u/cheesygoldfisch

Hello everyone! I’m officially a month out from taking my exam and I’m in the review, review, review stage! I’ve taken quite a few practice tests already to gauge where I’m at, and I’m happy with the scores. However, when I review them more than once, I find myself oftentimes wondering if I’ve truly learned the material/from my mistakes on the prior practice tests, or if I’ve just memorized the correct answer for the practice test. How can I avoid this, and instead ensure that I’m retaining my knowledge? I’ve made flashcards and review the cheat sheets, as well as writing them down. Any suggestions or tips that help(ed) people study effectively and confidently?

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working on my optometry school applications as my OAT is coming up in about a month. I wanted to apply before I took it, so I began working on my transcripts, requests, and essays since OptomCas opened the new cycle.

I sent my requests to 3 optometrists and 1 professor mid June. All of the optometrists I’ve requested LORs from have completed them thankfully, but my former professor still hasn’t. We had a great relationship in the courses I took with them, to the point where they even offered to write me one before I inquired about it.

However, when I emailed them following up about it (about 3 weeks with no response), the email address said that it was unable to send due to being invalid. I scoured the internet to ensure that I was using the correct one, and found the professors syllabus, and the email was also confirmed in their Linkdln (which we are connected via). There was a secondary one that I found and sent the same email to that one.

Another week went by and I didn’t hear anything back. The university I went to in undergrad is still close to where I currently live, so I ended up going over there to make sure they received the request. I showed up before the class began and as soon as they saw me, they knew why I was there and addressed that they would be happy to write one, they’d just been busy with a summer class and helping their child move, and that they’d get right on it.

I’m not sure if they received the email I sent to their other address or the message was a glitch on my end. I should’ve asked but I didn’t want to come off as disrespectful or pushy, and honestly wasn’t thinking.

This was about 2 1/2 weeks ago and they still have not completed it, despite me having the due date listed as August 1. I am getting worried because a professor LOR is required at most (if not all) schools I wish to apply to. I know it’s still early in the cycle, but I’m not sure what steps to take from here. Should I go about emailing them again? Change the email in my OptomCas to the email I messaged the second time? Should I go in person to find them again once the autumn semester starts in a couple weeks?

I’d love any advice, I just don’t want to offend or bother them because I know life as a professor is quite busy, and I also wouldn’t want that reflected in a LOR.

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working on my optometry school applications as my OAT is coming up in about a month. I wanted to apply before I took it, so I began working on my transcripts, requests, and essays since OptomCas opened the new cycle.

I sent my requests to 3 optometrists and 1 professor mid June. All of the optometrists I’ve requested LORs from have completed them thankfully, but my former professor still hasn’t. We had a great relationship in the courses I took with them, to the point where they even offered to write me one before I inquired about it.

However, when I emailed them following up about it (about 3 weeks with no response), the email address said that it was unable to send due to being invalid. I scoured the internet to ensure that I was using the correct one, and found the professors syllabus, and the email was also confirmed in their Linkdln (which we are connected via). There was a secondary one that I found and sent the same email to that one.

Another week went by and I didn’t hear anything back. The university I went to in undergrad is still close to where I currently live, so I ended up going over there to make sure they received the request. I showed up before the class began and as soon as they saw me, they knew why I was there and addressed that they would be happy to write one, they’d just been busy with a summer class and helping their child move, and that they’d get right on it.

I’m not sure if they received the email I sent to their other address or the message was a glitch on my end. I should’ve asked but I didn’t want to come off as disrespectful or pushy, and honestly wasn’t thinking.

This was about 2 1/2 weeks ago and they still have not completed it, despite me having the due date listed as August 1. I am getting worried because a professor LOR is required at most (if not all) schools I wish to apply to. I know it’s still early in the cycle, but I’m not sure what steps to take from here. Should I go about emailing them again? Change the email in my OptomCas to the email I messaged the second time? Should I go in person to find them again once the autumn semester starts in a couple weeks?

I’d love any advice, I just don’t want to offend or bother them because I know life as a professor is quite busy, and I also wouldn’t want that reflected in a LOR.

Hello!

I am about a month and a half out from taking my OAT (terrifying) and I have finished reviewing all of the topics on OAT Booster and have taken a few practice tests. My goal is to focus on the cheat sheets (mainly biology due to the sheer amount of information it has, but the other topics too of course). Does anyone have any tips on doing so? What are your favorite study methods? I typically look at sections of the page for 5 minutes, write everything that I can remember for 2 minutes, then study it again for 1 minute and write again for 1 minute. Is there a method someone else thinks has benefitted them a lot? Let me know, I appreciate it!

Hi all,

As you can tell by the title, I have some questions about accommodations. I’ve honestly had a whirlwind of a year. I took the OAT last year, did horribly due to some personal life issues, as well as mental ones, and have since then been to therapy, where I was recommended to simultaneously see a psychiatrist. Since doing so, I’ve been diagnosed with severe levels of anxiety and depression, which I’m working with and taking medications for, and have helped substantially. Additionally, I’ve recently tested for ADHD with the Creyos test, given by my psychiatrist, and have also now been diagnosed with ADHD, which makes a lot of sense now in the grand scheme of things, haha. I’m also acclimating to a new medication to help with it, which has been interesting to say the least.

Im very close with the doctors I work with at my optometry office, and one of them brought up the point that I now may be eligible for ADA accommodations when it comes time for me to take the OAT, which I hadn’t even considered since I’d never been eligible for it during my entire school career. I’ve read up a bit on it on the Prometric website, and I’m aware that I need to request accommodations before scheduling, which I haven’t done yet but plan to very soon. It also requests that an eligible doctor is the one to deem you of needing these accommodations or not, and they need a copy of the formal diagnosis.

I was wondering if anyone had any insight or advice on where to begin on requesting this, and how to go about it, or what it even entails. I’m assuming it’s just a bit of extra time per section, which would honestly help me substantially. I’m not seeing my psychiatrist until the end of July, so I’m a little worried about it being so last minute since I was planning on applying this week, and I know that you have to schedule 60-90 days before you take the actual test, so now I feel really behind on things.

Hello everyone!

I was wondering if anyone had ever been a patient of Dr. Les Alloju in Frisco ENT. I saw him recently and was cleared for a septoplasty covered by insurance due to my deviated septum causing issues breathing, and was then quoted the amount I’d need to pay out of pocket if I were to also request a rhinoplasty for cosmetic purposes. He was very kind and informative, but due to the cost being so much lower than other reputable surgeons, it’s worrying me, especially since I can’t find any of his surgical work online. However, he has nothing but good reviews online as well. I’m wondering if I should just suck it up and pay someone else the full amount, or if I should risk it with Dr. Alloju. I’m just nervous since it’s a very prominent and visible procedure! Thank you in advance for any insight.