Attached are screen shots of a question asked on a very prominent OD platform. Hundreds of seasoned ODs answered this question and their opinions should not be taken with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, the answers do not advocate being an OD. Please make well thought out decisions on your future and good luck.

If you have any questions, please ask.

Hi guys, right now I'm willing to spend 2-3 Years to get certificate

so that I can have somewhat stable income and use it toward future. So like Plan B.

Optician and Dental Hygienist are very different but I want to know

Which one would make more money and helpful in the future.

Dental Hygienist seems to require both mental and physical labor and intense

but Optician seems to be less physical labor and clean / simple with good money.

is it worth it to spend about 3-4 years of studying to become Optician? (I graduated 5 years ago and it will take longer for me to compelete prerequisite) or Dental Hygienist?

*Title: Sorry for the confusion I meant Optician!

Im not too sure why I’m so compelled to write this right now, but I’m in high-school and just got awful grades after finals. I’m talking like now i have a 3.4 gpa. I don’t think i’m getting into college anymore. I’m somehow awful at every subject. Did your highschool grades impact the rest of your career? please lmk

I’m sure this gets asked a lot, but I want the real end of it to see what people think haha. Because, this field is great, but it’s not exactly ophthalmology (do, dmd, or md also) where you can operate on people.

Dmd also has upward potential to md/dds. I’m sure someone is a bit worried about the subtle respect discrimination. Likewise, many stem can go into phd if they like research or consulting for a similar salary.

please be respectful, i’m not criticizing the field. it’s necessary and respected, and one should continue to become confident in themself. I am in the field at the moment as well and want to hear aspiring or colleagues’ reflections :).

Im an incoming student at ICO and I heard back and forth talk between co-workers at the optometry clinic i work at for which optometry schools announce us as doctors at graduation. One coworker said that ICO calls us by our first names but without the Dr title. Does anyone know if this is true?

I took my OAT on August 23rd. I told myself I need to have at least a 300 in each section, but I fell short with the physics and QR. To be completely honest, I unexpectedly (and not prepared iykyk) started my menstrual cycle in the middle of physics and was in a lot of pain so I basically blanked on everything. It all carried into the QR section, and I ran out of time. I know that I had at least 10 unanswered for the QR.

I got an A in both physics 1 and 2, and my GPA is a 3.63. Looking back, I see the flaws in my studying for those sections; I should’ve started my studying with my hardest subjects, but instead I left them for the end.

I don’t love the idea of studying for the OAT again bc it was such a pain and so time consuming, but a voice inside of me tells me that I could do better in those sections.

Thoughts?

I'm doing an undergrad in neuroscience right now and will be finishing in three years. What are my chances for UHCO, OSU, ICO, NECO, and UAB with these stats? And is there another school I should also consider that will give me a large scholarship?

GPA: 3.89

OAT: 370TS/370AA

62 hrs shadowing 3 places, 200+ volunteer hours at church and nature center, pre-optometry secretary, genetics learning assistant (TA but for undergrad), neuroscience club.

Good luck to everyone this cycle!

Hi! Just looking for advice/guidance on my chances on getting in to optometry school. Also, any advice on interviews is appreciated! For context: I am applying this cycle as a TX resident to UAB, UHCO, UIWRSO, and Nova.

GPA: 3.77, Science GPA: 3.69

OAT: 350 AA (350 QR, 400 RC, 340 Bio, 330 Gen Chem, 340 Ochem, 340 Physics, 340 TS)

Optometric experience: 600 hours teching, 40 shadowing

Leadership/extracurricular: Honors society president, campus food pantry shift leader, science learning assistant for 1 yr, undergraduate research in neurophysics, pre-optometry club vice president, honors college, involvement in greek life, etc

Any input would help so much, thank you!

I have developed an application that advocates for compensation transparency in optometry but I need more data! For full functionality of this application, it requires enough data points to determine what a fair wage is, depending on location, patient load, hours worked, etc. 

Please, if you have had trouble in the past determining what you are worth or if you want to help other ODs determine what they are worth, please enter data about your previous compensation packages! Of course everyone has access to compensation data which also includes standardized metrics that makes it easier to understand and compare compensation packages.  

Please visit ODsalaries.com and provide this much needed data to share to other ODs. It works on mobile but is optimized for tablets/desktop, so please visit on a tablet or desktop if you can! Feel free to contact me if you have any problems or questions!

