What the heck??

[Rusunn]

I got wait listed at SUNY Optometry! My first choice!! Overall GPA 3.57 Major GPA 3.62 TS 400 AA 370. SUNY pre-rec GPA 3.88. what the hell? Dr. Johnston (V.P. of student affairs at SUNY) said they will get back to me in april, which is a damn long time. I dont understand, my stats are WAY above SUNY's average. I shadowed 6 optometrist, and 2 know me well enough to write me a letter of recommendation upon my request. The interview was tough but I passed (or atleast i think i did) but i didnt say anything inapproprate. i REALLY WANT to go to to this school. I wanted to go to this school ever since sophomore year in college! so,
What can i do from now to april to improve my chances of getting in? should write the admissions office a letter saying that I would really like to go there or something of that nature?

What could be their reasons for their hesitation?

Thanks a million

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[Opii]

You might want to keep in touch with them occasionaly until April, so they won't forget you. I wouldn't worry too much it's still early.

 

[Bulls-eye]

Hi everybody! This is my first post, but i've been lurking this site for a week and getting lots of information that i know is going to come in handy when i start applying to these schools in a couple years. Thanks so much for all the insight into the application process (especially about the interviews because i'm soooo relieved to find out they are relatively casual and not intense scrutinizing under the spotlight )

Rusunn--i'm shocked that you didn't immediately get in to SUNY with those stats. I guess they've filled up their class pretty quickly. Hopefully you have some backup schools if SUNY doesn't work out--but i'm sure it will

 

[ariel winter]

your stats look almost perfect, so i wouldn't worry about it too much. i have a feeling you will be getting very good news come april. a letter of intent may not bee a bad idea. just state your desire to go to the school, etc... you will be fine! good luck!

I got wait listed at SUNY Optometry! My first choice!! Overall GPA 3.57 Major GPA 3.62 TS 400 AA 370. SUNY pre-rec GPA 3.88. what the hell? Dr. Johnston (V.P. of student affairs at SUNY) said they will get back to me in april, which is a damn long time. I dont understand, my stats are WAY above SUNY's average. I shadowed 6 optometrist, and 2 know me well enough to write me a letter of recommendation upon my request. The interview was tough but I passed (or atleast i think i did) but i didnt say anything inapproprate. i REALLY WANT to go to to this school. I wanted to go to this school ever since sophomore year in college! so,
What can i do from now to april to improve my chances of getting in? should write the admissions office a letter saying that I would really like to go there or something of that nature?

What could be their reasons for their hesitation?

Thanks a million

 

[ching88]

Wow, I am surpised, I also got interviewed at SUNY but I am also wait-listed as well. I guess you might screwed up your interview; well, I think I did. Here is my stats not as good as yours tho. I went to UCSB, majored in biochemistry and minored in computer science, my total GPA is around 3.1 and my total science (pre req) about 3.55. First OAT is 320AA 340TS, second 380AA and 390TS. Anyways, I felt the interview was harsh and my only hope now is for UCB, since I only applied to 2 schools. Good luck.

 

[still_confused]

wow dr johnston wasnt bsing me when he told me that stats only impress them so much

good luck

 

[kiseki]

for rusunn and ching88:

were u both interviewed by dr. johnston at your campus recently? did you both call to check up on your status, or did you receive emails?

eeks...now i'm scared. i was hoping my interview went well because he's super nice..

 

[ching88]

I interviewed at the campus, I got a mail from the school a week after I interviewed there. Dont be scared as long you did well on the interview i think you stand a good chance. I am just not to confortable facing 3 interviewers at a time and they didnt give me much time to think. And of course I was hella nervous. Anywayz goodluck!

 

[ching88]

To answer your question I didnt get interviewed by Dr. Johnston.

