2024 Applicant Stats

https://www.reddit.com/r/PreOptometry/comments/1bp5tg1/2024_applicant_stats/

created by Rx-Beast on 27/03/2024 at 16:16 UTC*

40 upvotes, 29 top-level comments (showing 25)

I hope that this subreddit can remain useful for future applicants. If you applied this cycle, I ask you to share the following:

Overall GPA // academic average

OAT score

How you studied for the OAT (Kaplan, OATBooster, etc.)

CASPer score

Non-Academic (extracurriculars, work experience, etc.)

Academic (research, teaching assistant, etc.)

Job-shadowing hours completed

Schools Admitted to

Special credit to: u/optimistic-optometry for this idea from r/uwaterloooptometry

Comments

Comment by toi-thich-an-cho at 27/03/2024 at 19:06 UTC

9 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Cumulative GPA: 3.47

OAT Score: 380AA/400TS

Study Method: OATBooster + Google/YouTube

CASPer Score: N/A

Non-Academic: worked 25+ hours a week throughout college (various jobs); 1300+ hours as optometric technician/receptionist; vice-president of POPS organization

Academic: undergraduate research since sophomore year with two pending publications

Job Shadowing Hours: ~15 hours at a large, corporate practice (work experience was at private practice)

Schools Admitted to: SCO and UHCO

Comment by AnSmartDude at 28/03/2024 at 01:21 UTC

8 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Overall GPA // academic average Science: 3.97 Overall: 3.93

OAT score 400AA/400TS

How you studied for the OAT (Kaplan, OATBooster, etc.) OAT Booster and Chad's prep. Prereqs from uni mostly covered everything once (except chem 2 which I hadn't taken)

CASPer score Didn't do

Non-Academic (extracurriculars, work experience, etc.) Volunteer tech, preoptometry club president, glasses donation club, volunteered at some clinic to give our free exams/glasses, volunteer high school coach. Worked as an office assistant, landscaping.

Academic (research, teaching assistant, etc.) None

Job-shadowing hours completed Like 10 official hours or something but gotten more via volunteering as a tech

Schools Admitted to SCO (chose to attend), also admitted to: UCB, ICO, AZCOPT, OSU, PUCO, NECO

Comment by ccolon007 at 29/03/2024 at 14:44 UTC*

7 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Overall GPA: 3.4

OAT Score: 330 AA / 330 TS

Study Method: OAT Booster + Chad’s videos (chem)

Casper Score: 75th-100th percentile

Non-academic Experience:

1. Member of pre-optometry club.

2. Secretary of LGBTQIA+ Open Alliance club

Academic Experience: N/A

Job shadowing hours completed:

1. 250+ hours across 3 years, 3 different optometrists

2. Worked in a local optical for a year during high school

Schools Applied To:

1. SUNY (Admitted & Comitted)

2. ICO (Admitted)

3. Salus/PCO (Admitted)

4. NECO (Interview Invite - canceled interview after committing to SUNY)

Comment by mamaluigi3770 at 10/04/2024 at 03:05 UTC*

6 upvotes, 1 direct replies

-Overall GPA 3.0 / Biology major and pursued a post-bacc program ('23) after undergrad

-OAT: 300 TS/ 290 AA

-OATbooster and a lot of Quizlet. I used the academic calendar from OATbooster religiously. Physics really kicked my butt, which is why my overall score isn't TOO competitive.

-CASPER: 3rd quartile

-Non-academic: Biology Club Social Media Head/ volunteered in pharmacy drives/volunteered at a local hospital. My first job in healthcare was being a pharmacy assistant. I took a gap year after undergrad and worked for 1.5 years in retail. Gained a lot of experience as an optician and contact lens instructor.

-Academic: n/a

-Shadowing: (job + post-bacc program) 200+

-Schools waitlisted: NOVA, AZCOPT, waiting for other schools to respond..patiently..

-Schools accepted: UIWRSO (to be interviewed by Salus and will update)

I'm the definition of a student who is very baseline with all stats. Not the most competitive, but not below average. I spent the past 3 years revising and gradually building my profile to become a suitable applicant. For others who are in the same boat, the purpose of the OAT is to see if you can use good study techniques. I didn't have a great study ethic during college and had to step it up when I had to retake the OAT several times (lol). Learn to be comfortable with your mistakes, and if I can get accepted--you can.

