OD Salaries

[RmM]

Hey ya'll,

I was just wondering what the avg salaries are of ODs right out of optometry school, and then 5 or 10 years further. I've heard from many people that the avg is around 80k and max is around 120k. I'm going to take my OATs this month and I figured I'd get some solid responses here. I've been deciding between med school and op school, and I chose to do optometry. Now I'm having doubts about the profession, and I think I might take the MCATs in April. But yeah, just wondering what the avg salaries are.

Btw I'm not picking which career based on salaries, it's just that I've been having serious doubts about optometry, so I'm trying to weigh my pros and cons. I also don't want to go to school for an extra four years and come out only making 75k for the rest of my life. Unless I'm happy doing what I'm doing, which is the question I'm trying to answer.

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[stompy]

I think it's quite possible for an OD to make $75k for a good part of the rest of his/her life, right?

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

Hey ya'll,

I was just wondering what the avg salaries are of ODs right out of optometry school, and then 5 or 10 years further. I've heard from many people that the avg is around 80k and max is around 120k. I'm going to take my OATs this month and I figured I'd get some solid responses here. I've been deciding between med school and op school, and I chose to do optometry. Now I'm having doubts about the profession, and I think I might take the MCATs in April. But yeah, just wondering what the avg salaries are.

Btw I'm not picking which career based on salaries, it's just that I've been having serious doubts about optometry, so I'm trying to weigh my pros and cons. I also don't want to go to school for an extra four years and come out only making 75k for the rest of my life. Unless I'm happy doing what I'm doing, which is the question I'm trying to answer.

employed od's make b/t $75,000 and $100,000. self-employed make b/t 0 and $300,000.

 

[Opii]

Don't want to burst anybody's bubble but this thread has been making me wonder... [email protected] ... there are some unhappy optometrists out there. Then again, there is probably another thread called optometryrocks@???.com and I just don't know about it..
Salaries are mentioned in that thread, but it's just a few ODs' opinions.
Let's hope salaries look closer to what Hollywood said, that's what statistics say.

 

[drbizzaro]

Don't want to burst anybody's bubble but this thread has been making me wonder... [email protected] ... there are some unhappy optometrists out there. Then again, there is probably another thread called optometryrocks@???.com and I just don't know about it..
Salaries are mentioned in that thread, but it's just a few ODs' opinions.
Let's hope salaries look closer to what Hollywood said, that's what statistics say.

if you dont enjoy this profession, there is a high chance you'll gross less than 75,000.00 / year...

only those who love it, or those who are awesomely skilled in business will succeed... those who go into optometry thinking big bucks, but have a lazy persona, will end up unhappy for the rest of their lives...

 

[Opii]

75,000 isn't bad, probably depends on many factors right? I'm not saying I love it or hate it. I'm saying I haven't been out there yet and what some OD's say, it's concerning, but there are other ODs that love it. We won't really know until we are actually there. Perhaps only those who are working can give an accurate response. So far my experiences have been good but never been a professional yet, so I wonder about it.

 

[stompy]

employed od's make b/t $75,000 and $100,000. self-employed make b/t 0 and $300,000.

Makes me think there are self-employed ODs that make less than $0...

 

[reconsider]

Wether you love or hate optometry has nothing to do with what you will earn. Earnings are deternined by how many hourts you put in. The average pay for an employed optometrist is $40 per hour. Do the math. More experience does not result in greater pay. You will be paid the same hourly rate. Different commercial places have different schemes. At JC penny you collect your own fees. There stores are very slow, so you end up earning $5.00 an hour. At walmart, the trafffic is much better, you might do 50 - 60 per hour. After you get tired and bored of Walmart or get into a dispute with your district manager you will be looking for other things. Don't expect more than $40-$50 per hour.

75,000 isn't bad, probably depends on many factors right? I'm not saying I love it or hate it. I'm saying I haven't been out there yet and what some OD's say, it's concerning, but there are other ODs that love it. We won't really know until we are actually there. Perhaps only those who are working can give an accurate response. So far my experiences have been good but never been a professional yet, so I wonder about it.