 

[sembaruthi]

I got wait listed at SUNY Optometry! My first choice!! Overall GPA 3.57 Major GPA 3.62 TS 400 AA 370. SUNY pre-rec GPA 3.88. what the hell? Dr. Johnston (V.P. of student affairs at SUNY) said they will get back to me in april, which is a damn long time. I dont understand, my stats are WAY above SUNY's average. I shadowed 6 optometrist, and 2 know me well enough to write me a letter of recommendation upon my request. The interview was tough but I passed (or atleast i think i did) but i didnt say anything inapproprate. i REALLY WANT to go to to this school. I wanted to go to this school ever since sophomore year in college! so,
What can i do from now to april to improve my chances of getting in? should write the admissions office a letter saying that I would really like to go there or something of that nature?

What could be their reasons for their hesitation?

Thanks a million

omg I cant believe you got waitlisted...you have grrrrrreat stats. I'm freaking out now.....SUNY was my first choice also, and i dont have as good stats as you.......pre-req gpa 3.48, overalll 3.6 ......OAT's my TS was 380 and AA 370.....do you think I have a chance??????? I only shadowed one optometrist, and I didnt even get a letter from her ..i'm sooooooo worried....

 

[Rusunn]

for rusunn and ching88:

were u both interviewed by dr. johnston at your campus recently? did you both call to check up on your status, or did you receive emails?

eeks...now i'm scared. i was hoping my interview went well because he's super nice..

I was interviewed on the SUNY campus on Wednesday Oct 15, 2005 and Dr. Johnston was not there. At this time my recommendation from my pre-health committee and my oat scores were not in yet. Once they received these items, I called Dr. Johnston and he told me that they couldn’t commit to a decision until April.

 

[Rusunn]

I guess you might screwed up your interview.

Yes, now that I looked back on it, I believe you are correct! I guess this would be the answer to my 2nd question on the Original Post. I think SUNY places heavy emphasis on the interview, more than oat scores. My friend, who applied last yr but got rejected, told me that the SUNY interview was VERY important but I still perform poorly during the interview. Also, it is also possible that my essay wasn’t strong also, but I worked on it for like 1 week I wrote about how optometry combines my interest in science with social interaction.

 

[Rusunn]

do you think I have a chance??????? omg I cant believe you got waitlisted...you have grrrrrreat stats. I'm freaking out now.....SUNY was my first choice also, and i dont have as good stats as you.......pre-req gpa 3.48, overalll 3.6 ......OAT's my TS was 380 and AA 370.........

Don’t be worried!! IF you do well on your interview you should be accepted in a heartbeat! I sure you would be fine! However, as for me, sometimes I cant express my thoughts as well as I would like. Also with those stats you should be accepted somewhere.

I only shadowed one optometrist, and I didnt even get a letter from her ..i'm sooooooo worried....

Actually, I DIDNT send the admissions committee any recommendations from the optometrist that I shadowed. In the original post, I just wanted to point out that there are 2 optometrists that know me well enough to write me a recommendation but they have not yet. Since I am still not accepted, I will ask for it.

I already got accepted to PCO and just interviewed at NECO on Tuesday and it was REALLY easy so I probably get accepted there too. BUT, PCO total expenses are like 40K a year and NECO is like 47K a year!! http://www.neco.edu/admissions/tuition-and-fees.aspx
I live in NY and if I went to suny I would have to pay like 15k a yr, which is a lot cheaper!!!!!!! Also as of now, I am looking at other schools to see if I want to apply.

Good luck!!!!

 

[ching88]

Wow, that is a lot of money for PCO and NECO; is it really worth it to go to optometry school for 4 years and end up having around 160K in debt? Well, as for me, I think 160K is a lot of money to pay off. If I don’t get into either UCB or SUNY, I am going back to my real estate business. I think everyone who has above average stats should be able to get into an optometry school, but the fact is will you enjoy the profession (so I highly recommend for those people looking forward to become an optometrist get some EXPERIENCE) and seriously consider how you are going to pay off your debt. Remember, this is your life; every decision you make now will affect your future. Don't just become an optometrist because you THINK you will enjoy it, become an optometrist because YOU HAVE THE PASSION FOR IT.

Anyway, goodluck anyone!!!

I believe anything is possible as long you have the heart for it, so don't give up!!!

