Will an MPH increase my chances of getting in??

[AES]

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I am a senior Biology major. i realized that my GPA is not high enough to apply for Optometry school this year. It will be around 2.8 when i graduate. I have repeated some of my Chemistry classes because I did not do well in them. I have not taken the OAT yet. But I plan on taking it in 2 months.

I was wondering if I Complete a Master's in Public health, Will that increase my chances into get into an optometry school the following year? I really do not prefer any certain school.

I have a lot of experience working at an Optometrist's clinic, and numerous extracurricular activities as well.

What do you guys think?

 

[KHE]

I am a senior Biology major. i realized that my GPA is not high enough to apply for Optometry school this year. It will be around 2.8 when i graduate. I have repeated some of my Chemistry classes because I did not do well in them. I have not taken the OAT yet. But I plan on taking it in 2 months.

I was wondering if I Complete a Master's in Public health, Will that increase my chances into get into an optometry school the following year? I really do not prefer any certain school.

I have a lot of experience working at an Optometrist's clinic, and numerous extracurricular activities as well.

What do you guys think?

It won't hurt but it's probably not going to help all that much. Being an optometrist involves being a clinician and being a good clinician involves having a strong background in the basic sciences. If you don't have that, then an MPH isn't going to help you.

 

[nc2tarheels]

A buddy of mine got in with a 2.8 GPA with his masters to PCO. He's in his 2nd year. He also only scored a 320 AA on the OAT, so I'm sure that masters helped a TON!

 

[AES]

It won't hurt but it's probably not going to help all that much. Being an optometrist involves being a clinician and being a good clinician involves having a strong background in the basic sciences. If you don't have that, then an MPH isn't going to help you.

What other Health-related Master's program could give me a boost or an advantage?

 

[AES]

A buddy of mine got in with a 2.8 GPA with his masters to PCO. He's in his 2nd year. He also only scored a 320 AA on the OAT, so I'm sure that masters helped a TON!

What masters did he do?

 

[EyEnStein 07]

Im not really sure if anything will give you much of an advantage if your GPA is too low, simply because OAT requires all the pre-req sciences, and your undergrad GPA is a reflection of how you did in those courses, which all optometry schools require.

The only thing i do know, is they might look at you in better regards if you completed a masters program with a decent/high gpa, because it shows you can handle some type of graduate level courses.

 

[xmattODx]

I was wondering if I Complete a Master's in Public health, Will that increase my chances into get into an optometry school the following year? I really do not prefer any certain school.

I can't comment on whether an MPH will improve your chances of getting into OD school or not as I did my MPH after OD school.

I can tell you that OD school and public health school are drastically different. I was able to work 30 plus hours a week while getting my MPH (something I could not have done in optometry school). An MPH is a great degree, however, it should not be undertaken unless you have interest in public health. Do you?

Call some schools and ask if they think an MPH is helpful or if you should do something else to improve your chances.

Good luck.

 

[ChgoOptician]

Im not really sure if anything will give you much of an advantage if your GPA is too low, simply because OAT requires all the pre-req sciences, and your undergrad GPA is a reflection of how you did in those courses, which all optometry schools require.

The only thing i do know, is they might look at you in better regards if you completed a masters program with a decent/high gpa, because it shows you can handle some type of graduate level courses.

What would show better knowledge of the basics is putting effort into achieving the highest OAT score you can. Get your hands on more practice materials. Take sample tests, then break out your books and study the things you did poorly on. And KNOCK that baby out of the park!

The OATs reflect your being able to retain and use the information you learned from the core classes. You have all of the materials you need if you didn't sell your books.

I have a friend who learns slow. She is brilliant, but a solid 'B' student. To deal with this she does two things.

1. Before the final, she studies her notes, redoes all of the quizzes and tests from the semester and anything else she can get her hands on. At the time of the cummulative finals, she kicks butt and gets an A on the final. Most times, she still averages at a B, but she's proven that she has mastered the material and 'gets it'.
2. She uses the breaks between semesters to completely re-review the materials from the pre-req classes before taking the next class.

Her grades won't be top notch, but her enterance exams will be fabulous.

So I would suggest taking 2-3 months to seriously prep for the OAT.

 

[nc2tarheels]

What masters did he do?

To be honest, I'm having a brain fart and can't recall. But he told me that he had a HORRIBLE gpa (around 2.2 or so) and had to get a Masters in order to boost his gpa and help his chances of getting in.