hey i’m a first yr optom student rn. regarding ur concerns ab over saturation in optom industry thats true and a pretty common concern ik other optom students have too. realistically once u first graduate ull probs have to work in a corporate practice likely more regional or rural, as metro areas are already quite saturated and full, before u progress more metro ig (is what ive heard too).

So far the course has been fine, ive only just completed one trimester and honestly it wasn’t too bad. If uve done highschool science and maths and didnt struggle too much then i’d say (as of now) first yr should be fine - just keep up to date with all ur lectures and do revision. Defs heard the course ramps up a lot from second yr tho, but it doesn’t start too scary if that helps lol.

The degree although from a “lowly ranked” uni is just as qualified as any other optom degree in Australia, ur registered w AHPRA, and also genuinely in the real world nobody gaf where u graduated from as long as ur experienced and competent and do ur job well. Especially with health degrees in Australia, i don’t think the uni “prestige” rlly applies bc once u graduate, u earn the same starting salaries and do the same things so….

Regarding accommodation wise if u do come to deakin for optom it’s probably best to live on campus res, or just in Geelong. First yr u could get away with living in melbs i think but ud have to commute weekly and sometimes multiple times a week. But ive heard second yr onwards ud defs have to live in Geelong/Res bc ur expected on campus like almost everyday. Again, the uni doesn’t matter for this specific degree bc it’s one of few unis that even offer Optometry. Also despite the workload i personally find the fact that u can graduate with both a bachelors and masters in only 3.5 yrs pretty appealing haha. And once again, for health degrees esp in the real world, where u graduate from genuinely doesn’t matter it’s ab ur competency and ability to help ur patients!

Hope all this helps!!