 

[reconsider]

You should carefully consider entering medicine. There are big changes going on and lots of folks not happy. That being said, if your choice is between optometry and medical school, I would go to medical school no questions asked. Your average MD regardless of specialty is treated better, paid better has more prestige and respect than any optometrist working commercial ie Walmart, lenscrafters . . . (you know the list) or any optometrist working in private practice. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Hey ya'll,

I was just wondering what the avg salaries are of ODs right out of optometry school, and then 5 or 10 years further. I've heard from many people that the avg is around 80k and max is around 120k. I'm going to take my OATs this month and I figured I'd get some solid responses here. I've been deciding between med school and op school, and I chose to do optometry. Now I'm having doubts about the profession, and I think I might take the MCATs in April. But yeah, just wondering what the avg salaries are.

Btw I'm not picking which career based on salaries, it's just that I've been having serious doubts about optometry, so I'm trying to weigh my pros and cons. I also don't want to go to school for an extra four years and come out only making 75k for the rest of my life. Unless I'm happy doing what I'm doing, which is the question I'm trying to answer.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

The biggest variance in OD salaries lies in the success of the attached optical shop. I'm certainly not saying you MUST have an optical shop to do well, but, unless you can find some niche in your local area to fulfill (low vision, VT), a good optical shop is a good way to make good income.

You should carefully consider entering medicine. There are big changes going on and lots of folks not happy. That being said, if your choice is between optometry and medical school, I would go to medical school no questions asked. Your average MD regardless of specialty is treated better, paid better has more prestige and respect than any optometrist working commercial ie Walmart, lenscrafters . . . (you know the list) or any optometrist working in private practice. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

There are lots of advantages to optometry over medicine. I chose medicine, but I can see why optometry works for many people:

1. No call
2. Get out in the real world sooner (4 years school vs. 8 for ophthalmology)
3. The great feeling of putting glasses on someone and watching them go "wow, I'd forgotten that things were supposed to be this clear" or something similar
4. Ocular pathology is just downright neat, and ODs (as many people's primary eye care professionals) get to see lots of it
5. I haven't heard many OD students complain about the hours of their clinical time, nor have to pass laws about residency hours

Medicine is a good career, optometry is also a good career. Its just a matter of finding what you like to do.

 

[Jimmy S]

I'm an OD who graduated 5 years ago with 145,000 in Optometry school loan debt. I wanted to pay back my loans ASAP so I decided to work where I could make as much money as possible and be happy. After doing research on my options I decided to lease office space from Wal-Mart. By doing this I was able to pay off my school loans in 3 years and now NET over $170,000! My house will be paid for in 2 years and then I will be completely debt free, have financial freedom and the choice to practice where and in what setting I choose. I'm able to get the vacation days off when I want and only work 5 days a week in an ideal setting. Many of my friends went into private practice and are all doing well too. I've never met an OD who made less than 100,000 (I may just have successfull friends). The latest 2005 AOA Economic Survey came out this past week and the median (not average) net income for OD's in practice 6-10 yrs was 121,500 and the average net 131,667. You may be able to contact the AOA for this complete article because it's loaded with OD income statistics.....good luck!

 

[bobsacamenoh]

I'm not sure about exact salaries, but, out of the optometrists that I have spoken to, the ones at Kaiser were the only ones that really seemed disgruntled about how much they got paid. One doctor complained that a house was an unreasonable goal for him unless he got help from his parents - then again, he was talking about SF Bay Area housing.

 

[al-majhul]

I'm an OD who graduated 5 years ago with 145,000 in Optometry school loan debt. I wanted to pay back my loans ASAP so I decided to work where I could make as much money as possible and be happy. After doing research on my options I decided to lease office space from Wal-Mart. By doing this I was able to pay off my school loans in 3 years and now NET over $170,000! My house will be paid for in 2 years and then I will be completely debt free, have financial freedom and the choice to practice where and in what setting I choose. I'm able to get the vacation days off when I want and only work 5 days a week in an ideal setting. Many of my friends went into private practice and are all doing well too. I've never met an OD who made less than 100,000 (I may just have successfull friends). The latest 2005 AOA Economic Survey came out this past week and the median (not average) net income for OD's in practice 6-10 yrs was 121,500 and the average net 131,667. You may be able to contact the AOA for this complete article because it's loaded with OD income statistics.....good luck!