 

[gsinccom]

ching88 - do you have a passion for it? and if not are you still going if you get into SUNY or UCB?

 

[ching88]

I have been working part-time at UCLA eye institute for the past 2 years until now, and also a full-time researcher at UCLA biochemistry lab, and Saturdays and Sundays I am a real estate sales person. At first, I enjoyed working at the eye institution over my research job that is why I decided to pursue optometry. However, as time goes by I started to find eye examination to be boring. I believe there are a lot of potential in optometry and a lot of research can be done, my passion lays in using biotechnology to produce any eye related products, such as eye drops, (using DNA transformation and have bacteria make artificial human tears) or contact eye solutions, etc. However, in order to do research I need to truly understand all the aspects of eyes and what are the public demands. My main focus is to target China’s optometry market; however, to do so I need to graduate from a well-known school that the majorities of Chinese know of, that is why I only choose to apply UCB and SUNY. On the other hand, if I was to go to any other school all I can do is become an optometrist, who either do research for companies like Allergan or perform refraction all day.

I believe if I am going to spend about 150K and 4 years of my time, I better get the maximum potential out of it; otherwise, I might as well stay in my current condition.

 

[gsinccom]

it sounds like you've got great plans. I wish you the best with all of that

so in your eyes - most optometrists peform refraction all day and therefore most optometrist have a boring job?

 

[score_7]

yes, very interesting plans. i hope they'll materialize . and yes, even if one does do refractions all day, i think that dr. can still make the most of it.

 

[ching88]

It might be boring to me, but that is irrelevant, hopefully it is not boring to you. Everyone has a different view of things that is why it makes the world so perfect. Of course optometrist do more than just refraction; they do contact lens fitting, diagnosis, and a lot of research as well. I may find myself doing refraction all day boring, but like I said before my true intent is to use biotechnology to produce eye care product. I view optometry school as a process to my goal. Of course, not everything is easily done than said. And by the way Gsinccom I have no intention to view optometrist as a boring job, I see great potential in optometry.

 

[sembaruthi]

Don’t be worried!! IF you do well on your interview you should be accepted in a heartbeat! I sure you would be fine! However, as for me, sometimes I cant express my thoughts as well as I would like. Also with those stats you should be accepted somewhere.




Actually, I DIDNT send the admissions committee any recommendations from the optometrist that I shadowed. In the original post, I just wanted to point out that there are 2 optometrists that know me well enough to write me a recommendation but they have not yet. Since I am still not accepted, I will ask for it.

I already got accepted to PCO and just interviewed at NECO on Tuesday and it was REALLY easy so I probably get accepted there too. BUT, PCO total expenses are like 40K a year and NECO is like 47K a year!! http://www.neco.edu/admissions/tuition-and-fees.aspx
I live in NY and if I went to suny I would have to pay like 15k a yr, which is a lot cheaper!!!!!!! Also as of now, I am looking at other schools to see if I want to apply.

Good luck!!!!

I'm in the same situation as you, I also live in NY and I really would like to stay here...but after seeing ur stats.......I dont think I have a chance. I applied to NECO and PCO also.... I have an interview with NECO in jan. I only sent out applications two weeks ago

 

[Rusunn]

I'm in the same situation as you, I also live in NY and I really would like to stay here...but after seeing ur stats.......I dont think I have a chance.

SUNY places heavy emphasis on the interview, as long as you do well, you WILL get in. (assuming your experiences and essay are also good)

I applied to NECO and PCO also.... I have an interview with NECO in jan. I only sent out applications two weeks ago

Don't worry about these schools. With your overall GPA of 3.6 TS380 AA370, you are very highly likely to be accepted. For the 05 entering class for PCO, the averages are: GPA 3.30 TS310 AA320 and their interview is not hard. (it wasnt anything like SUNY). in addition, they enroll about 160 students every year, which is more than twice of SUNY's 70. NECO averages are GPA 3.25 TS316 AA315 and their interview was super easy! They accept 110 students, which is a considerable amount. Dont worry about the NECO interview in jan. because it was so relaxing it was FUN!

