chances of getting into to opto school

[anonOD22]

Hi im a senior who just graduated a semester early from undergrad with a BS in health science. I have a pretty low cumulative gpa of 3.22 and and science gpa of 3.1. On top of that, I have not taken the OAT yet or even submitted my application yet because I am not confident in my personal statement which i want to rewrite. I have been working as an optician at a private practice for 6 months now and have only shadowed one doctor. I just don't know what to do at this point/ I am trying to finish up my application asap and take my oat in feb/mar. Odds are i will have to take a gap year. As a back up plan I have already been accepted to a masters program to help boost my gpa and jsut give me time to gain more experience by working and volunteering.
I guess i just need some more opinions and advice of what to do right now.....
plz help!

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[DoctorOD]

Congrats on graduation! Master's degrees and gap years look very good on applications. My average class age was 25 when I started in optometry school. I would spend time prioritizing your OAT since that is the next closest target. Do Kaplan or Princeton Review to make sure you can demonstrate you know your material well.
Then if you'd like to work or do Master's classes to increase your GPA, that would make you far more competitive.
If you don't mind my asking, where did you do undergrad? I've mentioned in other threads that a GPA of 3.0 from Harvard looks way better on an application than a 4.0 from Unknown University. Would your college's pedigree help in this case?

Best of luck!

 

[physicsblows]

Don't worry I got accepted with a 3.19 GPA. Just study hard for your OAT, and you'll be fine buddy

 

[Optgal96]

Your GPA is fine for most schools. An overall 300 OAT is also just fine which I'm sure you can do with a few months of studying. Apply to schools and they will hold your application until you take the OAT, which I'm sure you can take by April 2020. And you're an optician, which looks great on your resume. If you really want to start optometry school by this fall, you can. But if you would rather bring up your stats for a more competitive school, then you should take a gap year instead. Once you're in optometry school, it doesn't matter what your grades were or how competitive of an applicant you were. Personally, I don't think you should take a gap year unless you need a personal and mental break from academics.