Should I bother?

[mrkaplan74]

I want to go to an optometry program, but my GPA sucks. 2.4. I have been out of school for six years. I am wondering if I do well on my pre reqs and the entrance exam, is there a chance for me? I just don't want to waste time and money. So, what do you guys think. I know I will have to bust my ass, but I am ready.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[soupey]

doubt pr will even take u with that gpa, u'd have to get atleast 360 on ur OAT to have any kind of chance, your prereq gpa should be atleast 3.0 too

 

[eyebwoi]

I don't think you necessarily need a 3.0 gpa and a 360 on oat. If you will be taking the pre-req classes and you do very well on them, your pre-req gpa will be very high (which will take care of one part of the admissions process). Your overall gpa from six years ago may not be high, but that was six years ago. If you can top it all off with an above average oat score, you should be in good shape. I would contact 2-3 schools, preferably get in touch with an assistant dean and explain what you'd like to do.

Good luck

 

[SearchSquad]

Speak with the admissions counselors!! If you do well with everything from here on out you could always explain that you didn't have this goal in mind while you were taking the other courses, etc... Once you realized your new career goal you became more motivated, determined, school oriented. Good Luck.

 

[ODduck]

I want to go to an optometry program, but my GPA sucks. 2.4. I have been out of school for six years. I am wondering if I do well on my pre reqs and the entrance exam, is there a chance for me? I just don't want to waste time and money. So, what do you guys think. I know I will have to bust my ass, but I am ready.

Make sure you get at least a 3.0 or else you don't deserve to even be considered. Just ask Zipperiezoo and eyestrain

 

[eyestrain]

If I was running a school, no, they wouldn't be considered. Are you going to tell me a 2.4 should get in? If the poster worked their butt off and got their grade up to a 3.0, I would think about it, but again, I'm not running any schools, so a 3.0 probably isn't required.

 

[Canadian26]

I would also call counslers... cause if you took the courses over 6 years ago they might not consider them b/c of changes in the courses. Also, state schools take repeat classes, so if you want to upgrade your GPA pick your two worse classes and do it over summer to boost your GPA. It'll help. 2.4 in pre-req is low but its not THAT low for pre-reqs. If your overall GPA is higher it should be okay if you boost up to about a 2.6-2.7 in your Pre-req. Just insure you dont have anything lower than a C- and you should be okay.

 

[eyebwoi]

I think my statement earlier on came out wrong. I also believe a 2.4 should not be considered, a minimum of 2.9 (nothing less) should be the cutoff, and that also only applicants with other outstanding factors should be considered. However, for someone with a 2.4 gpa from six years ago, my point was you can raise your gpa quite fast and you'll have it in your favour that six years has elapsed. If you were a current student with a 2.4, I would be less positive!

Good luck

 

[ODduck]

If I was running a school, no, they wouldn't be considered. Are you going to tell me a 2.4 should get in? If the poster worked their butt off and got their grade up to a 3.0, I would think about it, but again, I'm not running any schools, so a 3.0 probably isn't required.

I'm just giving him fair warning before he posts here more often. If he doesn't achieve a 3.0 he will be belittled and made out as inferior by some of the arrogant posters on this site. Just giving the guy a fair warning.

 

[Colonel Mitchel]

I think my statement earlier on came out wrong. I also believe a 2.4 should not be considered, a minimum of 2.9 (nothing less) should be the cutoff, and that also only applicants with other outstanding factors should be considered. However, for someone with a 2.4 gpa from six years ago, my point was you can raise your gpa quite fast and you'll have it in your favour that six years has elapsed. If you were a current student with a 2.4, I would be less positive!

