• The OptomCAS application has been submitted, the OAT has been taken and all Transcripts and Letters of Recommendation have been submitted to OptomCAS. Your complete online application must be submitted to OptomCAS prior to midnight Pacific Standard Time the evening of the December 3 deadline.
• The applicant has also completed and submitted the Berkeley Optometry School-Specific Form (see below), which includes:
  • Prerequisite Worksheet
  • Worksheet for Letters of Recommendation
  • Berkeley Optometry Application Fee

The Berkeley Optometry School-Specific Form must be received by the Admissions and Student Affairs Office (ASAO) by our deadline of December 3, 2012.

Please be reminded that Berkeley Optometry does NOT operate on "rolling admissions." Therefore, while there is no competitive advantage to submit an application early, we strongly encourage applicants to allow themselves a two-week lead time prior to our December 3 deadline to ensure all required materials have been received and processed. For example, if an OptomCAS application is submitted in mid-November and our supplemental application is missing, the applicant is informed by our office and has time to submit the required materials.

NOTE: Please insert your information with appropriate case lettering as this will be a part of your official record (e.g., Jane Doe vs. jane doe).

• Berkeley Optometry School-Specific Form
• Prerequisite Worksheet
• Worksheet for Letters of Recommendation
• Application Fee

 PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY PRIOR TO FILLING OUT THE FORM.

  Berkeley Optometry School-Specific Form

 Note: It's best to use the Adobe Reader (Free Download) or Acrobat (not free) to open and complete this form.

• To open and complete our School-Specific Form, click on "Highlight Fields" on the Prerequisite Worksheet to correctly complete each field.
• In addition to completing the Worksheets for Prerequisites and Letters of Recommendation, applicants to Berkeley Optometry will need to remit an additional application fee. Send a check or money order made payable to the "UC Regents" (drawn on a U.S. bank; do not send cash). If you are a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, submit an application fee of $80. All other applicants should submit an application fee of $100 (U.S. dollars). The application fee is nonrefundable and the School of Optometry does not offer fee waivers.

Applicants are encouraged to submit the Berkeley Optometry School-Specific Form as soon possible; applicants need not wait until they have completed their OptomCAS application to submit the Berkeley Optometry School-Specific Form.

Mail the UC Berkeley School of Optometry Specific Forms (Prerequisite Worksheet and Worksheet for Letters of Recommendation) and
Application Fee to:

UC Berkeley - School of Optometry
Admissions and Student Affairs Office
Berkeley, CA 94720-2020

An applicant's most recent set of OAT scores must be no earlier than two years (24 months) prior to the opening of the current OptomCAS session. Therefore, for the 2012-2013 application cycle, we will only accept OAT scores from tests taken from July 1, 2010 until December 3, 2012.

An official transcript is signed and sealed by your institution's Registrar.

TIP: Request transcripts to be sent to OptomCAS early in the application process to ensure timely completion. In fact, once you have an OptomCAS ID set-up, we strongly suggest submitting your request immediately. Your OptomCAS application does not need to be complete prior to sending transcripts. Submitting them late can potentially delay your application past our deadline so it would only benefit you to do so early.

Although OptomCAS allows up to four letters of recommendation to be entered in the online application, Berkeley Optometry requires and will only review three letters of recommendation. We will ask you on the Berkeley Optometry School-Specific Form which three letters you want us to review if you have enteresd four letters within the OptomCAS application.  (To open and complete our School-Specific Form, we recommend using the latest version of Adobe Reader — Free Download. Additionally, click on "Highlight Fields" on the Prerequisite Worksheet to correctly complete each field.)

The three required Letters of Recommendation are critical to your application. Suggested sources would include:

• an optometrist who can state through documented experience that you know what the profession of optometry entails.
• a professor with whom you have done personal work (such as assisted on a specific project), or with whom you took a prerequisite course.
• an employer or extracurricular activity advisor who can comment about your maturity, diligence, and conscientiousness.

Some Pre-Health Advising offices compile academic/ personal information and will also coordinate the collection of letters of recommendation in order to provide a "Committee Letter" for pre-optometry students. Please note that Berkeley Optometry does not accept Committee Letters.

Please describe what inspires your decision for becoming an optometrist, including your preparation for training in this profession, your aptitude and motivation, the basis for your interest in optometry, and your future career goals. (Limit of 4,500 characters plus spaces combined)

Additionally, applicants to Berkeley Optometry will be asked to provide a response to these essay topics, also within the OptomCAS application:

Please explain why the optometry program at UC Berkeley would be a good fit for you. (Limit of 3,000 characters plus spaces combined)

Based upon your personal background, please share what you will contribute to the Class of 2017 at Berkeley Optometry, and beyond, that will add to the range of interests and experiences of this incoming class. (Limit of 3,000 characters plus spaces combined)

Have you previously applied to the School of Optometry?
If yes, please describe what you have done since your previous application to make yourself a more competitive candidate for admission to Berkeley Optometry. (Limit of 3,000 characters plus spaces combined)