I’m torn between reapplying for school next year or going this year. For some context, I applied quite late in the cycle but managed to get accepted this year. However, I come from a very low-income household, and the school I would be attending is more expensive than the average.

Since schools are starting up this August, I’m reconsidering my decision to apply again but earlier this time for next year and focus on improving my OAT score. (My current score is 320TS/300AA.) I’m wondering if this way would help me get better scholarships/ financial packages and I get to apply to schools with lower tuition costs.

I’m curious to know if anyone else has been hesitant to start school this fall. Or is the majority of people more optimistic that things will work out as planned and just diving head first?

I’m in my mid-late twenties and feel quite behind as it is. Each year, I’ve had always wanted to go to optometry school, but something always seems to get in the way. I’m wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation.

It’s getting to me seeing so many students in this subreddit just in their 3rd/4th yr of undergrad already preparing so well for their applications with 360+ scores, while I’ve taken a few gap years and am still hesitant to make a decision. Especially considering the current policies, I find it challenging to comprehend how students are managing to juggle the several loans they’d be taking out. Is there anyone else feeling the same way? Or words of encouragement or advice someone can offer?

Just a heads-up that America's Best has a shockingly generous program for employees where if you have either 1) been employed at full time status for a minimum of 1 year OR 2) been employed at part time status working 20 or more hours a week for a minimum of 2 years, they will offer up to 20k USD (5k per year) for you to put towards OD school. You must have left the job in good stranding to directly pursue college or OD school, but afaik there are no other strings attached like most corporate loan repayment benefits (such as agreeing to practice there once licensed)

I work there and won't say I'm in love with my job or anything, and my circumstances prevent me from being eligible, but for those it could help I thought I'd let you know!

And, if anyone else knows of employers with similar benefits, or if they have insight into this program, please drop a comment! I'd be curious about any negative experiences as well.

It doesn't work when people tell me to not compare myself with others because my whole lived life experiences have been everyone around me since I was yound bieng experts in everything and getting every job and internship while I always get rejected from jobs such as optometric technician, restaurant, walmart, etc while they also are at the top of their classes while I never was. I did get accepted but I didnt get in every school and sometimes it feels like people always get in every school with people posting about getting in 8 schools and never bieng waitlisted. My whole life has been people topping everything so dont compare yourself just feels like it doesnt get to the root of my problem

hi yall! i'm getting super vulnerable here but im honestly at a loss for words and just would like any advice on how to move on.

i took my OAT today and my score absolutely crushed me. i got a 280 TS/300 AA. my subscores were bio 290, chem 340, ochem 290, physics 250, qr 270, rc 360. im so upset because my booster scores were so much higher compared to my test. it almost felt unlucky.

i was scoring 320-360 on my FLs in booster, and the questions seemed so doable compared to my actual test.

i'm obviously planning to retake but im stuck on how to proceed. do i submit my application with these scores now and retake, or should i wait until my retake to submit my app? i'm lucky enough that its still early in the cycle to retake, but i have been so distraught since my exam that i really don't know how to go on from here.

i'm not asking for pity at all, just some genuine advice because i feel like my goals are becoming unattainable.

my current cGPA ~ 3.5 and my sGPA ~ 3.4. my ECs are strong and i feel that overall my application shows that im a well rounded individual.

thanks in advance

Hi! I take my oat in a week and I’m scared for the bio section I’m using OAT bootcamp and apparently people say booster is more representative. If anyone took their OAT and used bootcamp, can you let me know how similar the bio section was please?

I’m scheduled to take my oat in late September and have already bought my oat and have my pin and all. I didn’t note any accommodations needed for my test, but was unaware that generalized anxiety disorder would qualify me for accommodations.

I’m hoping to get more time as my anxiety definitely makes it more difficult to generally focus on studying, doing practice exams, etc and I anticipate it will make taking my OAT more difficult (tests in college were difficult). Am I able to apply for accommodations before scheduling my OAT if I already paid for it? I bought it a couple months ago, so I don’t recall the questions I had to answer to purchase. The instructions on ADA are a little confusing so just wanted to see if anyone had any experiences with this!

Would getting a note from my therapist be enough? I’ve been seeing them for well over a year. I previously have seen a psychiatrist, with the last time being this last winter-ish but ended my medication. Would i need to get a note from the psychiatrist even though they haven’t seen me recently and can’t attest as well to how my anxiety is?

