Does a bachelors degree help?

[sportsdude00]

I am currently a student at Georgia Tech, majoring in Polymer Engineering. I was thinking about applying to opto school before i graduate with my bachelors degree. Does it hurt my chances of getting in without a degree? If i complete my four years, with the curriculum that I have, it would be harder for me because the classes i take do not relate at all...
(i will end up taking all the pre reqs though)
Thanks!

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[JMU07]

Do you mean applying and then entering without a degree? Because most people apply before they've graduated. It depends on the school, some prefer (or even require, I think) a degree.

 

[sportsdude00]

i mean applying and entering before obtaining a bachelors degree.

 

[JMU07]

Gotcha. I would contact the schools you're interested in, I'm pretty sure most of them don't REQUIRE one, but they do prefer it. I still feel like there are a couple schools that do require it but I'm not sure which ones.

 

[4Eyes]

Some schools require a bachelors degree prior to entering school. Others prefer it but don't require it. If you want to try, there's no harm in applying (check the school's requirements)--if you don't make it, you can always try the next year. In my class, there were two or three that didn't have their bachelors (one was going to get it though with the 3+4 program).

 

[sportsdude00]

yeah, berkeley, scco and maybe another school or two require a bachelors degree.
what i'm really wondering is that provided that i get accepted, will the lack of a bachelors degree affect me in any way in the future..with applying for jobs, job opportunities, etc?

 

[JMU07]

Well, it's definitely a good idea to have a degree to fall back on in case OD school doesn't work out. I would say all around it's better to spend the extra time and effort to get it, because you never know what could happen. As far as someone hiring you as an OD to work in an office or what have you - I don't see why they wouldn't if you didn't have that bachelor's, you know?

 

[sportsdude00]

yeah, that makes sense. thanks!

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Well, it's definitely a good idea to have a degree to fall back on in case OD school doesn't work out. I would say all around it's better to spend the extra time and effort to get it, because you never know what could happen. As far as someone hiring you as an OD to work in an office or what have you - I don't see why they wouldn't if you didn't have that bachelor's, you know?

I agree with the comment about having a degree to fall back on. If you have already invested 3 years towards a challenging degree - why not finish? Even if you need an extra semester or two to get the prereqs in, it would still be worth it.