Is there a decent chance I can make it? (Just got my BS in Biology)

[Louminater]

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[lovelydisaster]

I'm already thinking about retaking the general biology and chemistry courses at a local junior college during this year that I have off while I study for the OATS and shadow more optometrists, just to hopefully be able to convey that I know I did bad, but I definitely can and WILL do better.

I'm not sure if taking classes + studying for OATs is the best way to go in your situation because I think you need to focus focus focus on your OATS. Take some time to retake classes first, and then hardcore study for the test. Would you rather go in not sure if you'll get in with the grades you have and a crappy test score or would you want to retake classes, show the adcom that you've improved drastically, pwn the OAT and are a pretty good candidate in the end? It's up to you, really, but what's the rush? Are you on some sort of a time crunch? lol btw, how the hey did you manage to pull a C in intro to psych? Good luck and let us know what you plan on doing!

 

[eyestrain]

What is your pre-req GPA? My guess is that it's pretty low, probably much lower than your 2.97. That won't cut it no matter how good your OAT scores are.

 

[Louminater]

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[caltrinity]

While I agree that your grades at UCSC are less than stellar. This is what I would recommend if you are really serious about getting into Optometry school.

1) Dedicate 2+ years at a local community college. Take every single class that is a required prerequisite for Optometry school. Take all the science classes that are not required but recommended from Optometry schools. You MUST get all A's in all the classes. This should be fairly easy since most community colleges are easier than coursework at the UCs.

2) Establish great rapport and working relationships with your community college professors. They tend to be much more approachable than professors at the UCs and they will be invaluable when it comes time for recommendation letters.

3) Work/volunteer for at least 3 different optometrists in different fields to gain enough knowledge and experience to carry on an intelligent and thoughtful conversation about why you want to go into optometry.

4) Set aside at least 1 day out of the week to review and prepare for the OATs. It is helpful to study for your OAT while you are also studying the same material in class. Take the OATs in the summer before you apply. Always plan for a 90 day backup timeframe so that you have time to retake the OAT if you did not do as well as you wanted. If you have a minimum of 330 on all subjects, you are a strong candidate. Do not go lower than 300 in any subject.

5) Apply early to as many schools as you can afford. This should be easier to do as ASCO is FINALLY going to implement a centralized application service due July 2009. Here is a good timeline: If you hope for admission for Fall 2009, you should ask your professors for letters during Spring 2008. Have them ready by Summer 2008. Prepare your Personal Statements and have them proofread by several experts/friends, etc. Apply on the FIRST day possible for each school (It really shows that you are serious about their school). According to the director of admissions at SCCO, they do take into consideration which date you applied, given two similar applicants.

IF you do all these things EXACTLY as I have mentioned, I can almost guarantee that you will get into at least 1 Optometry school.

Let me know if you need any more help or advice. I've been through it all.

 

[tigereyes]

i was in a similar situation. i did mediocre my freshmen year but totally bombed my spring semester of sophomore year. since then i've worked really hard and pulled it up to a 3.1 (i graduated this may also). my science gpa is still really pathetic and is only a 2.86. i took my oats in December and my AA was 340 and TS was 370. i have a decent amount of extracurricular activities: i've been an opt tech for 1.5 years, secretary for the pre-opt club at my school, volunteered about 200 hours (unpaid) as a vision screener at preschools, and shadowed 3 doctors. i applied to neco, pco, suny, sco, and ico in feb/march. i only got an interview with sco, which i thought went really well and was even put on hold for a final decision until my final grades came in for the spring semester. i had a 3.8 and was pretty confident i would get in but in the end i didn't.

i'm definitely wanted to reapply and talked to all the schools after the admissions process was over. unfortunately, neco, ico, and suny pretty much told me not to reapply because my science gpa is way below average and i most likely wouldn't get in. pco and sco did give me some hope and told me to take more upper level science classes and consider taking my oats over to pull up my AA to make my application more competitive.

even though i had extracurricular and an average oat score that won't compensate or make-up for your grades. what i'm doing now is taking 3 master classes as a non-degree student for the fall and retaking my oats this summer.

