Hey guys...I've recently returned to college to get my pre-req's and am finding science courses very demanding. I was wondering if the optometry curriculum was hard, time-consuming, and whether or not you would have time to work part-time during school. I just reviewed the SUNY Optometry curriculum and it seems reaallly tough - 20 something credit hours per semester. I'm having a difficult time in just general physics & chemistry courses and am not sure if I can survive even if I were to get accepted.
Is the optometry curriculum difficult?
- Thread starter Sumi66
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Sumi66 said:
whether its actully harder or not, ill leave to current students, but IMO it shouldnt and cannot be easier. it is a PROFESSIONAL school, not some certificate or day job. if we want to be taken seriously, there shouldnt even be these questions. do premeds ask if med school is more difficult then undergrad???
not directly this towards the OP as i do not know where you are coming from so i hope you dont take offense, but TOO many students think of optometry as a easy route to the doctor title, and expect easier admissions or curriculum. it might be the case, but this is not the attitude i expect from the future optometrist. and frankly, i am sick of it. i chose optometry to be a great optometrist and i am tired of a) current optometrist questioning preopts motives, they are correct, too many view this profession as a easy backup and b) people bad mouthing this profession, again they are correct, this profession currently is too lax towards commercialization
i have my flame suit on
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harder... depends on your undergrad major. it's been explained like this. .. imagine your hardest anatomy class, was it impossible? no, did it kick you in the ...shins, yes! now multiply that by 6 times. so in short YES optometry school is harder .. unless as an undergrad you took 18-20 units of weeder science classes every semester for 3 years.
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overall the actual class is not harder than a tough class during undergrad. The thing is... your taking 10 classes a semester, and everyone class is equivalent to a tougher undergrad course. Before i entered opt school i thought it would be easy....omg i was soo wrong. OPt of hard ..no doubt about it....
odstudent said:
This is a good point. Optometry school material is not terribly difficult. What is difficult is the volume of material. Don't get all worried about it in advance though. When you're in the midst of it it isn't too bad. You just do it.
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Sumi66 said:
if general physics and chemistry are difficult and/or not interesting to you, id look into another profession - this is not a slam on psychology, but id look into that if you have any interest. i have a friend who is a clinical psychologist and he reports that abstract thinking, and obviously personal skills, are the merits of the greatest value in psychology. he despised biology, chem, and calc, even though he is one of the most intellegent persons i know. maybe i should set up a session with him to talk about my hatred towards commercial optometry.
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still_confused said:
😱 Whoa Nelly!!! Take a step back and take a deep breath. I agree with most of what you said... perhaps you have some pent up rage that finally has emerged. This is good. Let it out.... but I think the OP was just asking for a little reassurance, and perhaps he/she barked up the wrong tree.
OP... if you think General Chemistry and Physics are overwhelming and difficult... this may not be the career for you.
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First off, I am only a senor chem. Major in college. Secondly, I have worked as a lab assistant all four years while keeping in close contact with those pre opt folks that are now in optometry school.
Even with this being said, College chem. and college physics is not an easy class. Granted I am not as educated as those that posted before me, but I do know this. I have had the pleasure of watching other students and I become BETTER students as time passed. It may be hard for the more experienced members to recall, but we were all inexperienced science students at one time. There are many students in my labs that are transferring in from a non sci major. They always struggle with in their first sci classes since they have to learn to handle the rigorous material. But you must understand, you have to work hard now to prepare yourself for later. By the time you do get done with your pre reqs, you will be a more efficient student. The students I know of that have made it to opt school completely agree with me.
The reason youre doing your pre reqs is to grow as a student. If it was easy for you, it would be a slight waste of time since you would not grow. Apparently those who posted earlier were ready to go to optometry school before they even completed the basic classes. Dont let them and their baggage about not getting enough respect bring you down.
I find that students that move into more difficult classes tend to have a selective memory when it comes to their old basic classes. it dosent mattter if they are doctors, or just junors, it seems to be human nature.
99% my fellow chem. majors found chem. I difficult and demanding.
Keep trying and I think you will grow as a student, even if you have to fail a little in order to learn how to learn.
As a chem. lab assistant, tutor and pre opt person, keep trying and let me know if there is any way I can help. 😉
If you have any further questions and you dont want to stand in front of the firing squad- let me know.
kelus
Even with this being said, College chem. and college physics is not an easy class. Granted I am not as educated as those that posted before me, but I do know this. I have had the pleasure of watching other students and I become BETTER students as time passed. It may be hard for the more experienced members to recall, but we were all inexperienced science students at one time. There are many students in my labs that are transferring in from a non sci major. They always struggle with in their first sci classes since they have to learn to handle the rigorous material. But you must understand, you have to work hard now to prepare yourself for later. By the time you do get done with your pre reqs, you will be a more efficient student. The students I know of that have made it to opt school completely agree with me.
The reason youre doing your pre reqs is to grow as a student. If it was easy for you, it would be a slight waste of time since you would not grow. Apparently those who posted earlier were ready to go to optometry school before they even completed the basic classes. Dont let them and their baggage about not getting enough respect bring you down.
I find that students that move into more difficult classes tend to have a selective memory when it comes to their old basic classes. it dosent mattter if they are doctors, or just junors, it seems to be human nature.
99% my fellow chem. majors found chem. I difficult and demanding.
Keep trying and I think you will grow as a student, even if you have to fail a little in order to learn how to learn.
