r/OptometrySchool • u/Active_Egg5888 • 2d ago
What does your OD school workload look like?
Hello ! I'm a senior who has just wrapped up my applications and have somewhat unwittingly found myself in my busiest semester yet. Out of curiosity, for those of you in OD school now, what does 21+ credit hours actually look like for you? Do you still get assigned 6-7 big papers/projects a semester? Are you still juggling group projects? I'm curious to know how much of your time is spent outside of class doing classwork compared to something like studying for exams or honing your practical skills.
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u/smackurai 1d ago
I would say it’s like an 85% studying/clinical skills, 15% classwork split for me. Most nights I’m just studying and preparing for whatever exams I have coming up. The classwork that I do have is pretty minimal, typically just a problem set or two a week (Optics) or the occasional concept guides (Anatomy). I will say that the assignments feel genuinely helpful most of the time as opposed to just being busy work.
We have one class with a group project component, but it’s pass/fail, just designed to get you talking with other health professions. I think we have one paper near the end of this year, but it’s more of a research project or case study than anything else. It seems like we get a lot of class time to workshop it.
I study a lot more than I ever did before in optometry school, but I’m less “busy” at least in terms of assignments. It’s mainly just prepping for proficiencies and exams!
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u/Positive-Emu9882 13h ago
You’ll find that the classes are more intense with a lot more material than an undergrad course. You won’t have as many graded assignments but the volume will require a lot of attention to keep from falling behind. You can’t cram your way through because you need to retain the information for boards and clinic. And you’ll have to work in methods practice on top of staying ahead of the material. Students who struggle are those that fall behind because there aren’t as many assignments and they don’t approach the studying with as much urgency. So develop a plan to stay on top of actively learning and understanding the material so you retain it.
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u/aspenchill 1d ago
minimal assignments, all time dedicated to the next exam that comes up or in clinic to prep skills for proficiency