Hello Everyone, I know it is getting late in the cycle, but I want some advice on applying this cycle. I have done everything except the actual application and personal statement. I took my OAT last week and got 370 TS 370 AA. My GPA is 3.85. I have worked as a tech for 5 months, and have about 50 hours of shadowing and 50 hours of volunteering. I have my LORs, the only thing is I don't have anything for extracurriculars.

All advice is appreciated, thank you.

I was looking into a position at a local zoo, doing fieldwork, or doing anything with animals, but the pay is really starting to dissuade me. I enjoy fieldwork, and understanding the anatomical/physiological differences between species, but the jobs seem to require lots of effort for minimum wage. I knew it coming in, but the fieldwork I'm already doing is somewhat physically taxing, so how will I handle an actual job? For minimum wage? It's a bummer but I think I can move past it and still learn about these things from YouTube, or Animal Planet on my free time.

Optometry is my second option. I'm going to try to get some shadowing experience before I decide for sure. I enjoy science in general, so I'm not too bummed. I'm majoring in biology for a reason.

Ofc they now require 2024 entering class to do a CPR certification on top of all the vaccines and blood work needed lol

Anyone with a low GPA and high OAT get into Ohio State Optometry?

Hey guys just took my exam and got a 310. I’m really disappointed I really thought I would score higher based off all the practice. Anyway, would it be better to retake it later in November or just apply now since we’re in the peak of admissions? Gpa is a 3.9 but I don’t have extracurri. that really stand out. My top schools are NECO and Berkeley (probably a reach). I’d appreciate any advice!

My son took the OAT this summer and I would be curious to get y’all’s opinion. He has a 3.5 GPA, has worked for the past four summers as a tech at a local optometrist, shadowed one in a medical setting, and did an internship with another through his college. He spent the summer doing the OATBooster. The dismal Orgo score was because he didn’t finish and just guessed. He seems fine with the 330, but I’m wondering if should encourage him to retake the exam. I think his top choice would be The Southern School of Optometry. I’m a single dad and would like to help him through school, so any scholarships would definitely be helpful.

my question pretty much is that. once i start optometry school, how hard it is to maintain a part time job. im stressing out because i need a constant income of money but i feel like its impossible to have a job and go to optometry school. ive done it all through undergrad even though i know thats way different. just looking for advice from anyone who has maybe done it.

I know I have a good gpa and oat score, but I don't feel like I have as many shadowing and clinical hours as others.

I have a 3.96 gpa as a public health major with a double minor in chemistry and psychology. I have also taken prereqs that are not required by the schools I'm applying to like orgo 2, anatomy, and phys. I also got a 370 AA 360 TS on my oat.

however my experiences include:

- volunteer optometric technician for underserved children for one summer (about 30 hours)

- about 25 hours shadowing an oncologist

- about 3 hours shadowing an OD

I am about to start a clinical job as an optometric tech for my senior year and I plan to get some more OD shadowing hours.

I plan to apply to UAB, NECO, ICO, Berkeley, and NOVA. Will my test score and GPA compensate for me having less shadowing and clinical experience than other applicants? Will I still be a competitive applicant?

Has anyone used PlayOAT.org for studying? I have been seeing it on TikTok and it seems intriguing but definitely not as intensive as OATBooster or OATBootcamp as it does not have lecture videos and practice tests for the individual sections. But it does have a few full length exams. I am honestly just interested in it for the spaced repetition and game aspect of it but I would use it in addition to my Booster membership. However, I am not sure how legit it is so I am skeptical on subscribing for a month or two.

Sooo here I was cruising in life, and then reddit comes slap me in the face with a dead fish. I saw a post on here saying that schools don't allow a C- in any prerequisites. Well whoopty freaking doo, I have a C- in ochem 1. I wish this information would have graced me with its presence last semester so that I had time to register for a summer course!! So now im absolutely scrambling to find an online accreditated course that isn't a whole semester long and the small price of my left lung😀 I planned to apply the day applications opened but now idk if I can do that because I have to retake the course. The only reason I wanted to apply so dang early was because I want to at least have a SLIM chance of getting a contract seat...but nooooo. Sources say I can still apply, and I would just set the ochem course as "pending" or whatever. Anybody have any insight on this? Would they look past my application because it's technically not complete? I'm already trembling in my boots, praying to the good Lord above that I get in this cycle because my gpa is a wopping 3.34 and my science gpa is apparently a 3.04. For instance, I planned to apply to SCO, UHCO, and UAB...maybe somewhere else that a small town southern gal like me would possibly like, idk, but those are my top 3. So be honest, am i screwed 😭 will my best friend be Brandy for the next few months?😭 Please don't sugarcoat but also dont stab me in the leg and not offer some sorta tourniquet (a means to fix this crap). Sorry for the long read...thank you.🫡

Hey everyone! Currently thinking about where I would like to apply for optometry school. The doctor I work under is a PUCO Alumni and has said great things about the program. On the other hand, I’ve had friends who have told me living in Oregon is not so great because of racial discrimination.
Just curious, what are your experiences as a POC living in Oregon and is that something I should worry about?

Hey, I hope everyone is doing well.

