SOMEONE PLZ READ n tell me if i should bother applying

[sumie]

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Hello,

I am a preoptometry student who is currently finishing up her undergrad (one semester left). A few of my grades for my prerequisites are not the greatest (Cs) (also retook one course), with that said I dont know what chances I have of getting in and therefore dont want to waste my time applying to schools and taking the oat if i dont have much of a chance being accepted in the first place. I really want to apply though but im very apprehensive. My question is, do colleges look at your overall gpa? or just the science gpa or the prereq gpa? 🙁

 

[sweetmonkey]

i would say prereq gpa is the most important. what are your stats?

 

[JMU07]

I got C's in a couple of pre-reqs too. What's your GPA?

 

[hannage1]

yes, prerequisites are important, but if you're like me and you took them early on and didn't do all that great, but have shown improvemnt in the sciences are your years went on, you can still get in. I got accepted into two schools and I didn't exactly have the highest overall GPA, but I did really well on the OAT and my grades improved big time in my final 2 years. Don't give up.

 

[Frank101]

If you really want to become an optometrist, then i'd say you are a fool for not trying. Nobody works hard towards a goal only to give up at the end. If you want it, try. If you fail, get up and do it again. Grades, test scores, all that is nonsense. Get some C's, scuff up your record, it's ok not to be perfect. Optometry schools don't want perfect. Optometry schools want personality, experience, and motivation. All those grades show is that you can take the workload that optometry school has. But hey, sometimes we have things come up, things that are bigger than school. Believe me, optometry schools are aware of this and it's important to remember they are human too. I'm not saying anyone can get into optometry school, but I am saying if you really want it, you'll get there one way or another. Don't second guess your self and have more confidence in yourself. Think about what kind of confidence you're going to need when you start treating patients. You'd better be pretty damn sure you're providing the best quality care. Look at me...3.0GPA, 2 C's, 310 on my OAT, and not a lick of experience besides observations. Yet somehow, I managed to get in. Not because I'm lucky, but because I tried. Good luck and don't give up.

 

[KHE]

Look at me...3.0GPA, 2 C's, 310 on my OAT, and not a lick of experience besides observations. Yet somehow, I managed to get in. Not because I'm lucky, but because I tried. Good luck and don't give up.

*Note to self*

"Do NOT hire any graduates from Pacific or ICO."

 

[cloud99]

*Note to self*

"Do NOT hire any graduates from Pacific or ICO."

Boy, that's quite a generalization, assuming all graduates from Pacific or ICO are somehow not "smart enough" (or serious enough, or driven enough, etc...) for you.

After he graduates, he still must pass the same boards as everyone else, and chances are, he may actually do better than someone who had higher pre-opt stats.

When hiring an associate, do you routinely ask what their undergrad. GPA and OAT scores were, or are you more interested in how they performed in Optometry school and on the Opt. board exams?

 

[Frank101]

That's ok, I have a lot to prove during my school career, as does anyone who enrolls. Individuals like KHE only provide more ambition to show that the profession of optometry should be filled with good doctors and erase the idea that this field needs to be occupied by people of high and mighty stats instead. These institutions have a goal to provide not standard doctors, but exceptional ones. Some individuals don't have great means to come from, great undergraduate institutions, or some undergraduates had to take care of their parents, hold a full time job, and take 20+ units a semester just to get passing grades and achieve their goal. Others however, are naturally good at school, don't have much to worry about, and don't require much to get good grades. In the long run, I ask you who will be the better doctor? I'd say to you, both are equal.

 

[sweetmonkey]

KHE: Pacific and ICO are actually higher ranked than Midwestern, Western, UIW and Puerto Rico. Following your logic, don't hire people from Midwestern, Western, UIW, Puerto Rico...
Wow, that pretty much cuts out a good percentage of OD's (OD's to be) in the country.

 

[arahnisarahn]

WOW!
Lets keep the blows above the waist.

MUCH BETTER 🙂

 

[KHE]

Boy, that's quite a generalization, assuming all graduates from Pacific or ICO are somehow not "smart enough" (or serious enough, or driven enough, etc...) for you.

When hiring an associate, do you routinely ask what their undergrad. GPA and OAT scores were, or are you more interested in how they performed in Optometry school and on the Opt. board exams?

I didn't. I guess I'll have to start.

 

[KHE]

That's ok, I have a lot to prove during my school career, as does anyone who enrolls. Individuals like KHE only provide more ambition to show that the profession of optometry should be filled with good doctors and erase the idea that this field needs to be occupied by people of high and mighty stats instead. l.

Why is this always an either/or scenario on these forums?

Why are the optometry schools not able to attract enough applicants so that they can take ONLY students who not only have wonderful personalities, but also have the so called "high and mighty" stats? Why are "highly ranked" schools like Pacific and ICO even having to CONSIDER admitting people with mediocre stats? Do highly ranked medical, dental, business, graduate programs do this as well?

There are plenty of people who take 20+hours, hold down jobs, take care of parents and themselves and they STILL maintain superior grades and test scores.

 

[DryEye]

Why is this always an either/or scenario on these forums?

Why are the optometry schools not able to attract enough applicants so that they can take ONLY students who not only have wonderful personalities, but also have the so called "high and mighty" stats? Why are "highly ranked" schools like Pacific and ICO even having to CONSIDER admitting people with mediocre stats? Do highly ranked medical, dental, business, graduate programs do this as well?

There are plenty of people who take 20+hours, hold down jobs, take care of parents and themselves and they STILL maintain superior grades and test scores.

KHE, did you apply and get accepted at Waterloo? ( I know you are Canadian 😉 )

 

[KHE]

KHE, did you apply and get accepted at Waterloo? ( I know you are Canadian 😉 )

I did not apply. However had I applied, I almost certainly would NOT have been offered admission. At the time, they were accepting (I believe) 60 students from across Canada. My understanding is that that has increased marginally. I had strong scores, both academically and on the OAT however there were people in the applying class with scores much higher than even mine who weren't even being offered interviews much less being admitted.

At the end of my second year, SUNY said they would take me after 3. At that time, students routinely went to high school for 5 years in Ontario and SUNY said they would count my last year of high school as a year of college. As such, I never bothered applying to Waterloo because I didn't want to write the essay, hassle people for rec letters etc. etc.


Frank sent me a PM. I want to clear something up. My posting wasn't really meant to attack Frank personally though I see how it appears that way. That was not my intention. I do not begrudge him his acceptance.

However it should be obvious that the stats he posted are not through the roof. Now yes, he may be the most wonderful, compassionate, articulate guy in the world. He may have overcome challenges and obstacles that many have not. I know nothing of him personally.

However, there are thousands of students who overcome all kinds of obstacles and still manage to perform at a high academic level in even the most competitive of institutions. My posting was meant to express my frustration that the schools aren't able to generate a large enough pool of applicants so that the ENTIRE ENTERING CLASS is made of up of people who are high academic achievers who are also wonderful, compassionate and articulate and who may have had to overcome all kinds of obstacles.

They do not seem to be able to do that. As such, people who are missing pieces of that puzzle are being offered admission. I don't think that that is healthy for the profession or the schools in the long term. 3 new schools coming online almost certainly serve to exacerbate that problem.