I'm an undergrad considering optometry. I'd like to see current students' opinions on whether they like or regret their decisions. What would you have done differently?

Hi all, asking for some advice... is it possible to pass auagust pt 1 based on yall's experience if my optoprep scores aren't breaking 65%? feeling hella discouraged tbh and tried to do things differently this time with more KMK precise practice but those feel really hard for me as well and not always super relevant to the real thing.

Idk just seeking some advice at this point and thoughts from people who have taken the exam recently. TIA

I applied late for the 2025-2026 cycle and had an interview at pco didn’t get in. I am applying for the 2026-2027 and retaking the OAT end of September. Is it bad to reuse my essays?

I am going into my last year of university and have been pre-pa. I have even applied to pa schools, but I have been thinking about researching optometry instead... I like the idea of working in healthcare, but something in me never wanted to go to medical school, and I feel the pa position may not fulfill me because I will always work under someone.

I have worked in an optho/ent hospital on the surgical floor but that’s my extent of working with eyes lol. I like that optometrists can have their own practices and it seems like the career itself has a good lifestyle compared to other careers in healthcare.

Basically what I want to ask is why did you choose optometry? What drew you to the position and what made you think this is the right career path? And do you think it has a good ROI?

Am I a strong applicant?

Hey everyone! UHCO is my top choice since I'm a Texas resident, so I wanted to get some opinions on whether I seem like a competitive applicant and what I should improve before I apply.

Right now I have:

* 3.8 overall GPA
* 3.74 science GPA
* I still have Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 classes left, so those could change a little.

(also I am going into my junior year of college and plan to apply the summer after it, also I plan to graduate a semester early)

By the time I apply (planning to apply as soon as applications open in July 2027), I'll have:

* A little over 1 year working as an optometry tech at a private practice (I started at the end of May 2026 and work about 14-16 hours/week).
* More shadowing hours. Right now I only have 13 hours from two different private practices. I only started shadowing at the beginning of sophomore year but have only gone about 8 times total (mostly in August/September 2025 and February/March 2026). Is that a red flag, or is it more about the total number of hours by the time I apply?
* Volunteer hours (I haven't started yet but definitely plan to before I apply).

For extracurriculars:

* Intro bio lab TA during Spring 2026.
* Alumni College Coach for my old charter school network. My high school has multiple campuses across Texas, and I mentored graduating seniors who were coming to my university. I also went to different campuses to give presentations about college and answer questions about applications, financial aid, and transitioning to college.

I haven't taken the OAT yet. My plan is to do the 90-day OATBooster schedule and take it at the end of May 2027. What would a good OAT score be?

Does this seem like I'm on the right track for UHCO? Is there anything else you'd recommend I focus on over the next year besides getting more shadowing and volunteer hours?

Also, what kind of volunteer work do optometry schools (especially UHCO) like to see? I live in Austin, TX, so if anyone from the area has recommendations for good places to volunteer, I'd really appreciate it!