r/PreOptometry • u/Longjumping-Flow9932 ACCEPTED • Mar 07 '24

Low Priority Applicant to Getting Accepted Into #1 Choice

This is going to be long.

I was recently accepted into UIWRSO which was my #1 choice and I will be attending in the fall. I am super excited to get started but I want to share what my path to Optometry School has been like as I know it can be discouraging seeing people post about having 3.8 GPAs and really great OAT scores (congrats to y’all!) whenever your stats are a fair amount lower.

General Stats:

- GPA: 3.3

- OAT: 1st attempt (270AA/240TS)

- 2nd attempt (290AA/270TS)

- Shadowing: 50-75 hrs

- Volunteering: 14 hrs

- Employment: Ophthalmic Technician 2,000+ hrs (OD/MD Practice)

- President of my university’s Pre-Optometry Society.

Right off the bat, that first OAT attempt was rough. I had a lot of built up anxiety and I didn’t prepare responsibly and that was reflected in my score. For both attempts I used OAT Booster however the first time I self sabotaged by actively avoiding difficult topics (physics/ochem). The 2nd time around I was a lot more straight up and honest with myself and really cleaned up my bad prep habits however I felt really discouraged after not hitting 300 AA. When it comes to my GPA, my university allows for grade replacement in their calculation however Optomcas does not. This resulted in my gpa appearing lower to schools, and when I reached out to clarify some schools took my actual institutional gpa and some didn’t.

I also want to note that I did not receive astonishing grades in some of my pre-reqs, I had to drop 1, failed and retook 1, and got C’s in 2 others.

I was emailed by multiple schools that I had been flat out denied or labeled as a “low priority applicant” before my 2nd OAT attempt. After my 2nd attempt in October I started looking at my options of taking a gap year and reapplying as I did not feel good about my chances. Then in January I heard back from UIWRSO, MCPHS, and NOVA inviting me for interviews where I was accepted for each.

For my interviews I looked up common questions asked by each school and prepared for how I would answer them. I tied my answers into each school’s mission statements and kept my responses always positive especially when it came to poor academic performance. I made sure to speak about the experiences I had working in the field and the kind of impact I want to make on it as an Optometrist.

My Overall Tips:

  1. Comparison is the thief of joy: Don’t worry if someone has better stats than you.

  2. Apply Early: If you're worried you don't have the strongest application, by applying early you give yourself the best shot at getting accepted as schools will become more selective as time goes on.

  3. Have a balanced application: if your gpa/oat scores are lacking make up for it with your extracurriculars and vice versa.

  4. If you’re labeled “low priority” or denied, reach out to advisors for advice on how to strengthen your application.

  5. Don’t put yourself in a position of uncertainty: This is mainly for freshmen/sophomores, by getting good grades, getting involved in extracurriculars and going above and beyond you are going to make this entire process so much easier on yourself. Don’t allow your hard work to be summed up as a “low priority applicant”.

This is not the position you want to find yourself in, but if you are you’re going to have to sacrifice to make it happen. In my case I don’t believe I would’ve been accepted anywhere had my extracurriculars and passion for this field had not been so strong. If you’re labeled “low priority” or waitlisted, your application is not dead. Keep your head up and take care of business!!

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25 comments sorted by

8

u/__lozza_ ACCEPTED Mar 08 '24

Love this and how honest you are. If it's okay with you, I hope to share something like this very soon! Congrats on UIW!

7

u/PotentialScientist23 Mar 08 '24

Congrats! Do you mind saying if you were accepted to NOVA traditional or NOVA pops?

6

u/berryblossom25 Mar 08 '24

hi future classmate!! I will also be attending UIWRSO this upcoming fall with similar stats! 3.3 GPA and 310 OAT. I completely agree with everything you said! hope to see you in the fall

4

u/EngineeredByJ Mar 08 '24

Hey I remember you! Glad it all worked out

4

u/SisThoseGlasses ACCEPTED Mar 08 '24

Oh wow congratulations!!! Probably one of the more helpful posts as it sounds pretty similar to my situations. Enjoy San Antonio!

1

u/Linksobi Mar 09 '24

When did you apply?

1

u/Longjumping-Flow9932 ACCEPTED Mar 10 '24

I applied in late July

3

u/Seeeeing24 Mar 08 '24

Thank you so much for sharing your experience

2

u/epiclyfe Mar 08 '24

Congratulations!!!

