Special Circumstances

[BrownEyes2011]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hey guys,

I had a question. When applying to Optometry School, one of the questions that always pops up is to "please describe any special circumstances that you may have". What is considered something of relevant importance that should be placed here? (besides family death; divorce). How should one go about answering this question? Does it look bad to leave this blank?

Thanks in advance. 😛

 

[Mewcakes]

I don believe it reflects negatively on an applicant if left blank. It's a place for people who have had maybe some serious family hardship or events in their life that may have affected their grades/performance and the like. Don't try to make something up just to write something, just leave it blank.

 

[sweetsorrow]

There is nothing wrong with leaving it blank, its better than making something up because there's a high chance you'll have to explain it in your interview and if you're not a good liar, not only will you be caught but it'll jepordize any chance of you getting in...plus its just morally and ethically wrong

What I think constitutes as a "special circumstance" is something that was beyond your control which affected you mentally and emotionally enough that you couldn't keep your grades up as high as you would have liked...this could be something like losing a family member (and not a distant family member, but someone close like a mother or father) or maybe your parents losing their jobs and now you needed to help with the finances in your house etc...

 

[BrownEyes2011]

Sounds good. Thank you guys.

 

[socal2014]

this is a silly question, but can schools even find out if you were married or had parents that divorced?

seems a bit too personal, i mean if you don't want to talk about it than you shouldn't have to right?

 

[CarolinaBlueEye]

don't do it...Unless your dog died and your truck broke down and your best girl on the side left you

Be careful. Don't bring attention to anything that might reflect poorly on you. I wouldn't put anything down that isn't VERY big. I don't even know if I would include divorce (your own or parents). If you do write something, be very factual in presenting it and briefly describe how you've grown from it. Don't make excuses unless you've got a real good one.

Just my opinion

 

[MyFutureis2020]

This is for you to communicate how an unexpected life event effected you in regards to a specific period.

For example in my life, my GPA was 3.90 but my OAT was lower than I would have liked. My future Father in law was given 30 days to live while I was taking my Kaplan test and passed away the week after my test. I had to take the test during this time do to cutoff dates from specific schools.

This helped them to understand why my score was lower. It also showed how I am able to work through life issues while still maintaining a balance with my obligations.

I hope this real life example will assist you in understanding what they are looking for.