One of my friends was waitlisted at the chicago school. anyone know what she can do to get herself to the top of the list? She really want to go to that school and I am trying to help her through this stressful time
Waitlisted???
- Thread starter exia80
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Hello:
I was waitlisted at UCBSO so I can somewhat relate to your friend.
Your friend should try to speak to an academic advisor at ICO to see what position she is in on the wait-list. UCBSO had a policy for the year that I was waitlisted that I could not know my position unless I was #1. However, I was told that I was ?very likely? to get ?good news? very shortly. =) I was told the next month I was #1 and was then formally accepted the next week. That policy has since changed because I know a student who applied this year and was told by the associate dean that he was #15 on the wait-list. If your friend finds out she is #X, she should definitely ask what her chances are from that position. The advisor should be able to set realistic expectations for your friend.
I sent an update letter to Berkeley when I found out I was waitlisted. I wrote about my continued volunteer and work experience and I also sent a copy of my final transcript (since I was interviewed before the grades were released). I also had two additional letters of recommendation sent. One was from the coordinator of a class I was teaching and the other was from my microbiology lab professor (I just finished the class in March so I couldn?t ask for the letter beforehand).
I have to admit that I do not know if anything of what I did changed my position on the wait-list. It did make me feel better that I did whatever I could think of. =)
Another classmate of mine who was waitlisted actually contacted the professor and student (via e-mail) that interviewed her. They could not really do much but offer her some support and advice if she decided to reapply the next year.
I hope this helps your friend. If she has any friends that are current students at ICO, they can perhaps help her find out if there is any movement on the wait-list and generally how many students are accepted in each class from the wait-list. If anything, tell her to be patient. Some schools find out last minute a student withdraws their position. Someone I know was actually at the airport getting ready to move to Chicago to start school at ICO, and then she received a phone call from SCCO saying she was accepted. She decided to go to SCCO. =)
Tell your friend Good Luck!
Best wishes,
Rosanna
I was waitlisted at UCBSO so I can somewhat relate to your friend.
Your friend should try to speak to an academic advisor at ICO to see what position she is in on the wait-list. UCBSO had a policy for the year that I was waitlisted that I could not know my position unless I was #1. However, I was told that I was ?very likely? to get ?good news? very shortly. =) I was told the next month I was #1 and was then formally accepted the next week. That policy has since changed because I know a student who applied this year and was told by the associate dean that he was #15 on the wait-list. If your friend finds out she is #X, she should definitely ask what her chances are from that position. The advisor should be able to set realistic expectations for your friend.
I sent an update letter to Berkeley when I found out I was waitlisted. I wrote about my continued volunteer and work experience and I also sent a copy of my final transcript (since I was interviewed before the grades were released). I also had two additional letters of recommendation sent. One was from the coordinator of a class I was teaching and the other was from my microbiology lab professor (I just finished the class in March so I couldn?t ask for the letter beforehand).
I have to admit that I do not know if anything of what I did changed my position on the wait-list. It did make me feel better that I did whatever I could think of. =)
Another classmate of mine who was waitlisted actually contacted the professor and student (via e-mail) that interviewed her. They could not really do much but offer her some support and advice if she decided to reapply the next year.
I hope this helps your friend. If she has any friends that are current students at ICO, they can perhaps help her find out if there is any movement on the wait-list and generally how many students are accepted in each class from the wait-list. If anything, tell her to be patient. Some schools find out last minute a student withdraws their position. Someone I know was actually at the airport getting ready to move to Chicago to start school at ICO, and then she received a phone call from SCCO saying she was accepted. She decided to go to SCCO. =)
Tell your friend Good Luck!
Best wishes,
Rosanna
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Rosanna,
If you don't mind, what were your stats (OAT, GPA, experience) that got you on the waitlist and eventually into UCBSO? I want to apply there, but I heard it's really hard to get in and I would like to try and save some money if I am not competitive.
Thanks,
Bob
If you don't mind, what were your stats (OAT, GPA, experience) that got you on the waitlist and eventually into UCBSO? I want to apply there, but I heard it's really hard to get in and I would like to try and save some money if I am not competitive.
