College Bound!! HELP!!

[forheavenseyes]

Hi everyone,
I am a current high school student in Houston, Texas, and I'm pretty interested in becoming an optometrist. I'm too chicken to ask anyone for help so I looked up for optometry forums.. and yeah I'm here... Anyway, I need to know what course I need to take when I enter college and what colleges offer those courses. Also, would the PreOptometry in Sam Houston University be okay? I don't know where to start!! My senior year is already halfway done and I didn't even take the time to find out. College applications are due soon!! ='( Help me on where to start please!!

-Desperate for guidance

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[rkl_OD2be]

Hi everyone,
I am a current high school student in Houston, Texas, and I'm pretty interested in becoming an optometrist. I'm too chicken to ask anyone for help so I looked up for optometry forums.. and yeah I'm here... Anyway, I need to know what course I need to take when I enter college and what colleges offer those courses. Also, would the PreOptometry in Sam Houston University be okay? I don't know where to start!! My senior year is already halfway done and I didn't even take the time to find out. College applications are due soon!! ='( Help me on where to start please!!

-Desperate for guidance

Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry has a web site that answered all these questions for me. Have a look...

Basically, Chemistry (1, 2, Organic 1, Biochemistry), Physics 1 & 2, and a year or so of Biology (all with labs except possibly Biochem) are the "core" courses. There are others that are recommended.

Then you'll need to study and take the OAT, submit applications, essays and letters of recommendation to the various schools. Wait as you are selected for interviews, and hopefully be selected to an Optometry school...

Welcome to the forums, and best wishes with your schooling.

 

[forheavenseyes]

Thank you so much!

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Hi everyone,
I am a current high school student in Houston, Texas, and I'm pretty interested in becoming an optometrist. I'm too chicken to ask anyone for help so I looked up for optometry forums.. and yeah I'm here... Anyway, I need to know what course I need to take when I enter college and what colleges offer those courses. Also, would the PreOptometry in Sam Houston University be okay? I don't know where to start!! My senior year is already halfway done and I didn't even take the time to find out. College applications are due soon!! ='( Help me on where to start please!!

-Desperate for guidance

Whoa... slow down! As a high school senior, you have plenty of time left before any sort of critical deadline passes! You don't have to have your profession picked before you enter college. The important thing for you to do would be get your college apps in soon... for the purposes of optometry it really doesn't matter where you get your undergrad, provided it is a reputable school. I think that pretty much every four year school and most junior colleges will have the courses you will need to take for your prereqs. You don't have to major in Vision Science or Pre-Optometry to get accepted, so take your time in picking a major! I think that it would be a really great thing for you to shadow an optometrist or at least meet with one to discuss the profession. Don't be nervous about appoaching someone for information about their career... everyone was a scared high school senior at one point! Do you have an optometrist that you regularly see? Or, does a family member have someone they can put you in contact with? Meet with one and really learn about the profession... be sure that optometry is something you have a passion for and will continue having a passion for! You have a long road ahead of you, and if optometry is truly something you love... it will be tough but rewarding! Best of luck to you. p.greeneyes

 

[4Eyes]

Ditto what everyone else is saying, but it sounds like you're also concerned about where to go to undergrad....

I don't know anything about Sam Houston, but my feeling is that you should go wherever you want. Obviously, you'll want to go somewhere with a solid science program, but getting into optometry school is all about academic performance, extracurriculars, field experience, communication skills, etc....it doesn't really matter where you go to undergrad.

Choose a school where you like the program, you like the profs, and you like the environment...anyplace you can be excited about and get involved.

Good luck with everything!

 

[rpames]

I agree, find a good school that you really like. As long as it is a reputable school, you will be fine. That means go to a small private school of 2000 students, or at state one with 75,000. As long as you like where you go, you will be fine.

Any school that has a science dept. will have all the class you need. You can major in anything...thats right, anything! Be it philosophy, music, biology, or physics. My opinion is that if you are interested in optometry/medicine, you would probably be happy as a biology major...like all pre-health science students are. It also makes it easier to get all the pre-reqs for OD school b/c they are most likely required for your degree too. I would highly advise you to minor in business. I know that is probably the last thing on your mind, but it will serve you well. I majored in biology and minored in chemistry & philosophy. I wish I would have minored in business b/c you really don't get any knowledge of it while in OD school (or any health field). If you want to have your own practice, the business background would really help.

Good luck!

 

[suaxdauxnanh]

but goin to a university that already has your major make it more convenient so u don't have to transfer??? and begin the whole process again..then u would just continue to go to the same school...

 

[4Eyes]

but goin to a university that already has your major make it more convenient so u don't have to transfer??? and begin the whole process again..then u would just continue to go to the same school...

Optometry is completely separate from undergraduate university. Even if you go to a state school with an optometry school, it's still a completely separate application process.

Some schools, however, have a 3+4 program (3 years undergrad, 4 years optometry school). But then you have to stay in the same city for 7 years. Some people like to change it up.

 

[4Eyes]

Edit: Double post. Don't know what that was all about. Sorry!

 

[RyuKenli]

I'm a freshman at Arkansas. Just look at the prerequisities and fix those into your schedule if you can. Im currently taking the "core" classes such as chem 1 & chem 2, and biology.