Washington DC vs OAT

[OATvsDC]

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Howdy,

I was wondering if yall could provide me with a little insight into the process of becoming an optometrist. See I am being torn between my head and my heart. My head says I should be an optometrist because that is sort of the family business and overall safer than my other dream of being a politician.

What I am ultimately trying to ask is if anyone sees a huge downside to getting my undergrad in Political Science or Public Policy and then going to an Optometry School.

Any and all advice is more than welcome! (Unless you are a yankees fan go rangers)

 

[happymango]

Health professional schools don't really care what you major in as long as you complete all the prerequisite classes and do well in them. In fact, having a non-science major makes your application stand out in a good way.

During high school, I too, enjoyed US government and politics classes. Then between my junior and senior year of high school, I interned at a think tank on Capitol Hill (I'm from the D.C. area). It opened my eyes: it is extraordinarily difficult to change anything - ANYTHING - in politics. It's not that the politicians, lobbyists, etc. are bad people, but there's a system in place, and it's meant to make things hard. I decided that that kind of career, where one could work work work and get nothing done, was not a valuable use of my time.

The majority of people determine what they want to do without actually having ever shadowed and interned. I think, for any career you are seriously considering, that you shadow or intern in the field before you fully commit to it. Good luck!

 

[Loptometriste]

I have a degree in Languages and International Studies and a minor in Political Science as well as completing all of the optometry school pre req's. You'll be fine. Go to college with an open mind and you might end up walking out as something totally different.

 

[tbair200]

Have you shadowed any doctors yet? Maybe once you do that you will find your answer 🙂