interested in optometry

[JG777]

Hello,
I'm highly interested in optometry. The only thing is that my gpa is not very strong (in between a 2.4 and 3.0). are optometry school like med school in their admissions and don't even bother looking at an application if it is not at least a 3.0? I'm doing other activities such as research and tutoring high school students as well as wokring. and of course, about to start preparing for the OAT. I was just wondering how the whole admissions works. i know i also need to get more experience with an optometrist as well as do well on the OAT and of course, bring my gpa up. I just need some advice as to what else i can do to prepare for applying for optometry school. any advice will do. thanks so much.

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[Jubileee]

Hiya JG!

What you didn't mention was what year in undergrad you are in. A year or two of classes can have a great impact on your GPA. What classes gave you the most problem? I know I had some of my courses taken off my records when I no longer needed them for my major nor to graduate.

In any case, even if you have a sub 3.0, it doesn't mean that you'll be out. Did you improve greatly over the past couple of semesters? How did you do in your science? These are things they will take a look at too. Focus on the OATs. Many schools look at this and compare it to your GPA. Many an OD used the OATs as a chance to shine when their GPA's didn't.

The fact you do a lot of mentoring and volunteering is also great. The experience with an OD can get you far as well. I know from experience that the schools I have talked to have all been excited about my previous optical experience. I have seen it all and know the good and the bad. I know what I am signing up for...that is something the like to hear as well.

So tell us a bit more about your situation. And maybe we can give you some better advice

Cassandra

 

[cpw]

Jubileee gave some great advice! I agree with all of it. Having a sub-3.0 does not rule you out.. but if there were any classes that were school pre-requisites that you got D's in you need to retake them. Showing improvement and motivation over time is key. Getting experience with an OD would greatly help your application as would doing very well on the OAT (over 330 or so). If you have good letters on top of all this you should be okay. Again, like Jubilee said talk with an admissions counselor at the schools you're interested in.. they can give you a much better idea on how difficult/easy it will be for you to gain admission to their programs with your stats. GOOD LUCK! and again, if you have more questions don't hesitate to ask!

 

[JG777]

Hey..
Thanks so much for the replies and encouragement. I will be a 3rd year undergrad. and i my worse class is o-chem. I had to retake the intro to ochem course and now i need to retake the next ochem class after that. yet i do better in physics where i have improved consecutively from a b- to b+ in my physics series. physics seems to be my strongest area of the sciences. i would say that my overall science gpa is around 2.3. a couple of ge courses also were a bit hard. (i seemed to have chosen interesting ge classes but very challenging) also, how did you guys go about getting experience with an OD? did you just ask around? or did you know them personally? and how "easy" is it to get that experience? and when i do talk to admissions cousnelors, do i just email them? call them? thanks for any more advice that you can give me. much appreciated!!

 

[cpw]

To get experience with an OD I called all the OD's in the town I lived in at the time. I actually worked for one for a year. If you're still in school, like yourself, the best thing to do is talk to OD's.. tell them you're interested in optometry school and ask if you can shadow them a few hours a week. (or however much you're willing to do) Most of them will be THRILLED to talk to someone who's interested in their profession (from my experiences anyway)

It will be a long haul for you to pull up a 2.3 You should shoot to pull it up to at least the high 2's. Definitely retake the clases you struggled in.. even if it means spending an extra year in school. You're really going to have to buckle down on the sciences. That's great that you're doing well in physics though! The closer you can get to a 3.0 the better your chances.

As far as talking to admissions counselors.. start now! The sooner they start hearing your name the better. That way by the time you step up to apply the better.

Since you're in CA I'm assuming you're looking probably at both SCCO and Berkeley. I can honestly say that Berkeley is going to be a HUGE long shot for you.. it's the number one program in the US and VERY hard to get into. (they only take 60 people every year with an average GPA of 3.6) I would concentrate on SCCO if you want to stay in LA. Talk to the admissions staff there.. I interviewed there and they're VERY friendly and very willing to help you out. They'll sit down with your transcripts and tell you exactly what kind of grades you need to make from here on out.

Hope this helps! Good luck.. study hard and let us know how you're doing!