Jimmy, if you don't mind telling us -- I was wondering whereabouts you're practicing? (it's obviously not in so-cal, am I right?)

 

[RLK]

Someone I know of (I know someone that knows this person) started at $85,000 right out of college working for a retail chain. I think it was called America's Best. That's a pretty good start. I'd be happy with that as a starting salary.

 

[Ben Chudner]

By doing this I was able to pay off my school loans in 3 years and now NET over $170,000! My house will be paid for in 2 years and then I will be completely debt free, have financial freedom and the choice to practice where and in what setting I choose. I'm able to get the vacation days off when I want and only work 5 days a week in an ideal setting.

It's nice to hear success stories. I don't mean any disprespect, but you bring up an interesting phenomenom in optometry today. There is an increasing number of young grads that take corporate jobs so that they can make a lot of money right away and pay off their student loans. I think they are in for a big surprise when they finally get that financial freedom you speak of and really try to choose where and in what setting they practice. I will guarantee that they will not make anywhere near $170,000 per year as a new employee, even with 7 years experience. If you listen to some of the docs that are unhappy with the profession, you will discover that a lot of them have been screwed over by corporate district managers. The problem is that most private docs will not pay a new associate more than $80-$90K per year so these corporate docs that are used to much higher salaries have difficulty accepting a 50% cut in pay. So these docs are stuck in positions they are not happy in. Am I saying that you shouldn't go into private practice? Actually, it's just the opposite. There may be more money in corporate optometry in the beginning, but I know that there is more money in the long run in private practice. My advice to new grads is to decide which scenario is most appealing - struggle in the beginning of your careers when you are used to living like a student, live high on the hog at first so you can pay back your loans quicker but understand that you will have to go back to struggling when you are ready to practice how you really want, or plan on staying in corporate optometry. I don't think there is a right answer, by the way. Everyone has their own idea of what makes them happy. I know several docs that have been in corporate optometry for decades, and plan to stay for the rest of their career. I just think it's important to understand that you can't expect to get that kind of money after you leave the corporate setting.

 

[Canadian26]

I was debating between med and OD as well. I decided I would much rather become an OD (time was a factor for me, I dont want to be in school for another 8-10years).
IMO there is no point in doing med unless you specialize, because physcians and OD's have pretty much the same type of salary when they're finish. Only differeance is OD's start making money earlier.

There is an OD that I know, working in my city. He graduated 2 years ago (not sure where) and is now neting i think close to 300 000 or more a year. He came back to Edmonton, and is pretty well known here so had good buisness. He got a loan and set up his own private practice, and basically has more money than he knowns what to do with.

 

[hoosier1]

Hey Jimmy S, where do you practice?

I believe the starting salary is around $65,000 for OD's

 

[RmM]

Hey,

I've really been debating over this issue over the past couple of weeks. Im gonna take my OATs soon, but I'm still in the gray area. There are a few things that are leading me away from optometry. The OD that I shadowed, he didn't really seem too thrilled about his job. And he pretty much told me that he uses about 5% of the knowledge gained in op school in his actual practice. Also, I know that the scope of optometry is sort of wide ranging, but for the most part, it's pretty much just fitting contact lenses on patients, and doing the "1,2" thing, and the vision field test. The issue about the number of years. I've been thinking about this also.

So it takes 4 years to get an OD, and about 7 to be a fully practicing physician. Thats 3 years. At first (throughout all of undergrad), I thought that 3 years is a loooong time. But now that I think about it, 3 years isn't a long time compared to the rest of your life (assuming you live a long life ).

Also, my thinking was, hey I'll start making around 80g's once I become an Optometrist, compared to nothing for seven years. Well, while in residency, you actually do get paid, albeit not a lot, but about 30 grand. Some go up to 50. If I'm living by myself, I can live off 30 grand for 3 years assuming I don't get married. Then when those 3 years are over, the money will come.

