Where do I go from here

[finp543]

At a major standstill in life and questioning where to go from here. I'm almost 25, and I still have a lot of prerequisites left to finish. I graduated undergrad in 6 years (really only there for 4.5--if you dont count leaves of absences and count the fact that id completed the coursework a semester before my graduation date). 2013-2019. I had extremely little involvement throughout college and not a strong enough application to land me college degree jobs following my graduation because of how little i did. Ive been working on an informal post-bac at a local university (whilst only gaining non-opt shadowing, non-opt volunteering at the same time). After next semester I will still have Physics 2/physics 2 laboratory, anat, stats, psych, biochem left. I see there are a few schools that dont require ALL of these, but for most schools id still be 4-6 prerequisites shy. I also have to get done all of my shadowing and clinical experience in order to write a worthwhile PS during that the next 8 months--which would seem premature to me (to only have discovered opt a few months before applying). Im considering waiting another cycle, but at that point id technically have 8 years of undergrad during which i had very little involvement and no real job, which i almost see as being worse. I'm at a standstill as to which to choose.

Thanks for reading.

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[Missc9opt]

Hey, I know you just posted this. I’m here to encourage you! If this is your dream, don’t stop until you achieve it! 4-6 prerequisites isn’t bad at all if you break it up into two semesters. Then you can discuss in your PS about how you found your passion at a time when you felt stuck.
I just took my OAT today, and I’m just here encouraging other people. You could work as a tech, save up money for the OAT and OptomCAS application, volunteer with Lion’s Club or Prevent Blindness (if they’re near you), and with your pre-req professors for Letters of rec, and shadow an optometrist nearby. If you aren’t near any, go to a mall! That’s what and did, and I shadowed her from Sept to Dec. Though I’m still in undergrad, I’m here to tell you don’t give up! You made this thread for a reason right? You have 8 months to get going! Keep going!

 

[finp543]

Hey, I know you just posted this. I’m here to encourage you! If this is your dream, don’t stop until you achieve it! 4-6 prerequisites isn’t bad at all if you break it up into two semesters. Then you can discuss in your PS about how you found your passion at a time when you felt stuck.
I just took my OAT today, and I’m just here encouraging other people. You could work as a tech, save up money for the OAT and OptomCAS application, volunteer with Lion’s Club or Prevent Blindness (if they’re near you), and with your pre-req professors for Letters of rec, and shadow an optometrist nearby. If you aren’t near any, go to a mall! That’s what and did, and I shadowed her from Sept to Dec. Though I’m still in undergrad, I’m here to tell you don’t give up! You made this thread for a reason right? You have 8 months to get going! Keep going!

Unfortunately I meant 4-6 after the spring semester--so id still have 4-6 in 8 months. I could take online courses in June to wittle that down to 2-4 before applying

 

[97thaik]

If you have any top schools in mind, I would highly suggest emailing their admissions office and asking for help. Most optometry schools are willing to sit down with a student and help guide them through what they need to do and their opinion on the strength of your application. The school will tell you what courses you still need to take, what volunteer/shadowing you should do, what to get on the OAT, and when to apply based on how much you already have done. They will probably be a bit busier around these times since it's still the admission time for the current cycle, but it's something you can work on with them as the months go by.

 

[Missc9opt]

Unfortunately I meant 4-6 after the spring semester--so id still have 4-6 in 8 months. I could take online courses in June to wittle that down to 2-4 before applying

Oh, okay I see what you’re saying. Well, this thread has helpful information from all sorts of people. I would do as much as you can to apply for this cycle, but if you have to wait, then just wait. Do what’s best for you. Most importantly, don’t give up.

 

[jilliberta]

At a major standstill in life and questioning where to go from here. I'm almost 25, and I still have a lot of prerequisites left to finish. I graduated undergrad in 6 years (really only there for 4.5--if you dont count leaves of absences and count the fact that id completed the coursework a semester before my graduation date). 2013-2019. I had extremely little involvement throughout college and not a strong enough application to land me college degree jobs following my graduation because of how little i did. Ive been working on an informal post-bac at a local university (whilst only gaining non-opt shadowing, non-opt volunteering at the same time). After next semester I will still have Physics 2/physics 2 laboratory, anat, stats, psych, biochem left. I see there are a few schools that dont require ALL of these, but for most schools id still be 4-6 prerequisites shy. I also have to get done all of my shadowing and clinical experience in order to write a worthwhile PS during that the next 8 months--which would seem premature to me (to only have discovered opt a few months before applying). Im considering waiting another cycle, but at that point id technically have 8 years of undergrad during which i had very little involvement and no real job, which i almost see as being worse. I'm at a standstill as to which to choose.

Thanks for reading.

Don't be hard on yourself. First of all, if you have to wait a cycle it isn't that big of a deal. One year seems like a lot now, but it isn't. Second, if you want to do it, you can do it. I am in my mid-thirties, I graduated from college in 2008, and I am currently getting my second bachelor's degree so I can apply to optometry schools. I will have 7 full-time years of undergrad under my belt when I start optometry school. I have four prerequisites to go, I have to take the OAT without officially having taken Organic Chemistry. I decided to audit organic chemistry I while taking chemistry II just to have a shot. I know I haven't gotten in yet, but I have to believe I will and you have to do the same for yourself.
If anything having a different story can help set you apart. Some people are very lucky to know what they want their path to be at a young age, and some people have to figure it out later.