You should probably take more science classes also and really try to aim for B/A’s this time. Promising the admissions board that you’ll try once your in optometry school isn’t really going to fly. They want to see a drastic improvement from when you first messed up and it seems as if you can’t prove that to them. I’ve gotten straight A/B’s since my sophomore year and admissions still didn’t think I was qualified for even an interview.

Also, try to talk to PCO admission counselors about your situation and see what they think you can do. They’ll most probably tell you to take more science classes though so they have more of a criteria to base you on.


On the bright side, I know two people who applied to PCO this year with a low GPA of 2.9 and no where close to a high total science like mine and they some how got in. they applied in september though so definitly make you whatever you end up doing, be one of the first to have your application in.

 

[Louminater]

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[lovelydisaster]

but should I be retaking some of the general bios and chem classes too? Or just take whatever science classes they have left that I haven't taken (which won't be too many).

Retake every general bio and general chem class because you didn't do so hot on the classes that are higher than your gen classes. If you'd done better on genetics, etc, then maybe you wouldn't have to, but in your case, I'd say yes, definitely. Plus, how are you going to excel on your OAT? You need a good gen chem and gen bio base to do well on those respective sections.

Look at everything in it's bigger picture. Improve your application and follow the advice of others who have given it to you because it is very helpful advice, imo.

 

[caltrinity]

but should I be retaking some of the general bios and chem classes too? Or just take whatever science classes they have left that I haven't taken (which won't be too many).

In my opinion, you should retake any class in which you did not receive at least a B+ at UCSC.

 

[KHE]

My main reason for making this post is that I don't want to have to spend the next couple of months volunteering, retaking old courses, and studying hard for the OATS, only to find out that my GPA is far too low (2.97 total, much crappier science GPA) and stand no chance of getting in at all.

You are getting lots of well meaning but likely misguided advice from many posters on here.

What you need to do is phone up the schools you wish to attend and ask THEM what you should be doing. Get this information straight from the horse's mouth, not from a bunch of strangers on the internet.

For example, you have an A in biochemistry. I don't know how difficult that course was but if you get an A in biochemistry, an upper level course (I'm guessing) it likely makes little sense to go back and retake general chemistry 3. In fact, I would bet that there is a good chance your university won't even let you because you'll probably get 100%.

Ask the schools themselves what you need to be doing.

 

[Pre Opt Student]

I dont think it looks THAT bad. I did really poorly in my first year in undergrad and got alot of C's in courses including general chem, bio, etc...But after first year I havent gotten a single mark below a B..and it looks like in your upper year classes you did better too. I still have managed to bring up my GPA to 3.0 or a bit above..with a 3 year undergrad average of 75 ish...and from what ive read on here... 3.0-3.5 gpa's are competitive for alot of the schools..as long as you do good on OATs, and have alot of extracurriculars..so i dont know why everyone here is freaking out about your grades...you just need to bring up your gpa a few points..kill the OATs..and u should be fine..

PS - despite doing bad in first year....(mostly C's and B's) my pre-req gpa for most schools is around 3.3...cuz they count english, some social sci courses..etc...oh and i repeated organic and got a B+ and repeated general chem with A's...So really..its doable..i would still apply this year...and APPLY early..and focus on nailing the OATs

But I also agree..call the schools.

 

[alferec]

You are getting lots of well meaning but likely misguided advice from many posters on here.

What you need to do is phone up the schools you wish to attend and ask THEM what you should be doing. Get this information straight from the horse's mouth, not from a bunch of strangers on the internet.

KHE, I couldn't agree more. There needs to be some kind of sticky that emphasizes how people should seek advice at the schools they wish to apply to first, then if they can't help you they can get advice here on SDN.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

KHE, I couldn't agree more. There needs to be some kind of sticky that emphasizes how people should seek advice at the schools they wish to apply to first, then if they can't help you they can get advice here on SDN.

