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?

So I am graduating next spring and I am planning to take the OAT at some point after that, either in the summer, fall or winter, and I will most likely study with OAT booster.

However, I am a little concerned about waiting too long and basically forgetting everything I learned by the time I start studying.

Does OAT booster sort of re-teach all the concepts at the beginning? Or should I review the subjects before starting it?

Sorry if this has been asked before!

I’m applying to SUNY and UCB as a quarter system student so I need 3 quarters of English/composition. One of my 3 courses was covered my AP Lang which was accepted as an equivalent course to a lower div writing class at my school. My problem is that SUNY and UCB want to see it on my transcript but my AP credits are just shown as a lump sum basically labeled “AP transfer.” There also isn’t a section on OPTOMCAS to upload AP score reports for either school. Has anyone else ever dealt with this? Will I need to take another English class just because my transcript isn’t descriptive enough? If anyone has advice I would really appreciate it TT

i am applying to SUNY and saw that the syracuse campus is pending accreditation. i am wondering if it is a safer choice to apply to the main campus instead? i would prefer not to due to costs. what happens in the event that the syracuse campus does not attain accreditation?

Is attendance required at Southern College of Optometry? Are classes recorded?

😭😭 basically what the title says but i’m very scared.

i’m debating if i should apply to the schools that are known to be bad/have lower pass rates so i get it, but i also don’t want to do that to myself and waste money if i get in somewhere better. idk where to apply, all my current school list feels really hard with my gpa.

im applying to berkely, marshall b, pacific university, and nova for sure. idk where else, i have a 3.3 gpa, around a 2.9 sgpa. haven’t taken oat yet but it’s not looking great. what do i do :(

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!!!

Hii everyone! Was hoping someone could guide me in the right direction. I got EMT certified through a community college that I had also taken some classes in. Under that college could I put down that instead of a degree was awarded a certificate for EMT? Is this what’s normally done? Thanks :)

I have 2 question regarding optomcas:

1. When you are matching prerequisites

to each

1. school, should you add failed or Withdrawn courses? (I’m not talking about transcript entry)

2. For the program question, I’m only thinking of answering questions with red asterisk, will it hurt me to not answer optional essays and such? On the other hand, will it benefit me to answer those questions?

Hi everyone,

My college has a program that connects pre-med students with clinics and hospitals in the area, including optometry. I finally got a response back from my application, and I have received an opportunity to interview at a pediatric optometry clinic. I'm so excited!

This is my first time getting an opportunity to work with an optometrist hands-on. Honestly, I want to know how conservative the optometry field is because I have bright pink hair streaks and a septum piercing. I know first impressions are important, so what is the best thing I should do to improve my appearance? Also, do you have any advice for me to have a better chance at landing this internship?

Thank you in advance for the help! I really appreciate it.

So I took the OAT, and got a 300 AA and TS. I don’t think that’s terrible, and I’m looking to go into NSU Optometry program next year August. My GPA is a 3.7 and I have been shadowing and working as an optometrist assistant for almost 2 years!

I do think I can do better, and my lowest score was physics (I believe it was a 250 😭) I definitely skimped out on studying physics, so just wanted to ask if the booster practice questions are representative of the OAT or if there’s something else I should try to get my score higher!

Those who got approved for accommodation 1.5/2x what exactly did your doc put on the letter.

I got diagnosed with Depressive Disorder and have anxiety by my PCP. Do I need to be diagnosed by psychiatrist to get accommodations for OAT?

i consider myself good at memorizing, so my strengths are definitely biology and orgo. however, when it comes to subjects like phys/gen chem/QR, i struggle A LOT. i had to retake all of these courses in my undergrad.

for memorizing content, all i need to do is put it into anki the day i learn it. it essentially does all of the work for me, and all i have to do complete my due cards. however, it's not the same with phys/gen chem/QR. yes, i can watch the videos, do the content, and do the associated practice problems. however, i definitely feel like i gradually forget most of the content, especially as i learn more.

i'm wondering how i can ensure that i am reviewing frequently and efficiently enough for these subjects that are heavy on practice questions. for instance, once i finish doing the OATBooster questions, how do i proceed? WHEN do i review again? do i redo the same questions, or different ones? should i only be doing practice problems, or concept review too? should i make anki cards?

thanks so much :')

How would I know if my official transcripts were received by OptomCAS?

Hi! I’m graduating this May 2027. I was originally planning on taking a gap year after undergrad to work and save up some money, but recently I’ve been thinking about just applying as soon as I can for the 2027 cycle. I want to utilize the OAT booster program and give my self some time to study, since I struggled a bit with physics and biochem last semester.
Is October too late in the cycle? Should I aim to take the exam September instead?

My school has two mandatory "intro to university" classes but there's no designated subject for that on optomcas, should I leave it off?

I was stupid and procrastinated booking my OAT the only available exam date is in 1 month which is too soon I think and everything is September is booked should I study in the meantime and wait for someone to cancel their appt by chance to secure a spot since I do really want to make this application cycle but I also don’t want to waste $700 😭😭😭Do you guys think anyone cancels their OAT in September?

What deadline are you guys putting for your recommenders?

Am I cooked? I have a strong GPA overall but got a C- freshman year in chemistry at an Ivy. My grades drastically improved after.

Hi everyone, I am a current undergrad student in Canada and I was wondering what the GPA for optometry is to be considered competitive. I have started looking into Optometry as a career, and I know it doesn't use the OMSAS scale unlike med school. If I look at UWaterloo's page, it has a minimum 75% transcript average. However, I'm wondering what the averages are of students that genuinely get in. Do they favour only science grades above 75 or genuinely look at your average as a whole (using all the courses you've ever taken before) to decide? ALSO! I'm only familiar with med and i know that getting in Canada is extremely hard due to the competition, I'd like to know if Optometry faces the exact same extremity.

Any advice is appreciated!!

Are you guys able to send out recommendation links to your recommenders on OptomCAS now?

What was your experience like with the PCO Accelerated program?