well on my OAT's. it depends on the school. some have a cut off of 3.0 and others factor everything in. From what admissions people have told me alot of schools weigh OAT's heavily because its the only way to compare 2 scores directly. Might be a good idea to retake some courses and it would probably show initiative. with a good oat and ec's not all schools will view a low gpa as an automatic denial.

 

[yabis]

To clarify, there's more weight on overall GPA, as opposed to pre-req GPA?

 

[Mewcakes]

Mmm...I wouldn't say that exactly. If gchem is the only class(es) that you would have to retake, I would do it. You'll find them remarkably easy after ochem and biochem. But if you can't bring yourself to do that, then put as much work as you can into your OATs and your shadow work. I finished school in 4 yrs 2 qtrs with only a BS in genetics, no double major or anything, but the prereqs took up a lot of my time because the physiology, anatomy, and microbiology courses and labs didn't coincide with my degree. So I found it to be SO hard to talk myself into going back to school, but here I am and it's totally not hard at all. So easy when you're in class with a bunch of 18 yr olds at a JC...

But anyways...

I was told by one admissions counsel that they consider where your degree is coming from too. I wouldn't have thought so...but that's what he told me. Or maybe he was trying to make me feel better about my 2.67 pre-req gpa. He also told me that a 3.0, while listed on the website, is recommended but not a necessarily ABSOLUTE cut off. They will consider your OAT and experience before they turn you down.

 

[snowflakes10]

I was told by one admissions counsel that they consider where your degree is coming from too.

Because I was very worried about having a lower GPA compared to most optom school candidates, many admissions counselors advised me that they do infact consider what school your degree is from/where you take your prereq courses at. If you attend a college or university that is known to have a rigorous curriculum, then they take that in to consideration positively.

I actually called NECO to talk about it, and the lady told me that my school was "in the highest index." In other words, the way they view my GPA would be higher than it actually is. Good luck!

 

[yabis]

Thank you! All of you have definitely made me less stressed!

 

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