Comment by Wkoalas at 28/03/2024 at 03:23 UTC

4 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Bachelor's cGPA: 3.79 || Associate's cGPA: 3.58

OAT score: 310AA/300TS

OAT Study Material: OATBooster (don't let my score fool you, I only studied for anywhere between 20-30 hrs total focusing almost entirely on bio. Booster ended up being a great resource and was worth the money, especially for the practice bio exams. Had not completed gen bio 2, physics 1 or 2 by the time I took the exam)

CASPer score: N/A

Non-Academic (extracurriculars, work experience, etc.): Club sport member for 4 years + treasurer for 2 years, Pharmacy Tech for 1 year, Ophthalmic Tech at an OD/MD practice for 2 years

Academic (research, teaching assistant, etc.): Neuroscience & Psychology Research Assistant for 2-3 years, presented at conferences

Job-shadowing hours completed: 2 years at OD/MD practice working + shadowing/scribing for ODs and MDs, shadowed surgery procedures

Schools Admitted to: MCPHS (will be attending), Salus/PCO scholars & traditional, UMSL

Comment by duble_a at 08/04/2024 at 15:44 UTC*

5 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Overall GPA: 3.2

OAT Score: 280TS 300AA (super-scored)

How you studied for the OAT: OATBooster

CASPer score: 3rd quartile

Non-Academic: Over 20 hours a week as an opt tech and optician at a retail clinic for a year.

Academic: completed post-bacc program at Salus

Job-shadowing hours completed: ~50 hours at multiple clinics

Schools Admitted to: Salus

Comment by Exact-Individual4713 at 07/05/2024 at 00:17 UTC

5 upvotes, 0 direct replies

• Overall GPA //academic average - 3.50

• OAT score - 310 AA and 290 TS

• How you studied for the OAT (Kaplan, OATBooster, etc.) - I relied on OATBooster heavy and switched to Kaplan once that was over. The Kaplan practice full lengths were identical to the OAT exam so I do wish I spent more time on that.

• CASPer score - N/A

• Non-Academic (extracurriculars, work experience, etc.) - For work, COVID-19 vaccine assistant and work study library job. For extracurriculars, I joined BEP pre-optometry club. I did a lot of volunteering regarding low vision individuals. I did a volunteer abroad trip to Morocco. I also shadowed two different optometrists.

• Academic (research, teaching assistant, etc.) - None

• Job-shadowing hours completed - 13 hours

• Schools Admitted to - ICO & NECO

I applied very late into the cycle. I submitted my application March 30th so please have hope everyone !!

Comment by Desperate_Stock_4176 at 27/03/2024 at 18:29 UTC

8 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Overall GPA: 3.0

OAT score: 360AA 370TS

How you studied for the OAT: Chads free videos + all the practice tests I could find.

CASPer score: N/A

Non-Academic: 3000+ Volunteer Hours teaching fitness classes, Hospital IT intern

Academic: 300+ Hours bioinformatics research, 300+ Hours cardiac simulation research, Senior capstone project in thermodynamics (in progress), no publications (yet) but two poster presentations, 3 different STEM orgs

Job-shadowing hours completed: Just over 100 hours shadowing split between 3 modalities

Schools Admitted to: AZCOPT, CCO, ICO, NECO, SCO, UHCO

Comment by Rotation_Nation at 28/03/2024 at 07:42 UTC

5 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Overall GPA: 3.86

OAT: 380/380

How study: OATbooster. Started with a little bit of everything about 3 months before exam, about halfway through narrowed focus to only subjects I still needed to focus on and spent more time on them.

No Casper

Non-academic: VP of choir student org. About a year and a half of full time tech experience.

