How many hours do you have?

[BYUIDoctor]

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I'm curious to know how many shadowing hours everyone has. I'm especially interested in knowing those who will be applying this cycle.

Thanks!

 

[UD912]

I have 50 hours. The place I'm at has 4th year students from a lot of schools and most of them say they didn't have any clue they were gonna do optometry until right before they applied so I don't know how much it matters anyways.

 

[cunikki]

ok seriously? you have asked this several times. there is no magic number that is going to get you in. at my school at least .. after you get past the preliminary cutoffs (above a certain gpa, above a certain oat score) then its all about how you interview and how you can explain why you want to be here. if you feel you have had enough experience to know why you want to do this for the rest of your life why does it matter? no one is going to say.. oh wow that guy was a great candidate.. but why did he only have 30 hours of shadowing vs. 34... there is no magical number of hours that will get you in anywhere. check to see if the schools you want have a specific number, and as long as you are above that just stop worrying about it

 

[EyeBSmith]

I agree, there is no magical number that will get you in. Honestly I didn't even record my hours. I worked my last three summers of undergrad (including all school breaks) as well as my last two semesters at an office in my hometown. My advice is to try to get as much experience as you can. It's only going to help you!

 

[trantua4]

I just spoke to the adviser at Michigan's College of Optometry again. He said that there was no magical number, but its best to try to get as many perspectives as you can.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

He said that there was no magical number, but its best to try to get as many perspectives as you can.

Hmmm... this advice sounds familiar....😀😎

 

[aam0050]

Hmmm... this advice sounds familiar....😀😎

LOL!

There are too many factors to consider when admitting students to any professional program. Just try to get as much experience as you can, not just to make your resume look better, but to get more of an understanding and appreciation for the field. Good luck!

 

[trantua4]

Hmmm... this advice sounds familiar....😀😎

Heh 😀

 

[carol_J]

I was wondering if shadowing an MD would be an advantage,
also what would be some good questions to ask them about their field.