This is the one issue that really got me thinking harder about becoming an MD. My friend had a problem with his eye, I forget what it was. But he went to go see the doctor instead of the optometrist. People, when they have problems with their eyes, they go to the doctor (MD). When people want new glasses, they go to the OD. You go to school for four years, just to help people fit on glasses. I think that's way too long, it seems kinda unfair. I don't know, I always saw myself helping people, healing people. I just can't see that in Optometry. Unless someone can show me otherwise.

The only thing is...I can probably get into optometry school. I'm gonna have trouble getting into Med school. So I'm basically taking a risk with my future. I don't know if I should go for it, risk not getting in, and then cry, or go for the sure thing.

But then again, there are a lot of physicians that don't like being physicians. I guess it all depends on the person.

That's my dilemma.
So what's buggin you?

 

[Ben Chudner]

This is the one issue that really got me thinking harder about becoming an MD. My friend had a problem with his eye, I forget what it was. But he went to go see the doctor instead of the optometrist. People, when they have problems with their eyes, they go to the doctor (MD). When people want new glasses, they go to the OD. You go to school for four years, just to help people fit on glasses. I think that's way too long, it seems kinda unfair. I don't know, I always saw myself helping people, healing people. I just can't see that in Optometry. Unless someone can show me otherwise.

I see this a lot on this forum as well as the whole prestige thing. Just because one or two people you know went to an OMD when they had a problem does not mean that the entire population does this. I see a lot of medical eye problems everyday, and actually get referrals from the ER because I have a good relationship with the doctors there. If your patients feel confortable with you, they will want to see you for their problems.

As far as prestige goes, this is always brought up by the MD's. It has been my experience most patients couldn't care less about the difference between optometry and ophthalmology. Prestige no longer comes from the initials after you name, but rather what you do with them. I get a lot of respect in my community because of what I contribute to it. And to my patients, I am their DOCTOR regardless of whether or not I went to medical school.

As far as money goes, the odds are better that you will make more as an ophthalmologist, but I know several OD's, including myself, that make more than a lot of OMD's. Does money really matter? Shouldn't you do this beacuse you love the profession and you want to help people? That all depends on you. For me, money is a motivating factor. Yes, I love what I do, but if I had trouble supporting myself and my family, I would choose another profession.

 

[cpw]

Hey Jimmy S, where do you practice?

I believe the starting salary is around $65,000 for OD's

totally not true. it depends TOTALLY on where you live. For those that REALLY want to know (and I'm hesitant to post it), but here in Tampa I was offered 125,000 right out of school. And yes, I turned that job down (why in heck? .. you ask.. they wanted me to work 7 days a week.. 0h hell no!!) So, I took one for only 10k less and work only 5 days a week.

If you're willing to move out of the greater Miami area and can make it through the Florida board's 60% pass rate... the grass is very green out here.

 

[Rusunn]

Hey ya'll,

I was just wondering what the avg salaries are of ODs right out of optometry school, and then 5 or 10 years further. I've heard from many people that the avg is around 80k and max is around 120k. I'm going to take my OATs this month and I figured I'd get some solid responses here. I've been deciding between med school and op school, and I chose to do optometry. Now I'm having doubts about the profession, and I think I might take the MCATs in April. But yeah, just wondering what the avg salaries are.

http://www.opted.org/pdf/optCareerGuide.pdf
(Scroll down to "Income potential" on page 6 of the pdf file)

According to the 2003 AOA Economic Survey, the mean practice income earned by optometrists was $132,813. The same survey revealed the following:

- Self-employed optometrists in solo, partnership and group practice continue to have a larger total individual mean net income than their counterparts employed in other settings.
- Practitioners in mid-sized (three-to-five person) groups have the highest average net income at $194,478
-Those in small (two-person) practices earn $150,170.
-Solo practitioners earn $116,620.
-Practitioners in large partnerships or groups (6 or more) earn $93,250.
-Practitioners associated with optical chains earn $130,600.
Income may be limited only by the individual optometrist’s initiative, since the majority of optometrists are in private practice. Partnerships and group practices are becoming common today because they reduce practice costs and offer specialized services more cost efficiently. Partnership and group practice also give optometrists more flexibility in arranging their work schedules.