As a chem. lab assistant, tutor and pre opt person, keep trying and let me know if there is any way I can help. 😉
If you have any further questions and you dont want to stand in front of the firing squad- let me know.
kelus
still_confused said:
Hey, thanks for all the responses, I certainly got to see responses for my problem from a few angles. It wasn't my intention to offend anyone, but I can see how I may have come across in that way. I'm not saying that I expect Optometry school to be a breeze, where I can just slack off and still make it, but it's true, I do not expect Optometry to be as difficult as Med School. I have the utmost respect for OD's and I feel that it's a really prestigious career which is why I have taken the 1st step in trying to reach that goal. But I am aware of some of the issues that OD's have in regards to appreciation and respect in the medical community. I've thought about things I may have to deal with if I actually went all the way and made it, but when it really comes down to it, at least now, I still feel that it would be satisfying. I think OD's have it good to be totally frank with you. OD's work 40 hrs/week, make close to 6 figures or more, work in comfortable settings, have the option of being their own boss, possibility of owning their own business & setting their own rules without having to report to some jerk boss, or be forced to work long over-time hours, or be forced to relocate or travel, relatively no unemployment, have flexibility to work in various settings, get to examine eyes (I'm sure many other things that I have not learned yet about the profession), work with kids or senior citizens, be needed by the community and never really have to go scrounging for business, it's stable, secure, comfortable, you have more time for family responsibilities rather than slaving away for some company, and yes people will call you DOCTOR! It sounds like a dream job to have. I only feel a bit remorseful for not exploring the healthcare industry earlier in my post-secondary education and now at my age (mid 20's) I have to start from scratch after I already worked so hard in under-grad - that is my main dilemma.
I'm not doing horribly in my Chem & Physics courses - if I do well on my finals I should hopefully have B's. The doubt stems from mainly the amount of effort and time I need to put in in order to get average grades ( and I graduated with a 3.5 GPA). This is the first science course I've taken since HS and that was years ago and I've been out of school in general for about 2 years now, so the adjustment has been difficult. I was just feeling a little uncertain if I should put in this much time & effort into pursuing an OD at my age because I'm sacrificing the time & effort of making more money or possibly trying to excel in another field or even relaxing rather than performing redox reactions and mixing chemicals, and finding temperatures of gases and pressures all that stuff. In addition, it's not only just now, its for an additional 5 years! I mean take a look at the curriculum!!
http://www.sunyopt.edu/academics/curriculum.shtml
I'm not sure if I will progress and develop as a science student, but I hope to. Didn't mean to write such a long post, but I just wanted to clear up any misunderstanding. So don't be mad at me!! 🙂
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I made 3 C's one semester in Chemical Engineering working my ass off. Now, I get more sleep and make better grades by working less. I'm a third quarter first year, and I still don't think I've experienced anything nearly as hard as that. In optometry school you don't have too many push over courses really. Sometimes you'll have a lab that's easy, and there was the introduction to optometry course. All in all though, it's basically your medium to harder end biology like classes. 99% of the time there is no homework. You just study. For optics and theory there are some problems to work to help you study usually. For optics I don't even bother actually doing them anymore. I just look at the solutions and make sure I understand them. I don't find it too hard to make a B or maybe a C, but I have a tough time making A's. Of course at this level A's don't really matter that much, so I don't really feel motivated to put in a bunch more work to really push for that A, and consequently optometry school hasn't been too stressful overall.
my 2 cents
my 2 cents
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stevec said:
i agree 100%! if you have an undergraduate background that has courses that are extremely difficult, it can make optometry school a breeze.... if your undergrad has classes that are killer: whether it be advanced chemical engineering, or just something like upper level immunology - these classes will totally make optometry school seem easy
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drgregory said:
I respectfully disagree. Just because Gen. Physics and Chemistry are difficult right now doesn't mean you should look into another profession. I had a similar experience. I recently returned to school to complete the prereqs for optometry school and at first I was very discourage because it was difficult. However, the harder I studied the better I got. Coming back to school and taken these tough classes was overwhelming and it still is at times. I just completed 1 full year back in school and I have done Gen Chem 1 & 2 w/lab, Gen. Physics 1 & 2 w/ labs, Bio 1& 2 w/labs, calculus and Bio Vision (not required) and a Direct Independant Research Study. So far all A's & B's and 1 C. Stick it out, you will get used to the toughness and if you seriously want to do optometry you will be fine!
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Hi,
I see that you go to southern. I just graduated with my biology degree, and plan on going to optometry school after this next year. Southern is where I would really like to go. I graduated with a 3.53 and I am taking the OAT in july. I would also be an out of state student. Do you have any advice about getting into your school? This is what I've always wanted to do, but I am still nervous about the upcoming application process. Also, do you know how difficult it is to pay back the loans? I am most nervous about that actually. I am afraid to get into that much debt! Your thoughts on any of this would be much appreciated! Or anyone else that would like to share their thoughts! Thanks!!!!
I see that you go to southern. I just graduated with my biology degree, and plan on going to optometry school after this next year. Southern is where I would really like to go. I graduated with a 3.53 and I am taking the OAT in july. I would also be an out of state student. Do you have any advice about getting into your school? This is what I've always wanted to do, but I am still nervous about the upcoming application process. Also, do you know how difficult it is to pay back the loans? I am most nervous about that actually. I am afraid to get into that much debt! Your thoughts on any of this would be much appreciated! Or anyone else that would like to share their thoughts! Thanks!!!!
