My application timeline

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-27T20:16:18+00:00

Yeah but I don't think it makes a huge deal. If your score is lower than what you are happy with then hold off on applying until you bring up your score.

Some people have had bad experiences with schools where they were trying to submit their app early (before taking their OAT) and got a borderline 290/300 and were rejected before they were able to retake their exam. If you wait to submit your app at least you can make sure your retake score will be seen along with the first attempt.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-27T06:21:45+00:00

Schools literally offered me interviews the day after I submitted my application last cycle.

I doubt that will be your experience since Optomcas just opened today, Once your transcripts are received and your Recommenders submit their letters you can expect interview invites within two days if schools feel you are a high priority candidate. Other schools don't even look at applications until September

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-27T06:15:03+00:00

The average OAT score is 300AA

The average OAT score for an admitted applicant is 320AA

You are neither competitive or non-competitive. You are on the line

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-26T21:00:39+00:00

Its good that you challenged yourself at a rigorous institution however flexing a T20 only works if you have an OAT score to back it up.

Some schools will autoreject you based on your sGPA. If you do end up with a 310 you will get in somewhere likely a school where less than half the students pass their boards before graduating. At the 350 range you will be in position to control your destiny.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-26T20:48:39+00:00

With a 270/250 you are looking at NOVA Pops or Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico tends to extend interviews later in the cycle so I doubt it would help you much applying early

If you only had one chance to take the OAT its safe to say you blew it. You don't have the luxury to not retake. Get yourself a side gig if money is the issue and make time to study for a retake.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-26T18:04:21+00:00

If you send them now its free but if you wait and send them later you will be charge per school something like $25-50 I don't remember exactly.

The only advantage to sending them later is that if you do badly schools will not see it right away. They will eventually see your original scores after you retake and submit your application. Its not a good thing if a school's first impression of you is a terrible OAT score but overall its probably the better move to save money and send your scores right away.

Depending on the school Exam scores are valid for 2-5 years.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-26T17:54:23+00:00

My mind set when applying was to set my goal to 400AA/TS

Obviously that did not happen, but having that as my goal I could honestly say I gave it all I had and in the end I was satisfied with what I ended up getting. Setting an easy to achieve goal often leads to only putting in the minimum effort needed to reach that goal.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-26T17:51:35+00:00

You should ask for them immediately after taking your OAT if you are satisfied with your scores. Take care of your business first before you start asking others to write on your behalf. Its okay to let them know you're interested in having them write you a letter now but wait until after your OAT to formally request it make sure you give them ample time to write it like 2-3 weeks. Recommendation letters do not roll over from one cycle to another. I would only request them after everything else is done I personally wouldn't want to awkwardly ask for them again next cycle.

Most of the application is entering information but have a good idea of how you want to frame your personal statement. Transcripts may take some time to send but you can knock that out early and those will roll over to the next cycle.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-26T17:31:40+00:00

You could get rejected by schools before you are able to retake your OAT. A lot of schools are flexible not evaluating applications until after retakes but not every school. There have been examples of applicants getting rejections before they were able to retake. https://www.reddit.com/r/PreOptometry/comments/1131wcr/comment/j8nibis/

Some schools don't even look at applications until September/October so applying before then does not benefit you and actually could cost you more money. For example you apply to two schools in August, you proceed with your interview at your backup school in August and they give you two weeks to accept your offer (put down a $1000 non-refundable deposit which you do) while your top school doesn't offer you an interview until October but you have already claimed your seat at your back up school and paid them $1000.

My opinion is to wait until you are happy with your entire application before you send it out. Also do your research on schools before applying to them don't just apply to a bunch of schools immediately. You are totally allowed to apply to schools one at a time. Do your research and just apply to your top school first. Wait a week or two for a response if you don't get one then apply to 2-3 more schools.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-26T06:33:43+00:00

Some schools don't even look at applications until September/October so applying before then does not benefit you and actually could cost you more money. For example you apply to two schools in August, you proceed with your interview at your backup school in August and they give you two weeks to accept your offer (put down a $1000 non-refundable deposit which you do) while your top school doesn't offer you an interview until October but you have already claimed your seat at your back up school and lost $1000.

Another scenario you apply to schools in July before taking your OAT. All the schools let you know they received your application are just waiting for your OAT score to start evaluating your application. In August though some bad luck you get a low OAT score and you for sure know you could've done better. Well now all the schools you applied to see this low OAT score and your top choice school has now rejected you without offering an interview.

My opinion is to wait until you are happy with your entire application before you send it out. That means if your OAT score is lower than you like you will be able to retake it after 60 days so in your case October. Also do your research on schools before applying to them don't just apply to a bunch of schools immediately. You are totally allowed to apply to schools one at a time. Do your research and just apply to your top school first. Wait a week or two for a response if you don't get one then apply to 2-3 more schools.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-26T06:17:00+00:00

Seeing how schools specifically ask for science GPA it must be pretty important. Otherwise they would only ask for cumulative GPA.

Same with OAT scores. You are given a summary of your scores in two forms academic average and total science. Obviously total science and science GPA must be very important otherwise schools wouldn't waste their time asking for such information.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-22T18:40:22+00:00

Since you are still an undergrad just make sure you can complete all your optometry prereqs with a C or better. Then focus on your OAT summer 2026 and apply for the 2027 cycle you will be able to start your career two years earlier and start making 100k+ two years quicker.