The individual net (mean) income of optometrists, like that of most professionals, tends to rise with the number of years in practice.

-Those in practice 6 to 10 years average an income of $117,857.
- Optometrists with 11-15 years in practice average $116,254.
-Practitioners with 16 to 20 years in practice average $131,410 in net income and reaching its peak between 21 to 25 years at $143,743.
-Optometrists with 26 to 30 years in practice reported the average earnings of
$126,265.

More information can be found here:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos073.htm
(Scroll down to where it saids "Earnings")

Median annual earnings of salaried optometrists were $86,090 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $62,030 and $115,550. Median annual earnings of salaried optometrists in 2002 were $87,070 in offices of other health practitioners. Salaried optometrists tend to earn more initially than do optometrists who set up their own independent practice. In the long run, however, those in private practice usually earn more.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

I'm an OD who graduated 5 years ago with 145,000 in Optometry school loan debt. I wanted to pay back my loans ASAP so I decided to work where I could make as much money as possible and be happy. After doing research on my options I decided to lease office space from Wal-Mart. By doing this I was able to pay off my school loans in 3 years and now NET over $170,000! My house will be paid for in 2 years and then I will be completely debt free, have financial freedom and the choice to practice where and in what setting I choose. I'm able to get the vacation days off when I want and only work 5 days a week in an ideal setting. Many of my friends went into private practice and are all doing well too. I've never met an OD who made less than 100,000 (I may just have successfull friends). The latest 2005 AOA Economic Survey came out this past week and the median (not average) net income for OD's in practice 6-10 yrs was 121,500 and the average net 131,667. You may be able to contact the AOA for this complete article because it's loaded with OD income statistics.....good luck!

is that after you paid your income taxes?

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

totally not true. it depends TOTALLY on where you live. For those that REALLY want to know (and I'm hesitant to post it), but here in Tampa I was offered 125,000 right out of school. And yes, I turned that job down (why in heck? .. you ask.. they wanted me to work 7 days a week.. 0h hell no!!) So, I took one for only 10k less and work only 5 days a week.

If you're willing to move out of the greater Miami area and can make it through the Florida board's 60% pass rate... the grass is very green out here.

it's nice that you are making that money, but my friends in tampa are not doing that well. I also went to school in florida(and passed the boards) so I have friends all over the state (as you do) most are NOT doing well. If you don't own your own practice you'll never make good money. most ods that work for someone make ~$90,000. which isn't a lot of money when you have 130,000 of student loans. YOU DON'T NEED TO GO TO OPTOMETRY SCHOOL TO MAKE 100,000.

 

[cpw]

it's nice that you are making that money, but my friends in tampa are not doing that well. I also went to school in florida(and passed the boards) so I have friends all over the state (as you do) most are NOT doing well. If you don't own your own practice you'll never make good money. most ods that work for someone make ~$90,000. which isn't a lot of money when you have 130,000 of student loans. YOU DON'T NEED TO GO TO OPTOMETRY SCHOOL TO MAKE 100,000.

I didn't go to school in Florida. I went to a state school (houston) and have considerably less debt. This is something students REALLY need to consider when applying to schools... what kind of position it's going to put them in when they're done.

And no, I don't know people all over the state. I know only the docs I work for. And I'm happy I'm an OD and that I went to optometry school. I'm sorry you're not.


personally, I think 110k a year IS good money.. especially living in Florida where the cost of living is no where near what it is in CA where I used to live. What is GOOD money anyway in your opinion... 100K? 150? 200?

I'm happy where I am and with the decisions I've made.

 

[Jimmy S]

is that after you paid your income taxes?

I wish!! What I meant was NET = gross income minus incurred expenses. April 15th is no fun.