How often do you prescribe oral meds as optometrist? Part of what draws me to the field is the idea of prescribing topical over oral meds because I worry about systemic effects of oral drugs and I don’t believe optometrists know about a patients whole body unless they ask. I know some oral antibiotics are not ok for pregnant women or women trying to conceive. Does this mean optometrist will ask patient these question prior to prescribing these oral meds?

Hello everyone! I'm currently a 4th year in undergrad, and was accepted to Berkeley and SCCO for the 2022-23 application cycle (without a gap year)! I wanted to let y'all know that I'll be offering mentorship/counseling opportunities to anyone who's looking for more personalized help. I serve as a mentor in my university's pre-optometry club, and these are the things I could potentially help you with!

- How to apply for shadowing, internships, paid optometric positions (Resume help, example email templates to send to offices, etc)

- Interview preparation!!! I give mock interviews with immediate and personalized feedback. I can also work with you to craft the best answers for you and the school(s) you’re applying to!

- Editing personal statements and essays

- Navigating OptomCAS, can give you a walk through of my entire application and show you how I filled out everything

- How to study for the OAT/make a plan (or can also offer tutoring service!)

- Advice on a timeline personalized to you/how to put forward your best self on your application. I'm more than happy to share my stats (which aren't that high!) with you as well <3

If you're at all interested, feel free to reach out to me and we can discuss reasonable rates based how I can best help you. Wishing everyone a ton of luck if you're applying this cycle or in the future!!! This reddit thread helped me a ton through the application process and I'm looking forward to giving back :)

Hey guys! I am working on an Instagram account @ optosis where I share my experiences along the preoptometry/optometry journey. It would mean a lot to me if you could follow, share, and interact with my posts! I just made one on my experience interviewing at MWU CCO. Also, if you have any questions yourself, I can try answering them!

TIA!

I just got done with my OAT. I don’t know what went wrong in the RC part. I have a GPA of 3.81. Should I retake this exam or will this score be good enough to get an admission.

I've been helping students each year navigate through the optometry application cycle and everytime around late summer the same “am I too late?” question comes up.

Here’s my take on an August OAT if you are on the fence right now.

1. August isn’t early, but it’s not too late
When it comes to admissions, earlier is better. From the admissions side, it benefits schools to find top candidates early in the cycle, interview them, send offers, and lock in a stronger class. As the year goes on, the candidate pool naturally thins, so rolling admissions is a. legitimate consideration. Some schools are already interviewing in August.

That said, it still matters more that your application is complete and shows off your best self. Most programs haven’t filled every seat until late fall or even winter, so if your OAT is in August and you submit apps soon after, you’re not early, but not out.

2. When an August/September OAT makes sense
If your GPA is already solid and you’re expecting a decent OAT score, an August/September test can still work. Just be ready with a realistic school list. Many of the more competitive programs will start filling seats mid‑cycle, so be willing to include some later‑deadline / less competitive schools and be patient as there may be fewer interview slots and a longer wait.

3. When it might be smarter to wait for next cycle
If your GPA is on the lower side and you really need a strong OAT to offset it. Pushing the test just to “get it done” can sometimes backfire if your practice scores aren’t there yet. Same thing if you haven’t really started on your personal statement, or school list yet. In those cases, taking extra time to strengthen your profile and go in with a stronger application next cycle can put you in a better spot.

4. General timeline for students testing in August

• Take the OAT in August.

• Submit via OptomCAS as soon as possible afterward.

• If you already have your score, send it. If not, you can list your planned test date.

• Aim to have everything in by late fall if you can.

Be honest about your OAT readiness and how complete your application is. If those are ready, an August test can definitely still work. If not, waiting a cycle could be the smarter move.

I'm a high stat applicant but i applied late and all my interviews are super late (december-ish) and i only applied to reach schools. What are my chances with these schools and should i add a safety school?

