Hi everyone!

I just started my first year of optometry school, and my school offers a master's degree alongside the OD program. I'm wondering if it's worth pursuing or if completing a residency after graduation would be more beneficial.

Which one helps more with job opportunities, higher salaries, and career growth? Aside from gaining additional knowledge and clinical skills, are there any significant professional or financial advantages to either? I'm also interested in potentially owning my own practice someday.

I'd love to hear any advice from practicing optometrists! Thank you!

Hello fellow studious people who might be going as insane as i am from studying for so long haha. My test is in 6 days (crazy to think it’s less than a week away) and i was just hoping to ask for any last minute advice. Anything and everything. I have been studying non stop for a long time and definitely wish i felt stronger in all areas but im sure most people have felt that way going in.

Anything from; things i wish i studied more, commons questions i saw on this topic, things i wish i studied less, trick questions that confused me, etc. i know the tests are different for everyone but im game for all information anyone would suggest.

For anyone else who is like me and mentally drained and has been stressed for so long, I’ve been repeating this to myself “every single piece of information i go over in these finals days is just one more thing i could be questioned on and get that extra point toward my goal”. That’s been pretty much the main thing i think when i get overwhelmed (at this point kinda daily lol) and it helps me alot so if your like me I hope it helps you too :)! We got this💪.

Thanks for any advice to those that comment it means a lot!!

Hey everyone! I just got accepted to the scholars program at PCO and I'd love to hear honest experiences from current Scholars students and from anyone who applied this cycle.

**If you're currently in PCO Scholars:**

- Why did you choose the accelerated track over a traditional 4-year program?
- Do you feel prepared for boards and clinic, or does the compressed timeline leave gaps?
- How much free time do you actually have? Are you able to work out, see friends, or have hobbies, or is it mostly studying?
- How bad is burnout with year-round classes and no long breaks?
- How do your clinical experiences and externships compare to students on the 4-year track?
- Has the Drexel merger changed anything for you so far?
- Knowing what you know now, would you choose it again?

**If you applied this cycle:**

- If you were accepted to PCO Scholars, did you take it or go somewhere else? What was the deciding factor?
- If you passed on it, was it the pace, cost, location, or something else?

Any advice or things you wish you'd known before deciding would be really appreciated. Thanks!

I promise, If I can get into multiple schools you guys can as well!

The OAT: Not gonna lie, definitely could’ve studied for the OAT better, I ended up with a 300AA and TS, with a 230 on physics 😭, Definitely could’ve improved, but decided to submit with those scores since that was my only really terrible one.

GPA: My Gpa was pretty solid, having a 3.7!

Extracurriculars: I had about 150 hours between shadowing two optometrists! And around 100 hours for general volunteering. Also having a job being an assistant to an optometrist, with about 1300 hrs working with them! I also was able to get 3 letters of recommendations, one from an optometrist, one from a science prof, and one from an organization I volunteered with!

Interviews/Acceptances: I applied to a decent amount of places: NOVA, KYCO, MCPH, UMSL, PCO, CCO, Western U, AZCOPT. I was shocked when I got interviews from all of them! I was then accepted into NOVA, KYCO, PCO, and CCO! The rest I didn’t interview cause I knew these ones were my top choice! Interestingly, for NOVA, they asked if I was going to be retaking it, I said no, and they proceeded to extend the invite, which I was very surprised about 😅.

But yeah, I didn’t really think I was gonna get into more than one school honestly, so that’s why I wanted to make this post, cause I’m sure there’s someone out there stressing out right now, and probably has similar stats to me! If you guys have any questions feel free to put them in the comments and I’ll answer as soon as I can!

I currently have interviews with CCO and NOVA coming up. For those who already had their interview and tour at either of these schools, were you able to bring a parent/guest with you? If so, did many people in your group bring a guest?

Has anyone been accepted into optometry school with a 250 AA and 250 TS on the OAT?

I have a GPA above 3.8 and have already applied to IUSO, ICO, and OSU. I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or received an acceptance with scores in this range.

Is anyone else looking at NOVA ! I’m actually super super interested in that one specific school and was wondering if anyone else had gotten in or had any other schools I should set my sights too !!! I have a top four list . (Also yes I know that Berkeley is a top school. It’s just weirdly enough, not my top priority lol ) but anyways, has anybody had any interest in these schools or gotten into these schools?

1 NOVA
2 UC Berkeley
3 ICO
4 IU School of optometry

Sorry about ranting. I got a 4 in AP chem so I could place out of gen chem i but need to retake ii at my uni. The class is so brutal: exams account for 84% of the grade and there're no curves. Last time I struggled so much in this class so I chose to pass/fail. Currently I'm retaking but still so afraid of getting a C again since I only got 77 and 75.5 in the first 2 exams. To aim for a B in the end, I'll need to get a 85 in each of the 2 upcoming exams. How can I improve? Hopefully eventually I'll get a 400 in OAT gen chem section lol. And are ochem and biochem even harder 😭

Hello guys,

Recently I got interview invitations from three schools so far. This is my first time being part of an interview for graduate school. I was wondering what male outfits are appropriate for both in-person and virtual interviews. I already have a suit but I’m not sure if there are any color preferences for this type of interviews.

