Does it matter what University you recieve your Undergraduate degree from?

[hautecouture]

Does it matter what university you go to for your undergraduate degree, if you are looking to become an optometrist? I am a very capable student and could attend whichever college I aspire, however my parents are not allowing me. I am basically given two choices of regionally accredited universities close to my hometown. They were ranked in tier 3 and 4 by America's Best Colleges magazine and website. However, I've searched optometry colleges and they seem to accept only high end universities. What should I do? Would I be fine if I attend one of the universities close to my home and excel in my grades and acheive a high OAT score?

Thank you in advance!

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[dpu04]

This is a very good question. Personally, I think you should attend an average university rather than one of the best. You are more likely to achieve higher grades at a less prestigious university. From my knowledge, the optometry schools don't care where you went. They mostly focus on your gpa, OAT and extracurricular activities. They want to put out the best stats to compare to other schools. However, one admission director told me that my low gpa (3.33) was considered higher because I went to a good undergrad. In hindsight, I wish I went to a less prestigious university. I probably would have achieved higher grades and saved money. Others may disagree, but that is my advice lol

 

[4Eyes]

Go to any four-year university where you can get a good education and you enjoy the environment. A prestigious school is not worth it if your only reason for wanting to go there is the idea that it will give you an edge when applying for schools. Like the previous poster said, perform well in your classes, get a good OAT score, get some real-world exposure to optometry, and have a life outside of school...you will be just fine.

 

[Snake Doctor]

It's a tough question. Well, if there's a tie between two candidates, the rigor of the undergraduate curriculum comes into play, but what's the chance of having two identical candidates? Schools will be forgiving if you attend a cut throat or extremely challenging undergraduate institution (i.e. Cal Tech to be extreme), to a certain extent. Some people like the challenge though. Some don't. It isn't objective though since there are so many colleges that get the job done... so unless the admissions office is well aware with students from a particular institution, it's hard to give or take away points base on where you went.

Go to the one that is the best fit for you. You'll be happier, which will lead to better academic performance, etc...
Well known schools definitely have the resources, but maybe that's not a good fit for you. Personally, I would've gone to a liberal arts college if I can do it all over again. I got caught up in the prestige hype when I was in HS. It's not like any of us are applying to law or biz schools (at the moment).
Your patients won't care where you went to undergrad (or even optometry school). Be the best doc you can be and everything will take care of itself.

 

[sportsdude00]

It's a tough question. Well, if there's a tie between two candidates, the rigor of the undergraduate curriculum comes into play, but what's the chance of having two identical candidates? Schools will be forgiving if you attend a cut throat or extremely challenging undergraduate institution (i.e. Cal Tech to be extreme), to a certain extent. Some people like the challenge though. Some don't. It isn't objective though since there are so many colleges that get the job done... so unless the admissions office is well aware with students from a particular institution, it's hard to give or take away points base on where you went.

thats not quite true. my school is ranked pretty high, but i was told by admissions counselors that my gpa would be considered the same as everyone else.
despite that, i feel more prepared because of the challenge of the school...

 

[Snake Doctor]

thats not quite true. my school is ranked pretty high, but i was told by admissions counselors that my gpa would be considered the same as everyone else.
despite that, i feel more prepared because of the challenge of the school...

Yes, I know. I have heard both answers, and I feel like the response you received is the general consensus for professional health schools. That's why I recommend that the OP attend the school with the best fit. And I agree, I do feel more prepared.

 

[JeffChou]

Does it matter what university you go to for your undergraduate degree, if you are looking to become an optometrist? I am a very capable student and could attend whichever college I aspire, however my parents are not allowing me. I am basically given two choices of regionally accredited universities close to my hometown. They were ranked in tier 3 and 4 by America's Best Colleges magazine and website. However, I've searched optometry colleges and they seem to accept only high end universities. What should I do? Would I be fine if I attend one of the universities close to my home and excel in my grades and acheive a high OAT score?

Thank you in advance!

1.) It's your college education, your future, and thus, your decision where to go.

2.) Visit the schools and see if you will enjoy undergrad there. If you do well and score well on the OATs, you should be at no disadvantage when applying to optometry schools, regardless of undergraduate institution.

3.) If you're set on optometry school already (which, granted, is hard to know), go somewhere more affordable. I can't imagine what it would be like to go to undergrad for 30k a year + living expenses and then go to a private optometry school for another 4 years, especially when it doesn't matter where your undergrad is. I'm glad I only spent 7k on tuition at the UCs vs 30k a year when there are people from all different backgrounds here at my optometry school (of course, I had no idea that I'd be going into optometry when I first went to college; I guess it worked out anyway).

 

[4Eyes]

Just wanted to add...smaller and less well-known than a big, prestigious school does not necessarily equal easy. And it certainly doesn't equal inferior education. In some cases it might, but I wouldn't make any blanket statements. I'm not saying anyone here IS making a blanket statement, but I wanted to throw that out there.

 

[blysssful]

thats not quite true. my school is ranked pretty high, but i was told by admissions counselors that my gpa would be considered the same as everyone else.
despite that, i feel more prepared because of the challenge of the school...

Seriously? That's pretty crappy. I was talking to an admissions woman at Berkeley about this, and told her my GPA. Her first question was where I go to undergrad... so I figured they take that into account (luckily she told me that my school is highly regarded).

I don't understand how the undergrad school WOULDN'T be factored in though. Especially in courses that the grades are curved, your final grade is often a reflection of the other students in the class.

 

[KHE]

thats not quite true. my school is ranked pretty high, but i was told by admissions counselors that my gpa would be considered the same as everyone else.
despite that, i feel more prepared because of the challenge of the school...

I am highly skeptical of that. A 3.5 from Harvard or Princeton is almost certainly not going to require the same rigor as a 3.5 from Southeastern North Dakota State. (No offense to any SNDS alumni out there)

 

[DrRobs]

Well this seems to be a big debate on here daily...I think it definately matters what undergrad school you go to in the respect to how well prepared you are for optometry school. Some schools weigh more highly on GPA, some schools will raise your GPA if you go to a "harder program" and lower it for an "easier program"...so in the GPA respect if you're at an average program, you're fine, so long as you do well. Some schools look at the OATs more because they are more "standardized". Me as a first year student now, I had a "lower gpa" from a "better program" and good OAT scores. So far I am doing well because I had such a hard undergrad program, tests were harder, in that respect opt school is easier...but the amount of classes is harder to manage if you don't know how to manage your time. Some people I've talked to say they wish they studied more in undergrad, so no matter how hard your program is, my word of advice is to study as much as you can and don't cram and it will make your life/acceptance easier.

 

[JMU07]

Well, there are a good number of people in my class from "no-name" universities. There are also a lot of people from well-known schools. I really don't think it's a big deal. Just shoot for good grades.

 

[optstudent2012]

I agree, half the schools that people in my class went to I hadn't heard of, and many were small schools that I'm sure admissions hadn't heard of either. Go to a school that fits you, not one that will get you into optometry school -- you are the one who will get yourself into school.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Go to any four-year university where you can get a good education and you enjoy the environment. A prestigious school is not worth it if your only reason for wanting to go there is the idea that it will give you an edge when applying for schools. Like the previous poster said, perform well in your classes, get a good OAT score, get some real-world exposure to optometry, and have a life outside of school...you will be just fine.

I echo everything 4Eyes said... with the addition of trying to please your parents for the rest of your life will make for an unhappy future. Perhaps they are offering financial assistance if you remain close? Even so... time to start making decisions for you, not your parents.