Should I still apply right now? Bombed my OAT...

[rosequartzserenity]

I have been hesitating so bad on applying or taking a gap year after totally bombing my OAT...I don't plan on retaking the OAT for this cycle, but should I still apply with my current stats?

I'm going to send emails to admission teams to ask them about my chances in the next few days. What should I include in the email besides what I listed below?

If anyone would like to provide their own opinions, I would love to hear them! Some of my stats are below...

• OAT Score: AA 300 / TS 270 / BIO 290 / GC 300 / OC 260 / PHYS 270 / QR 350 / RC 310
• GPA: 3.76, sGPA: 3.56 (estimation)
• Shadowing: 60 hours (hard to find shadowing during COVID19, but I found a doctor that allowed students to shadow over the recent summer)
• Optometric technician job this semester: 150 hours so far (will continue next semester)
• Recommendation letters: Optometrist from summer shadowing, Gen Chem professor, and English professor
• Extracurriculars: leadership in cultural organization for four years of ~200 members, member of Heart to Soul in Action
• Volunteering: various events hosted by volunteering organizations (every few months), one semester of tutoring a local after-school program, one semester of hospital volunteering
• Selected participant in optometry summer programs (2021): Opto-Camp with UCBO, I-DOC program with OSUO, Eye-Care Summer Camp with SUNYO, Eye on Success with SCO

I've been thinking about applying for so long and my time is running short...any advice or opinions on how what you would do in this situation is highly appreciated! Thank you so much :')

(I might shorten my list of schools if I'm going to take my chances this cycle but I'm considering all of these schools: NSUO, Salus/PCO, NECO, SUNY, UHCO, ICO, OSUO, AZOPT, MBKUO, SCCO!)

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[FinnMac]

I'd look at the schools OAT average from last year, then pick 3 or 4 that are in your range, and send them in.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

You've been a participant in those summer optometry programs, so you should be able to get some straight-up answers from all of them.

 

[Ayooni]

I think you still have a solid chance look at the schools stats from previous years. look at schools that emphasize more gpa and optometric experience.. Most schools have a space for you to explain a deficiency in your application on optomcas (mine was gpa in my case) use that to ur advantage. some ppl aren’t god test takers but they’re great in other aspects. Just be honest and explain yourself i think you’ll be ok

 

[preoptstudent3]

You still have a good chance. I definitely think you'd be accepted to one of the schools you plan on applying to. There are some schools that don't like below 300 OAT TS scores... I would identify those. I think your GPA and extracurriculars are great though.