Applying to optometry school can be complicated, but we are here to help! Advisors at Health Professions & Prelaw Advising can help you develop your best strategy and troubleshoot problems you encounter in your application. Make sure to attend one of our Personal Statement Writing Workshops so you can get started early on your application essay.
Consult the information below for helpful advice.
OPTOMCAS application #
Applicants apply to optometry schools through an electronic, centralized application administered by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry called OptomCAS. Once you complete your OptomCAS application, it will be processed and sent to all the optometry schools you select to receive it. All schools and colleges of optometry in the United States participate in OptomCAS.
For the OptomCAS application you will create your own User Name and Password that will allow you to create your electronic application. You can log in, fill out part of the application, and save your changes before logging out. Once you are satisfied that everything is accurate and complete, you submit it electronically and it is sent to OptomCAS for processing.
As you fill out your OptomCAS applications, you can find additional instructions and help in the OptomCAS help center.
Coursework section #
On the OptomCAS application, you will fill out information regarding every college course you have taken, so you will need to refer to transcripts from every college or university you have attended. You will also need to order official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended to be sent to the application service. At IU Bloomington, you can order your transcript from Student Central.
OptomCAS will not process your application without all of your transcripts. You can check the status of your online application to see if your transcripts have been received.
OptomCAS will verify that you have entered your coursework correctly on the application by matching your application against the transcripts from the colleges and universities you have attended. After OptomCAS processes your application, they will send it to the schools you have selected to receive it.
Experiences and achievements #
The OptomCAS application includes a section where you can provide information on experiences and achievements such as employment, extracurricular activities, optometric experience, shadowing, volunteering, awards and honors. Shadowing of optometrists should also be listed here.
Supplemental program materials and personal essay #
The "Program Materials" section of the OptomCAS application will ask you to submit supplemental materials for each individual optometry school where you are applying.
In the "Program Materials" section, individual optometry schools will ask that you submit essays. Most of the schools ask that you write a personal essay of no more than 4500 characters (including spaces) responding to this or a similar prompt: "Please describe what inspires your decision for becoming an optometrist, including your preparation for training in this profession, your aptitude and motivation, the basis for your interest in optometry, and your future career goals."
The admissions committee will read your essay to learn why you want to become an optometrist. An effective approach is to write about the series of events in your life that have led you to optometry. What started you on the path toward the goal of becoming an optometrist, and what kept you on that path once you started, even at times when it wasn't easy? Drawing material from your prehealth journal can provide useful insights and help bring your writing to life.
Make sure to attend one of the Personal Statement Writing Workshops offered by Health Professions & Prelaw Advising to help you begin a draft of your essay. Schedule an appointment with a HPPLA advisor for feedback on a draft of your essay.
In addition to the common personal essay, programs might ask you to write additional essays, complete forms, or identify which of your courses fulfill their prerequisite requirements as part of the "Program Materials" section of the application. Some schools, including the IU School of Optometry, ask that you submit a secondary application through their own, school specific, portals in addition to submitting the OptomCAS application. It is through this secondary application that you submit your personal essay to IU.
Letters of recommendation #
Optometry schools require that you submit letters of recommendation written by others on your behalf along with your application. Letters of recommendation can provide admissions committees insight into your personal qualities, your communication and interpersonal skills, and your readiness for optometry school.
Developing relationships with your professors is an important part of your intellectual growth and will help you obtain strong letters of recommendation.
Optometry schools vary in their requirements for letters of recommendation. Most optometry schools will require a minimum of three letters of recommendation. The Indiana University School of Optometry requires three letters of recommendation, at least one of which should be from a science professor. Many other schools require that at least one letter be written by a practicing optometrist.
Consult the individual optometry school websites for information on the recommendations each school requires or reference the OptomCAS website's page on letters of recommendation.
Letters of recommendation are sent to optometry schools directly from the recommenders through the OptomCAS application system. For more information, please consult the instructions in the OptomCAS help center.
Interview #
Before admitting you, optometry schools will want to meet you in person. The interview helps schools evaluate personal qualities they can't observe directly in your written application. Selected applicants are invited for an interview. You should prepare carefully for this crucial component of the admissions process.
Optometry schools use interviews to gain insight into how you would interact with patients. Schools also use the interview to assess factors such as motivation and ability to cope with conflict. They want to know how likely it is you would take a spot if they offered one, so it is important that you express your enthusiasm and sincere interest in the school!
In a job interview, the most important question for your interviewer is probably, "What can this person do for our organization" For your interviewer at an optometry school, the most important question may be, "Would I trust this person as my own optometrist?" One of your most important goals is to demonstrate that you are able to connect with others on a personal level.
To prepare, review your personal essay and the activities listed on your application. It's helpful to practice responding to interview questions (you can obtain a list of questions in the HPPLA office). You may be asked situational ethics questions that require you to think through how you would respond when faced with difficult decisions as an optometrist. Study the school's curriculum via its website and prepare to ask questions about the school's program in the interview.
Make sure to attend one of the HPPLA-sponsored Interview Skills Workshops in the fall semester and schedule an appointment with a HPPLA advisor for a mock interview.