Thanks,
Bob
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Hi Bob:
OAT-
Total Science: 350
Bio: 360
G Chem: 340
O Chem: 330
Physics: 330
Reading Comp: 310
Quantitative Reasoning: 330
Academic Average: 330
Overall/Science GPA: 3.2
Work/Volunteer experience-
~3 years volunteer experience with a private optometrist
1 year work experience in an ophthalmology practice
1 year volunteer experience as a teacher?s assistant for the Blind Children?s Learning Center
~3 years involvement with pre-optometry club, 2 years as the academic advisor
1 year ?teaching? a class for the Bio Sci department for my school. I don?t consider it really teaching since it was more like advising a group of pre-optometry students (the course name was Health Science Experience Program/Optometry).
Letter of rec-
- Optometrist
- Ophthalmologist (which I think held a lot of weight since the letter was signed by the three ophthalmologist who worked there ? two were clinical professors at USC, and the other is the elected president of the California Academy of Ophthalmology)
- My physiology lecture/lab professor
- Volunteer Director of the Blind Children?s Learning Center
- Coordinator of the HSEP class (she got it co-signed by the Bio Sci dean)
- Microbiology lab professor
My undergraduate school had a letter of recommendation file service. All the schools I applied to received the same letters and I wrote down on my application which one I wanted them to consider. (As I mentioned in my other post, I got the last 2 letters specifically for Berkeley)
Just apply and see what happens! With my GPA, I sincerely thought I didn?t have a chance. =) I know that my school accepts a good portion of early applicants, so look into that route.
Let me know if you have any other questions about UCBSO (especially if you do decide to apply since there are specific guidelines you need to follow which differ from the other optometry schools).
- Rosanna
OAT-
Total Science: 350
Bio: 360
G Chem: 340
O Chem: 330
Physics: 330
Reading Comp: 310
Quantitative Reasoning: 330
Academic Average: 330
Overall/Science GPA: 3.2
Work/Volunteer experience-
~3 years volunteer experience with a private optometrist
1 year work experience in an ophthalmology practice
1 year volunteer experience as a teacher?s assistant for the Blind Children?s Learning Center
~3 years involvement with pre-optometry club, 2 years as the academic advisor
1 year ?teaching? a class for the Bio Sci department for my school. I don?t consider it really teaching since it was more like advising a group of pre-optometry students (the course name was Health Science Experience Program/Optometry).
Letter of rec-
- Optometrist
- Ophthalmologist (which I think held a lot of weight since the letter was signed by the three ophthalmologist who worked there ? two were clinical professors at USC, and the other is the elected president of the California Academy of Ophthalmology)
- My physiology lecture/lab professor
- Volunteer Director of the Blind Children?s Learning Center
- Coordinator of the HSEP class (she got it co-signed by the Bio Sci dean)
- Microbiology lab professor
My undergraduate school had a letter of recommendation file service. All the schools I applied to received the same letters and I wrote down on my application which one I wanted them to consider. (As I mentioned in my other post, I got the last 2 letters specifically for Berkeley)
Just apply and see what happens! With my GPA, I sincerely thought I didn?t have a chance. =) I know that my school accepts a good portion of early applicants, so look into that route.
Let me know if you have any other questions about UCBSO (especially if you do decide to apply since there are specific guidelines you need to follow which differ from the other optometry schools).
- Rosanna
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I had similar stats to Rosanna's the year I applied to Berkeley. I also had worked for ODs, had letters etc. I made it to the interview round but was then rejected (no waitlist). UCB is really a crap shoot. It never hurts to throw your name in.. I knew I was a long shot... but I did make it to the interview. 🙂
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Rosanna,
Thanks for the quick reply.
WOW, your experience in the field and elsewhere makes me embarassed to say that I have only shadowed 2 optometrists. My academic average OAT score, like yours, was 330 (w/ 2 low scores of 310) and my GPA is around 3.65, but I am definitely worried about the experience. Where's the best place in the Bay Area to do volunteer work?
I guess I can say that I am sort of a non-traditional student. I am graduating this year and plan to apply to enter in 2005. At the moment I am ~85% sure that I want to enter optometry. I am hoping that getting some hands on experience with patients will bump that up to 100% this summer.