 

[score_7]

Don't worry about these schools. With your overall GPA of 3.6 TS380 AA370, you are very highly likely to be accepted. For the 05 entering class for PCO, the averages are: GPA 3.30 TS310 AA320 and their interview is not hard. (it wasnt anything like SUNY). in addition, they enroll about 160 students every year, which is more than twice of SUNY's 70. NECO averages are GPA 3.25 TS316 AA315 and their interview was super easy! They accept 110 students, which is a considerable amount. Dont worry the NECO interview in jan. because it was so relaxing it was FUN!

Ahh, good to hear. i feel better already thanks for the info.

 

[ski2bOD]

Many of you have said the the SUNY interview is tough. I was just curious about what makes it so difficult or more difficult than other schools. Any feedback would be great, thanks!

 

[bobsacamenoh]

Many of you have said the the SUNY interview is tough. I was just curious about what makes it so difficult or more difficult than other schools. Any feedback would be great, thanks!

I think the SUNY interview is difficult because they really want the ENTIRE package. One point of evaluation that I feel that they value a lot is the candidate's knowledge of the profession. They ask themselves during the interview, "Do I feel that this person has thoroughly researched the field that I have spent half of my life preparing for and working in?" They want to make sure that an applicant actually knows what an optometrist does beyond the normal eye exam and running a practice. In addition to knowing about the current state of the profession, the interviewers want the applicant to know a little about where optometry is headed in the future.

Another characteristic that they try to assess during the interview is the applicant's maturity with regard to communication. How well does an applicant handle the questions asked? Are they using the right language? Are they truly engaged in the conversation? Am I speaking with a child/teenager or an adult? If you are a naturally playful conversationalist, I would suggest toning it down a bit (maybe shove a stick halfway up your a$5 - haha).

IMO, the most important part of the evaluation of a candidate at SUNY is the candidate's true intentions. The interviewers are, without a doubt, concerned with candidates that are going into the field as a back up plan and/or to secure a decent income. I personally do not have a problem with this because there is so much more to life than one's career, but they definitely have a problem with this, and…OK, that's a different topic - never mind. Do you really want to be an optometrist? One question they asked that personally caught me off guard was: "How do you know that you won't get bored?" Again, do you really want to become an optometrist? If you show any hint of doubt, they will pick you apart (especially the older gentleman whose name is hard to remember; also Dr. J to a lesser extent).

I was not accepted last year because they said my OAT scores were not high enough; however, if they were, I am not sure I would have been accepted anyway because, on that day, I could not convince them that I wanted to become an optometrist for the "right" reasons.

 

[still_confused]

all that bsacamenoh said, plus what i think is the most important criteria, sincerity and truthfulness.

i mightve gotten off easier by applying early and having dr johnston and a nice gentleman, but the atmosphere is what was described. if they ask you a question and you dont know, dont just say you dont know and try to move on or make up some BS. when i was asked about the battles with opth, i said i have no idea WTF he was talking about, and immediately proceeded to ask him about it and how he felt. it led to a 5 min convo on the situation.

when asked about my poor physics grade, i couldve said oh i had work and family problems, BIG DEAL, everyone deals with personal problems. what i said was i didnt study enough and got what i deserved. i then proceeded to tell him how i modified my study tactics to suit my situation and pointed to my As in subsequent physics classes as proof.

when ask why opt over why opth, i said it straight out, i dont want to do surgery and more importantly, i wont make an opth residency. i cited by grades and said that opt's primary care roles fits my lifestyle.

when ask why not med school? i said i couldnt deal with that kind of stress (odd hours, dealing with ppl's lives,blood).