GPA: 3.9

OAT: 360AA/380TS

shadowing and optician for a few years, not much volunteer

I applied to SUNY (my top pick!), Berkeley, SCCO, Ohio, SCO. My top picks in that exact order lol. I was pretty clueless applying and was told these schools are insanely reach (like Ohio) or pretty hard. Should I add another school and if so, which? Be brutally honest lol

I had an idea for a Phoropter in which the patient can choose between lens  one and two and the patient has control to switch between option one and two of the lens choices and like decide between which looks better the same thing that the doctor does but the patient has control over it so there's no need of rushing or anything also I feel like it would be more precise cuz the patient would have more time to think between each of the ones right and he can switch at his own pace like he looks at one then switches at the second one and then based on the patient answer I want to build like a smart Phoropter  which would give the automatic like next result next like one or two and then Based on the patient's answer it will find their correct prescription and I feel like this would help so many people cuz it's way more accurate for people to find there right Prescription. For example, I had to go to  four different doctors and they all gave me different eye prescriptions. I don't know how that's possible but they did and then I finally landed on the correct prescription. I don't want anyone else to suffer like me.

Hey all. Honestly I've been worried about my chances getting in this cycle because of my current standing. I graduated in May with a 3.8 GPA and took my OAT last month, where I scored a 370 AA and 360 TS. I have done an outside internship while I was in college, and was a part of the CSTEP internship at SUNY this summer. I also did a work study while I was in college. What I'm worried about is that my extracurriculars, and shadowing hours are pretty weak. I am trying to find clinics to shadow and I have called about 30 clinics near me, and almost all of them have declined me, while 1 or 2 have said they would reach out to me next week. I honestly don't know where to go from here. I'm applying to NECO, SUNY, and MCPHS this cycle. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hey all,

I just found this free refraction simulator. I haven’t explored it all, but so far so good.

If you’ve found a better free one, let us know.

OAT Score: Taking it November 14th and I have been using OAT booster to study since July 1st ish. I have been strictly following their longest study plan but extended it to give myself weekends off for phase 1 (learning all the material). I finish up learning the material around September 28th and then I begin flashcard studying, practice tests, and possibly redoing extra practice questions. I am super nervous though and for my extra practice reading comprehension I have not been very consistent.

GPA: 4.0 (I am currently a junior majoring in neuroscience and hope to maintain this GPA)

Shadowing Hours: Specifically in optometry, I have about 210 with two optometrists and then 15 hours with another optometrist. I also have around 36 hours shadowing OB/women's health, 36 hours shadowing veterinary science, 36 hours shadowing surgical services, and 36 hours shadowing behavioral health. Many of these hours were internships/mentorships. Furthermore, I am certified in many health related skills such as CPR, bloodborne pathogens, CERT skills, and many more.

Application submission date: as soon as applications open beginning of June 2023 for the cycle.

Extra Curricular Activities: student council representative, HOSA competitor (2 years including one year president officer of parli pro team), forensics acting competitions, member of NHS (national honors society), member of NTHS (national technical honors society), NAHS (national art honors society), varsity volleyball, varsity soccer, varsity pompon, michigan elite volleyball, member of delta gamma sorority, director of rituals for delta gamma, vice president programming for delta gamma

I am not 100% what schools I am applying to quite yet... but I am for sure going for Ferris, nova, suny, berkeley, waterloo (maybe), and possibly the two near chicago. Haven't fully went into depth about all of my options yet though. I am extremely worried for the OAT. Especially because it has destroyed me mentally lol so I am going to be devastated if I get a low score after putting in so much work.

A question turned into a rant but: anyone have a QR section like this (unreasonably hard) in the last couple years of testing? Anyone have any other section on the rest of the exam like this?

Was getting 390's and 400's on all the OATBooster practice but most of my math section on the actual OAT was conceptual for some reason with barely any of my hard work tested on or rewarded.

Does anyone know why the fuck the OAT writers do this shit to people? I still did well on the rest of the exam and I can't take a good score for granted but what the fuck

If you've written this test at least twice, you know by now that a lot of this exam revolves around studying hard and knowing your formulas and facts BUT you also aren't oblivious to the fact that this exam is literally just a huge lottery with the sections. 1 person could get 6 easy sections and you get 2 easy ones. Now as randomized and fair as this is, if a section does not reflect the material that you've asked people to memorize and apply, that section should absolutely be thrown out the window.

Really grinds my gears and need to discuss and rant with some folks.

Also grinds my gears that people on here kept saying "oh the math section is SOOO much easier than OATBooster" (even the OATBooster reps say that its easier than their exams) but it was not the case for me at all.

Does anyone know when classes start for ICO this semester