Also, I really haven't been keeping up with the tuition issue. Will Gov. Arnold's plan to increase tuition affect you any time soon?
Thanks Again,
Bob
Thanks for the quick reply.
WOW, your experience in the field and elsewhere makes me embarassed to say that I have only shadowed 2 optometrists. My academic average OAT score, like yours, was 330 (w/ 2 low scores of 310) and my GPA is around 3.65, but I am definitely worried about the experience. Where's the best place in the Bay Area to do volunteer work?
I guess I can say that I am sort of a non-traditional student. I am graduating this year and plan to apply to enter in 2005. At the moment I am ~85% sure that I want to enter optometry. I am hoping that getting some hands on experience with patients will bump that up to 100% this summer.
Also, I really haven't been keeping up with the tuition issue. Will Gov. Arnold's plan to increase tuition affect you any time soon?
Thanks Again,
Bob
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Whops, please forgive my thread jacking exia80.
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Bob,
You should not feel embarrassed that you shadowed two optometrists. Volunteering is all about what you contribute and get from the experience. All the optometry schools would like an applicant to volunteer or shadow one optometrist, so you did well to shadow two.
I am not sure where in the Bay Area would be the best place to get experience as I did my volunteer experience in Southern California. If you did attend undergraduate college in or around the Bay Area (SF State, UCB, UCD, etc), I would suggest that you call the biology undergraduate office to see if they have a list of optometrists in the area who are seeking volunteers. Also, you can see if your undergraduate college has a pre-optometry or pre-health club. Club members often get e-mails from doctors in the community who are open to have students shadow them.
UC Berkeley has a pre-optometry club called Foresight. Their website is: http://ucbforesight.tripod.com/
You can also find contact information for club members on that website. I?m not sure how receptive they are but perhaps they can help in some way.
It would be a good idea to volunteer with different optometrist in different settings (private or group practice, etc) because it will give you a better idea of the scope of optometry and possible future plans.
If you would like to contribute some time to those who are blind or have low-vision, you can try contacting the California School for the Blind in Fremont to see if they have any volunteer positions open (http://www.csb-cde.ca.gov/). There is also Peninsula Center for the Blind in Palo Alto (http://www.pcbvi.org/ui/index.htm) or even Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael (http://www.guidedogs.com/donate-volunteer.html).
Some people on the board have had luck with volunteering with their own optometrist or going along with a family member to an eye exam to observe. If you cannot receive any other recommendations from friends or family members, then a final option is to find an optometry office that looks interesting to you and call them to seek a volunteer position. You should probably review the following threads on this:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=113906
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=122408
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=84473
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=34056
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=34149
I believe it is better to call the optometry office instead of just walking in since the staff may be busy. HIPAA legislation or patient confidentiality may deter some doctors to allow an observer in the exam rooms and to get ?hands on experience? but don?t get discouraged.
This is all the information I have about finding volunteer work. Let me know if you have any future problems because I can look into it a bit more.
With tuition, it is unfortunate that the cost of attending UCBSO will increase. The increase for the year 2004-2005 is $3,800 for law, pharmacy, and optometry students. The ?compact? reached with the UC system and the Governor will hopefully help stabilize increasing tuition throughout the state. My tuition for 2003-2004 was approximately $12,000. So the increase will make it close to $16,000/year (for in-state). =( Only two years ago the tuition was around $9,000. Financial aid is trying several things to address the issue of increased debt for graduates (providing scholarship grants, covering 50% of the summer tuition for 3rd and 4th year students, etc.).
I have this long e-mail from the dean about the approved 2004-2005 UC fee, so PM me your e-mail address if you want to read it.
One more thing, don?t worry if you are a ?non-traditional? applicant. A lot of my classmates took time after getting their bachelor?s degree to explore different options. The average age of my class is around 24 years old. I am one of the younger students in the class. The youngest is a good friend of mine who started opto school when she was 20. She wasn?t able to go out to the bars with our class on ?Double Vision? nights until she was 21. =) On the other side, I have two other classmates who are both 27 and did different things before coming back to school (one was a researcher and another was an optician). The oldest member in my class is around ~40-50 (can?t really say exact) who was a ?refractionist? for over 20 years in his home country before coming to Berkeley.
