• Hopefully, early in your undergraduate career, you will know that you want to pursue a professional degree in healthcare. Honestly, the earlier the better so that you can assure that you touch all of the major areas that will help make you a competitive applicant. If you discover you want to go into a healthcare field later, that is okay too, but it may be wise to spend an additional year before applying to intentionally build your application. Other than the required coursework that each school will have posted to their websites, you want to make sure your application stands out with a plethora of diverse experiences.​

  • Academic Standing

    • As you probably already know, having a solid GPA is a strong component of most professional school applications. Work hard throughout your undergraduate career to perform well in your classes, especially your science courses. The science courses are often among the pre-requisites for optometry school applications. Do not be over critical of yourself in this area. If you are unsure if your GPA measures up, just contact the schools you are interested in and get their opinion and suggestions on what to do going forward.

  • OAT

    • “The OAT is an optometry admission test designed to provide optometry education programs with a means to assess program applicants’ potential for success. The OAT is comprised of multiple-choice test items presented in the English language. The test is developed according to established test specifications. The OAT consists of a battery of four tests on the following: Survey of the Natural Sciences, Physics, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning.”

    • TEST PREP: When preparing for the OAT, the materials I found most helpful was the Kaplan OAT Online Course and books. Other test prep offered include: OAT Destroyer, The Princeton Review OAT Prep, The OAT Guide, OAT prep, CrackOAT, etcetera.

    • Each school has different standards for the scores that they will accept on the OAT. The OAT is not a stand-alone component, meaning admissions committees looked for well-rounded students where the GPA and OAT are on a sliding scale. This means a higher OAT can aid admissions with a slightly lower GPA and vice-versa.

  • Shadowing Experience

    • Before making a firm decision on any profession, I encourage everyone to shadow, shadow, and shadow some more.

      • This will submerge you into the field and even some of the nitty-gritty things that you never considered when first considering the profession.

      • You will gain mentors and people who can write letters of recommendation for you, both of which are very critical.

      • Shadow different doctors in the field that represent different demographics, different types of practices (i.e. commercial, private practice, industry), different sub-specialties (i.e. vision therapy, primary care, low vision) and who serve different populations (i.e. children, geriatrics, socioeconomic differences).

      • Also, shadow other similar professions. For example, I shadowed ophthalmology at the same time I was working and shadowing in Optometry. This allowed me to understand the differences between the fields and solidify that optometry was what I wanted to do.

      • The more shadowing experience you have the better. The national application and most schools will have this listed. Aim to have a least three unique experiences with a minimum of 30 hours.

  • Volunteer Hours

    • Volunteer hours and experiences are very helpful for adding diversity to the application and illustrating a commitment to serving others. After all, healthcare is centered around selfless acts that focus on meeting the needs of others and improving their well-being. I suggest volunteering throughout undergrad with both independent and group experiences. In my opinion, volunteering at a specific site or with a specific non-profit group on multiple occasions shows dedication and commitment which are traits that are essential to success in optometry school.

  • Leadership Experience

    • As future doctors and leaders, valuable leadership experience is critical. Although, this is not something that is required it adds sustenance to your application. Try to hold leadership positions in the organizations that you are active in undergrad and even community organizations such as your church. If your school offers opportunities to attend leadership workshops or training, I encourage you to take advantage of those opportunities as well. Serving in various leadership positions and having a variety of experiences to add to your application will show your ability to problem solve, work with others, communicate effectively, and organize. All of which are key traits and skills that you will need in optometry school and as a future healthcare provider.

  • Research and Other Unique Experiences

    • Research experience is another component that is not required, but something that will set your application apart for other applicants. It is even better if you have experience with presenting research or your name on a publication. Of course, I understand that research is not something everyone has the opportunity to do and many do not have any interest in research. However, research experience shows your ability to think creatively and critically. It also demonstrates your ability to problem solve and manage time as well as show your commitment to be a life-long learner. All of which are traits and skills that optometrists and other healthcare providers must possess to lead a successful career. Other unique experiences include studying abroad, mission trips, pre-optometry conferences, or workshops etcetera. 

If you would like to know more about the application process visit www.optomcas.org and also look at the websites of the optometry schools you are interested in.