 

[still_confused]

I wish!! What I meant was NET = gross income minus incurred expenses. April 15th is no fun.

i doubt its fun for ANY american

to put my naive viewpoint, do optometry because you love it, we are lucky because optometry also pays pretty well (beats mcdonalds). we can do something we love and can live on it. plenty of people are out there in deadend jobs they hate and barely make a living. many do what they love (like artist) but are not paid well for it.

debt is a serious issue, however if you cannot pay back a low interest loan (6-8%) over a course of 10-15 years on a 65K (assuming you get a horrible job) salary, how do you expect to buy a house? if one works hard (me being naive again) and lives respondbly (buy a used honda instead of a brand new lexus) aka live within our means, there is no reason why we cant live comfortably and help people to boot, i dont see whats so bad about that.

work hard, live within your means, and enjoy your life! did we expect an OD degree to makes us millionares?? we arent stock brokers! our first, second, and third priority is to help others! invest your money if you want the big dough or buy some real estate! there are many roads to the land of the cuban cigar and cavier, optometry should not hold you back!

-flame suit on

 

[cpw]

to put my naive viewpoint, do optometry because you love it, we are lucky because optometry also pays pretty well (beats mcdonalds). we can do something we love and can live on it. plenty of people are out there in deadend jobs they hate and barely make a living. many do what they love (like artist) but are not paid well for it.

No flaming here... you're right on the money!

And, I locked in my student loan consolidation at 2.7 % dropping to 1.7% after 2 years. (nothing like what i'd be paying if the loan was in the 6-8% range). My payments are only 400 a month.

 

[r_salis]

YOU DON'T NEED TO GO TO OPTOMETRY SCHOOL TO MAKE 100,000.

This is absolutely true. If you want to make a lot of money, go to law school or get an MBA. Go into business. True, you can do very well for yourself by opening your own practice, but there are much easier ways to go about making a lot of money. Optometry is not the career to go into if you are only looking for the job that will earn you the most salary for your loan debt.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

I didn't go to school in Florida. I went to a state school (houston) and have considerably less debt. This is something students REALLY need to consider when applying to schools... what kind of position it's going to put them in when they're done.

And no, I don't know people all over the state. I know only the docs I work for. And I'm happy I'm an OD and that I went to optometry school. I'm sorry you're not.


personally, I think 110k a year IS good money.. especially living in Florida where the cost of living is no where near what it is in CA where I used to live. What is GOOD money anyway in your opinion... 100K? 150? 200?

I'm happy where I am and with the decisions I've made.

it depends on where you live but if you live in the northeast or in certain area's of south florida I think $175,000 is a good income for someone who went to school all those years and has student loans.

 

[russian-OD]

I'm an OD who graduated 5 years ago with 145,000 in Optometry school loan debt. I wanted to pay back my loans ASAP so I decided to work where I could make as much money as possible and be happy. After doing research on my options I decided to lease office space from Wal-Mart. By doing this I was able to pay off my school loans in 3 years and now NET over $170,000! My house will be paid for in 2 years and then I will be completely debt free, have financial freedom and the choice to practice where and in what setting I choose. I'm able to get the vacation days off when I want and only work 5 days a week in an ideal setting. Many of my friends went into private practice and are all doing well too. I've never met an OD who made less than 100,000 (I may just have successfull friends). The latest 2005 AOA Economic Survey came out this past week and the median (not average) net income for OD's in practice 6-10 yrs was 121,500 and the average net 131,667. You may be able to contact the AOA for this complete article because it's loaded with OD income statistics.....good luck!

wow good for you. This is what i would want to do as well, open my own practice. By the way, which school did you graduate from?

 

[Kristene9]

No flaming here... you're right on the money!

And, I locked in my student loan consolidation at 2.7 % dropping to 1.7% after 2 years. (nothing like what i'd be paying if the loan was in the 6-8% range). My payments are only 400 a month.

Wow thats great to hear!! I hope I can get a good deal like that when I graduate

 

[Hines302]

Quick Question,

I am currently applying to five schools... ICO, PCO, IU, OSU, and MCO. I have a fairly good gpa 3.5 and an OAT score of 360TS and 340AA. I am pretty confindent that I will get accepted to at least one of these.

My question is this. I am a Michigan Resident which means I can go to MCO for around 12K a year. The only problem is that I am not in love with the school. Its class size is small, and facilities are out of date. Granted I am sure it is a great school!! Conversly I could go to a school like IU or ICO who's facilities are a lot nicer, and probally get better clinical experience..... but the tuition is twice as much.

