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ahh420

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Hey everyone!

So I'm a third year undergrad now and I just became interested in the Optometry field. However, I'm majoring in Cognitive Science (and planning to take the required classes for Optometry School) but I'm afraid I may be too late. It seems like I should already be shadowing/volunteering, etc. and my grades aren't all too great.

Is Optometry out of the question for me?

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First there is always time, it really depends on how much you want to do optometry. I'm not sure how many pre-reqs for opt school you've done with your cog sci major, but if you can't plan out the required classes that you need until you graduate, then you should consider taking classes over the summer, or a year off.

Find out more about optometry. If you get the opportunity, try to shadow or observe at an office to get a feel for what it's like, or talk to your own optometrist. At least you'll get your feet wet and see if it's worth pursuing.

So, first try to plan out how you'll finish all the pre-reqs. Some schools will allow you to finish pre-reqs after you're accepted, but try to keep that to a minimum because you don't want that to hinder your chances getting into a school.

Next plan when you're going to take the OAT. Berkeley has a rough timetable of when you should get things done. Their deadline is the earliest for applications, so I went off their timetable. Other schools will accept applications earlier too. http://spectacle.berkeley.edu/opt_txtpp/admissions/admittime.html
You might want to sign up for a prep course, too, if you need it.

Also start finding professors and an optometrist to write recommendations. This is where shadowing/working/volunteering at an office comes into play because the more time you spend with an optometrist, hopefully they have opportunities to see your strengths and understand why you want to do optometry. Also make sure these people can write strong recommendations.

Find the schools you're interested in, and their application deadlines. This will help you concentrate your efforts on meeting the requirements for those schools and not wasting time on others.

Hope this helps.

I decided on optometry the summer before my 4th year after shadowing. But my major already covered many of the required classes. I am currently taking a year off and working at an office, and have been accepted by SCCO and waiting to hear back from Berkeley. Other applicants, I've met are 3-4 years removed from undergrad, and they decided to pursue optometry. So, it really depends on your drive and interest for this career choice.
 
yeah don't worry, I didn't even start taking any science classes until my third year and didn't shadow until like a month before I applied, and I got in to schools. Just get your grades up, that is very important.
 
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Hey everyone!
I've kinda same problem, My gpa is really low 2.5 and i'm in junior year. If i'll get good score in OAT, do u think that will make up for my gpa too? I'm gonna try to improve my gpa. planning to apply next fall for fall 2010. please suggest what can i do to make my application more impressive? Thanks
 
Hey everyone!
I've kinda same problem, My gpa is really low 2.5 and i'm in junior year. If i'll get good score in OAT, do u think that will make up for my gpa too? I'm gonna try to improve my gpa. planning to apply next fall for fall 2010. please suggest what can i do to make my application more impressive? Thanks

Retake a bunch of classes. A 2.5 shouldn't be good enough.
 
2.5 definately won't do it, most schools have a minimum GPA requirement of a 2.7 or a 2.8...so even if u kick butt and have outstanding stats otherwise you def need to bring that GPA up
 
Thanks guys, I;m thinking of taking some high level science courses
 
What would people consider to be a competitive GPA?
 
I would think any gpa over 3.0 would be the lower end of being competitive. Primarily you would want to be around 3.3 or 3.4 to be on the safer side.
 
I;ve Pre-req GPA of 2.3 and overall 2.5, What other courses should i take to make my GPA higher?
 
It looks like you should retake everything you've already done.

Not necessarily. It would depend how many credits he/she has completed. If its >90 credits then I guess a post bachelor or a Masters degree would be the most probable route to take.
 
depends what year you are. I know someone who got accepted with a 2.7
 
Wow they must have done some uber-shadowing and extra-curriculars! lol
 
hmm....what do you consider A LOT??

I think he volunteered at a hospital, researched in a bio lab, shadowed an optometrist, worked at a pharmacy, volunteered at the food bank, and played baseball for a year before breaking his wrist.

haha i think thats quite a bit......
 
I scored 390 in OAT, and i've been working with an optometrist from last year.
 
if u have decent marks and a decent OAT score, it doesnt matter much how your extra-curriculars are, just as long as you have a bit of experience at an optometrist's office. But if your marks and OAT scores are borderline, ie. you have a 50/50 chance of getting in or not, then extra-curriculars come into play more. Of course the school is going to choose someone who has more/better extracurriclars than somebody who has close to none.

So the point is, marks are more important than extra-curriculars but they get more important the lower your marks + OAT scores are.
 
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