Pre-med --> Pre-optometry...sketchy?

[doraxplorer]

Hi guys, I'm currently pre-med, but am considering optometry in case I decide to have a life in life lol. The thing is, my extracurriculars scream pre-med (hospital volunteering, research), and I haven't really had any experience with optometry. Has anyone made the switch from pre-med to pre-opt? My GPA is pretty high, 3.7+ for both overall and science, at a top college. What type of extracurriculars do optometry schools look for? Does it look sketchy if they see that I've done a lot of pre-med stuff? With a high enough GPA and OAT (assuming), do I even need optometry shadowing (though I'd still do somes shadowing for sure so I can see if it's something I would like to do, but just wondering)? Thanks in advance!

Also, I do enjoy research, so what are the prospects for a OD who wants to do research, whether bench or clinical?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[kiwi5frog]

Hi guys, I'm currently pre-med, but am considering optometry in case I decide to have a life in life lol. The thing is, my extracurriculars scream pre-med (hospital volunteering, research), and I haven't really had any experience with optometry. Has anyone made the switch from pre-med to pre-opt? My GPA is pretty high, 3.7+ for both overall and science, at a top college. What type of extracurriculars do optometry schools look for? Does it look sketchy if they see that I've done a lot of pre-med stuff? With a high enough GPA and OAT (assuming), do I even need optometry shadowing (though I'd still do somes shadowing for sure so I can see if it's something I would like to do, but just wondering)? Thanks in advance!

Also, I do enjoy research, so what are the prospects for a OD who wants to do research, whether bench or clinical?

ah, be super careful about that lack of shadowing. The essays you'll have to write will have to reference your experience in the field. Interviews may grill you on your shadowing. additionally, shadowing is frequently named as one of the top reasons an applicant with great GPA/OAT is turned down for acceptance. Since it sounds like you are on a good track with high scores, i would put a huge effort into really racking up some major shadowing points. it'll be helpful in not only helping you learn more about the field, but also strengthen your application should you decide to apply.

 

[JMU07]

Hi guys, I'm currently pre-med, but am considering optometry in case I decide to have a life in life lol. The thing is, my extracurriculars scream pre-med (hospital volunteering, research), and I haven't really had any experience with optometry. Has anyone made the switch from pre-med to pre-opt? My GPA is pretty high, 3.7+ for both overall and science, at a top college. What type of extracurriculars do optometry schools look for? Does it look sketchy if they see that I've done a lot of pre-med stuff? With a high enough GPA and OAT (assuming), do I even need optometry shadowing (though I'd still do somes shadowing for sure so I can see if it's something I would like to do, but just wondering)? Thanks in advance!

Also, I do enjoy research, so what are the prospects for a OD who wants to do research, whether bench or clinical?

Definitely get experience in the field... you can't really make that decision without finding out for yourself if you really enjoy it. Watching someone do an exam is a lot different than doing it yourself. I have a lot of classmates who switched from pre-med, pre-dent, whatever with more experience in those fields, but because they did spend enough time with optometrists and got enough experience they were admitted. Good luck!

 

[Oogilily]

Pre-med and pre-optometry are the same thing. They're not degrees, they are just lists of classes helping you fill pre-reqs to get into school. You can "switch" if you want, but it means nothing because a lot of the pre-reqs are the same for both careers. All of the things you were doing to help you get into medical school will help you get into optometry school as well. I think you would be crazy not to shadow. Not just for getting into optometry school, but for getting to know the career. How do you know if you even like optometry? Some school's even require 30 hours of shadowing. Either way, you gotta do some shadowing.

 

[SonofanOpt]

Just to throw in my .02...

Whatever route you end up going, don't feel bad about mentioning you shadowed someone in a different career from the one you will be pursuing. If anything, I would think it would show that you know what you are getting into and have thoroughly looked through all of your options and have decided accordingly. I'm just saying this because you sound exactly like myself when I was applying - I shadowed MDs and ODs before making my decision between the two. Because of my experiences with both, I felt like I could make a much sounder decision on my future career.

 

[ohopenyoureyes]

Just to throw in my .02...

Whatever route you end up going, don't feel bad about mentioning you shadowed someone in a different career from the one you will be pursuing. If anything, I would think it would show that you know what you are getting into and have thoroughly looked through all of your options and have decided accordingly. I'm just saying this because you sound exactly like myself when I was applying - I shadowed MDs and ODs before making my decision between the two. Because of my experiences with both, I felt like I could make a much sounder decision on my future career.

Hey! I'm a former premed switching over to optometry (most likely). Question. Did you include your premed activities like shadowing doctors on your optometry school app? I spent a lot of time shadowing 4 specialties of medicine actually and I don't want it to seem like I wasn't doing anything with my time during those months. I decided to go to optometry after shadowing a few optometrists this past summer. I think comparing the experiences is what helped me make a safe and sound decision as well!

Also, do you guys know if hospital volunteering can be included on the optomcas?

 

[Groucho Marx]

I really think that you're over thinking this one. Yeah, do a little shadowing and when you interview talk specifically about why optometry appeals to you. If you have a good GPA and a strong OAT score, then I think most schools would prefer you to a weak applicant who always had optometry as a life long passion. The numbers count for a lot.