Academic: none really

Shadowed about 15-20 hours between two different practices

Applied and admitted to IU, KYCO, and OSU

Comment by nix323 at 22/04/2024 at 06:25 UTC

4 upvotes, 1 direct replies

GPA: 3.3

OAT Score: 320 AA / 300 TS

OAT Study Method: Oat Booster

CASPer: N/A

Non-Academic: Resident Assistant, Pre-Optometry Club, Fitness and Dance Instructor, Volunteered at Food Banks/Public Parks/Salvation Army, Office Clerk

Academic: Student Tutor, Note-Taker

Shadowing: 100+ Hours

Applied and Admitted: NECO, AZCOPT, PUCO, UMSL

Comment by becidgls at 23/04/2024 at 19:40 UTC*

3 upvotes, 0 direct replies

*GPA:** 3.86

*OAT:** 380 AA/390 TS

*OAT Study Methods:** primarily OATbooster, some usage of the Kaplan book

*CASPer:** 4th percentile

*Extracurriculars:** resident advisor, summer program teaching assistant, nonprofit junior board member, peer mentor, online crisis counselor, president of senior honor society, member of science honor society, marketing chairperson for day of service, president & marketing person of residence hall org, orientation leader...and a brief stint as a build a bear sales associate, lol

*Shadowing/experience:** 17 hours of shadowing across three settings (private practice, vision therapy, and low vision), 6 months of work as an ophthalmic tech, 6 months of work as an optometric tech (worked in 2 different offices)

*Schools applied to:** PCO (traditional and scholars), NECO, SUNY, SCO

*Acceptances:** PCO (traditional and scholars), NECO, SCO (was offered interview for SUNY, declined due to having already committed elsewhere)

Comment by jkv811 at 27/06/2024 at 22:11 UTC*

4 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Non-traditional, took about 10 years off to work and also do a DIY post-bacc

Overall GPA // academic average - ~2.8 at time of applying, then took a few more classes and got to ~2.9
OAT score 320AA/310TS
How you studied for the OAT - OATbooster
CASPer score - N/A
Non-Academic (extracurriculars, work experience, etc.)- volunteered with a college access organization for low income students as a blogger, did presentations at high schools, filmed advice videos (100 hours), Health Scholars for three years at low-income hospital in Emergency Room (~640 hours). Have been working full-time in unrelated field for the past 10 years to help family financially. Was briefly the vice president for my church's youth society before quarantine shut things down
Academic (research, teaching assistant, etc.)- work-study in medical research labs in college as a lab assistant (~10-15 hours a week while in school), volunteered in pediatric pain research for two summers
Job-shadowing hours completed - ~30 at time of application at two private practices in low-income communities, then shadowed about 60 more at 8 additional offices in various settings, subspecialties, etc. after submission, +50 hours in pediatric neurology a while back
Schools Admitted to - Western and SCCO

Comment by Useful_Barnacle_5676 at 31/03/2024 at 04:45 UTC

3 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Overall GPA: 3.47

OAT Score: 360 TS/360 AA

Studying: Chads prep and free OATbootcamp

Casper: 4th Quartile

ECs: 50+ volunteer hours, 50+ volunteering at an ophthalmology clinic, 2 years working as optometric tech

Academic: Stats tutor for a year

Shadowing: 60+ hours shadowing 5+ optometrists

Applied and admitted to: ICO, NECO and Waterloo

Comment by [deleted] at 02/04/2024 at 08:15 UTC

3 upvotes, 1 direct replies

[deleted]

Comment by Savings_Car4762 at 28/03/2024 at 13:01 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Cumulative GPA: 3.83

OAT Score: 370 AA/ 370 TS

Study method: OAT Booster. I started about 2 months out by watching most of their review videos, and then at 1 month out I only watched videos I felt I still didn’t understand, used their notes, and focused on completing and understanding the practice problems. I based my schedule off their two month schedule but modified some of it to fit my learning style.

Casper score: N/A

Non-Academic: working full time for over 1 year for a clinical research organization, E-board position for a neuroscience honor society, volunteered 50+ hours at an animal shelter

Academic: did not include research on my application due to this being part of an undergraduate course for credit and can fall into the grey area of being a “real” research opportunity, but greatly helped when I brought it up in my interview

Shadowing: only 10-15 hours with my optometrist I have seen since childhood.

Only applied to CCO and was admitted.

