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What can I do to increase my chances of getting accepted into an Optometry Program?

I have always wanted to become an Optometrist. I want to make sure that I am doing everything right.. #optometry

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Cindy’s Answer

Get a job or shadow an optometrists or ophthalmologists at some point prior to applying to optometry school, you'll need a letter of recommendation. Look up the prerequisites needed to get into optometry school, they can be found on each schools website. Go to college and work hard to do well, you'll need a letter of recommendation from at least one professor. Study and take the OAT and do well, this is the exam needed to get into optometry school, you can take it more than once so don't feel discouraged. Apply to optometry schools. A college counselor can help you follow the right path. I worked with an optometrist at a Sears Optical over school breaks while I was in college and shadowed a couple other optometrists prior to applying to school.

Cindy recommends the following next steps:

Look up required courses for optometry school on various schools websites
Shadow or work with an optometrist
Go to college
Take the OAT
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Nishani’s Answer

In addition to Cindy's answer, for me personally, I was not too familiar with optometry until undergrad, so definitely working and acquainting yourself to the many modalities of what optometry can mean and offer was super helpful and it can help yourself stand out as an applicant! There are many specialties to optometry including Pediatrics, Low Vision Rehab, Dry Eye, Sports Vision, Family Practice, Corporate Optometry, Surgical Centers, Neuro-based Optometry and even VAs that optometrists can be a part of so I would suggest shadowing or being a technician for the doctors whose field/area you are most interested in! For most schools, experience is key and it will definitely make you stand out. I personally interned and ultimately worked for an ophthalmologist who had multiple doctors practicing under him who specialize in different areas so it was really beneficial to be familiar with the lifestyles, the types of conversations, the focus of the individual doctors, what exactly they need to prep for their patients, equipment that they have, and information that they gather so that you are prepared for the future! I would also suggest being a technician for an optometrist and really getting used to the different equipment, taking history and checking vision, etc. this will definitely be useful when you are in optometry school! Also if you are an undergrad, try to become a member of the school's pre-optometry organization! I was in POPS for almost 2 years and it was really awesome to be acquainted with speakers from various schools, events such as the TOA convention, visits to optometry schools during an open house, peers who are also pre-optometry, various volunteering opportunities, and having resources for the OAT just to name a few! Further, you do not need to have a science major to apply to optometry school, choose a major you are genuinely interested in and make yourself stand out as a student! Obviously, a science major/minor will include a lot of the pre-requisites for optometry but as long as you take the courses along with what genuinely interests you, you should be in good shape! Also, a good tip for the OAT is taking the courses that will be on the test early on, including physics! I ended up taking the OAT the summer after sophomore year when classes such as general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, and physics were fresh on my mind and it was one of the best decisions I have made!

Nishani recommends the following next steps:

research about potential niches of optometry
ask lots of questions when shadowing for an optometrist
become a technician for an optometrist
join your school's pre-optometry organization
take courses that align with the OAT as early as possible
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