What does SUNY expect from its candidates?

[newyorkheaux]

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Hey guys,

As a first year at Rutgers, I'm carefully planning my road in pursuing Optometry and gaining admittance to SUNY Optometry in 4 years. Now, Im curious to know what the Admissions Board expects of its students and what makes them remember a candidate.

Therefore, for those of you who were accepted to SUNY, what do you think made you stand out as a candidate? Extracurriculars? Experiences? Passions? Ability to interestingly convey information?

What should I excel in? Currently, I believe successful candidates will excel in Academics, Extracurriculars, Talent, Research, and Leadership.

Thanks!

 

[whymisha]

Hi there! I was accepted at SUNY, so maybe I can help you with what I've gathered (keeping in mind that they don't specifically tell you what they were looking for exactly). I would say having good marks and a good OAT score is very important. But along with that, I felt like they were looking for candidates who had a good feel for what it would be like to work as an optometrist, and have a passion for wanting to do it. I've noticed others on this board saying "I needed to shadow more, that's why they didn't accept me", meanwhile they had more shadowing hours than I did, so I don't think they specifically care about how many hours or places you shadowed at (I only shadowed at one place, and I told so), but more what you got out of the experience. The interview was basically just a conversation, so being able to speak clearly and also to be personable are probably important. They were also interested in things that I did besides school, and seemed to like that I have varied hobbies that are not academic or work related. I felt like they were also trying to judge if I could transition to living in New York City well, coming from living with my parents in Canada.

Sorry this turned into a wall of text. I tried to think of things that might not seem so obvious at first glance. Hope this helped a bit!

 

[newyorkheaux]

Hi there! I was accepted at SUNY, so maybe I can help you with what I've gathered (keeping in mind that they don't specifically tell you what they were looking for exactly). I would say having good marks and a good OAT score is very important. But along with that, I felt like they were looking for candidates who had a good feel for what it would be like to work as an optometrist, and have a passion for wanting to do it. I've noticed others on this board saying "I needed to shadow more, that's why they didn't accept me", meanwhile they had more shadowing hours than I did, so I don't think they specifically care about how many hours or places you shadowed at (I only shadowed at one place, and I told so), but more what you got out of the experience. The interview was basically just a conversation, so being able to speak clearly and also to be personable are probably important. They were also interested in things that I did besides school, and seemed to like that I have varied hobbies that are not academic or work related. I felt like they were also trying to judge if I could transition to living in New York City well, coming from living with my parents in Canada.

Sorry this turned into a wall of text. I tried to think of things that might not seem so obvious at first glance. Hope this helped a bit!

No no this was extremely helpful and insightful. If you don't mind, can you post your credentials?
GPA (Cumul and Pre req)
OAT
Extracurriculars?
Leadership?
Research?

 

[whymisha]

Sure!
GPA: science total: 3.55, cumulative: 3.66
OAT: 340 TS, 340 AA
Extracurriculars: Volunteering with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, member of pre-optometry club, plus some other miscellaneous volunteering. I design shirts for sale online. I draw, play multiple instruments, and sometimes make youtube videos
Leadership: I'm a team leader for an international scavenger hunt team. I helped lead some charity events in high school (like 30 Hour Famine) but I'm not sure if that's relevant anymore
Research: I haven't worked in a lab aside from labs for classes

So you can see that my experiences aren't overwhelming on paper. I tried to get across how passionate I am about wanting to be an optometrist to help people, and also because of my love of science. I've wanted to do this since I was 13.
They did mention at the end of the interview day that they try to see if you're a good "fit" for their school. If they don't feel it, they may reject you. I don't know what this "fit" entails exactly

 

[Futureeyedocgirl]

Hey @whymisha , congrats on your SUNY acceptance! I just had my interview 3 days ago and am waiting for SUNY's reply. How long did it take them to get back to you?
Is it normal to feel like the interview was rushed? I wish I could have spoken more about my experiences but was quite nervous and it may have shown. (my stats just in case are 3.8 gpa and OAT AA 340 and TS 350 )...I hope I get in!

 

[whymisha]

Hey! I got an email the next day, but this was back in the beginning of December so maybe they're busier now. And I did feel that the interview was a little bit short. Mine was about 20 minutes. I honestly didn't feel that great about the interview when I came out of it but I guess it was alright. You probably have a good chance!