An O.D. I worked with encouraged me to go someplace other than MCO just for the fact of having the experiences of going someplace else, (as opposed to staying close to home)... and that there are not many patients in the town that MCO is located in, and that you would see a ton more at another school. Of course this is easy for him to say... he is making 200K a year.

Would I be crazy not to go to MCO if I was accepted... given it is so much cheaper??

Thanks for your input.

 

[russian-OD]

Quick Question,

I am currently applying to five schools... ICO, PCO, IU, OSU, and MCO. I have a fairly good gpa 3.5 and an OAT score of 360TS and 340AA. I am pretty confindent that I will get accepted to at least one of these.

My question is this. I am a Michigan Resident which means I can go to MCO for around 12K a year. The only problem is that I am not in love with the school. Its class size is small, and facilities are out of date. Granted I am sure it is a great school!! Conversly I could go to a school like IU or ICO who's facilities are a lot nicer, and probally get better clinical experience..... but the tuition is twice as much.

An O.D. I worked with encouraged me to go someplace other than MCO just for the fact of having the experiences of going someplace else, (as opposed to staying close to home)... and that there are not many patients in the town that MCO is located in, and that you would see a ton more at another school. Of course this is easy for him to say... he is making 200K a year.

Would I be crazy not to go to MCO if I was accepted... given it is so much cheaper??

Thanks for your input.

with your grades and OAT's i am sure every school will accept you.
Anyways, I don't want to give out any wrong info, but I heard that the school in NY is pretty good. I think you can still apply there. and after the first year, the tuition for out of state students, will be as in-state.

 

[cpw]

Quick Question,

I am currently applying to five schools... ICO, PCO, IU, OSU, and MCO. I have a fairly good gpa 3.5 and an OAT score of 360TS and 340AA. I am pretty confindent that I will get accepted to at least one of these.

My question is this. I am a Michigan Resident which means I can go to MCO for around 12K a year. The only problem is that I am not in love with the school. Its class size is small, and facilities are out of date. Granted I am sure it is a great school!! Conversly I could go to a school like IU or ICO who's facilities are a lot nicer, and probally get better clinical experience..... but the tuition is twice as much.

An O.D. I worked with encouraged me to go someplace other than MCO just for the fact of having the experiences of going someplace else, (as opposed to staying close to home)... and that there are not many patients in the town that MCO is located in, and that you would see a ton more at another school. Of course this is easy for him to say... he is making 200K a year.

Would I be crazy not to go to MCO if I was accepted... given it is so much cheaper??

Thanks for your input.

He probably went to school when school didn't cost as much as it does now. The difference between 60-80k in student loans and 150k in student loans is HUGE. I think it would give MCO the swing vote in my opinion... but I also went to a state school, so maybe I'm biased. You'll get a good education no matter where you go.. and there's something to be said for staying in the comforts of home as well (family, friends, and familiarity in a stressful time)

 

[Kristene9]

Quick Question,

I am currently applying to five schools... ICO, PCO, IU, OSU, and MCO. I have a fairly good gpa 3.5 and an OAT score of 360TS and 340AA. I am pretty confindent that I will get accepted to at least one of these.

My question is this. I am a Michigan Resident which means I can go to MCO for around 12K a year. The only problem is that I am not in love with the school. Its class size is small, and facilities are out of date. Granted I am sure it is a great school!! Conversly I could go to a school like IU or ICO who's facilities are a lot nicer, and probally get better clinical experience..... but the tuition is twice as much.

An O.D. I worked with encouraged me to go someplace other than MCO just for the fact of having the experiences of going someplace else, (as opposed to staying close to home)... and that there are not many patients in the town that MCO is located in, and that you would see a ton more at another school. Of course this is easy for him to say... he is making 200K a year.

Would I be crazy not to go to MCO if I was accepted... given it is so much cheaper??

Thanks for your input.