I absolutely agree with both of you. I'm sure everybody has the best of intentions in giving advice, but EVERY situation is different. Call the schools that you are interested in going to, let them know your specific situation, and go from there. What worked for somebody isn't guaranteed to work for you. Don't make any drastic decisions (like taking 2+ years at a community college ) without getting the advice of an admissions rep.

 

[sportvision]

You have good grades in a couple classes that are pretty tough (biochem, physics, human anat). The OAT score will be a big help. Shoot for 360+. It is possible.

 

[JeffChou]

This is only my opinion and is based on my experience with schools. I also had a bad streak in my first two years of undergrad but managed to get into ICO out of 4 schools. I think my application had almost all the key parts to it (volunteering, club leadership, working at optometrist office, shadowing, high OAT, letters, etc.) besides a solid transcript.

My pre-req gpa was pretty low and it was always the number 1 issue with the admissions committees (1st and second time applying). I retook many classes and continued to do better and better throughout college (pretty much got a CONSISTENT 3.2-3.5 like any other bio student). I had an upward trend in my transcripts, a high OAT score, and retook many many classes.

What you need to do is to prove to the admissions committees that you are academically competent and can be consistent. Considering the grades you courageously posted, I'd probably retake anything that is lower than a B-, starting with the lowest grades. Whatever you can do to improve your pre-req GPA will help you get in because that is what they will keep on going back to. Not everyone will recommend retaking general classes and not every school will calculate your retaken grades the same way (some will replace, some will average, call to be sure).

Don't apply this year. Honestly, you'd probably be wasting your money. Applications cost a lot and all the applicants I have met on interviews have been very qualified. I think you're already expecting to have to put in a lot of work to get into optometry school, and that's what it's going to take. It's a slim chance right now and it won't get much wider considering the many students who have had great stats from the start. You're going to have to see how much you can make up for by retaking classes. Contact the schools to know if it is worth trying.

I don't know how much work is just enough, but I will recommend the following to be somewhat competitive:
1) Call the schools and see if you can get some sort of advice on how to be competitive. What types of things will they be most concerned about and how will they treat repeats of pre-reqs vs taking more upper division classes.

2) 1 year to retake gchem, bio, and assorted pre-req classes you got C's in. NO MORE C's. If you're taking them at a community college--yes, I know each one is different, but in general...--then you better bring home those A's.

3) Study harder than no other for the OAT (you should aim ABOVE the average to compensate for GPA).

4) Apply early (centralized? then no excuse to lag. start essay in summer as well). Later applications for students with weaker scores can kill an application.

5) Possibly continue taking classes if you think it might help or if you didn't have enough time to target all important science classes beyond the pre-reqs.

6) Take everything I and anyone else on this board says with a grain of salt. All the best advice I received when applying and reapplying came after directly speaking to someone from admissions at the schools I was interested in. You should do the same for the best results.


Jeff

 

[prettygreeneyes]

6) Take everything I and anyone else on this board says with a grain of salt. All the best advice I received when applying and reapplying came after directly speaking to someone from admissions at the schools I was interested in. You should do the same for the best results.


Jeff

Good advice!

 

[pienfoo]

jeff gave some very good advice along with all the other posts in this thread. in short, yes it is possible to get into optometry with your current GPA but it'd be a longshot. you would need to retake core classes and get a great oat score (350+) in all sections, along with showing that you've volunteered, worked, interned, and held leadership positions in order to off set your low GPA. g'luck !

 

[Louminater]

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[anneminna]

Do not be discouraged Louminator! I am in the same boat and have been recovering for my young behavior as an undergrad.

Call up the individual schools to see what they require. Certain schools will ask you to retake your pre-req courses, BUT not at the community college level because they are so easy. They will tell you to retake them at a college or university, at least, at the state level. (Since you're in california, this would be at a Cal State or a UC). Other schools, like SCO will recommend that you take upper division science courses, to show them that you can handle the course workload at the optometry schools.

Also remember, if you were getting this low in undergrad, you're going to get smashed in OD school where its a lot harder.

Although the GPA is an indicator of academic success, just because you might have done poorly doing your undergrad career, does not mean that optometry courses will eat you alive. Good luck!