Prepare for Optometry School – Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center

What do you need to be a strong candidate for optometry school?

3 key factors optometry schools look for:

Strong academic performance: High GPA in prerequisite and upper division science coursework can show optometry schools that you are prepared for their curriculum.
Evidence of experience and personal development: Experience in the health field can help you determine whether optometry is the right fit for you. Your experiences (both related and unrelated to health) can also show optometry school that you have the qualities they are looking for in a future optometrist.
Strong entrance exam scores: Like your GPA, your entrance exam score can suggest that you are ready for the rigor of optometry school.

More information on each factor can be found within their respective sections below.

Prerequisites Experience and Personal Development Researching Schools Entrance Exam Tracker Templates

Prerequisites

Most importantly, remember that requirements vary from school to school! You must research the schools to which you are planning to apply to create a list of all the prerequisites you will need to take.

Optometry (OD) Program Information: We compiled some information on the OD programs in the US. Please note that we still recommend you to do your own research alongside this guide.
Prerequisites of Optometry Schools and Colleges via the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO).

More than 25% of the programs in this field require the following UHM courses for admission:

BIOL 171/171L and 172/172L	Introduction to Biology I and II	8 cr.
CHEM 161/161L and 162/162L	General Chemistry I and II*	8 cr.
CHEM 272/272L	Organic Chemistry I	5 cr.
PHYS 151/151L and 152/152L (or PHYS 170/170L and 272/272L)	College Physics I and II (or General Physics I and II)**	8 or 9 cr.
MATH 215 (or MATH 241)	Applied Calculus I (or Calculus I)*	4 cr.
BIOC 141 or higher	Biochemistry***	3 or 4 cr.
ENG 100 and higher	Composition I and higher	6 cr.
PSY 100	Survey of Psychology	3 cr.
MICR 130/140L (Fall only) (or MICR 351/351L)	General Microbiology (or Biology of Microorganisms****)	5 cr.
PHYL 141/141L and 142/142L (or PHYL 301/L and 302/L)	Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II	8 or 10 cr.
BIOL/BOT 220***** or PSY/SOCS 225 or ECON 321	Statistics	3 cr.
ANTH, HIST, ECON, GEOG, POLS, PSY, SOC, ART, DNCE, ENG, ES, HIST, HWST, LING, MUS, PHIL, REL, THEA, WS, etc.	Social Sciences and/or Humanities (Please check with the schools you’re interested in for specific requirements)	3 to 15 cr.

Additional requirements may include communicology, computer literacy, and upper division biology like biochemistry. It is also recommended that non-science majors take additional upper-division or advanced science electives beyond the prerequisites listed above.

Optometry College and School Prerequisites

For a list of other general recommended pre-health courses, click here.

CHEM 171/171L might not be accepted by optometry schools in place of CHEM 161/161L and 162/162L. Double check with the schools they are interested in if CHEM 171/171L would be accepted in place of CHEM 161/161L and 162/162L.

*If you are planning on taking a chemistry or math course for the first time, please make sure to fulfill the placement exam requirement prior to registration.

**Although most, if not all optometry programs accept trigonometry-based physics (PHYS 151/L and 152/L), calculus-based physics (PHYS 170/L and 272/L) is recommended to prepare for the OAT and optometry school.

***Please note that the prerequisites for BIOL/MBBE/PEPS 402 are BIOL 275 and CHEM 273. BIOL 275L is also a prerequisite for BIOL/MBBE/PEPS 402.

****Please note that the prerequisites for MICR 351/L are BIOL 171 and CHEM 272/L. BIOL 275/L are recommended for MICR 351.

*****Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology or Marine Biology beginning in Fall 2021 and on are required to take BIOL 220 as a major requirement.

Please note that if you are retaking courses because optometry schools may not accept Advanced Placement (AP), online, or community college credit, your financial aid and/or scholarship status may be affected.

2020-2021 National Average Overall GPA for Accepted Applicants: 3.48

Admission GPA Statistics

Category	UH Mānoa Applicants	UH Mānoa Applicant Range	UH Mānoa Accepted	UH Mānoa Accepted Range
2018
Undergraduate Science	2.87	2.3-3.88	3.02	2.87-3.88
Cumulative Undergraduate	3.02	2.64-3.86	3.23	2.99-3.86
2017
Undergraduate Science	3.05	2.67-3.54	3.09	2.72-3.54
Cumulative Undergraduate	3.22	2.75-3.64	3.25	3.21-3.64

To calculate the OptomCAS GPA, please see the OptomCAS GPA Calculation website and PAC's OptomCAS GPA Calculation spreadsheet for more help. This guide is for reference. Please do not enter any estimates calculated from this guide into your application. Enter course information as it appears on transcripts only.

Sample Four-Year Academic Plan

Experience and Personal Development

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Nation-wide Engagement Opportunities

PAC's OptomCAS Achievement/Experience Log Template

4 Common Pre-Optometry Experiences:

Shadowing: To gain a deeper understanding of the field and determine if it is the right fit for you. Shadowing an optometrist may be required or recommended. Most programs recommend that you shadow optometrists in various areas of optometry. Programs may also request that one of your letters of recommendation be written by a Doctor of Optometry (OD). Be sure to check the specific requirements for each school!
- Email the Pre-Health Career Corps for shadowing opportunities at phcc@hawaii.edu
Jobs: Many pre-optometry students work in optometry offices to gain a better understanding of optometry and how these offices operate and to possibly get a strong letter of recommendation from the supervising optometrist.
Community Service: Not necessarily related to health, but to demonstrate your genuine interest in helping others and the larger communities.
Research: To ensure that you will be prepared for the research that will be included in the health professional school/program curriculum.