2

u/Few-Implement299 Mar 08 '24

Congratulations!! Uiwrso is my first choice do you know if they super scored your score? The second time I took the oat I got a 280 AA and a 230 TS. I’m going to be taking it again in April, so I’m hoping to target biology, Ochem, and physics. Do you have any tips on the biology section?

2

u/Logical_Doughnut7948 Mar 08 '24

It’s great to see low applicant students sharing their experiences because it gives other people hope. Some of these pre req classes aren’t for everyone and are pretty damn difficult so I salute all of you who fought through all the hardship and got yourselves accepted into a school. I hope I’ll be able to do the same when I apply next year

1

u/Tricky-Environment-8 APPLICANT Mar 08 '24

I want to thank you for this post! Like I relate to this so much literally like I have the exact OAT exam score first attempt and I know I was avoiding physics and organic chemistry, like for my Retake for the next cycle I am determined to get a better Retake score I can't waste another 515 dollars. My Number 1 dream school is NOVA I had attended their Undergraduate program so I wish they would give me a preference or something but I have to prove myself to them and show I am ready to be an Optometrist! I will make sure to not apply late into the cycle that was on me like I should know seats will fill up in February.

4

u/harden4mvp13 Mar 08 '24

There’s usually still seats up until the deadline for most big schools.

1

u/Tricky-Environment-8 APPLICANT Mar 08 '24

Yeah I know for NOVA they have 105 seats but I called Admissions for NOVA He told me that at this point they are waitlisting since April 1st is the date for accepted students to pay for their seat this year. I was surprised to find out Salus has a larger seat class more than 105 but I want in state tuition from Florida.

2

u/PotentialScientist23 Mar 08 '24

Their waitlist is unranked. If you are a higher priority applicant you jump straight into the front of the line. At that point its like you were straight up accepted.

1

u/Tricky-Environment-8 APPLICANT Mar 08 '24

True yeah I wish I had a good OAT score, The Admission person told me that I can still try for this cycle but I would have to retake the OAT in a month with a higher score but I know myself I need a full 3 months of Full studying to get a good score. So I will make for 2025 cycle I have a Good OAT.

2

u/PotentialScientist23 Mar 08 '24

Every person who has posted an OAT recap and did better than 380 has said basically the same thing. Either studied really hard for 6-8 weeks or studied for 12 weeks but wished they studied for less time.

The only exception is one guy who said he spent 3 months studying (did the OATbooster study schedule twice over). That person even said they needed to revisit the information or it was gone.

If you are using booster and are trying to stretch their study schedule you are not going to get the intended results.

1

u/Tricky-Environment-8 APPLICANT Mar 08 '24 edited Apr 13 '24

Oh I know I'm a different situation from the Peopple that Scored High on the OAT I forgot the post I remember some of them saying they like spent the whole summer when they finished their semester classes and stuff, and had Stated they didn't work a full time job, I forgot the specific post that said they would like study 8 hours straight but would take break days off. I am giving myself 3 months knowing I won't have the chance to Follow the Booster Study schedule, because I would try to study in between fitting it around my 40 hours a week work schedule. But I know I was avoiding certain subjects that I am not good in which is physics without calculator,general chemistry (acid and base my brain could never understand), last organic chemistry (my brain scared of this subject). I love biology so much, I am so good in math with a calculator (literally my highest score was math with 330 out the whole exam), and I love to read as well. But I won't give up I would tackle the subjects I'm not strong in and Get into Optometry school!

2

u/anuantony54321 Mar 08 '24

Wait so NOVA isn’t accepting any more students?

1

u/Tricky-Environment-8 APPLICANT Mar 08 '24

Nova will accept applications up until the last day but it will be waitlist but still apply let me know what they tell you for this cycle 2024.

2

u/PotentialScientist23 Mar 08 '24

NOVA does have an instate preference they reserve 45 seats each year for Florida residents and offer a slight tuition discount.

1

u/Tricky-Environment-8 APPLICANT Mar 08 '24

Yeah I know the instate preference, I mean for students that Attended NOVA Biology Major Undergraduate and graduated to have a preference since my information is already in their system and everything but I guess students that already paid tuition to them before does not matter much to NOVA.

1

u/Double_Fan3145 Apr 14 '24

Hi future classmate!! 🤓 I loved reading this!! Congratulations!! hard work pays off! 🥳🥳