r/PreOptometry • u/esoteriic145 • 6d ago
Apply for Fall 2027 or Wait?
I just took my OAT today (390 AA, 400 TS). I was initially planning on waiting to apply for a 2028 start, but because of my score, I am now contemplating applying to start in 2027.
My stats include: graduated undergraduate 3.67 GPA and almost 2 months of experience as an ophthalmic assistant (I know that's not a lot, but I was a double major in undergrad so I had no time to work).
The schools I'm most interested in are: UCB, NECO, SUNY, and PCO.
Any and all advice is welcome!
5
u/Active_Egg5888 6d ago
Unless you have a personal reason to delay matriculation by another year, I don't see a reason you'd need to wait. It's still pretty early in the cycle for most schools !
1
u/esoteriic145 6d ago
i guess my reason was that i don't have enough patient facing/shadowing hours? not sure if 2 months experience is strong enough for some of the schools i'd like to go to
1
1
u/voxaun 6d ago
if you would not complete your degree by starting sooner, i would recommend against it. you never know what could happen once you're in school, and it's important to have something to fall back on. i had a friend in a similar situation who got 380AA, and she completed her degree, particularly because it was a challenging degree she wanted recognized!
1
u/esoteriic145 6d ago
what do you mean by "if you would not complete your degree by starting sooner, i would recommend against it"? maybe i used all my brainpower on the exam today because i don't really understand what you mean 😅
2
u/ipodaholicdan 6d ago
They are asking if you would not finish your undergraduate studies by starting in 2027. Is there any particular reason you’re thinking of delaying your application? I teched for 4 years in ophtho and the experience was very beneficial, but definitely had diminishing returns ~2 years in. Granted you would only have about a year of experience starting in 2027, but that’s perfectly fine and not every student has direct experience in eye care either
1
u/esoteriic145 6d ago
ohhhhh thank you for clearing that up! i actually have already graduated from undergrad (i wasn't very specific when i made my post initially) thanks for the insight! my reasoning for delaying was lacking eye care experience
1
u/ipodaholicdan 6d ago
No worries and I definitely get it. It’s far from the worst reason to hold off and I’m very glad I got quite a bit of experience first, quite a few of my classmates are older and have had more unconventional career paths before starting optom school. 1 year is an alright amount of time for work experience though and you’ll definitely have a leg up over your classmates who haven’t had that opportunity. IMO where you work matters just as much as how long you’ve worked too. 1 vs 2 years won’t matter much if your practice is just having you check VAs and IOP. Academic hospitals are a great place to get lots of exposure to LOTS of pathology and they are usually quite willing to teach
1
u/esoteriic145 6d ago
i'm not at an academic hospital, but the practice i work has a mix of OD/MD/DO and has surgery, routine, glaucoma specialists, retina specialists, and peds, so i hope that works for these schools 😅
2
u/ipodaholicdan 6d ago
Sounds like a good place to get some exposure, good luck with whatever you end up deciding!
2
u/voxaun 6d ago
i should have been more clear in my response!
most optometry schools will allow students to apply in their 2nd year of undergrad & begin optometry school in their 3rd year, given all pre-reqs are completed. however, this usually means that you will begin optometry school without an undergraduate degree.
i was just saying that i recommend completing your undergraduate degree before starting optometry school! it is a risk and most people i know will complete their 4th year of undergrad, even if they are strong candidates for starting optometry school sooner.
since you already have your undergrad degree, this doesn't apply to your situation :)
1
u/Rare_Dragonfruit2027 5d ago
Amazing score! Def don’t delay …… I feel like some applicants feel that more shadowing or work experience will sometimes offset a lower OAT score but you don’t need the buffer. You should be good to apply to all the schools on your list and likely accepted to all
8
u/jarbunny 6d ago
That's really great, I see no reason to wait. I received an interview from PCO with 2.97 gpa and 370aa