[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-292790-105":3,"doc-detail-292790-en":81,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":95},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","10-steps-18-steps-to-becoming-a-competitive-applicant","10-steps- - 18 Steps to Becoming a Competitive Applicant","","Our Prescription for Success outlines a strategic admissions approach for pre-optometry students, positioning applicants like “personal trainers” who must plan early and compete within each admissions pool. It emphasizes that acceptance is not based on fixed formulas and that recommendations in “10 Steps” define objectives to target for competitiveness. The guide covers setting GPA goals, achieving strong OAT section performance with timing rules, and building interview readiness through structured shadowing and clear preparation for core questions.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/10-steps-18-steps-to-becoming-a-competitive-applicant/292790/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/10-steps-18-steps-to-becoming-a-competitive-applicant/292790.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Olivia Brown","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-03","2026-09-17",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why does the document emphasize that admissions are not formulaic?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It states that each admissions season’s competition differs based on applicant numbers and competitiveness, so what is needed can’t be predicted the same way every cycle.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What GPA goal is recommended for competitive applicants?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Competitive applicants are advised to have an overall GPA of 3.0, with the document framing this as an objective to aim for.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How are OAT scores used if an applicant retakes the test?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The OAT must be taken no more than 2 years before application submission, and when retaken, only the applicant’s best single test-date score set is considered.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},292790,1789655712,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":86,"file_id":87,"file_url":88,"file_type":89,"file_size":90,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":33,"language":91,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":92,"faqs":93,"seo_title":94,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":55},16904993612988,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Our Prescription for Success....  \nSteps to Becoming a Competitive Applicant  \nIt is our pleasure to counsel pre-optometry students about the admissions process and how to plan a strategy to be the most competitive applicant they can be.  \nWe act like “applicant personal trainers” by helping an  \napplicant prepare for the competition they’ll face during Dr. Jane Ann Munroe, Assistant Dean of Admissions the admissions process. It’s important to understand that Eryn Kraning, Director of Admissions  \nwhen the admissions season begins and the competition gets underway, it’s up to each applicant to compete within the pool for an interview invitation. For any given admissions cycle, it’s impossible to predict what it takes to be a competitive applicant because the process is not formulaic. Each season’s competition varies depending on the number and competiveness of the applicants within the pool. The advice given here is based patterns of past seasons.  \nPlease note, the recommendations for GPA and OAT scores outlined in 10 Steps are not what you need to get accepted; rather, they are objectives to aim for and will most definitely make you a competitive applicant for our program.  \n1. GPA:  \nCompetitive applicants are advised to have an overall GPA of 3.0. For advice on how to strategically plan to raise your GPA, send your request [to](to ODadmissions@ketchum.edu)[ ](to ODadmissions@ketchum.edu)[ODadmissions@ketchum.edu](to ODadmissions@ketchum.edu)  \n2. OAT Scores:  \nOAT section scores are based on an index ranging from 200 to 400 with a score of 300 being the 50th percentile. A competitive applicant has OAT section scores for “Academic Average,” “Total Science” and“Reading Comprehension” of at least 300.  \nThe OAT must be taken no more than 2 years prior to the date of your application submission. You are not penalized for taking the OAT multiple times. If you take the OAT more than once, we will look at your best“set” of scores, which are scores from one single test date. For example, if you have taken the OAT several times, we do not use your Physics section score from one test date and combine it with your Biology section score from another test date. We consider ONLY your best score set.  \n3. Shadow, Shadow, Shadow and then Shadow Some More:  \nThe most common reason why an applicant fails in an interview setting is lack of shadowing experience. Key to the interview is exploring, understanding, and being able to articulate your reasons for making the decision to become a doctor of optometry. You’ll need a broad experiential base to answer that all-important  \nquestion,“Why do you want to be an optometrist?”  \n10  \nShadowing Objectives:  \n􀁸 Taking on the responsibility for making autonomous decisions about a patient’s care—in short, taking on the yoke of being a doctor.  \n􀁸 The daily task of patient care: does your temperament lend itself to this duty?  \n􀁸 Explore the sub-specialties of optometry: cornea and contact lenses, ocular disease, low vision, vision therapy, and pediatrics.  \n􀁸 Understand optometry’s role in U.S. healthcare delivery and how optometrists function within the healthcare system.  \n􀁸 Understand the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist.  \n􀁸 Commitment to being a life-long learner.  \n􀁸 Being an optometrist is synonymous with being an advocate for the profession—find out what this means. Ask to attend local chapters of the American Optometric Association (AOA) meetings as a guest of the shadowing optometrist. Such an experience will help you understand why, through optometry’s long history, it’s been dubbed “The Legislated Profession.”  \n􀁸 Be able to project yourself into the profession and its future with enthusiasm and develop working goals specific to your future career in optometry.  \nShadowing can be done in a 1-2 day experience or even by interviewing an optometrist. Shadowing is not an internship nor is it work-experience. The most important objectives for shadowing are: 1) to gain ","cbCailY8U28It8Vn","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCailY8U28It8Vn","pdf",515176,"English","# Our Prescription for Success\n## Steps to Becoming a Competitive Applicant\n## Academic and Test Score Objectives\n### GPA\n### OAT Scores and Timing\n## Interview Readiness Through Shadowing\n## Leadership Through Community Service\n## Building Campus Support With a Pre-Optometry Club","[{\"question\":\"Why does the document emphasize that admissions are not formulaic?\",\"answer\":\"It states that each admissions season’s competition differs based on applicant numbers and competitiveness, so what is needed can’t be predicted the same way every cycle.\"},{\"question\":\"What GPA goal is recommended for competitive applicants?\",\"answer\":\"Competitive applicants are advised to have an overall GPA of 3.0, with the document framing this as an objective to aim for.\"},{\"question\":\"How are OAT scores used if an applicant retakes the test?\",\"answer\":\"The OAT must be taken no more than 2 years before application submission, and when retaken, only the applicant’s best single test-date score set is considered.\"}]","10-steps- - 18 Steps to Becoming a Competitive Applicant | PDF",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":96},[97,101,105,108,113,118,123,128,133,136,139],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},70,"exam",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":129,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":132},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":134,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":135},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":137,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":138},"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":140,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":141,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":142},19,"General","general"]