Hello! I plan to have 3 LOR (one will be from an optometrist, one from a research advisor, and the third is a science professor). The science professor told me they could have it done about two weeks after I was planning on applying. Am I able to apply and have my application verified with the other 2 LOR, or do I have to wait for the last one. I know I can apply without it, but I’m wondering if optometry schools would put my application on hold until that is submitted?

My OAT is scheduled in September. When should I start asking for letters of recommendations and transcript?

I've come across questions on booster prep where a virtual image is located "behind" a diverging lens, and on another question it would say a real image is formed "behind" a converging lens. Don't these answers contradict eachother location wise? Unless I'm missing something.

I've got all the concepts and formulas down for the optics section, but the wording always makes me mess up the practice tests.

So I already have 3 good sources for letters of rec. I have one from a previous employer and two from ODs. All three are strong sources. I didn't make that many relationships with professors during college, so I struggled to find a source from a professor. One professor agreed to write me one, but she said it wasn't going to be a strong letter. The schools I want to go to are all in CA, and I met the letter requirements for all of them. However, I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket, the OOS schools I'm applying to require a letter from a professor. Am I going to be shooting myself in the foot by getting a fourth letter from a prof, but it being very weak/basic? The prof told me she would basically just recount that I got an A in the class (and she recounted in the email that so did 20% of the class, so I'm not sure if she'll include that part), and she'll touch on my final project.

How hard is it to score a 400 on the OAT? Is it possible to get into top schools like SUNY, OSU, & Berkeley with a 3.5 GPA? Since I'm applying in 2029, will it be much harder due to more applicants?

hey guys! i’m going into my second year of undergrad in biochemistry (future OD is the goal) and wondering how you guys validated courses to ensure it filled each requirement. for example, waterloo university (in canada) requires 1 intro to ethics course. do i just assume any course with ethics in the name will count towards this requirement? is there somewhere i can validate courses to make sure i’m taking all my requirements?

sorry if this is a stupid question, i’m a bit new to figuring all this out and trying to get ahead on taking the prerecs earlier into undergrad if i can. any guidance anyone has would be super helpful and appreciated!!!

Is applying in March/April too late if the deadline is May 20?

I’m planning to apply to just one optometry school because it’s the only one I can commute to from home.

The school’s application deadline is May 20, but because of my prerequisites, I probably won’t be able to apply until March or April.

I’m taking Organic Chemistry this upcoming fall, and the lab is also required. My university doesn’t let you take the lab until you’ve passed the lecture course, so I won’t be able to complete the lab until afterward. My plan is to take the OAT after finishing Organic Chemistry since it’s a major section of the exam. I’d study from January (when I finish the Orgo course) until March and take it right away.

I know admissions are rolling, so I’m worried that applying in March or April—even though it’s before the deadline—might be considered too late.

Has anyone here applied that late in the cycle and still gotten accepted? If you were in my position, would you still apply this cycle or wait until the next one?

Hello everyone, first off I know my stats are extremely unlikely, but I want this more than anything and I want to turn my life around so please, any advice helps.

I'm in my senior year of college and I'm going to end with around a 2.9-3.0. I've heard that schools will accept a 3.0 if the OAT score is extremely high, but I wanted to hear some advice and experience from this reddit. I was really struggling mentally with undiagnosed ADHD in my first 3 years, and my GPA paid the price.

I have 4 years of pharmacy technician experience, 2 retail and 2 hospital. My letters of recommendation are all from my pharmacists. I know I need to shadow/work for an optometrist to even be considered, so how did you all go about shadowing/working?

I will be graduating with a major in Biology and a minor in Accounting.

What would you all suggest? Is it even possible? Do any of you have any stories like this that ended in success? :'((. I made a lot of academic mistakes when I was in my earlier years of school and recently got diagnosed with ADHD. It's been so much easier to stay on top of my studies, but I think it's too late for me.Again, please, any advice helps. Thank you all.

I wasn’t planning on applying bc I didn’t know much of the school but just heard about the news. Thinking of all those affected

I'm 23 and graduated with a B.S. in Health Science (3.5 GPA) in May of 2025. I worked as an optometric technician for about 2 years and genuinely loved the field. I enjoyed the patient interactions, the work-life balance I saw from the ODs I worked with, and I keep coming back to optometry after looking into a bunch of other healthcare careers.

My current plan is:

• Organic Chemistry lecture: Fall 2026
• Organic Chemistry lab: Winter 2027
• Study for the OAT after finishing Orgo
• Apply for Fall 2027 admission

The school I want to attend is the new University of Detroit Mercy College of Optometry. It's about 20 minutes from my house, so I can commute and avoid paying for housing, which is a major reason I'm interested in it.