I COMPLETELY understand were your coming from!! For short I am a Texas Resident. I turned down an out of state private school that I wanted to go to because of money. When I calculated the numbers I felt it wasn’t a smart decision. Some times I still wish I would have gone there, but I feel that when I get out I’ll be glad that I didn’t. I didn’t want to stay in Texas (HU is very good though!!), so I decided on UAB. I’ll get in state after my first year and the school is good. I also have a great living arrangement were I only pay 325 a month. Can’t be that!! Especially in Houston. Well I guess you could live in the projects of Houston… hehe.

Here is my option. If you don’t like MCO (which is what it sounds like) start looking at schools that you can get instate tuition after your first year. If your not impressed with a school now, trust me your not going to want to spend 4 years there and study as hard as your going to have to. SUNY and UAB are the two I can think of right off the bat. I think SCO is one of the cheaper schools too, and I believe it is private so everyone pays the same. Calculate the numbers and look at your budget and see if you can make changes to accommodate for a more expensive school.

Good Luck and Let me know what you decide!

 

[rpames]

Cheaper tuition is a big thing. If Wisconsin had a school, I would be there in a flash. I have not heard anything bad about MCO so I would very strongly consider it. If you think you will not get the best clinical experience there, just remember that you will be spending your 4th year on externs when you can go all over and get better. You don't have to rely on the MCO clinic for all your experience. I'm sure will be fine when you graduate, but if at that point you still feel a little unsure of your skills, you can always do a residency.

Good luck!

 

[gsinccom]

there seems to be a lot of fear from the optometry community of optometry and other primary care medical specialties becoming commercialized. the fear is that this is bringing down the prestige of these careers. I feel like many went into optometry with the idea that it was a good option versus primary care medicine. It is seems people choosing it as a career now need to look at it more along the lines of pharmacy. I agree there will always be OMD/OD practices and OD solo practices but retail looks to be trying to take over as it has done with pharmacy. I think there are many drawbacks to this but also we need to realize that this is what is happening and go into it with our eyes wide-open. This isn't all bad though...pharmacists these days are making $90,000 grand to start and have signing bonuses around $20,000. The bad things are working retail, working nights and weekends, etc... I guess in a way these things are inevitable...afterall..Our healthcare prices are skyrocketing and the insurance problems are accumulating and with people not taking care of their bodies and living longer...seems to mean that more and more optometry will become like pharmacy...
hmm...

 

[Hines302]

Thanks for your 2 cents everyone... I guess I will just have to do some thinking. Just to give you an idea of how out of date MCO facilities are.... the building it is currently housed in what use to be a dorm building.. they converted it over to the OPT school 30 years ago. It doesnt even have AC (with the exception of the clinic). While plans are in place for a new buidling, I am afraid it will be quit some time before it goes through

 

[Hines302]

there seems to be a lot of fear from the optometry community of optometry and other primary care medical specialties becoming commercialized. the fear is that this is bringing down the prestige of these careers. I feel like many went into optometry with the idea that it was a good option versus primary care medicine. It is seems people choosing it as a career now need to look at it more along the lines of pharmacy. I agree there will always be OMD/OD practices and OD solo practices but retail looks to be trying to take over as it has done with pharmacy. I think there are many drawbacks to this but also we need to realize that this is what is happening and go into it with our eyes wide-open. This isn't all bad though...pharmacists these days are making $90,000 grand to start and have signing bonuses around $20,000. The bad things are working retail, working nights and weekends, etc... I guess in a way these things are inevitable...afterall..Our healthcare prices are skyrocketing and the insurance problems are accumulating and with people not taking care of their bodies and living longer...seems to mean that more and more optometry will become like pharmacy...
hmm...

I agree... it is a troubling trend, however I do think that there will be a balance of private and commercial. However dont be to quick to make the comparison with pharmacy. The difference is that Pharmacist were always located in stores... drug stores. This is slightly different that Opt (although one could argue that Optometry Offices are nothing more than stores).

It is interesting to note that recently there has been a trend to get pharmacist back into clinical settings, working with Dr's to prescribe medications more accuratly. My dad is a pharmacist and you would not believe some of the mistakes that M.D.'s make writting Rx's. There is even a push to allow Pharmacist to prescribe basic medications like birth control.