undergrad major

[basilisk312]

hey i'm an intended communication major and bio minor, which means that i will have to take alot of electives which fulfill the opt. prereqs. is it easier or more difficult to get into a opt. school with a science major or without. i'd like to know if any of you were non-science majors and where you got acepte to.

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[r_salis]

Originally posted by basilisk312
hey i'm an intended communication major and bio minor, which means that i will have to take alot of electives which fulfill the opt. prereqs. is it easier or more difficult to get into a opt. school with a science major or without. i'd like to know if any of you were non-science majors and where you got acepte to.

I was a geography major/cartography minor. I was in the work force for several years as a software developer before I went back to school to take my pre-reqs.

I think as long as your grades are excellent overall -- particularly for your pre-req classes because you especially need to show you can handle the sciences as a non-science major -- it just makes you a more interesting candidate because you're something other that the traditional bio or chem major.

 

[basilisk312]

i feel like everybody i meet in the health track all are bio majors or chem majors, belong to a bio club, volenteer at a hospital and/or student ambulence service.......its like everyone is part of a clique when everybody doesn;t want to be uniform with everybody else. does this make any sense??? and this is post isn't meant to be offensive in case any of you think it it.

 

[Tony.]

basilisk312,


can you please provide us with more info.

1. why optometry? (what motivated you to pursue this?)

and

2. could you see yourself doing anything else?


p.s I think not being a bio/health major puts you at an advantage b/c it shows you are a "well rounded" individual...but answer my questions first before we throw answers at you ok....

 

[basilisk312]

right now i don't see myself doing anything else except intended optometry as a career choice. my main reason for choosing optometry is because my optometrist helped me out in my life more than anyone else has.....by this i mean quick imporovements in vision. i have terrible eyesight, and when i saw my optometrist and got glasses, i realized that this is what i want to do in life. i want to help out other people the way i was helped. i saw quick drastic changes, and i would be contributing to the commuity. i don't know if it sounds like a good enough reason to you, but i thought my personal experience should influence my ideas about what i would like to persue in the future. the reason i chose commnication as a major is because i feel that with any profession, communication is th key to sucess. i felt that i would give me a greater advantage when i actually work bc optometry revolves around patient care. what i was/am concerned about is will it be more difficult to get into opt. school without a science major. and i know it will mean me being n udergrad college longer bc of all the extra classes i have to be in. that concerns me a bit, but i feel i can do it.



can you please provide us with more info.

1. why optometry? (what motivated you to pursue this?)

and

2. could you see yourself doing anything else?


p.s I think not being a bio/health major puts you at an advantage b/c it shows you are a "well rounded" individual...but answer my questions first before we throw answers at you ok....


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[rpames]

I've spoken to those in the position to accept or reject students from medical programs and this is what I have found out.

Being a non-sci major does not put you at an advantage or big disadvantage. Perhaps it will make the school look at your app for a second more, but overall your overall grade do make a difference. One guy I spoke to said, "If I interview a philosophy major the first question I ask is, 'So if you are so interested in medicine/life science that you want to make it your career, why did you choose a major that has nothing to do with it
?'" That type of question is something you should be able to address. You also have to consider that many college majors are not a difficult as bio/chem/biochem. If you have a high GPA in a major that is considered to be "easier", you better have a high GPA in the pre-req courses as well.

To answer your question as to why all pre-health majors are bio majors and chem minors...it makes sences. If you know you want to be a doc, you must love the topic. Therefore most will want to spend their time studying it. It also make "time" sense. The pre-reqs for OD/DO/MD/DDS/DPM/DC schools are for the most part req for your degree, kill two birds with one stone.

 

[Tony.]

i got my first degree in Clinical Psychology and then taught elementry public school for some time.....then i traveled the world: Israel, England, Bosnia, France, Canada, Spain, Italy... . This year I'll graduate with my second degree in Biology....

Im not a traditional student, I've worked "odds and ends" jobs, traveled the world and I think that put me at an advantage....
the key in applying to any health care field profession is to use what you have done as an advantage and build on it.

basilisk, just get your pre-reqs, and take your OAT, I believe you'll make an excellent optometrist.... ...good luck my friend, the race is long, but in the end, its only with yourself....

 

[basilisk312]

awww, thanks so much anothertony. what you've said is very inspirational and i appreciate is very very much. thank you for responding to my post in that manner.