Your counselor is there to guide and advise you on classes and how to best prepare for Grad school applications. Meeting regularly with your counselor will give you a higher chance of achieving your goal.
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It is important for you to research specific requirements for each school you are interested in applying to.
Most schools will require:
The OAT is an optometry admission test designed to provide optometry education programs with a means to assess program applicants potential for success.
This is a multiple-choice test with 4 sections:
Excellent letters of recommendation are essential part of your application. The best letters come from people who have spent time with you and have gotten to know you well. The number and type of letters vary from one medical school to the next.
You should ask individuals who can objectively assess things such as: Academic Ability, Maturity, Team Work, Compassion, Leadership, and Communication skills. You should avoid asking family members, clergy/bishops, and lab instructors. If you do not think someone will write you a strong letter of recommendation, do no ask them for one. A bad letter can kill your application even if the rest are stellar.
GPA and OAT scores are important but do not make you unique, these activities give you a chance to set yourself apart and display your motivation for pursuing optometry and dedication to serving the community.
Activities may include but are not limited to:
A personal statement is a written description of one's achievements, interests, etc. included as part of an application. In other words, this is a statement that tells the committee what they don't know from the other information like GPA, Pre-Reqs, Shadow/Volunteer experience, research, etc. Give the committee a glimpse of you that they won't find anywhere else. Once you've completed your personal statement, have someone else read through it with a committee members eyes and honestly ask the question: "Would I want to interview you?
Many students underestimate the power of a personal statement. It should not be written quickly or without planning, you should expect to write multiple drafts. Be sure to regularly meet with your pre-health counselor to help you revise and beautify your statement. Keep in mind that our counselors have read many personal statements and have valuable feedback. Although you are not required to act on their advice it is strongly encouraged that you take it into consideration.
OptomCAS is the Optometry Centralized Application Service. This allows applicants to file one application and send it to multiple schools. All schools and colleges of optometry participate in OptomCAS.