Comment by Ok-Recover-2826 at 28/03/2024 at 15:30 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

GPA: 3.55

OAT: 350AA/340TS

Study method: OATBooster

Casper: N/A

Non-Academic: involved in multiple volunteer-based organizations on campus, worked as a tech in a private practice, also volunteered at vision clinics on a few weekends

Academic: microbiology TA and obtained a biomedical sciences research certificate

Shadowing: ~24 hours at a corporate office

Schools: applied and admitted to UIWRSO, UHCO and OSU

Comment by Potential_Berry_8137 at 29/03/2024 at 01:25 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Overall GPA: 3.6

OAT: 350AA/340TS

Study Method: OAT-Booster, old class notes, some Chads prep YouTube videos, and a Kaplan text book

CASPer: N/A

Non-accademic: COVID-19 contact tracer for 1 year, leadership position at University women in prehealth science club, member of a TBI awareness and support club, volunteer at local food bank and helped organize a blood drive

Academic: neuroscience research assistant for past year and a half

Shadowing: about 60 hours in total across three modalities (corporate, private practice, and VA hospital)

Schools applied and admitted to: PUCO and UCB

Decided to accept: UCB

Comment by MacyBae at 13/04/2024 at 07:13 UTC

2 upvotes, 2 direct replies

Overall GPA: 3.84

OAT score: 390AA/400TS

Study Method: OATbooster only

CASPer: N/A

Non-Academic: 3000+ hours working various non-optometry related jobs/internships like wildlife bio, vet med, GIS, etc

Academic: undergrad research for about half a year

Job shadowing hours: 30 hours at one optometric practice

Schools Applied: SUNY, SCCO, UCB

Schools Admitted: SUNY, SCCO

Comment by Electrical_Post8541 at 22/05/2024 at 00:18 UTC

2 upvotes, 1 direct replies

Overall GPA // academic average: 3.63/4.00
OAT score: 300 TS/330 AA
How you studied for the OAT (Kaplan, OATBooster, etc.): I used the OATBooster and The Princeton review OAT book
CASPer score: NA
Non-Academic (extracurriculars, work experience, etc.): dance team, Hindu Club, intramural sports
Academic (research, teaching assistant, etc.): Alpha Epsilon Delta, pre-opt club, Research assistant, Chemistry tutor, optometric technician, sales associate at LensCrafters, Pre-med externship, eye camps at SUNY, CCO, and UCB
Job-shadowing hours completed: ~60 hrs
Schools Admitted to: SCO, UHCO, SCCO, MWU CCO

Comment by SeriousStuff629 at 28/05/2024 at 21:53 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Overall GPA // academic average : 3.49 Science GPA: 3.60

OAT score: 360AA/360TS

How you studied for the OAT (Kaplan, OATBooster, etc.): OATbooster and YouTube

CASPer score: Did not take

Non-Academic (extracurriculars, work experience, etc.): Over 3 years of experiencing working as an optometric technician in 2 clinics, volunteered as a tutor

Academic (research, teaching assistant, etc.): None

Job-shadowing hours completed: Likely over 500 hours of optometric experience

Schools Applied: UCB, SUNY, CCO, SCCO

Schools Accepted to: SUNY, CCO, SCCO

Comment by No_Relationship_4865 at 25/06/2024 at 21:00 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

cGPA: 3.4

OAT: 390/400

Study method: Booster

Academic: TA

Non-academic: years playing music professionally, working at a pharmacy, and non-profit, and volunteer work spread out over many years.

Shadowing: 25ish hrs

Applied: NECO, SALUS, MCPHS, and NOVA.

Accepted to all; attending MCPHS 🫶

Comment by lilikoilili at 17/07/2024 at 18:08 UTC

2 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Overall GPA - 3.76
academic average- 300 AA / 280 TS
How you studied for the OAT (Kaplan, OATBooster, etc.)- Kaplan book (my school had a copy in the library)
CASPer score- didn't do this
Non-Academic (extracurriculars, work experience, etc.)- VP pre-optometry club, President pre-optometry club, part time job in chemistry department senior year.
Academic (research, teaching assistant, etc.)- Chemistry TA, undergrad research: freshman and sophomore year- reproductive biology, junior year- plant research
Job-shadowing hours completed- 10 ish, shadowed at private practice, chain, and surgical institute.
Schools Admitted to- AZCOPT, PUCO (chose to attend :))