C o l l eg e o f S ci en ces & H eal t h Pro f es s i on s
Pre -Pro f es s i o n al Pro g rams
P RE -O PTOMETRY
Updated 8/2015
CONTACT
INFORMATION
Brittany Wampler
Coordinator,
Pre-Professional
Health Programs
ACADEMIC COURSEWORK
R E QU I R E M E N T S A N D R E C O M M E N DAT I O N S
Course Number
Course Title
BIO 200/201/202/203
Intro Biology I/II/Labs
CHM 261/266/262/267
General Chemistry I/II/Labs
CHM 331/336/332/337
Organic Chemistry I/II/Labs
CHM 402/403
Biochemistry I/II (*OSU states that if Biochemistry is offered in a two semester
sequence, both semesters are required.)
PHY 221/222 or 231/232
College Physics I/II or Physics—Biomedical Applications I/II
HSC 422/450
Human Gross Anatomy & Clinical Physiology
BIO 264/265 or 416/417
Microbiology
MTH 181
Calculus I
ENG 101
College Writing I
PSY 101
Intro to Psychology
Humanities & Social Sciences
2-3 classes in each area
Main Classroom 218
b.wampler@csuohio.edu
Appointments:
216-687-9321
HELPFUL
WEBSITES:




CSU Pre-Professional
Programs:
www.csuohio.edu/
sciences/preprof
Association of Schools
and Colleges of
Optometry:
www.opted.org
Optometry Centralized
Application Service:
https://optomcas.org
The Ohio State
University College of
Optometry:
www.optometry.osu.e
du
Special Notes:


A grade of C- or better must be earned in all prerequisite courses.
OSU requires a minimum of 10 hours shadowing experience.
Additional Course Recommendations: Please review other school requirements as the average applicant applies to 5 programs.
The above list is not comprehensive. Each school may have slightly different requirements and it is
the responsibility of the student to take prerequisite courses according to the schools they plan to
apply to.
WH AT
IS
OP TO M ETRY?
Optometry is the study of vision. Optometrists diagnose, treat, and prescribe medication as well as correct
vision via eye glasses and contact lenses. Optometrists work with patients on the health of their eyes,
provide vision therapy, and consult with and refer to ophthalmologists.
Being Pre-Optometry is not a major. Most pre-optometry students choose to major in Biology or
Chemistry, but you can choose any major and complete the prerequisites for optometry school.
There is only one school in the state of Ohio and only 21 in the United States/Puerto Rico. The Ohio State
University accepts 64 students per year for the four year professional degree program, with dual Master’s
and PhD options for students planning to go into research or teaching. Applying to and being accepted to
optometry school is a competitive process and one that a student needs to start planning for early on in
their academic career.
ABBREVIATED
TIMELINE
FRESHMAN YEAR




Maintain a strong GPA.
Attend pre-health meetings
on campus to get involved.
Get to know professors in
early biology and chemistry
courses.
Explore careers in
optometry and develop
Plan B options through
extensive research.
SOPHOMORE
YEAR



Maintain a strong GPA.
Pursue meaningful
experiences through
related activities, including
shadowing experiences.
Develop relationships with
faculty, mentors, and
optometrists that could
serve as references.
JUNIOR YEAR





Maintain a strong GPA.
Consider who you will ask
for letters of reference and
schedule meetings to ask
them specifically.
Write your Personal
Statement and have at
least 3 people review it.
Plan a timeline/study
schedule for the OAT and
sign up for a test date
during the spring or
summer.
Familiarize yourself with
OPTOMCAS application
site, instructions, and
processes.
SENIOR YEAR




Maintain a strong GPA.
Continue to pursue
meaningful experiences
related to optometry.
Complete the application
process through
OPTOMCAS, including
secondary applications.
Prepare for interviews.
A P P LY I N G T O O P T O M E T RY S C H O O L
The application process to
optometry school is a rigorous
one. Being that there are only 21
optometry schools in the
country, students need to be
competitive in order to get
admitted.
centralized system where
students complete the first
application. Application
deadlines are set by the
institutions. It is important to
follow all directions and
deadlines carefully.
The accepted entrance exam to
optometry school is the
Optometry Admission Test
(OAT). The OAT tests for
academic ability and knowledge
in four sections: natural sciences,
(biology, chemistry, organic
chemistry), physics, quantitative
reasoning, and reading
comprehension. Scores range
from 200 to 400 and OSU states
that the average score is 310330 per section.
The actual application itself
contains many parts. You should
start as early as possible to give
yourself as much time as
possible to complete the
application.
All schools use the OPTOMCAS
system for applications. It is a
Below are the main components
of the application:




Academic Record/
Transcripts
Extracurricular/Work
Experience/Publications
OAT Test Scores
Personal Statement (4500

character limit)
3 Letters of Reference
After you submit your
application, you will be expected
to complete any secondary
applications for the individual
institutions that you applied to.
Schools will then invite you to
interview. You will be expected
to discuss your motivation for
veterinary medicine, personal/
professional goals, and
assessment of current health
issues.
You can get help with all areas of
the application through the
College of Sciences and Health
Professional Pre-Professional
Programs.
GAINING EXPERIENCE
Student organization
involvement/leadership,
volunteer work, research
experience, job shadowing—
there are so many options when
it comes to creating a wellrounded resume. In addition to
the coursework, optometry
schools want to see wellrounded and committed
applicants.
OSU Optometry School requires
at least one letter of reference
from a current optometrist and
therefore shadowing is
paramount. You must shadow in
two different types of practices
as well.
What is the best way to find
someone to shadow? Please see
the helpful tips below for tips
and tricks when it comes to
finding an optometrist to
shadow.


If you have a relationship
with your family
optometrist, start by asking
that person!
Conduct an online search of
in the area or contact OSU




for information about
optometrists in your area.
Call the office and get an
email address so you can
send a professional email
(in the form of a shortened
cover letter) along with your
resume.
When you email, make sure
to state your intent. How
long do you want the
shadowing experience to
last? What do you hope to
achieve through the
experience?
Treat any interaction like an
interview. Be professional
at all times.
Even if the optometrist says
no or not at this time, thank
them and let them know
you would like to shadow in
the future if an opportunity
arises.
Please keep in mind, you need to
be successful in the classroom
while also seeking out the
opportunities you find to be
most rewarding. There is no
specific recipe for success in this
area and you need to be
selective in what you do to add
to their application.
Make sure to plan carefully and
early. Also, think about how the
people you meet through all of
your experiences could help you
as you apply to schools. You
never know who you interact
with that can have a positive (or
negative) impact on your
candidacy for optometry school.
If you have additional questions
about shadowing or other
experiences, visit the
Coordinator for Pre-Professional
Health Programs !