Good luck

I have been reading a lot of the minimum gpa requirement "debate" and I am somewhat confused. Don't get me wrong, I am not taking a "side" on the issue here or trying to belligerent or anything. I just would like some clarification.
The above comment seems to state that a person who is only smart enough to get 2.4 should not be considered for acceptance into an optometry college because of his incompetence. But, the comment admonishes him to raise his gpa to an acceptable range, seemingly assuming that he is competent enough to do so. If a person is actually competent enough, why does the gpa matter? If the issue is competency, the issue is comptency not gpa, right? If a person is able to raise a low gpa I suppose that might be a sign of competency, but is it an absolutely necessary sign? Are there not other signs as well? What if he/she worked 40 hours a week, went to a difficult school, had a family to take care of, etc? Is gpa really THE litmus test to determine competence? And if it is, then a low gpa should be reflective of low competence and an inability to raise the gpa, right? Then why suggest that such a person try to raise his gpa? Can you clarify the issue for me?

 

[KHE]

I have been reading a lot of the minimum gpa requirement "debate" and I am somewhat confused. Don't get me wrong, I am not taking a "side" on the issue here or trying to belligerent or anything. I just would like some clarification.
The above comment seems to state that a person who is only smart enough to get 2.4 should not be considered for acceptance into an optometry college because of his incompetence. But, the comment admonishes him to raise his gpa to an acceptable range, seemingly assuming that he is competent enough to do so. If a person is actually competent enough, why does the gpa matter? If the issue is competency, the issue is comptency not gpa, right? If a person is able to raise a low gpa I suppose that might be a sign of competency, but is it an absolutely necessary sign? Are there not other signs as well? What if he/she worked 40 hours a week, went to a difficult school, had a family to take care of, etc? Is gpa really THE litmus test to determine competence? And if it is, then a low gpa should be reflective of low competence and an inability to raise the gpa, right? Then why suggest that such a person try to raise his gpa? Can you clarify the issue for me?

That's all true in theory but how is an admissions committee dealing with hundreds of applications supposed to evaluate competency if not through GPA? The OAT is a good test and a good indicator of preparedness but can anyone out there honestly say that one 6 hour test is as reliable an indicator of "competency" than a 4 year portfolio of work in varied academic subjects? I'm the first to admit that my first year of undergraduate training wasn't my time to be the shining star, and in particular my first semester. But by the time I was done, I had my GPA up way over 3.0.

What method would you propose that schools use to evaluate competency?

Again, from just a philosophical standpoint, is it unreasonable to expect that people asking for admission to training programs in which they are going to be trained and licensed to care for the visual welfare of the population be able to obtain at least a B average?

Some poster above said that a 2.4 in pre-reqs was low, but not THAT low...I was shocked by that. I wonder for this person just how low, IS too low? 2.0? 1.8? 0.6? Cmon guys.

 

[soupey]

I don't think you necessarily need a 3.0 gpa and a 360 on oat. If you will be taking the pre-req classes and you do very well on them, your pre-req gpa will be very high (which will take care of one part of the admissions process). Your overall gpa from six years ago may not be high, but that was six years ago. If you can top it all off with an above average oat score, you should be in good shape. I would contact 2-3 schools, preferably get in touch with an assistant dean and explain what you'd like to do.

Good luck

if u read what i wrote i said a 3.0 PREREQ gpa, not overall, since he's been at school for so long, he can say that his GPA was low before because he didnt kno what he wanted to do, provided his prereq gpa is decent, he should be able to have a fair chance...a higher (350+) OAT score would be ideal to offset the lower than average overall GPA. Also, some schools scale up recognised universities outside of the US to make them comparable to some of the schools that american students come from.

hope that helps=)

 

[PepsiSucks]

IndianaOD, you want to think so highly of your school look at these stats from incoming class 2003,

Indiana GPA range 2.65-4.0. Besides the fact your OAT AA is considerable lower than the other "top" schools (SUNY and UCBSO) & only 5-10 pts higher than ICO, PCO, NECO (the schools you seem to be bashing). So get off your high horse. Your school isn't any better than the rest.

 

[PepsiSucks]

here's the incoming 2006 class for comparison.

 

[daysend85]

I would also check in with the admissions counselors and tell them your story. It definitely doesn't hurt to try. Some people give up too easily and you don't want to be one of them. After all, you might end up regretting not trying.

