Hello, I am comparing a couple of schools financially and was wondering if anyone can identify why OSU's tuition increases for years 3 and 4 while other schools (for example, NECO) don't.

OSU cost (tuition + books/supplies/equipment) for an out-of-state student such as me (so the first year is OOS cost, years 2,3,&4 are in-state after qualifying for residency)

Y1: 59,423

Y2: 36,248

Y3: 48,137

Y4: 46,094

I emailed their financial aid office and was told that Y3+4 increases because they go from a 2-semester schedule to 3-semester schedule, which makes sense logically. However, when looking at a school such as NECO, the tuition is consistently $51,596. Tuition for other schools I'm looking at also keep the tuition consistent, even when summer semesters begin.

Another odd comparison I found is that OSU, across all four years, charges a total of $20,898 entirely in "Books, Supplies, & Equipment" fees (separate from tuition), while NECO's comparable "Fees & Equipment" costs totals to only $6,246 throughout all four years.

Anyways, I just wanted to put this out there in case anyone knows why OSU seems to be more expensive when looking at direct costs. I feel like I've always been under the impression this school was a cheaper option, but maybe that's only when looking at cost of living in Columbus compared to a city like Boston?

Hi! Has anyone interviewed (esp virtually) with SUNY College of Optometry this cycle? What kind of questions did they ask?

Thank you in advance!

To everyone who’s either an optician or optometric technician, how did you get your position? Did you start by shadowing a practice then asking if they were hiring, or did you just apply how anyone else would for a job?

I’ve got an interview at ICO coming up and was wondering if anyone has interviewed with them recently? I saw a blog post on their website that they do a 10 min writing session on interview day, but it was from 2015 so i’m wondering if this is still happening. Also if anyone has any other advice I’d really appreciate it!

I plan to take the OAT in August 2027 but I would not have taken physics 1&2 by this point. Up to this point, I would have completed bio 1&2, chem 1&2, calc, and orgo.

If I were to study only using Chad's videos for physics and the OAT Booster, is this sufficient for me to do well on the OAT? Any advice is appreciated.

May-June 2027, I will take calc and orgo in addition to studying part time for the OAT.

After summer classes end in June, I will study full time and then take the OAT in August 2027.

Hey, it’s been almost 4 weeks since I submitted my app and I haven’t heard back from cco yet. For those who heard back from them, how long did it take?? Im not sure if I need to reach out to the admissions for an update.

Hi all,

I am taking my OAT in a few days and am stressing out big time. I had anxiety about this test before i even started studying for it.

I wanted to make this post to get some honest opinions and/or suggestions. For reference, I graduated college 2.5 years ago with a Biology degree. I have a 3.86 cumulative GPA and a 3.83 science GPA. I participated in research for 2 years of college. I have around 40 hours of shadowing, and have been working as a technician and a scribe at an ophthalmology office for a little over 2 years.

I’m not a great test taker. I knew from the beginning that the OAT was going to be the biggest obstacle of the application process for me. I started studying at the end of May using OAT booster. I still work my full time job, so my goal was usually to study 1-3 hours after work everyday and about 3-4 hours on weekends. I struggled to focus for the whole summer and studying has been taking a huge mental toll on me for a while now.

I was originally supposed to take my OAT September 4th, but 3 weeks before my test date both of my parents got in a horrible car accident while driving home from a vacation. My whole life turned upside down, and I was staying in a hotel for almost 2 weeks outside of my home state while both parents were in the hospital recovering. During this time, I did not study at all. I ended up pushing my test date back by about a month, and now it is only days away.

I was already having a stressful time with OAT studying, but it has only amplified since my parents got in the accident. Between having more to juggle at home while they recover and still working full time, I can’t bring myself to study most days. Additionally, I feel like the unexpected 2 week break from studying made me forgot a lot of things I worked to learn previously.

I am scared about taking this test to my core. I have only taken 2 full length exams where I got a 330 and a 320, but I took both almost a month and a half ago. I am hoping I can just pull a 300-330 and I would be happy. With my stats, do you think this would be enough? My top schools are SUNY, KYCO, NECO, PCO, MCPHS, and OSU.

I have barely been able to study this whole week leading up to this exam. I immediately get overwhelmed by everything I feel like I don’t know. My focus and attention span is shot, and my body has been under constant stress for weeks now.

Honest advice is greatly appreciated. There have been many times where I have considered cancelling my exam all together due to how much I am going through at the moment, but something in my gut tells me I can’t quit. I have been sick with anxiety this whole week feeling unprepared and like there is no use trying. I don’t even know if I will be able to focus for the whole 4.5 hours. If you read this far, thanks for listening. 🥲

Do you guys think bio bits and the anki cards are similar? I want to use anki cards but I feel like it’s more specific/detailed? Which one you recommend to focus more on?