Good luck with everything!
- Rosanna
exia80: I hope your friend on the wait-list gets some good news soon!
You should not feel embarrassed that you shadowed two optometrists. Volunteering is all about what you contribute and get from the experience. All the optometry schools would like an applicant to volunteer or shadow one optometrist, so you did well to shadow two.
I am not sure where in the Bay Area would be the best place to get experience as I did my volunteer experience in Southern California. If you did attend undergraduate college in or around the Bay Area (SF State, UCB, UCD, etc), I would suggest that you call the biology undergraduate office to see if they have a list of optometrists in the area who are seeking volunteers. Also, you can see if your undergraduate college has a pre-optometry or pre-health club. Club members often get e-mails from doctors in the community who are open to have students shadow them.
UC Berkeley has a pre-optometry club called Foresight. Their website is: http://ucbforesight.tripod.com/
You can also find contact information for club members on that website. I?m not sure how receptive they are but perhaps they can help in some way.
It would be a good idea to volunteer with different optometrist in different settings (private or group practice, etc) because it will give you a better idea of the scope of optometry and possible future plans.
If you would like to contribute some time to those who are blind or have low-vision, you can try contacting the California School for the Blind in Fremont to see if they have any volunteer positions open (http://www.csb-cde.ca.gov/). There is also Peninsula Center for the Blind in Palo Alto (http://www.pcbvi.org/ui/index.htm) or even Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael (http://www.guidedogs.com/donate-volunteer.html).
Some people on the board have had luck with volunteering with their own optometrist or going along with a family member to an eye exam to observe. If you cannot receive any other recommendations from friends or family members, then a final option is to find an optometry office that looks interesting to you and call them to seek a volunteer position. You should probably review the following threads on this:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=113906
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=122408
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=84473
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=34056
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=34149
I believe it is better to call the optometry office instead of just walking in since the staff may be busy. HIPAA legislation or patient confidentiality may deter some doctors to allow an observer in the exam rooms and to get ?hands on experience? but don?t get discouraged.
This is all the information I have about finding volunteer work. Let me know if you have any future problems because I can look into it a bit more.
With tuition, it is unfortunate that the cost of attending UCBSO will increase. The increase for the year 2004-2005 is $3,800 for law, pharmacy, and optometry students. The ?compact? reached with the UC system and the Governor will hopefully help stabilize increasing tuition throughout the state. My tuition for 2003-2004 was approximately $12,000. So the increase will make it close to $16,000/year (for in-state). =( Only two years ago the tuition was around $9,000. Financial aid is trying several things to address the issue of increased debt for graduates (providing scholarship grants, covering 50% of the summer tuition for 3rd and 4th year students, etc.).
I have this long e-mail from the dean about the approved 2004-2005 UC fee, so PM me your e-mail address if you want to read it.
One more thing, don?t worry if you are a ?non-traditional? applicant. A lot of my classmates took time after getting their bachelor?s degree to explore different options. The average age of my class is around 24 years old. I am one of the younger students in the class. The youngest is a good friend of mine who started opto school when she was 20. She wasn?t able to go out to the bars with our class on ?Double Vision? nights until she was 21. =) On the other side, I have two other classmates who are both 27 and did different things before coming back to school (one was a researcher and another was an optician). The oldest member in my class is around ~40-50 (can?t really say exact) who was a ?refractionist? for over 20 years in his home country before coming to Berkeley.
Good luck with everything!
- Rosanna
exia80: I hope your friend on the wait-list gets some good news soon!
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Not to worry at all about being a non-trad. Schools love people who know what else is out there and they've set their minds to doing something they've found that they're passionate about.
I worked in biotechnology three years before going back to school. I think it helped me be more focused when I did start up again. 😀
And, UHCO's tuition went up.... I believe it's 30% or more. 😱 The state of Texas has upped state school tuition almost 40% in the last two years. thank god I'm graduating next year !!
I worked in biotechnology three years before going back to school. I think it helped me be more focused when I did start up again. 😀
And, UHCO's tuition went up.... I believe it's 30% or more. 😱 The state of Texas has upped state school tuition almost 40% in the last two years. thank god I'm graduating next year !!
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