Why didn't i get into Pacific Optometry?

[kroekerh2]

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So i had an interview at Pacific in november. Thought it went decent, not amazing but not horrible. Thought I had a great shot of getting in due to my marks and experience volunteering etc. Later i was notified i had been rejected. Anybody have insight into why i didn't make the cut or even get waitlisted?

OAT: AA360/TS350

GPA=3.80 from canadian university

Fulfilled 44 hours of observation, work at an office, swimming instructor etc…

Anybody else have similar experiences?

I am slightly concerned/disheartened with my experience.

 

[mathcod]

Call their admissions dept and ask for feedback on your application. This is something that is routinely done. I'm not sure if speculation would ease your mind.

 

[Snakedoctor1]

I have a friend who was also rejected by Pacific, and he also had very good grades/OAT scores. He called the admissions office and they told him it was because of his application essays.

 

[Pre-optometryStudent33]

I was thrown into the alternate list with MUCH MUCH lower gpa and lower OAT..i dont know what went wrong for you. I am sure i wont be getting accepted from the list but when I called they said all aspects are looked at and they saw my passion for optometry. Let us know what they say because they do let people know why they got rejected on the phone

 

[Snakedoctor1]

Pacific tends to be fairly selective, probably in part because it is the only Optometry school in the region, and they receive many applications. I'm not sure what all of the criteria are that they use, but it certainly is not all about grades.

 

[kroekerh2]

yah i will definitely post when i found out why. Ill know for sure by Monday. Its just really confusing for me since I thought I did most things right and I knew my marks were way above what they normally except. I figured even if my references, and essays and interview wasnt amazing, my marks would make up for it.

 

[Pre-optometryStudent33]

yah i will definitely post when i found out why. Ill know for sure by Monday. Its just really confusing for me since I thought I did most things right and I knew my marks were way above what they normally except. I figured even if my references, and essays and interview wasnt amazing, my marks would make up for it.

did you ever find out what happened?

 

[kroekerh2]

Yah basically they said my marks were great, I communicated clearly and efficiently, but they didnt like how direct i was/blatant. They did not think I was empathetic enough.

 

[MinnesotaGirl]

So i had an interview at Pacific in november. Thought it went decent, not amazing but not horrible. Thought I had a great shot of getting in due to my marks and experience volunteering etc. Later i was notified i had been rejected. Anybody have insight into why i didn't make the cut or even get waitlisted?

OAT: AA360/TS350

GPA=3.80 from canadian university

Fulfilled 44 hours of observation, work at an office, swimming instructor etc…

Anybody else have similar experiences?

I am slightly concerned/disheartened with my experience.

They send you a letter in the mail, telling you what you can improve on for next years application.

 

[undecisiveone1]

I just had an interview at PUCO today and I'm so nervous. I don't think my interview went bad but it wasn't all that great either. I'm so bad under pressure

 

[hellooo_123]

Their interview is really interesting, I was kind of caught off guard a bit during my interview on Friday as well. It seems like they really care about the whole package and not just your academics. Best of luck to you during this cycle.

 

[undecisiveone1]

Their interview is really interesting, I was kind of caught off guard a bit during my interview on Friday as well. It seems like they really care about the whole package and not just your academics. Best of luck to you during this cycle.

Same to you as well. It wasn't definitely until right after I left the interview room that I came up with some better answers. Pressure really gets to me

Best of luck to both of us during these two weeks of waiting 🙂

 

[Groucho Marx]

That seems really odd to put so much emphasis on an interview and application essay over grades and test scores (which routinely serve as a better indicator of how one will do in the program). Building up a good GPA takes literal years of consistency and dedication. Unless you do something really rude and/or strange in person, I can't see why they would weigh it so heavily, but I guess it's what they like for their school…

Try not to stress too much. Good grades and test scores will get you to a good school. Maybe have a friend do a mock interview with you to see if there's anything alarming about the way that you present yourself.

 

[Snakedoctor1]

I think there are very few applicants who are incapable of doing well in Optometry school. While GPA and OAT scores are important, they are not necessarily indicators of a good Optometrist. Pacific isn't the only school with that idea, and quite frankly I think these schools can easily choose applicants with both high grades and a good application/interview. That is, until enough schools open up that every applicant gets a seat somewhere.