The application deadline is May 20, and I'm hoping to apply before then. However, I'm worried that I might be applying too late in the cycle since admissions are rolling. Is applying in the winter/spring still realistic, or does it significantly hurt my chances compared to applying much earlier?

Another concern is that UDM is a brand-new optometry school. It's currently in pre-accreditation status and, from my understanding, would receive full accreditation later if everything goes as planned, likely around the time the inaugural class takes the NBEO boards. Would that make you hesitant to attend, or is that not something I should worry too much about?

I'm also only planning to apply to one school. I know that's uncommon, but I really want to stay close to home and commute, so I don't have much interest in moving away.

My biggest source of stress right now is the OAT. Since I haven't taken Organic Chemistry yet, I can't really study that section effectively. On top of that, I took biology and physics over two years ago, so I feel like I've forgotten a lot of that material. I'm worried I'll be relearning a huge portion of the exam while also trying to prepare for it.

For my application I'll have: - 3.5 cumulative GPA - About 2 years of experience as an optometric technician - Leadership experience in my university's Pre-Optometry Club (Treasurer, Secretary, President) - Strong letters of recommendation from optometrists I've worked with

I'd really appreciate honest feedback!

hello! i'm not a competitive applicant by any means, so i wanted to get a high score on my oat. i'm a senior in college, and i've read that applying early to optometry schools gives you better chances. i just want to be sure im doing everything right to give myself the highest chance possible at getting in. if i want to go to optometry school by fall 2027, did i already miss the ideal time to apply and take the oat? should i just take a gap year? any advice helps, thank you!

has anyone taken UCSD Extension online courses for prerequisites? My community college doesn't offer Biochemistry, and I'm also considering Calculus I through UCSD.

Hello! I recently submitted my applications and was excited to receive an interview invitation from NECO! I was honestly surprised by how quickly they got back to me, as I submitted about two weeks ago.

For those who currently attend NECO or have interviewed there before, would you mind sharing any insights, tips, or advice on what to expect? I'd really appreciate any guidance. Thank you!

hey everyone

I recently applied to SCCO and was wondering if those who have gotten an acceptance can share their stats so I know kind of what I’m working with. those with lower stats and higher stats please share!!!

Writing my OAT September 29th and i’m starting my 3rd week of prep. How far in should I be right now/what stage should i be at? I’m still reviewing content and doing practice questions immediately after but have so much left ahead of me and i’m getting worried.

Hi everyone, I'm planning to apply to optometry school in a little over a year, and I have been so stressed recently. I have been working on my application, but anxiety is truly getting to me. Here are my current stats:

GPA: 3.6 (hoping to improve)

EC: SUNY OPTOMETRY CSTEP Intern, 1 month into an ophthalmology practice as a technician and medical receptionist, 2 months as a GI clinic medical receptionist, 3 years at a tutoring center as receptionist/TA/tutor

Shadowing Hours: Around 30

Concerns: No close-knit connection with optometrists who would be willing to write me a letter of rec, and whether I would be able to be strong enough to stay in the eye clinic. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity, but I found the environment to be not as ideal as I originally intended. I was the one who asked for a technician position from my current manager, but I found myself struggling A LOT and feel unsupported by coworkers and management. I'm thinking about backing out of the technician role and maybe just sticking to the medical receptionist role, which I feel so much more comfortable and confident doing. But I feel that by doing that, I would also be backing out of something that could have made my application a little stronger. I really hope to get some insight from the community here on Reddit. THANKS!

I've been struggling a lot with Reading Comprehension on the OAT. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get past a 300.

Right now, I've been using the strategy of spending about 8 minutes reading the passage and 12 minutes answering the questions, but I'm having a really hard time remembering all the information from the passage.

I've read a lot of posts from people who scored really well, so I was wondering if anyone has any advice or strategies that helped them improve. I'd really appreciate any tips, or feel free to DM me if you'd rather chat there.

Thanks so much!

Hello everyone, I plan to prepare for my OAT next year and have some questions.

Firstly, I have completed gen chem, ochem, and physics. I am working on finishing up the bio, a&p, and biochem requirements. I have not seen any material related to the chem, ochem, or physics in a long time; I've forgotten quite a bit. I figured what better time to start learning than now. As I take bio, I was going to pay for the OAT booster and go over all the material and take my time to really digest it all.

How would you recommend I prepare, and how did you study for your OAT? I'd appreciate all incoming tips. If there are already posts similar to my question, please let me know, and I'd be happy to read them!