Other Experiences:

Health-Related Volunteering: To gain experience in the health professional field in which you are interested; aids in figuring out if that is the field you want to work in.
Internships/Fellowships: To gain experience in the health professional field(s) in which you are interested.
Enrichment: To be more well-rounded and gain experience communicating with others from different backgrounds.

Personal Development:

It is not enough for admissions committees to see that you have completed experiences. You also need to share with admissions committees what you gave and got out of the experiences.

Gave = What and how did you contribute to the organization and/or the people through the organization? How did you make an impact?

Got = What did you get out of the experience? What skills did you gain or establish? What knowledge did you gain?

Admission committees seek students who demonstrate certain qualities that will make them strong practitioners, such as empathy, compassion, a commitment to public service, high ethical and moral standards, a conscientious work ethic, and maturity. These qualities should be demonstrated through the previous experiences mentioned. If this is not the case, then find other experiences from which you can grow.

Keep in mind that: it’s not about what you’re doing, it’s why you're doing it. Why are these things important for you to dedicate your time to?

Networking:

Networking with peers and professionals enables you to meet people with similar interests. You can find a mentor to help lead you in the right direction, or find a study buddy for your prerequisites and entrance exam!

UH Connect: If you are a UH student or alumni, you can find a professional mentor through the UH Connect website. You can use different search and matching tools to find UH alumni who are working in a field that you are interested in within the site.
Clubs and Organizations
- Pre-Optometry Club
  - Come together with other Pre-Optometry and Pre-Health students to gain knowledge about this specialized branch of health
  - Receive specialized academic, professional, and personal support from peers
  - Email: preoptom@hawaii.edu
Pre-Health Undergraduate Mentoring Program

Experience Log:

When applying for professional school, you will be asked to list and describe the experiences you have gained in preparation for the profession of your interest. Rather than having to recall from memory all your experiences, having an experience log will allow you to fill out your application with more ease. Students can use their C.V. as a record of these experiences. However, an experience log can include additional beneficial information, such as your employer’s contact information and a reflection portion of what you learned.

PAC's OptomCAS Achievement/Experience Log Template

Researching Schools

There are currently about 24 accredited optometry schools in the US, each unique in its mission, philosophy, criteria, and strengths.

Although there are resources that “rank” schools, the rankings are rarely pertinent for individual applicants. More important is whether there is a good match between applicant and school.

To find schools that are a good fit for you (PAC peer advisors can help with this process):

Assess your individual strengths and weaknesses, your professional interests, learning style, and personality;
Start by considering all schools, which usually includes all 150+ schools;
Create your “Long List” by omitting the schools that do not match your professional interests, learning style, and personality;
Create your “Short List”. The short list includes the schools to which you will most likely apply. You will need your entrance exam scores and/or current cumulative GPA to narrow and sort your school choices. We strongly recommend that you apply to schools for which your entrance exam score and/or current cumulative GPA are within the ranges of those who were accepted into that program. Ideally, you will apply to schools for which both your entrance exam score and cumulative GPA fall within the ranges of accepted applicants.
You can also consider other factors when categorizing your schools like prerequisites, pass rate on boards/ licensing exams, areas of specialization, and cost/ aid. When deciding how many schools to apply to, consider how many schools to which you can afford to apply. Finally, consider if you really want to attend the school if/when accepted even if it is the only school to which you have been accepted.

Information on Researching and Selecting Schools: If possible, visit the schools to see their facilities, talk to admissions directors, and chat with students.
Researching Schools Template

Health professional schools in the U.S. may process applications of international students differently than those U.S. citizens and permanent residents due to institution, state, and federal requirements. Some schools do not admit any international student. International students will be limited in the number of schools to which they can apply and need to research schools. There may be additional requirements such as showing proof that they will be able to afford the costs of health professional school as financial aid opportunities are very limited for international students.

2018-2019 Admission Cycle Application Statistics

	Applicants	Applications	Matriculant	Percentage of Matriculants
UH Mānoa Applicants	11	68	6	54.54%

From the 2018-2019 application cycle:

Average number of applications per applicants: 6
Range of schools applied to: 1-21

Data for 2019 was not provided, new data will be updated once received

Top 9 Schools UH Mānoa Students Applied To For 2018
1. Pacific University College of Optometry
2. Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry
3. Midwestern University Arizona College of Optometry
4. Southern California College of Optometry
5. MCPHS University School of Optometry
6. Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry
7. Illinois College of Optometry
8. Southern College of Optometry
9. University of Houston College of Optometry

Schools UH Mānoa Students Matriculated To For 2018

1. Inter-American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry
2. Pacific University College of Optometry
3. Southern California College of Optometry
4. University of Houston College of Optometry

Entrance Exam

Most optometry programs require applicants to take a standardized test called the Optometry Admission Test (OAT).

OAT Overview

Some optometry schools also accept a standardized test called the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Currently, about 40% of schools accept the GRE as an alternative to taking the OAT.

Schools that accept the GRE include:

Midwestern University (Arizona and Illinois)
UC Berkeley School of Optometry
Western University of Health Sciences
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
New England College of Optometry
Pacific University
Salus University Pennsylvania College of Optometry
Inter American University of Puerto Rico
University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry

Please check with the schools that you are interested in prior to taking the GRE.

GRE Overview

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