I’m currently a junior at Cal state long beach majoring in Biology. I transferred a year ago from community college and am planning to apply to optometry school. Because of the pandemic, I was not able to join any clubs since transferring and I’ve been looking for research programs but those have been shut down also. I’m graduating next year, and I plan on securing a research opportunity along with shadowing some optometrists in my area (and joining some clubs if possible). I was going through a lot in cc and had a GPA of 3.1. Since I transferred, I’ve been getting a 4.0. Do you think it’s possible that I still have a chance if I manage to get straight A’s for the rest of my undergrad and killing it on the OAT? If you have any advice at all, please let me know!
This is highly dependent on where you want to go.
Obviously, for financial reasons, Cal would be the top choice as an instate public. That said, Cal is hyper-competitive. When I was at the University of Houston, there were quite a few students from CA that didn’t get into Cal. They were strong students. It’s just that Cal had too few spots.
My suggestion is to look at your budget. Optometry school is a LOT more expensive than it used to be. Shoot for Cal, but then rank the others based on the tuition you’d pay from OOS. Then and only then, start to parse what you like and don’t like.
The private schools like Illinois and Pennsylvania are good, but they are spendy. When I applied, paying out of state at a public was still far cheaper than a private. Things might have changed.
I think you should have a good shot somewhere, depending on your OAT and meeting the other requirements.
Why optometry? You will want to convey that in your application. Optometry schools are looking for students who know about the profession (hence the strong recommendation for shadowing) and aren’t applying as a back up to med school, nursing, etc.
Will you have completed all of your pre-reqs at either CC or CSULB? Optometry Prerequisites. Note that Berkeley requires microbiology and a physio lab.
Most clubs, as well as research, have been virtual this year and other students who are interested in optometry have found ways to stay involved during the pandemic. Is there a reason you didn’t join a virtual club? Are you part of this club at CSULB? Why are you waiting until next year to shadow? Just like other businesses, optometrists are having a hard time finding staff. Have you contacted offices about volunteering or working this summer?
Both Berkeley and SCCO/Ketchum are extremely competitive. Here is the Berkeley profile of admitted students. Western and Arizona are less competitive. Please apply broadly and don’t limit yourself to the west coast.
Most of the students I went to school with in Houston that were from CA chose Houston because it was far less expensive than SCCO and clinic rotations started earlier. That may all have changed.
As was suggested, apply broadly. Do however look at the finances. Don’t just bull forward and get a $300+K degree only to find out after that you’ll struggle paying your debt off.
Good luck!
I completely agree. I went to Cal back in the day when we didn’t pay professional degree tuition. Professional degrees at UCs are comparable to private school tuition even for in state residents.
I hire a lot of pre-optometry students in my office and have former staff members who have attended several different optometry schools. I try to keep up to date on what the schools are looking for (I write lots of LOR) and what they ask during interviews.
I am definitely planning to apply to Cal, but I definitely want to be realistic with my options. Right now, I know a couple of alumni from Marshall B. Ketchum so I’m hoping to shadow them and ask for their input also. I haven’t looked into out of state schools yet (my parents really want me to stay in California) but they did say to not worry about budget. Thanks for your advice tho, I really appreciate it 
Hi, I did a lot of pre-reqs at my CC and I did take a look at their website and physio/anatomy along with microbio are all in my ed plan for the rest of my time at CSULB! I definitely should have joined a virtual club, but I did have some issues at home due to the pandemic so I wasn’t as focused as i could have been. So far, the optometrists I’ve talked to during the pandemic were not allowing anyone to shadow because of COVID. Since things are opening up again, 3 optometrists have offered to let me shadow/work for them. I definitely want to apply everywhere, and keep my options as open and realistic as possible. Thank you for your advice
Look at the schools liked below. Price should matter, even if your parents are paying, because the money saved can be put to other uses over time. It’s called Opportunity Cost. CA would be nice, but you have to consider you might not get in. Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State is cheaper OOS than Cal is instate! One of the residents the year ahead of me was from Ferris State. He was a sharp guy. It was a very competitive residency though.
That is nice of your parents to say but you should always consider costs. It is great to hear that you have potential jobs lined up. Since you are almost half way through your summer, I would jump on any opportunity as soon as possible. Many schools ask for a LOR from an optometrist as well as one from an employer.
Here are a couple of other good resources:
Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry: https://optometriceducation.org/
It is too late for you but for others looking at optometry, Berkeley’s Opto Camp is a fantastic opportunity. Opto-Camp - UC Berkeley School of Optometry
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.