How did you prepare for Optometry school...

acetabulum7 said:

...after getting accepted?

What books did you read and what classes did you brush up on to prepare yourself for the profession?

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Absolutely nothing. Do not even bother. Enjoy the free time you have while you have it, because that changes pretty quickly once you start.

I agree with Achirum. Just relax and enjoy life while you can unless you are really smart and do not need to spend 4 - 5 hours per day outside of class studying and practice optometry methods/techniques such as refraction, slit lamp, color test, etc.... Maybe do some minor review on subjects that you are weak at. Optic can be tough to some people (need good math and physic skills). Good luck.

Trying to read and get a "leg up" will not help you in the least bit, so don't even bother.

Watch tv, travel, hang out with friends/fam you won't get to see that often when you are gone, ect.

Enjoy your last few months of freedom, they will be gone before you know it.

Wow, seriously. Don't do it, it's not even worth it. You'll learn everything you need to know when you get to school, don't worry about that.

acetabulum7 said:

...after getting accepted?

What books did you read and what classes did you brush up on to prepare yourself for the profession?

Click to expand...

And every time you ask this question to current students, they will look at you like you're crazy

this is directed at the current optometry students
how much free time do you guys get? I know classes/labs are time consuming and then you have to study afterward, so how do you guys find time to relax? Or do you not? If you don't, how do you remain stable?! lol!

acetabulum7 said:

...after getting accepted?

What books did you read and what classes did you brush up on to prepare yourself for the profession?

Click to expand...

It's coming up on 10 years since I graduated which makes it 14 years since I was a first year student but let me tell you this. And you need to listen, and listen good!

DO NOT BRUSH UP ON ANYTHING!!! They'll teach you what you need to know.

Spend your free time before school working a summer job that pays you as much money as you possibly can make!

physicslover said:

this is directed at the current optometry students
how much free time do you guys get? I know classes/labs are time consuming and then you have to study afterward, so how do you guys find time to relax? Or do you not? If you don't, how do you remain stable?! lol!

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1) Gin and tonic
2) Gin sans tonic

physicslover said:

this is directed at the current optometry students
how much free time do you guys get? I know classes/labs are time consuming and then you have to study afterward, so how do you guys find time to relax? Or do you not? If you don't, how do you remain stable?! lol!

Click to expand...

Some weeks you get more free time than others. Sometimes you just suck it up and are either studying or practicing in pretty much all your free time. They say to stay on top of stuff from the beginning and I agree (even though I don't always do it - when I do, it helps a lot!)

I personally just make it a goal to NOT study Sunday nights - unless I have a test on Monday. It really helps me relax before the week starts again. A lot of people I know pick one day/evening that they try not to study unless it is finals time, but everyone has their own way to do it. You will figure out how to balance when you get started - it just may take a few weeks

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but do you guys get any holidays? Summers, christmas break, reading week?

At Nova:
OD1 and OD2 christmas break from Dec 11-Jan 4
OD 3- OD4 christmas break are shorter (depending on clinic schedule)
OD1 summer break from April 27 - June 14 (start summer school after June 14 for first year)
OD 2 summer break from April 27- May 10 (start clinic and summer school after may 10)
OD 3 and OD 4 summer break depend on clinic schedule (mostly very very short break)
We also get 1 week of spring break and 2 days of thanksgiving break and maybe 1 day/month for other holidays/faculty retreat.

Good luck.

At SCO we get some time off for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks for Christmas, and MLK day off (I know this is random but we're in Memphis so it's a huge holiday here). And July 4 in the summer. Also spring break obviously. There's a one week break between spring and summer semester, and one week between summer and fall.

Those breaks seem pretty standard. Nothing great

How about time off at PCO?

So it's not recommended that I keep any of my undergrad science textbooks? I was thinking they'd come in handy if I needed to brush up on physiology and whatnot in opt. school.

sugarhype10 said:

So it's not recommended that I keep any of my undergrad science textbooks? I was thinking they'd come in handy if I needed to brush up on physiology and whatnot in opt. school.

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I saved some of my textbooks and it was a complete waste. The ONLY book to keep is Netter's atlas for anatomy. Your lecture notes will probably be sufficient for other classes, and there's always the library if you need a reference.

As far as the free time question...some weeks are definitely worse than others. It is more stressful than undergrad for sure, but in my opinion it is completely manageable. Honestly, the same techniques that anyone else uses to stay sane are necessary: time management, making sure you keep enough time for yourself (enough sleep, food, exercise)...and definitely letting loose and going out whenever possible.

And honestly the biggest piece of advice I could offer is this: of course all the exams and assessments are important, but they are not life or death. Try to maintain proper perspective on things and you'll be better off. Prepare yourself well for your exams and etc, but try to keep a level head about things. The more you freak out and induce stress on yourself, the more likely it is that you'll make stupid mistakes.

...And this is said as I'm in the middle of midterms week

blysssful said:

And honestly the biggest piece of advice I could offer is this: of course all the exams and assessments are important, but they are not life or death. Try to maintain proper perspective on things and you'll be better off. Prepare yourself well for your exams and etc, but try to keep a level head about things. The more you freak out and induce stress on yourself, the more likely it is that you'll make stupid mistakes.

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This is SO TRUE. Nobody cares if you get straight A's or any A's for that matter. You don't need to stress and freak out over your GPA. What's more important is that YOU feel confident about knowing the material and being able to perform clinic procedures, not getting a 100 on every single test. Everyone has bad test days, or whatever. A 3.0 or a 2.0 for that matter are both going to get the same degree as the 4.0. It's NOT worth stressing over.

practice being able to close one eye while being able to keep the other open.

you will need this in your career!

i was wondering about this, figured I'd bump the thread if anyone else was curious.

YOU CAN GRADUATE WITH A 2.0??! I hope this isn't the norm for ODs. How would you pass your exams? Or boards for that matter?

whizzle said:

YOU CAN GRADUATE WITH A 2.0??! I hope this isn't the norm for ODs. How would you pass your exams? Or boards for that matter?

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Straight C's...

But no one makes straight C's. 2.0 is near impossible... something or another will happen. Either you do better or u do worse.

whizzle said:

YOU CAN GRADUATE WITH A 2.0??! I hope this isn't the norm for ODs. How would you pass your exams? Or boards for that matter?

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Well, if you are seriously asking this, a 70% is a C. You need 60-65% right to pass boards. Can it be done, yeah, is it smart, no.

C=OD. Or MD or whatever. Most people do much better than this in optometry school, don't worry.