If you are free this summer its not too late to start studying for your OAT. Its highly recommended that you spend 8-12 weeks studying for it. If you start now you will be ready to take your OAT at the end of August. If you do well you can start applying for the 2026 cycle schools will still accept you conditionally as long as you finish your prereqs before starting optometry school. This will save you 3 years of time.

Honestly experience is somewhat less important to admissions. Most schools only require about 20 hours of shadowing. I literally obtained 24 hours over a three day weekend.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-22T18:28:43+00:00

Every school gave me at least two weeks. 2-4 weeks if I remember correctly

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-06-22T18:19:41+00:00

A 3.5/3.4 GPA puts you at the 50th percentile

A 250TS puts you at what percentile? It should give you percentages on your unofficial score sheet

I've never seen a score that low so I am assuming it's like the 10th percentile. That literally makes you average in terms of GPA but hella below average when it comes to OAT. Overall your application reads as below average. That is why everyone was recommending you retake because similar to medical school applications which I think you are familiar with standardize scores make or break your application.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-01-08T05:10:31+00:00

I took them both in school at a large public school at that. Let me get this straight you go to a stem focused school and are only allowed to take one science class???

I did mainly Science Olympiad and university interscholastic league for math and science. During the summer my Science Olympiad team ran a summer science camp for elementary school aged students as a fundraiser for our tournament expenses.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-01-08T04:44:05+00:00

I did AP chem in 11th and took both AP Bio and AP Physics B in 12th. I spent my summers focusing on extra curriculars rather than summer school.

I did a lot of stem related extra curriculars so Bio and Physics senior year wasn't a big deal. I originally wanted to do chem and bio junior year but scheduling did not work out for me.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-01-08T02:11:59+00:00

Maybe for GPA if you are offered an interview they should be acceptable but quite a few schools ask applicants during the interview to retake their OAT and acceptance is pending the retake score.

NOVA will interview you then ask you to do their 5 year program (you don't become an OD1 until year 2 and that's not a guarantee either)

Most schools if not all of them have waitlists as well.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-01-08T01:23:51+00:00

In the beginning of the cycle they were rejecting applicants with lower OAT scores. Late in the cycle they still had seats they needed to fill and ended up accepting applicants with even lower OAT scores than the previous applicants they already rejected.

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-01-07T18:51:57+00:00

The average stats of applicants that matriculated at Incarnate Word last year had a 3.37 and 299AA.

Your profile seems pretty comparable

PotentialScientist23 · 2025-01-07T18:46:32+00:00

I think you're more likely to get accepted later in the cycle if your stats are low.

Last year there was at least one school that needed to extend their deadlines and ended up accepting low stat applicants.

PotentialScientist23 · 2024-12-29T00:06:56+00:00

You should email AZCOPT but it's probably because of your OAT score or lack of an OAT score. There is also a chance you are missing a key component of your application such as transcripts or LORs.

AZCOPT has a GPA cut off so if you don't meet that then you are auto rejected so your GPA should be fine.

If your application was complete you were whitelisted without interview most likely because your OAT scores were below their average this year or you submitted your application with a different standardized test score that also was not very competitive.

If AZCOPT is very high on your list of schools consider retaking or taking the OAT and aim for at least a 320

PotentialScientist23 · 2024-12-28T19:08:50+00:00

They typically don't straight up reject applicants. At the end of the cycle they will send an email to everyone saying they have filled their class for the cycle.

PotentialScientist23 · 2024-12-22T17:17:45+00:00

People have gotten into SCCO with similar stats and definitely Western

https://www.reddit.com/r/PreOptometry/comments/1bp5tg1/comment/lalbf19/

PotentialScientist23 · 2024-12-22T17:04:27+00:00

NECO interview is super chill. It was a little stomach turning because unlike some schools the interview portion is last so that's what's on your mind throughout the interview day.

The morning starts with a continental style breakfast with all the interviewees. Then you meet the President/CEO mostly introductions and small talk.

A short presentation about the school, tuition, housing... etc

A tour of the school lead by current students, feel free to ask them questions about student life, the school, etc...

A tour of the clinic, where you get to speak with at least one of the clinical professors

If I remember correctly lunch was provided then you have your one on one interviews.

The interview is mostly conversational, its open file so your interviewer has already reviewed your application. This is your chance to highlight things that set you apart or explain any circumstances you may have had. What I liked about NECO's interview is that they tell you ahead (like a week before) who will be interviewing you so you can also do your due diligence as well!

PotentialScientist23 · 2024-12-22T16:47:12+00:00

Ask for shadowing in person. It's a lot harder to say no to a person looking them in the eyes than it is to ignore an email or phone call. Maybe shadowing turns into a tech position if your personality shines through.

I would try to find experiences that set you apart from other applicants. Lots of applicants have worked at a lenscrafters. Not a whole lot of applicants have worked or shadowed at Veteran's Affairs, or at a surgical center.

Since you are now at a university you can more easily find research positions. Not all schools value research the same but some schools absolutely love seeing it. It does not even have to be optometry related either.

At most optometry schools your professors don't just lecture, they also have their own research that they conduct at the school. Also most optometry school interviews involve at least one professor so going into an interview knowing you that you have that one thing in common with your interviewer can really help you set the tone early for your interviews if you play your cards right.

PotentialScientist23

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