Need advice; optometry or move on?

[popopt204]

My story is pretty rough but I am looking for any honest opinions/realistic advice so here I go! I am ready for any comments so don't fluff it up. If you would prefer to message me privately as well, I don't mind.

I was recently dismissed from optometry school after my 1st year there (academic reasons). I did appeal but unfortunately the outcome still turned out unfavorable. After going through this 1st year, I learned what I'm capable of and will continue to seek doing something in the healthcare field since I genuinely enjoyed the high-leveled science courses during my 1st year. I really did enjoy learning about optometry since I invested a lot of time during my undergraduate years to learning about the profession through shadowing and volunteering. I have always been open-minded with my career choices so I am also open to other areas of healthcare but optometry was always my #1 choice. My other career choices that I would have also liked to pursue were dentistry/dental hygienist or being a science teacher.

My parents have suggested to me that I should reapply to optometry school again but I honestly feel like the financial burdens I will encounter in the future after graduating will be too much for me to handle. My loans are already hefty after leaving (private school, out of state plus I owe ~18k from undergrad) and I can only imagine what another 250k more will do to that amount. The tuition to income ratio doesn't look too well. I'm not sure how to proceed next and I'm still pretty young (under 25 yrs old). Would it be financially feasible to reapply and go through it again or would I be better off moving on?

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[Meeehai]

Would it be financially feasible to reapply and go through it again or would I be better off moving on?

Need more context on why you were dismissed. Were you having personal problems or could you just not handle the program? You're looking at a similar workload in dentistry and medicine, so you need to figure out whether you have the ability to go through it now that you've been exposed to it.

 

[popopt204]

Need more context on why you were dismissed. Were you having personal problems or could you just not handle the program? You're looking at a similar workload in dentistry and medicine, so you need to figure out whether you have the ability to go through it now that you've been exposed to it.

I would say a mixture of both. The whole year was a transitional time for me. I applied and jumped into optometry school right after graduating college. My first time moving out of state and dealing with roommates, etc. My study habits were constantly being played with to manage the course load throughout the semester. I guess I would say that I was not prepared to handle the graduate level course load. I know that doesn't sound good. I honestly wish I thought about taking a year off before jumping right in or did a more heavier course load in undergrad. I know that if I were given another chance though, I would at least know that those extraneous factors that I had to deal with (moving out of state, study habits, etc) have been dealt with and I can 100% put all my efforts into whatever I choose to do next.

 

[Meeehai]

I would say a mixture of both. The whole year was a transitional time for me. I applied and jumped into optometry school right after graduating college. My first time moving out of state and dealing with roommates, etc. My study habits were constantly being played with to manage the course load throughout the semester. I guess I would say that I was not prepared to handle the graduate level course load. I know that doesn't sound good. I honestly wish I thought about taking a year off before jumping right in. I know that if I were given another chance though, I would at least know that those extraneous factors (moving out of state, study habits, etc) have been dealt with and I can 100% put all my efforts into my study.

This is a very personal decision, I would reflect on what you want to do and whether or not you think you are able to go through with it. Nobody else can answer this question for you. If you're not sure yet, you can wait it out a year to make sure you're going into something you will enjoy doing. I think you're still young so you shouldn't feel pressured into making a decision right away - a lot of students in health professions programs are much older. Committing to any professional program is a big decision and you are going to have to take a leap of faith if you still want to go down this route. You will have financial burdens with any health profession program, so it's important that you weigh the personal pros/cons for yourself and make the decision that's best for you.

I wish you good luck in whatever direction you decide to take.

 

[hello07]

My story is pretty rough but I am looking for any honest opinions/realistic advice so here I go! I am ready for any comments so don't fluff it up. If you would prefer to message me privately as well, I don't mind.

I was recently dismissed from optometry school after my 1st year there (academic reasons). I did appeal but unfortunately the outcome still turned out unfavorable. After going through this 1st year, I learned what I'm capable of and will continue to seek doing something in the healthcare field since I genuinely enjoyed the high-leveled science courses during my 1st year. I really did enjoy learning about optometry since I invested a lot of time during my undergraduate years to learning about the profession through shadowing and volunteering. I have always been open-minded with my career choices so I am also open to other areas of healthcare but optometry was always my #1 choice. My other career choices that I would have also liked to pursue were dentistry, medicine, or being a science teacher.

My parents have suggested to me that I should reapply to optometry school again but I honestly feel like the financial burdens I will encounter in the future after graduating will be too much for me to handle. My loans are already hefty after leaving (private school, out of state plus I owe ~18k from undergrad) and I can only imagine what another 250k more will do to that amount. The tuition to income ratio doesn't look too well. I'm not sure how to proceed next and I'm still pretty young (under 25 yrs old). Would it be financially feasible to reapply and go through it again or would I be better off moving on?

If you couldn't handle first year Optometry school ( a rigorous program indeed) you are not going to succeed in either medicine or dentistry. Just as hard and more difficult -medicine. Going out of state and dealing with roommates is no excuse or a poor excuse. Do not say that to admission committee. Taking a year off and applying in my opinion, makes it even harder to get into study mode, etc........You mention financial burden, and at the moment optometry is not a sustainable model. There are many new OD schools that have opened up since the original 16 US schools and more new graduates being pumped out every year. Salaries continue to remain stagnant in saturated cities and unless you are a go getter- start or buy your own practice or go into medical optometry which does pay more, you'll be facing an uphill battle with a staggering amount of student loans to pay back (250K and greater).

The only person who can answer your question is YOU. From what school were you dismissed ?