"why suny" i shouldve said they have a great program, clinic, etc. but that wasnt why i wanted to attend suny, i was there b/c i like the small classes and the big city environment and i told them accordingly.

some of my answers were crappy and in retrospect i shouldve kept my mouth shut for a lot of them, but i think they got the picture they wanted: the picture of me and luckily they wanted "me"

this may not work for most schools as they may want a certain "set" of answers, but im a horrible bser and i figure its easier to say whats on my mind rather then search for the "correct" answer. for suny at least, there really is no "correct" answer

 

[k.j]

Hi ya'lls-- i got interviewed by Dr. Johnston 3 weeks ago.. and he was super nicce.. but he didnt ask me any of the questions listed below.. like why i have poor grades, or why i wanted to go to suny, or why optometry.. i was actually kinda disappointed b/c i wasnt able to tell him how serious i am about the profession... he asked me questions about my extracurriculars and some other random things... what do you guys think???! but at the end of the interview.. he said i did "fine" and that the school would either accept me or wait list me. *sigh*

i'm scared ****less right now :[ i called to see if they made any decisions.. and they told me that a letter went out on wednesday so i would know soon... AAHHHHH!!! sorry to rusunn who got wait-listed.. that sucks :[ i'm actually really shocked at their decision.. and now feeling hopeless cause my oats/grades arent comparable :[

all that bsacamenoh said, plus what i think is the most important criteria, sincerity and truthfulness.

i mightve gotten off easier by applying early and having dr johnston and a nice gentleman, but the atmosphere is what was described. if they ask you a question and you dont know, dont just say you dont know and try to move on or make up some BS. when i was asked about the battles with opth, i said i have no idea WTF he was talking about, and immediately proceeded to ask him about it and how he felt. it led to a 5 min convo on the situation.

when asked about my poor physics grade, i couldve said oh i had work and family problems, BIG DEAL, everyone deals with personal problems. what i said was i didnt study enough and got what i deserved. i then proceeded to tell him how i modified my study tactics to suit my situation and pointed to my As in subsequent physics classes as proof.

when ask why opt over why opth, i said it straight out, i dont want to do surgery and more importantly, i wont make an opth residency. i cited by grades and said that opt's primary care roles fits my lifestyle.

when ask why not med school? i said i couldnt deal with that kind of stress (odd hours, dealing with ppl's lives,blood).


"why suny" i shouldve said they have a great program, clinic, etc. but that wasnt why i wanted to attend suny, i was there b/c i like the small classes and the big city environment and i told them accordingly.

some of my answers were crappy and in retrospect i shouldve kept my mouth shut for a lot of them, but i think they got the picture they wanted: the picture of me and luckily they wanted "me"

this may not work for most schools as they may want a certain "set" of answers, but im a horrible bser and i figure its easier to say whats on my mind rather then search for the "correct" answer. for suny at least, there really is no "correct" answer

 

[Rusunn]

i'm scared ****less right now :[ i called to see if they made any decisions.. and they told me that a letter went out on wednesday so i would know soon... AAHHHHH!!!

When you called, did you ask for Dr. Johnston? Dr. Johnston will tell you your status over the phone. Or you can just wait for your letter to arrive.

sorry to rusunn who got wait-listed.. that sucks :[ i'm actually really shocked at their decision.. and now feeling hopeless cause my oats/grades arent comparable :[

Like i said before, I believe SUNY places heavy empharsis on the interview. My friend's friend that applied last yr to SUNY had similar stats as me, GPA 3.5 OAT 390 but was rejected and now goes to PCO. He also said he did not perform well during his interview. It looks like you did "fine" on yours, which is a great sign!

Keep me updated!

If you show any hint of doubt, they will pick you apart (especially the older gentleman whose name is hard to remember

I know exactly who you talking about. I did not like him at all

 

[jcaco]

all that bsacamenoh said, plus what i think is the most important criteria, sincerity and truthfulness.

some of my answers were crappy and in retrospect i shouldve kept my mouth shut for a lot of them, but i think they got the picture they wanted: the picture of me and luckily they wanted "me"

this may not work for most schools as they may want a certain "set" of answers, but im a horrible bser and i figure its easier to say whats on my mind rather then search for the "correct" answer. for suny at least, there really is no "correct" answer

i totally agree with this. i think suny likes you to be honest and truthful, and that's how i approached it (resulting in my answers sounding a lot like yours). i'm not one to sugar coat things, so i didn't have a problem saying what i really feel.