Hi there I am a prospective student and was wondering how many OD's you should really shadow before the schools have considered you as a good applicant. I know its not all about the work exp. or shadowing but I hear so many mixed things from people working at a eye clinic for years and years up to people going from 12-4 on Sat. I have already shadowed 2 different OD's under the same company. I am looking to do two more situations; rural settings and big retail chains like Walmart. Also does anyone have any good info for people that are applying this year since it is the season for applications, in terms of essays, hard interview questions and how to face them. Thanks in advance for your input.

Hi there I am a prospective student and was wondering how many OD's you should really shadow before the schools have considered you as a good applicant. I know its not all about the work exp. or shadowing but I hear so many mixed things from people working at a eye clinic for years and years up to people going from 12-4 on Sat. I have already shadowed 2 different OD's under the same company. I am looking to do two more situations; rural settings and big retail chains like Walmart. Also does anyone have any good info for people that are applying this year since it is the season for applications, in terms of essays, hard interview questions and how to face them. Thanks in advance for your input.Yeah, more important than the number of doctors you shadow, are the settings in which those doctors practice. Instead of shadowing the same kind of practice, try to get into different ones. You may want to use the Search option of this website for information and advice about the application process. There’s a ton of info from the past couple of years.

Dont shadow to make yourself a good sell. Concentrate on shadowing so that you really decide for yourself if you want to be an optometrist. Once you do, then you have your ideal number.