 

[anonnnnnnnnn123]

There seem to be many people your age (and older) in optometry school with families, kids, etc. so I wouldn't worry about that. When I was at interviews, I felt like the baby in the room (I'm 20).
You could do those prerequisites 100% in one year. If you're reaaally driven to get it done, you could probably do it in one semester but there's no need-- I'd apply in August (next cycle) and not worry about the age thing at all.

As for EC's, I was completely not involved in my university either, except for being a part of my school's Optometry club. My volunteer experience was completely unrelated, like yours. Try to get 20+ shadowing hours throughout the year-- if you think about it, if you can find someone to let you shadow a whole Saturday, you could get it done in 3 weeks or so. If you feel like you're lacking in GPA or something then maybe try to find a job at an optometrists office in the summer, but it's not really required... on my application I had 2 months of optometry-related work, and about 30 hours of shadowing at 3 different places and no one mentioned that I was lacking in EC's or optometry experience.

 

[Landobanando]

At a major standstill in life and questioning where to go from here. I'm almost 25, and I still have a lot of prerequisites left to finish. I graduated undergrad in 6 years (really only there for 4.5--if you dont count leaves of absences and count the fact that id completed the coursework a semester before my graduation date). 2013-2019. I had extremely little involvement throughout college and not a strong enough application to land me college degree jobs following my graduation because of how little i did. Ive been working on an informal post-bac at a local university (whilst only gaining non-opt shadowing, non-opt volunteering at the same time). After next semester I will still have Physics 2/physics 2 laboratory, anat, stats, psych, biochem left. I see there are a few schools that dont require ALL of these, but for most schools id still be 4-6 prerequisites shy. I also have to get done all of my shadowing and clinical experience in order to write a worthwhile PS during that the next 8 months--which would seem premature to me (to only have discovered opt a few months before applying). Im considering waiting another cycle, but at that point id technically have 8 years of undergrad during which i had very little involvement and no real job, which i almost see as being worse. I'm at a standstill as to which to choose.

Thanks for reading.

Hi there, I am 30 years old, started my undergrad in 2011 and took 5 years off between the first half of my prerequisites and the last half, all of which I took at a community college. I decided to finish my prerequisites and complete my goal to become an optometrist two years ago and laid out a plan in October of 2018 in which I could complete all my prerequisites, apply and enter school in the 2019 cycle. I had little to no shadowing experience with a OD and was working full time supporting my family so between work school and family I had little to no time to do anything else. I worked my butt off and found a doctor to shadow for about a half an hour a day a couple of days a week, got through my prerequisite classes of which I lacked 5 (Statistics, Calculus, BIO 201 & 202, and Biochem) and in the end I did NOT make my goal off admission in that cycle... BUT, it made applying this current cycle that much easier as I had done most of the heavy lifting the previous year and could now just focus on strengthening my application. As I said, I am currently 30 years old, I am the definition of a "non traditional" student, I took most of my prerequisites at a community college, some of them up to 10 years ago and others online, I did not score well on the OAT, (290) which I was planning on retaking, but put my app out there anyway and ended up getting accepted by my school of choice (AZCOPT). I will be part of the class of 2024. Don't doubt yourself, work hard and apply as soon as possible. If it doesn't work out, there is always next year. You are more than just a GPA and OAT score. Make your application reflect yourself, your passions, and your desire to further the field of optometry. Keep at it! You got this!

 

[deleted1011568]

Don’t lose sight of it if it’s what you love, and don’t get too hung up on age (I know, easier said than done). I went back to school at nearly 24 to finish undergrad. I’m about to turn 27 this year and entering the class of 2024 this fall. While it felt weird to be older (and married!) while I finished undergrad, I feel that my age was a positive when applying to OD school. With age comes maturity and a bit more life experience. Age won’t matter if you show your passion for and dedication to the field

 

[Bright12]

Hi there, I am 30 years old, started my undergrad in 2011 and took 5 years off between the first half of my prerequisites and the last half, all of which I took at a community college. I decided to finish my prerequisites and complete my goal to become an optometrist two years ago and laid out a plan in October of 2018 in which I could complete all my prerequisites, apply and enter school in the 2019 cycle. I had little to no shadowing experience with a OD and was working full time supporting my family so between work school and family I had little to no time to do anything else. I worked my butt off and found a doctor to shadow for about a half an hour a day a couple of days a week, got through my prerequisite classes of which I lacked 5 (Statistics, Calculus, BIO 201 & 202, and Biochem) and in the end I did NOT make my goal off admission in that cycle... BUT, it made applying this current cycle that much easier as I had done most of the heavy lifting the previous year and could now just focus on strengthening my application. As I said, I am currently 30 years old, I am the definition of a "non traditional" student, I took most of my prerequisites at a community college, some of them up to 10 years ago and others online, I did not score well on the OAT, (290) which I was planning on retaking, but put my app out there anyway and ended up getting accepted by my school of choice (AZCOPT). I will be part of the class of 2024. Don't doubt yourself, work hard and apply as soon as possible. If it doesn't work out, there is always next year. You are more than just a GPA and OAT score. Make your application reflect yourself, your passions, and your desire to further the field of optometry. Keep at it! You got this!

Hello, I am kind of own the same boat. I was was wondering how your GPA was? any advice? would you message me directly ?