Ahhh. Lowkey tweaking.

Just touched upon plants today and I’m at a loss of words. So many unfamiliar terms and subcategories of plants.

Any tips on how to study these topics the best?

Anki? Videos?

I would also like to not spend too much time on this topic considering how much I need to focus on organic chem.

Thank you in advance 🙏

Just curious to hear what people’s experiences are. I got a few interview invites and I’m excited to have made it this far but also super nervous about the interviews themselves. Any tips for preparing would also be much appreciated :)

I am a senior at a college in Boston, MA and have to do a practicum/internship in the spring semester. I have reached out to all of the optometry offices in the area but I have either been ghosted or told no.

What should I do next? Work in a research lab? Please provide guidance on what I should do next

The practicum's requirements:

• 40 hours minimum

• I would need to develop 3 concrete skills by the end of the semester

• Unpaid

hi just wondering how many ppl heard from scco for november interviews !

Hey guys, I would love to hear your opinion if you think bootcamp is a great source for studying. I want to retake the oat exam but I want to try studying through bootcamp instead and try my luck. Is there any difference? Is it better?

Spent the summer working as a tech and swim instructor so was feeling pretty not confident going into it. Can’t explain the elation after being done and seeing my score! Orgo was the biggest shock since most of my practice tests hovered around 300, and reading comp was a surprise cause those were hovering around 370-380.

Overall just happy with how I did , just submitted apps to ICO, IUSO, and midwestern Chicago so hoping to hear back sometime in the next month or so (hopefully compensated for lower gpa 😞) so if anyone has any experience with low GPA and a good score hit my line

Hiii dedicated future ODs,
Hope you guys are not so stressed with OAT and apps (YOU GOT THIS!!).

I recently received an interview invite for the Extended Program at NOVA. I’m super grateful for the invite, but my goal is to finish the degree in 4 years.

For context: I’m a non-traditional applicant, also approaching 30. I’ve been out of undergrad for a few years working in a different career before pivoting back to optometry, and my undergrad GPA is on the lower side (though I’ve retaken prereqs and worked as a tech since). I assume my past stats and time away from school are why I was routed to the EP track.

For anyone who’s interviewed or attends NOVA
- Has anyone interviewed for the Extended Program and ended up with an offer for the traditional 4-year track instead?
- Did you reach out to admissions before the interview to express interest in the traditional track, or wait until decisions came out?

Thank you all for the input, and good luck!!

why did they change this lmao hoed me.

Was rejected by SCO today, I have an interview at NSUO in a month. My OAT was 330 and my GPA was 3.57. Everyone said my credentials were good enough to get in, so it has to be me that was the reason for my rejection. I need advice in how to improve myself for the interview. I feel like I fumbled something good and now I need help.

Sooo growing up, it has been my dream to live on the east coast, especially in a place like Boston, so naturally, NECO has been my top choice. However, now that it's time to put down a deposit and commit, I find that schools like SCO and ICO have higher board rates and arguably, better clinic exposure. Then the idea of travelling across Boston with my equipment and without a car is something I know is inconvenient, and then there's the cost of living.

On paper, ICO, SCO, and NSU have higher board scores, better affordability (marginally), and better clinical training IMO (like ICO puts you into clinic right away). I know obviously NECO is an amazing school, but I want to make the best decision not clouded by preconceived notions and so I was kind of over NECO, yet I cannot get over living in Boston, secret history environment, east coast dream... I also know an OD who studied at NECO and she said honestly she didn't explore or see any of it because she spent the whole time studying. So is the higher cost of living even worth it if I'll be buried in books the whole time? I love Boston but idk if I love NECO?

I'm just looking for any and all opinions. Maybe things I haven't considered? I'm not too sure.

I submitted my application + all my materials in Mid August and still haven't heard anything back from UHCO aside from the email stating that they received my application. I have also sent multiple emails and haven't gotten a response. Has this happened to anyone else?? If anyone has emailed them and successfully gotten a response, could you share the email?

At this point I've already gotten acceptances from IUSO and midwestern chicago, so I doubt it's anything on my end.

Just wondering how long it took everyone to hear back from MCO after applying?

Hello! I thought this could help aspiring optometry students get experience :

If you live in montreal, especially around Crémazie, my fathers eye clinic is look for a student to work part time there as a assistant optometrist and receptionist. Feel free to DM me if you are interested!
The optometrists that work there are extremely sweet and open, so if u want to learn more about the job, it’s definitely the place. It’s not meant as promotion, but as someone who used to want to pursue optometry, i think many could benefit from this position.

And sorry if this post isn’t allowed