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This guide or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without giving credit to the author or receiving written permission.  \n2  \nHow To Get Into Optometry School  \nCONTENTS  \n4 INTRODUCTION  \n6 PRE-APPLICATION  \n10 WRITING THE OPTOMETRY ADMISSIONS TEST  \n14 THE APPLICATION  \n22 INTERVIEWS  \n3  \nHow To Get Into Optometry School  \n4  \nIntroduction  \nYou’ve decided to pursue a career in optometry—congratulations! This guide has been written for students who are working towards gaining acceptance into an optometry program in North America. The advice will likely be most relevant to those in their undergraduate career in the United States, but can also be used for those who are not yet working on their bachelor’s degree as a guide on how to map out a plan to reach your goals. The contents can be equally as useful to those post-bachelors who are working on their application as well. It’s never too late or too early to choose optometry and this guide is designed to help you know what schools are looking for in their future students.  \nRead on for a compilation of advice from admissions committee members and administration from various optometry schools acquired by a current first-year optometry student throughout both her undergraduate career and application process. Experiences from a few dozen optometry students attending various schools has also been used in order to increase accuracy of information.  \nThe guide is created to help students be competitive applicants at top optometry schools, but if your application looks very different from what is outlined here, optometry school is not necessarily out of the question for you. If you are unsure about your application, it is highly recommended that you reach out to the admissions department at the schools you are interested in. Most, if not all schools, will have admissions directors who would be happy to look at your transcripts, test scores, and experiences to help gauge where you stand as an applicant. Do not hesitate to reach out; schools love to see your interest and willingness to improve.  \nPre-Application  \nPre-Application  \nIt is important to know what optometry schools are looking for well before starting your application. By keeping in mind what admissions committees want in their student body, you can work to build your experiences and meet the criteria that is being sought after each application cycle. The application process is holistic, meaning a combination of all of your experiences will be considered when accessing your application..  \nACADEMICS  \nWhen thinking about your application, one of the main components schools will look at is your GPA. Across all the optometry schools under the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, the average undergraduate GPA of the entering class of 2018 was a 3.41. This can be a bit daunting, especially because it can feel impossible to bounce back after a tough quarter or semester, but it is important to remember since the application process is holistic—admissions committees will take into consideration other factors that may have affected your performance in various aspects of your application. On the flip side, a high GPA may help offset a lower OAT score.  \nGPA  \nAdmissions committeeswantto ensurethattheirincoming class will be able to handle the rigors of optometry school. First-year optometry students are expected to take more than 20 credit hours of core science courses. Although optometry schools do not have a preference on the major applicants choose to pursue at their undergraduate institution, course rigor is definitely taken into consideration. GPA is qualitatively important, but it is also important to show you are able to take more than one challenging course at a time. Admissions committees will consider what courses were taken concurrently when a","cbCaiubjkf40xdhy","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiubjkf40xdhy","pdf",13126907,15,"English","# Contents\n## Introduction\n## Pre-Application\n## Writing the Optometry Admissions Test\n## The Application\n## Interviews","[{\"question\":\"What does the guide say about how optometry schools evaluate applicants?\",\"answer\":\"It describes the admissions process as holistic, meaning the combination of experiences is considered when assessing an application, not just a single metric.\"},{\"question\":\"How important is GPA in optometry admissions, according to the guide?\",\"answer\":\"GPA is a major component, and admissions committees consider both overall GPA and science/prerequisite GPA. Course rigor, concurrent courses, and grade trends also matter.\"},{\"question\":\"What is science or prerequisite GPA (sGPA) and why does it matter?\",\"answer\":\"The guide explains that sGPA is calculated from science or prerequisite coursework and is often lower than overall GPA. It helps schools judge performance in coursework directly relevant to optometry school.\"}]","How To Get Into Optometry School - An Optometry Admissions Guide | PDF",38]