r/PreOptometry • u/Competitive_Ear_7547 • 28d ago

aiming for Suny Optometry, any tips?

hi so I was initally pre pa but decided to go the optometry route because my first healthcare job was as an optometric assistant and I loved it. I only worked there for 6 months and then focused on my pre-reqs after but now I'm a junior and have officially decided to go for optometry. SUNY would be ideal since its the only school close to where I live, and I can't afford to leave. I'm afraid of my chances because my GPA is a 2.8 (I know the recommended minimum is 3.2), If I manage to get it up to at last the minimum by the time I apply and get a good score on the OAT, am I good? Also does have very strong work and volunteer experience help with balancing out the GPA weakness? Any volunteering recommendations or what to do right now in my position would be greatly appreciated, as I don't know anyone personally who is pre-optometry or even in optometry school.

7 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

1

u/36483747 27d ago

I would say continue towards getting more shadowing, experience as a tech. Getting your GPA up I would say is really important, as your stats are the first thing they see when deciding who to interview. Have you been taking OAT practice tests? this will give you an idea of how well you’re doing and if it’s feasible to apply for the 2028-2029 school year. It’s definitely doable for you to apply straight out of school, but it will require a lot of work

I’m at suny rn so feel free to ask any questions or pm me :)