hi! i’m still on a waitlist for my top choice since the spring but i committed to another school for fall 2026 since then. i know tuition bill deadlines are coming to an end in a few weeks. so i just want to ask if i should email the school if the class if full or not, as when i emailed them a month after i was placed on the waitlist that they did not have a timeframe to give updates if any. thank you!
It's feeling impossible!
This might be a silly worry of mine but I’m worried that since I don’t wear glasses I won’t be relatable enough for the patients I’ll eventually see. Also, I just feel like I already have less experience than everyone else since most people pursuing optometry wear glasses. I think optometry is a career I can really see myself going into, but this is just food for thought.
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that i got accepted into IAUPRSO, thanks for all the advice you ALL gave me. Excited to start this new journey!
I’m a laid back type B person in all honesty. I care somewhat about prestige. My main priorities are a decent income 100k+, good work-life balance, and the potential for a higher income ceiling. I’m going into my junior year of undergrad as a psyc major taking pre reqs for optometry/med which is what I’m trying to decide on to pursue. I have a 3.73 gpa and a 3.77 BCP/sgpa. Any extra schooling I get will be completely paid for so I do not have to worry about debt. Do you guys have suggestions on what to pursue in healthcare in my situation?
I am pretty stressed right now. Took my OAT in April and did not do as well as I could have. Right now, my plan is to retake the OAT in September and submit my application at the beginning of October, when my official score comes back. My gpa isn't the best, but I believe I have strong LOR and experience. Is applying in October too late? I just feel really anxious seeing people apply in August. Any advice would help. Thank you.
Hey guys, I could really use some advice.
I applied to optometry at a couple of schools this past cycle and was provisionally accepted. I ended up committing to Salus for this fall.
The issue is that I still had three prerequisite courses to finish. I completed two of them with grades in the 80s, but unfortunately I got a 57 in the third one.
I know this is a really dumb situation to be in. I had a lot of family stuff going on this semester that honestly affected my performance, but I know that’s ultimately on me. I just found out my final grade and immediately reached out to everyone I needed to, but I haven’t heard back yet.
My acceptance says I need to complete all prerequisites with a C- or higher. If a C is considered a 60, do you think there’s any chance they’d count a 57 as a C-?
The other thing I’m wondering is whether schools ever let you retake a prerequisite before classes start. My acceptance letter says the prerequisites “must be completed before the beginning of classes,” but it also says transcripts need to be submitted by July 15. I’m not sure if the transcript deadline is just for verification purposes or if it means there’s no flexibility after that.
Has anyone been in a similar situation or know how admissions usually handles something like this? Also, if I end up speaking with the admissions committee, what’s the best way to approach the conversation?
I’m honestly really worried about losing my spot. I’d really appreciatej any advice or experiences you guys can share.
These are some of my top schools and I made a small cost table using websites from each one. It is crazy that just a few years ago like 2019, school was about 200k or less and now a school being 350k is rather normal.
What they don't teach u in school on career day is that salary doesn't really matter, its the take home pay that does. If you make 150k in a state with moderate income tax like Minnesota for example, you take home less than 100k
It seems like our only chance of making it out of long term crippling debt is to either:
I know right now we all need to focus on studying cause if you drop out your kind of screwed but it is daunting that the 5 years out of school you have to live and work like a peasant unless you marry a neurosurgeon or something.
obviously this post is highly exaggerated but it puts some of our worries out there and is something to think about. There are some pre-OD students Ive talked to that think they'll come out of school driving a new mercedes and a mansion and I think its important to think about reality instead of fantasy land.
I've been the advisor for my local university Pre-Optometry Club for 2 decades.
Here's a list of my observations regarding the OAT:
Saying this, its just my general opinion, & I don't know you specifically, but coming from helping 100+ get into optometry school (and helping others pivot to something else).
