Some advice for a second year undergrad?

[mlay]

Hi everyone. My name is Mike and I'm new to the forums. I just started my second year here at University of California, San Diego. I've been thinking a lot over the summer of what kinda of career I want to pursue, and gave optometry a great deal of thought. Before that I was thinking of studying pharmacy, but I can't picture myself being a pharmacist. I just wanted to ask for some advice as to what I can start doing to prepare myself when it comes time to apply for optometry school. My current major is Biochemistry. I am thinking of volunteering at my school's on-campus optometry office at the student health center. I just wanted to introduce myself and ask for some advice for what I can do as a second year undergrad interested in optometry. Thanks a lot!

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[Jay12]

My suggestion would be to get some shadowing done....this will enable you to not only get a LOR when the time to apply finally arrives, but it will also give you an opportunity to see what the the profession entails. Good luck

 

[Oogilily]

I agree, shadowing would be good now. If you can get a good letter of recommendation from a doc that would be good when the time comes. I would also add to that doing some kind of community service or something. Having those two things under your belt will help with your application. Other than that, just keep getting good grades and try to plan your classes out so you can take the classes needed for the material on the OAT. It will help you study for the OAT if you have had it before hand. Other than that, there isn't much you can do until you apply.

 

[mlay]

Thanks for the great advice. Is shadowing something that I can consider doing right away, or will it take some time like become a volunteer at the doctors office to build some credibility?

 

[Oogilily]

You can shadow anytime you want. You don't have to volunteer at a dr.'s office. I don't even know if they would let you do that or not. But, just get any kind of service in. Joining a service club is a good way to do that. I wouldn't worry too much about it though. You're well ahead of your game. I would just start out by shadowing right now to see if this is the career that you want. You'll get a very good idea if you shadow. There are a lot of nice docs out there that are more than willing to let you shadow them. Just call an office up and ask them if they do shadowing. Some dr.'s will show you how to work the equipment and will answer all of your questions. I would right down what questions you have and have them ready to ask the dr. But, you don't have to be in any hurry to get this done. As of now, I would do it just to get exposure to the field.

 

[Absolute Vision]

In addition to shadowing a family practice, you should also shadow different subspecialties of optometry such as vision therapy, low vision, sports vision, ocular disease, pediatrics, so that you can determine where you would like to fit in the realm of the optometric profession. It's suggested that you shadow at least 1 or 2 days with each OD. Also, make sure to shadow both private practice ODs vs retail ODs (Walmart, mall), since most optometry schools will expect you to know the difference between the two during the interview. Be sure to ask a lot of questions during your shadowing experience, and not just observe optometric procedures.

I would recommend that you join the SCCO Pre-optometry students on Facebook. Dr. Munroe, the admissions director, will help answer all your questions regarding optometry admissions if you either email her, or post your questions on the Forum. She will be one of your best resources. Here's the Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4816879678

If you read the Discussion Topics on the SCCO Facebook Forum, you will learn a lot about how to be admitted into not only Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO), but other optometry schools as well. I hope this helps..Good luck!

 

[mlay]

Thanks Oogilily and Absolute vision! The facebook group is of much help. thanks!http://forums.studentdoctor.net/member.php?u=116406

 

[hautecouture]

Hi Mike! I'm new to these forums as well! I'm currently looking into what undergrad I might pursue, and bioengineering really interests me. I find your situation very similiar to mine. I too, wanted to be a pharmacist at first, however I found pharmacy to be too boring and not the route for my life. I'm really outgoing and social and I found optometry to be perfect. I also like optometry because its a clean job and you won't see too many gross scenes.

As for what to prepare you for optometry school, make sure you look at the pre-requisites for optometry school. Also, study for you OAT tests. Most of all, don't stress and I'm sure you will be fine! Best of luck! =)

PS- I think volunteering and shadowing in optometry offices would be great for you! It would give you a true sense of what you will be doing in a couple years!

 

[Dzj]

Hey there! I'm also new to the boards, and in a similar situation as you. Please correct me here if I'm wrong, but from what I've been reading online you want to basically finish up with a bachelors in science. Just make sure you dab your feet into all the courses that the optometry schools look for.

I have a question of my own if I may just tag along here as I'm sure it'll help with the entire thread. I just finished my associates in liberal arts(however most of my courses were economics), from here would I apply to a pre-optometry school, then apply to an optometry school? Or would I apply to a 4year school to get a bachelors in science and then apply for an optometry school?

 

[hautecouture]

Hey there! I'm also new to the boards, and in a similar situation as you. Please correct me here if I'm wrong, but from what I've been reading online you want to basically finish up with a bachelors in science. Just make sure you dab your feet into all the courses that the optometry schools look for.

I have a question of my own if I may just tag along here as I'm sure it'll help with the entire thread. I just finished my associates in liberal arts(however most of my courses were economics), from here would I apply to a pre-optometry school, then apply to an optometry school? Or would I apply to a 4year school to get a bachelors in science and then apply for an optometry school?

Hi! Welcome to the forums! Like I said in my previous threads, I'm new to the forums as well! Regarding your question on applying to pre-optometry school or a 4 year university, you can just apply to apply to a four-year university and obtain a bachelor's degree. Your bachelor's degree is irrelevant and can be just about anything. Just make sure you fulfill all the pre-optometry courses. Then you can apply to optometry school with a bachelor's degree and with your OAT score. Make sure to get a good OAT score and obtain a good GPA because optometry school is quite competitive! Best of luck!

 

[mlay]

Hey! good to see that we are in the same situation

 

[Dzj]

Sounds good. If a bachelor's in science is all that is needed to get into optometry school. What do these pre-optometry school's offer? and when would one take the pre-optometry school? after a 2 year associates or after a 4 year bachelors? Thank you again.

 

[blysssful]

Sounds good. If a bachelor's in science is all that is needed to get into optometry school. What do these pre-optometry school's offer? and when would one take the pre-optometry school? after a 2 year associates or after a 4 year bachelors? Thank you again.

When people refer to "pre-optometry school" I think most are referencing their four-year universities. For example, I entered a public, four-year university in Virginia after high school graduation. My major is Biology and once I graduate I will have obtained my Bachelor's in Science. The courses that I take towards my major (like genetics, microbiology, physiology, etc) are also pre-requisite courses for optometry schools. Courses like Organic Chemistry, Physics, or Calculus are required for me to complete my Bachelor's in Science, and are also pre-requisites for optometry schools. In my situation, the courses that I needed to graduate with my Bachelor's of Science are the same as the courses required by optometry schools.

However, let's say I majored in History as an undergraduate. To graduate with a degree with this major, I would have to take whatever courses were required (US History, International History, etc). In ADDITION, I would also have to take all the courses required by optometry schools (biology, chemistry, physics, etc). In this situation, since the courses required for graduation are not the same as pre-requisite courses, it would probably take longer than four years.

Essentially, it would be ideal to major in something that the required courses for graduation overlap with pre-requisite courses for optometry (unless you WANT to take a significant amount of courses that would be unrelated to your future profession). This is why most people who are applying for optometry schools are biology, chemistry, physics, or health science majors.

FYI: Taking pre-requisite courses at community colleges versus a four-year university is not recommended.