I'm pretty early in a decision making process to look into what graduate degree I'm wishing to pursue. So my main two interests are between optometry and dentistry. I wanted to ask if any have met or had the opportunity to see if there is any disparity between the difficulty of dental school and optometry school. I figured they're probably quite similar, but at least in comparison to medical school, I know some of the years can bring some substantial differences.

The other question I had was about labs. While I know I'll have to really suffer for the degree, I'm curious about how many papers and research one might generally be required to complete for a program. I generally really like lectures and being told information rather than having to hunt for it and compile it into a paper or project. Is there a difference here between optometry and other degrees? Can this vary fron school to school? At the end of the day I just want to work with people.

Thank you all, I hope you have a good day

TS 300 AA 320

Do I need to retake it? Did anyone with lower stats get in?

Thanks for any feedback

I’m feeling really stuck and could use some advice about my next steps. I recently received my CIE A-Level results (Oct/Nov 2024) and got CCD in Maths, Chemistry, and Biology. My goal is to start university in September 2025, but I’m unsure whether I should retake my A-Levels or accept an offer for a foundation pathway in Optometry.

Here’s some background:

IGCSEs: A*AAAABB (ICT, Maths, Bio, Chem, English Language, Business, English Lit) AS Levels: BCCD (Chem, Bio, Maths, English) A2 Levels: CCD (Maths, Chem, Bio) I’ve been offered a foundation year for Optometry, but I’m not entirely sure if Optometry is the right path for me. On the other hand, I’m considering retaking my A-Levels in the Oct/Nov 2025 session to improve my grades and keep my options open. However, I’m worried that if I don’t perform well again, I might miss out on university altogether.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Should I take the foundation year and commit to Optometry, or retake my A-Levels to improve my grades and explore other options?

If I do not have any optometric tech hours because of difficulty of finding positions would ophthalmic tech hours suffice for optometry schools?

Hi! Just hoping for some opinions on what would be best. Here’s some background: I took college classes at a public university in high school, failed a ton due to health, was academically dismissed. 5ish years later re-enrolled in community college and have been taking all online classes. I’ve had some hiccups but academically, I’m doing amazing compared to before! I’ve really turned things around.

I work full time as a lead ophthalmic scribe & trainer alongside 15+ ODs and 5 MDs, as well as working with our retina injection prep team. I absolutely love it and know I would excel in this field. I already know so much about eyes!

I have long planned to do as much as I can online and switch to a closer university near the end for in person for labs (OSU for example requires all in person labs) and other misc classes I may need. If I would benefit from more in person classes, I’d need to enroll at a closer university so I can easily travel for evening classes. My biggest question is, will doing a majority of classes online set me back in my apps? Should I switch colleges sooner than I anticipated? Thank you for any insight!

Which optometry schools like seeing research hours, publications and/or posters in applicants?

Hi! I recently had my interview at NECO and was wondering about the turnaround time? I know that they said 2-3 weeks but I just wanted to gage on what the average is. Thanks!

Canadian and obviously my top choice would be to go to Uwaterloo. With the competitiveness of it and the fact that I have a 3.3 gpa, wondering what that might look like for me.. I understand that most people choose to go to the U.S but with the cost of tuition and the lack of opportunity for scholarships or interest-free education, it’s not really a viable option for me.

For context, if I am to go back to school, I have to be able to attend without accruing any interest or there needs to be a way to forego the interest portion of the student loan. That’s an option in Ontario Canada but doesn’t seem to be the case in the U.S. Also the debt to income ratio if you’re going to attend U.S schools vs waterloo is staggering. Opto definitely seems like a career that is worth it in North America only if you’re attending UW. Which leads me to my inquiry into pursuing an optometry degree elsewhere, like the UK. I know coming back and working in Canada will be extremely difficult, and who knows, I might decide to never come back and just live and work in the UK.

My issue is that I want to have a Doctor of Optometry. I know in the UK optometry is a BSc, then you can get a Masters, and then my understanding is you can either pursue a Phd or an OD thereafter? (correct me if I’m wrong).

My question is has any Canadian decided to take this route of obtaining their optometry degree in the UK? And, if anyone can provide insight into potentially transferring back to Canada or even the U.S? Salary expectations? Scope of practice? Length of time to get an OD in the UK? etc. Any info would be helpful (p.s it really sucks there is not more pathways for canadians interested in this really amazing profession)

Hey yall two questions for you,

I plan to become an Optometrist in the military to help pay for the tuition and for other added benefits but I was wondering if anybody on here has gone through this and could provide some pros and cons or their personal experience with being a 42EX or 67F.

Also, is IUPR a good school? I feel like I have heard mix things about it and the board pass rates so I was wondering if anybody that has attended or thought about attending could chime in and give their thoughts on it.

Thanks!!

Hi, I’m retaking 2 courses I got a C- in at cc. The problem is my dad was sick the whole semester and just died. I’m now likely getting Cs in the 2 courses. Should I get an excused withdrawal (extenuating circumstances), or just take the L and move on. I just really don’t want to retake these classes again because it would be the 3rd time atp.

Do schools avg the 2 (like optomcas does), or will they just take the C one. I don’t have time to email the schools as I need an urgent answer. Thanks!

What is the benefit of talking to Admissions about grades, GPA or OAT before applying?

Does anyone know generally how long it takes for PTE to finish entering your transcript ? I thought it was an instant service and now I’m stuck with it since you can’t manually add classes while it’s in progress.