What will make my application stand out?

[ICanSee123]

Hello everyone!
I'm addressing this question to all the recent accepted students, students currently in optometry school, and all O.Ds. I'm planning on applying to optometry school this Summer. I haven't taken my OAT yet and my current GPA is 3.1 I have a lot of hours in extracurricular work such as volunteering at different places, events, and an active member in many student organizations around my college campus. I also worked in a few healthcare setting (none of which pertain to eye care) I'm currently shadowing an optometrist and hoping to shadow another in the summer. I however, don't feel confident about my application and was wondering what else I could do to make my application stand out and show my passion to optometry?

Thanks in advance!

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[roush137]

I would say the 2 most important things to do right now are to keep shadowing and to study really hard for your OAT. Having a killer OAT can be a serious help for getting an interview. Also, look outside the box for opportunities to get involved with optometry. Shadowing is great, but look for a part time job as a technician. I was able to find one that only needed someone 5-10 hours a week, so it didn't cause me to get behind with my other responsibilities. There are also organizations that teach kids about eyes, do free screenings for children and homeless, and optometry conferences that allow pre-optometry students to attend. My university had a pre-optometry club, which made finding these things easier for me, but you'd be amazed at what you'll find by googling optometry, and taking to your local optometrists about things they are involved in outside of the office!

 

[optoapp2012]

You don't have to have something optometry-related to make your app stand out. It cane really be anything, and I'd encourage something not eye-related because that just blends in with everyone. Certainly make it clear that you are confident in your interest in optometry (via shadowing hours, etc.), because any admissions board is going to want to make sure they admit someone who will finish their program successfully. But other than that, you can definitely use your other experiences to share any interests that make you stand out, a particular encounter with a patient that impacted you in one of those other healthcare settings, a project you handled that shows leadership in one of the student organizations....etc etc. Don't feel pressured for it to fit a mold of eye-related stuff!

Hello everyone!
I'm addressing this question to all the recent accepted students, students currently in optometry school, and all O.Ds. I'm planning on applying to optometry school this Summer. I haven't taken my OAT yet and my current GPA is 3.1 I have a lot of hours in extracurricular work such as volunteering at different places, events, and an active member in many student organizations around my college campus. I also worked in a few healthcare setting (none of which pertain to eye care) I'm currently shadowing an optometrist and hoping to shadow another in the summer. I however, don't feel confident about my application and was wondering what else I could do to make my application stand out and show my passion to optometry?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Myopia Sucks]

You don't have to have something optometry-related to make your app stand out. It cane really be anything, and I'd encourage something not eye-related because that just blends in with everyone. Certainly make it clear that you are confident in your interest in optometry (via shadowing hours, etc.), because any admissions board is going to want to make sure they admit someone who will finish their program successfully. But other than that, you can definitely use your other experiences to share any interests that make you stand out, a particular encounter with a patient that impacted you in one of those other healthcare settings, a project you handled that shows leadership in one of the student organizations....etc etc. Don't feel pressured for it to fit a mold of eye-related stuff!

Some schools (especially SUNY) put a LOT of emphasis on Optometry related experience because they tell the school that you know what the profession is all about. While it's nice to stand out from the crowd, schools really want to know if the profession is the right fit for you. I would suggest getting a variety of Optometry related experiences (retail, clinical, etc) and be able to demonstrate a strong understanding of the profession.