Hello, I was just wondering if any current or past students have any recommendations on ways they minimized spending while in school. Any specials you have used like how Spotify/Hulu does reduced cost for students? Any meal prepping recipes you loved? Any free/low cost events that you took advantage of? I will be attending SCO in the fall so any events in Memphis specifically you enjoyed that is low cost?
Does anyone know of any New York optometrists (NYC/Westchester/Long Island) who are open to shadowing and are willing to write a LOR after few shadowing sessions???? I am having a really hard time connecting with any through cold emailing and calling.
Thanks in advance!!!
i'm still waiting for my letters of recommendation to come in, and i am taking my OAT at the end of september. however, i've gotten a handful of automated emails from schools saying that i should submit ASAP, and that i don't need to wait for these things to come in. i'm just wondering if i should atleast wait for the letters? i am aware that i will likely be put on hold until my OAT anyway - does applying early make a difference?
Does anyone have advice for finding an optometrist to shadow? I’ve called/walked in to nearly every clinic near me and none of them offer shadowing. Do I just have to keep asking people and perhaps drive further to find someone 😭 starting to stress me out
Does anyone have any advice on how I should study for the physics section? I have booster, but honestly it’s just not clicking. Physics isn’t my strongest subject :/
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation or has experience with optometry admissions.
I’ve taken the OAT three times, and now ASCO requires additional documentation before I can register for another attempt (such as a letter from an admissions advisor recommending that I retest or reapply). The problem is that I graduated several years ago, so I no longer have access to a university health professions advisor who could write that letter.
Since my last application cycle, I’ve shifted my focus toward improving my academic record. I’m currently retaking science prerequisite courses to raise my science and cumulative GPA while continuing to work as an optometric technician. I’ve been in the field for several years and have gained a lot of hands-on clinical experience, but I know my GPA has been one of the weaker parts of my application.
My questions are:
Has anyone here gone through the multi-attempt OAT authorization process? If so, what documentation did you submit?
Has anyone asked an optometry school (such as SCCO or another program) to provide the letter recommending an OAT retake?
For those who were accepted after multiple OAT attempts, did significantly improving your GPA and showing an upward academic trend make a meaningful difference in your application?
If you were in my position, would you continue focusing on raising your GPA, or would you prioritize trying to obtain authorization for another OAT attempt?
I’m trying to figure out the best path forward and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has navigated a similar situation.
Thank you in advance!
I took one year of general biology at UCI, and at that time, they never offered any labs for general bio. It was only a year after I completed it they offered a lab. I graduated now and i cant "retake" just the lab because my school requires BOTH the lec and lab to be taken together.
Most schools require lec and lab for bio, is my school an exception? Did anyone else have experience with this?
Took two sets of practice tests and scoring abt a 300 total on both of them even though I feel like I’ve been studying and putting in the work. I think my bio score will significantly improve but my OAT is in a month. I am aiming for at least a 330, does this seem doable in that time frame? I’m honestly stressing out
I had my interview in may and still no movement on the wait list. I’m super worried and feel defeated and just don’t know what to do. I could always apply for next cycle but don’t know when I should study for the OAT. I have no optometry friends really and nova was my top school to get into this fall. I’m still trying to remain hopeful :( any advice would help
Hi, I’m about to enter my first year entering optometry school but imposter syndrome is really starting to hit me. I had shadowing hours in multiple settings but I never had research hours and it feels like everyone had one. I also never had tech hours and it feels like everyone else had one. I did have volunteering at an eye clinic and was a TA for A&P1. But I keep thinking about not having a tech job or research and people around me having one. I also did bad my freshman year and even though I bounced back and did well on upper level courseworkI’m still scared that version of me will come back.
I am also surrounded by geniuses who r at the top of their field or will be. All of them were always at the top of their class , always had fancy internships in their field, everyone calling them for opportunities and its always affected me having a different path having to deal with rejection and setbacks.
I know this is a non issue because application season started so I apologize in advance
People with a low GPA that got accepted into optometry school: what was your gpa and oat score? what part of your application made up for the low gpa?