Anyone who bashes PCO doesn't know about the school. I will be attending PCO in the fall and they have an excellent program. The cost at PCO is reasonable compared to the other schools and students seem to love it there. I also shadowed an optometrist from PCO before and she seemed to be the perfect optometrist, very caring and knew what she was doing. Everyone likes their own school, but don't go saying bad things about schools you aren't familiar with. That's just stupid.

 

[eyelectric]

If optometry is really what you want to do, then yes, you should "bother". It's going to be a lot of hard work, no doubt, but it will be worth it in the end. Take your prerequisites and get A's. If you still think your cumulative GPA is too low go back and take some more classes. Find out which upper level courses the schools don't necessarily require, but instead recommend taking. Do well on the OAT; definitely nothing below a 300. Get in touch with the representatives from each school and take their advice as to what will make you a more competitive candidate. The more hoops you are willing to jump through, the more the adcoms will understand and appreciate your desire to be an optometrist. Own up to the mistakes you may have made in the past instead of making excuses. Apply to as many schools as possible to maximize your chances of being accepted at one of them. Lastly, don't let anyone tell you that you're not good enough...only the adcom can do that. Good luck!

 

[mrkaplan74]

What if I were to say that I am documented learning disabled, with dyslexia, which I am. Would that make any difference to adcoms?

 

[KHE]

What if I were to say that I am documented learning disabled, with dyslexia, which I am. Would that make any difference to adcoms?

A learning disability will not allow to be admitted with a lower GPA in and of itself. All schools are required by federal law to make reasonable accommodations to students with LD and than may include more time for examinations or other modifications but your performance on the exam with the modifications has to match up in terms of competitiveness to your non LD collegues.

 

[eyelectric]

What if I were to say that I am documented learning disabled, with dyslexia, which I am. Would that make any difference to adcoms?

I would venture to say that they will not lower the standards for the licensing exams which you have to take and therefore they will also not lower the standards for admission. If they did it would present a huge public saftey issue. By law they have to make necessary accomodations, but that doesn't mean you won't be responsible for the same information as everyone else.

 

[eyelectric]

Here's a link to the NBEO website regarding disabilities:

http://www.optometry.org/disability.cfm

 

[eyelectric]

Here are the guidelines for the OAT:

Special Accommodations Examinee​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]

At the discretion of the Optometry Admission Testing Program, special accommodations may be made to enable an examinee with a disability to be examined. To request special accommodations, at the time of application you must submit:
1. A written request;
2. Information describing any past accommodations that have been granted with respect to the disability. Have you previously taken any standardized tests? Did you request any accommodations for those standardized tests? If accommodations were granted, please describe them for each test you took. If the accommodations were not granted, please explain the rationale or response that was provided to you on each such test where you did not receive the requested recommendation;​

3. Documentation substantiating the disability. This documentation must include a report diagnosing your disability and specific recommendations for accommodations.

The report must be written by a professional appropriately qualified to evaluate disabilities and be printed on letterhead with the examiner's credentials, address, and telephone number listed. The report must include the examinee's name, date of birth, and date of testing, and be signed by the examiner. The report must be dated within 12 months of the examinee's application to test. All documentation should be mailed to the Optometry Admission Testing Program, Attention: Special Accommodations.

In considering a request from an examinee with a disability, the Optometry Admission Testing Program is guided by a sense of equity. Special testing accommodations are designed to give the examinee an opportunity equivalent to other examinees, but not to provide an advantage over other examinees. The Optometry Admission Testing Program complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

This information can be found in the OAT examinee guide at:

http://www.opted.org
[/LEFT]
.

 

[iproblem]

please stop all the hatin' mansss.
all you do is hate hate hate.

 

[Dr 330SeeEye OD]

all i have to say to this post is...if someone is ACCEPTED with a 2.4 from way back when, and was able to have a 3.0+ in prereqs now, then what separates him or her from someone else who got in with a 4.0 overall or prereq GPA? nothing. acceptance is acceptance. are you wasting your time? hell no. do what you have to do; get where you want to be. simple as that. who CARES what anyone on this forum has to say.