F's

[roya1f1ush]

Hey guys,

I really want to do my best and work hard toward getting in, but I keep losing sleep over the fact that they will frown on those bad grades in the beginning. I know there are a lot of you guys who have wonderful success stories, but I wonder if i can ever be like that. Do you think I'd still have a chance if I aced my prereqs (get it up to close to a 3) and OAT? Perhaps I should consider a 2nd bachelors at SFSU?? Please help!! Thanks so much...

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[zyg0te]

I honestly don't think your previous grades will matter much since they aren't pre-req. Some schools will have requirements that say you have to have a 3.0 cumulative, but sometimes you can get around that. Especially if you ace the pre-reqs and kill the OAT.

For example, for berkeley you are applying through the university's graduate program, so they require a 3.0 cumulative. If your pre-req gpa and OAT scores look good, and you have a decent personal statement, the college of optometry sometimes petitions to let those with sub 3.0 grades in.

 

[roya1f1ush]

hey zygote

i was thinking of going with the 2nd bacc program at sfsu in the spring after a semester at CSU. any thoughts?

 

[StushOD]

Dont underestimate the the effect your undergrad GPA will have on your application. I had a very bad GPA as an undergrad as well, and it was the biggest reason that most schools did not offer me an interview last fall.

I have done well in all of my pre-reqs (3.7), as well as the OAT, but when you have that many credits already on your transcript, you wont be increasing your GPA very much.

What I wish I would have known when I started taking classes again is this. Contact the schools individually and find out what they recommend. Each school is very different. Some schools want you to enter into a master program, some school want you to take undergrad classes. Some schools dont weigh the graduate classes any higher than the undergrad. Formulate your paln based on this. If you decide to take undergrad classes, like I did, take MANY more science classes than just the pre-reqs. Doing well on the pre-reqs and the OAT is not enough when your undergrad GPA is that low. You will have to have a similar amount of science courses on your transcript that other students have, so the optom schools can compare apples to apples.

 

[danielallen2008]

okay......so what if you retake classes??? Im in a similar postion, my GPA for my first two years is a 2.77, my GPA for my last 3 years is a 3.6........overall GPA is a 3.28...........I bombed organo 1 and 2...D+ and a D then I retook them and got a B/A (lec/lab) and a B+/A-.....so where would that leave me standing??????

 

[KHE]

okay......so what if you retake classes??? Im in a similar postion, my GPA for my first two years is a 2.77, my GPA for my last 3 years is a 3.6........overall GPA is a 3.28...........I bombed organo 1 and 2...D+ and a D then I retook them and got a B/A (lec/lab) and a B+/A-.....so where would that leave me standing??????

If you have done well in your upper year courses, and you took a reasonable number of science based classes, then I think that the majority of schools will consider that and give less weight to your first courses.

As always, contact the schools you are interested in, but I generally would not advise someone to repeat courses unless the school insists on it. You are much better off taking upper level courses and doing well rather than repeating a course and doing well.