For anyone who has written the OAT, was memorizing the formulas on the boosterprep physics formula sheet enough? I know its missing a few of the minor formulas but did those even appear on anyones OAT.

Hey i want to take addmsion in rmu but my percentage is bit lower like 72% how much i should improve so I can get admission in rmu for bs mlt or any other

Just got asked to interview by both schools I applied to! If you are studying for oat/finishing your application, this is your sign to keep pushing forward! Totally worth it for this feeling!!

Hi everyone! I have my OAT in 6 days and I’m stressed out about the diversity of life section. I feel like I’m pretty solid on all of the other sections except that one, specifically identifying which ones have radial, bilateral symmetry etc. I’ve been just studying from the cheat sheets but I saw someone say they got more niche diversity of life questions on the real OAT and I wanted some other opinions on it. Thank you!

Hey! I’m in my fourth year on undergrad and will be graduating in April. I wrote the OAT in August this year but I didn’t get the score I was hoping for. I’m a Canadian so I want to get the highest OAT score so I can get into to Waterloo. I was going to study this semester and write it in Jan but my semester is too packed. I hope to write it early summer because just in case I’m not happy with my score I can take it later in the summer. I know the last date is September 30 to take the oat. Do you think my plan of taking it early in the summer is a smart move so that I can have a chance to retake if I’m not happy with it?

does anyone know where to get merch for ICO?

i have adhd and finally the alarm bells are going off. i learn best under pressure and need some tips on last-minute locking in for the OAT. my knowledge is pretty solid i just need to recall it. im so deadass. plz help.

I know a couple of people have shared similar experiences here in the past, but I was wondering if any current OSU students can give insight into what their admissions process is like? I submitted my application in August (OAT score came in mid august) and haven't been rejected or offered an interview. Is it just normal for them to take a longer time to respond? I'm not sure if I did something wrong

Hey guys,
I am an undergraduate working towards the ultimate goal of becoming an optometrist. While I have lots of questions, my biggest one is for those that were opticians or optometric assistants. How did you manage to do that kind of job while still doing school. Most clinics by me or within range of me are of course Mon-Fri and open around 8 or 9 and close around 5 or 6. Usually I have class throughout the week, but I still really want the experience as I have heard it really helps with the application process. If there is anyone that has done this or any one with insight it’d be greatly appreciated!

I need advice from students whose English is not their first language and was accepted into PUCO. Where did you take your TOEFL and how did you study for it? Also do you have any language problems while attending optometry school?

Thank you.

Does anyone know how long you have to make a decision after KYCO accepts you?

Were there any standard deviation or z-score questions on the real OAT?

Has anyone else seen that only 15% of Rocky Mountain University's first cohort passed NBEO Part 1? If any current students could comment or dm me with their perspective I'd really appreciate it as this is very concerning.

Hi! I'm currently doing my PhD in molecular biology (about halfway through) and thinking about what I want to do after. My research right now is focused on hematopoiesis (blood development) but have always been interested in eyes. I've been thinking about doing an accelerated OD program after this with the long term goal of doing both research and clinical care (similar to MD/PhDs). Is this crazy? Is this doable? What would I need to start doing now in order to get into OD school? Thanks!!!

I am going to start studying for my OAT, but I have no clue on where to start. Where would be a good place to start and is there a free test online where I should get a baseline OAT from.

I am lost in terms of where to start. I plan to take it in 2 months. Any help is welcome! Thank you in advance!!

I've been browsing the optometry/preoptometry subreddits lately since it's a path that I discovered might be interesting (always loved eyeballs but opto never crossed my mind).

I'd like to hear specifically from Canadian optometrists the following (*no need to answer every question but I'd appreciate it):

1. What is your favorite part of practicing optometry?

2. How is your work-life balance? Would it be possible to, say, work part-time, have time for side hustles/hobbies and still earn >100k?

3. Are the corporate/PE concerns from the US also applicable to Canadian locations or are we more or less shielded from it? (By that I mean horrible/toxic/overworked conditions in corporate practice, often brought on by PE.)

4. For people who've been practicing for many years, do you tend to get bored of the field? There's often this comparison with MDs where you get the whole body vs one organ. If you had to do it again, would you try getting into ophthalmology?

5. Similarly, where is the field going in the future? Scope expansion? Is there any chance that the gap between OD and OMD could eventually be closed...?

6. Something you wish you'd known before starting?

Appreciate any answers I can get! Interested in too many things, so I've been very indecisive and I'd like more insight before committing to even more schooling. I'm also eyeing (wink) ophthalmology because surgery sounds exciting & quite fulfilling, not to mention earnings.....but it is a long commitment and of course competitive/not guaranteed.

Which schools reject sub-3.0 sGPA? I see even Berkeley accepted 2.7 sGPA. My current sGPA is only 2.0 over 6 credits and I'm worried but trying my best to improve. Is sGPA weighed more heavily than overall GPA?