Volunteering

[ohopenyoureyes]

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Do pre-optometry students need to really volunteer a lot? I'm interested in SUNY, SALUS, ICO, NECO, and MCPHS. Does anyone know if these schools value volunteering high on their list? I still have to take my OATs and I have a 3.7 right now. 2 years remaining. I am shadowing 2-3 optometrists this summer and hope to do so also during winter break. It's just difficult for me to shadow during the school year.

On another note, how much shadowing do you think is important? Will summers suffice or is it important to shadow year round?

 

[mathcod]

40 hours is a good minimum number for shadowing. You'll need a letter of recommendation from an optometrist. Volunteering is always a positive thing.

 

[ohopenyoureyes]

Do you think volunteering is an absolute necessary component for optometry schools? Would you need a few hundred? I'm shadowing 2 optometrists (1 retail/1 opthamalogy/optometry office)

 

[mathcod]

It probably isn't necessary for MCPHS since they'll pretty much take anyone, but it helps distinguish you and makes your application more competitive. In this day of competition, it would be worth it not only for your application but also your own personal growth to do some volunteering. 40 hours is usually enough to make something called a commitment. I would predict at least 75% of any health care professional applicant would have some form of volunteering/extracurricular like research in addition to just shadowing.

Conclusion: it would strengthen your application. stronger applications are necessary for more competitive schools.

 

[ohopenyoureyes]

Thanks so much! I'll just volunteer more often.

 

[CollSmith]

I didn't do much volunteering at all just a couple of 5ks and I had good shadowing experiences. I would just do a little bit of volunteering just show you did it. If you're tight with time I would recommended volunteering for 5k it usually is just a couple of hours of help early on a weekend

 

[w.puggy]

My interviewers at SUNY and Salus asked me about my volunteer experiences. I don't think you need to volunteer a lot of hours because optometry schools are more interested in your shadowing experiences and your passion about the field.