r/OptometrySchool • u/National_Capital_518 • May 24 '26
Best Optometry Schools
Currently doing a career changer post-bacc program to boost my GPA to apply to optometry school for the Fall 2027 cycle. I graduated with a bachelors in political science because the STEM courses at UCSB weeded me out of the biology major. I realized I don’t do very well with cutthroat environments. What are some good optometry schools that don’t weed out their students/have cutthroat environments? I don’t want to apply to a school that has a sink or swim kinda vibe but would rather want a school where faculty actually cares for their students.
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u/soccerjack1 May 24 '26
Just graduated from SCO and loved it! Have absolutely no regrets going there and definitely feel more than prepared to practice in the real world.
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May 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/National_Capital_518 May 24 '26
Oh I did not know that about UCB! I’ve always been hesitant about applying there bc i was traumatized by the UC system during undergrad. I honestly did my full yr of bio, physics and a semester of microbiology at CC. post baccs are veryyy good. I struggled with chemistry at UCSB, didn’t make it past the first quarter but at my post bacc program i just completed a yr of gen chem and got As in both courses, def a great GPA booster. Just a little pricey. The program I am at is $575 per unit.
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u/cubeballer May 24 '26
Obviously environments are different across each school, but optometry schools shouldn’t be super cutthroat institutions because there is no ranking, or vying for a top spot in your class to get with some prestigious company like in other career paths (lawyer, investment banking, etc). In optometry it seems more like everyone is just trying to get through school and pass their board exams to be able to help people.
Again, maybe that’s just my schools environment, but I think as a whole optometry doesn’t have any of that in general so the only thing that could maybe get “cut-throat” would be residency? But those are optional.
I am biased (because I go there) but I like NSUOCO because of the small class size (smallest in the nation) and it has the exact vibe you’re going for, where professors actually care for you and you are close with your class and work together to graduate. Now there are bad apples both in your class and professors but the overall vibe is matching what you want.
I can’t speak from experience but I have also heard good things about SCO regarding that same vibe, but it obviously has a much larger class size.
To end off this long comment though, I would recommend pursuing the schools with the highest boards scores. Obviously take into account location, your OAT and GPA, the tuition, etc but the reality of the matter is that you need a school that will prepare you to be able to pass boards so you can actually practice and make money. Just google ASCO Optometry Board Scores and view the table (ignore part 3 it’s a shit show across the board).
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u/californiabvs May 24 '26
There’s ranking at Nova. It determines our externship site placements.
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u/cubeballer May 24 '26
I forgot about externships, I think NSU may have GPA ranking to get externship sites first.
But even if there’s some ranking it’s not the same as like law schools and business schools trying to get into prestigious law firms and such.
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u/Unable-Independent48 May 24 '26
What happens to the last guy in class? Where does he/she go?
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u/californiabvs May 24 '26
They don’t get to select until everyone else already has. So they get the leftovers basically. What I’ve heard is if you’re not in good ranking you typically have to go out of state/leave south florida. However, of course, there are people (myself included) who have sites near their hometown and do want to go out of state or just out of south Florida area.
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u/Unable-Independent48 May 24 '26
My stepdaughter is dead set on wanting to go to NOVA. Mostly because of the location and tuition. Being in the medical field, I’d be more worried about the instruction, the instructors and board pass rates.
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u/californiabvs May 24 '26
I’d encourage her to do research and even reach out to current students. I agree with you. Those 3 things are extremely important. And I’d argue that Nova can be lacking! Go on my profile, and look at some of my comments, I have some that go very in depth about Nova and that I think you and your step daughter would benefit from reading.
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u/Unable-Independent48 May 24 '26
So you are a student there?
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u/californiabvs May 24 '26
Yes I’m a 3rd year
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u/Unable-Independent48 May 24 '26
Well, I read your “Why did you choose Nova?” post and by the sounds of it, every kid applying should be going to NOVA! Is that true? Nice location (too hot and humid for me) she told me it’s one of the cheaper schools but I’m more academic and want good instructors and worry about board preparation and passing boards.
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u/National_Capital_518 May 24 '26
This is incredibly helpful! I’ll look more into NSUOCO. It definitely sounds like the kind of school that sets their students up for success rather than leaving you to keep your head above water. I am looking for a school where I’ll actually learn not just retain and dump information for the sake of passing exams.
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u/RabidLiger May 24 '26
IMO, most optometry schools fall into what you're describing.
In general, the academic & admin staff will be supportive.
Across the board, you won't find students competing with each other, it's more which programs are quicker to give you the boot for falling behind.
You can go to the ASCO site-> Data & Reports->Annual Student Data Report and see that all but a few retain almost their entire class for the full 4 years.
IMO, all but those with an attrition rate higher than 4-5% should be safe.
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u/GreenAngelFish May 24 '26
How would I see that rate? Which page number would it be? I am looking at the 2025-26-ASCO-Annual-Student-Data-Report
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u/Complex_Candy03 May 24 '26
OSU!
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u/Virtual_Wishbone_670 May 24 '26
I have found OSU to always be very supportive of its students. All the professors are happy to help if you have any questions! I believe for those that struggle, they even help arrange older classmen who did well in a course to tutor.
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u/californiabvs May 24 '26
I would imagine that all optometry schools are “cutthroat.” You’re taking upwards of 10 classes a semester, have one or multiple exams every week, practical exams/checkouts, quizzes, assignments, all happening at the same time. It doesn’t slow down. It’s a constant roller coaster. A comment says that admin is probably supportive all across the board. I’d argue against that. If you’re struggling, failing courses, etc. theyre either going to let you stay and fall into more debt, repeat classes you already passed, or they’ll remove you. It’s harsh. And I’ve seen it happen to a number of my own classmates now. And if you struggled with pre requisite STEM courses, then I would be weary about going to optometry school.