preoptometry applications

[ramzax]

i'm hoping to take organic chemistry my 4th year in college. would this be too late for the application deadline for optometry school?

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[JMU07]

It won't be too late because they'll see that you're finishing it on your transcript, but you'll have to do some intense learning on your own for the OAT.

 

[ramzax]

could i simply take a year off from school and apply the next year, then begin grad school the year afterwards

 

[ramzax]

also, when are the usual times for taking the OAT

 

[JMU07]

sure! There's nothing wrong with taking a year off.

You can take the OAT whenever you'd like, but since schools start taking apps in August/September, it's better to take it earlier in the application process than to wait until later in the winter, when there might not be any seats left at the schools you'd like to attend. I personally am taking it next May or June, since I plan to start applying in about a year. You also want to give yourself enough time to retake it, in case your scores aren't as high as you'd like them to be (I believe there's a 90 day waiting period to retake the test).

 

[WoodyJI]

If your OAT score ends up being well above the previous year's average scores for whatever school you're planning to apply, you might consider applying even if you've not yet completed all your prerequisites. If you don't get in the first time or get wait listed, it may help your application to have applied once already. If your ochem scores are low, but everything else is high (and you get a good grade in ochem at the end of the year) you might make it off the wait list or something like that. It doesn't hurt to be on the wait list for a year if you're planning to apply the next year anyways...just some food for thought. Good luck with everything.