Preparing for Optometry School
What You Should Do When...
First-Year:
- Keep your grades up!
- Make sure your name is on the HPAG's Blackboard list.
- Check out the Roanoke College's HPAG web site.
- Join Students Interested in Health Careers.
- Attend health-related programs on campus (including the Hylton Lecture) and visits from representatives of health professions schools.
- Identify optometry schools that you might like to attend. Check out the web site for each of these schools and note specific requirements.
- Investigate summer paid or voluntary medically-related experiences.
Second-Year:
- Keep your grades up!
- Make sure your name is on the HPAG's Blackboard list.
- Participate in Students Interested in Health Careers.
- Attend health-related programs on campus (including the Hylton Lecture) and visits from representatives of health professions schools.
- Investigate shadowing opportunities with optometrists. Investigate summer paid or voluntary medically-related experiences.
- Log on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) web site to learn about the examination. The OAT is conducted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO).
Third-Year:
- Keep your grades up!
- Make sure your name is on the HPAG's Blackboard list.
- Participate in Students Interested in Health Careers.
- Attend health-related programs on campus (including the Hylton Lecture) and visits from representatives of health professions schools.
- Investigate shadowing opportunities, placements, and internships with optometrists.
- Prepare to take the OAT. Consider taking a preparatory course for it. Take the OAT in spring semester.
- Complete the necessary application materials for selected schools. Submit on the first day possible.
- Conduct a practice interview with members of HPAG.
Fourth-Year:
- Keep your grades up!
- Make sure your name is on the HPAG's Blackboard list.
- Participate in Students Interested in Health Careers.
- Attend health-related programs on campus (including the Hylton Lecture) and visits from representatives of health professions schools.
- Investigate shadowing opportunities, placements, and internships with optometrists.
What If You Don't Get In? Try Again!
- Contact schools and ask an admissions counselor what your weak areas are and how you can strengthen your application in the next round.
- Apply again.