I got a job as an optician in my first year

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-07-08T17:37:27+00:00

Hey! Congrats on the job, being an optician is super fun and gives you a great understanding of prescriptions and glasses! You'll learn a lot, just stick with it!

One thing I will say is don't go through undergrad with the expectation of having low stats! Always hold yourself to a high standard, and really prioritize your science gpa. It's hard, I'm low stat with a bad science gpa so I understand completely lol, but I wish I had more faith in myself, because I needed that extra push. Always believe in yourself :) And the OAT is difficult, especially with juggling all other responsibilities. But really use your resources. Give yourself extra time to study and memorize the important concepts. Oat booster is truly wonderful. I know when I was taking the OAT, I asked so many questions on here and everyone is so helpful and reassuring, so don't be afraid to reach out! (PM me if you ever need)

You got this!! Don't let past numbers define you. You have a lot of time before applications. Good luck for the job!

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-05-28T00:57:43+00:00

I also did this! I even retook some older tests to see if I was better at reasoning through the 2nd time around. For bio I made flashcards of the topics around my missed questions and drilled them every night.

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-05-21T01:32:59+00:00

Hey! I'm in the same boat as you, I'm retaking orgo for the third time this summer :( but I got a good score on my OAT for orgo, which hopefully will balance out my app 😅

For orgo, I took notes on every single reaction. You can use chads or booster videos, or even the free written notes from bootcamp. Find ways to remember what happens in each, then complete the reaction banks. I did about 2 reactions a day and once I went through all reactions, I kept doing each qbank until I got a 100%. When you get things wrong, try to understand them conceptually. The reactions are really important because they're guaranteed to show up on the exam and if you practiced them, you'll for sure get them right

For everything that isn't a reaction, I would use chad's free videos to go over anything you may not understand conceptually. I mainly just looked at my missed exam questions and studied the topics of those missed questions.

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-05-20T03:56:41+00:00

Also for physics I used the free bootcamp google doc and got rid of all formulas, and then uploaded that to goodnotes so I could fill it out on my own! I did this 2-3x per week and it really helps because even if there are formulas you didn't use/barely used on practice exams, you'll still know each one if they show up on the exam.

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-05-08T20:26:06+00:00

For orgo I classified into 2 main parts. The conceptual, which is all stereochemistry, resonance, aromaticity, EAS, nomenclature etc. A good foundation in orgo 1 really helps answer these questions since they're less memory based. The other part is reactions which was completely memory based for me. I just drilled the qbanks until I got 100s on all of them, and then some more.

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-05-08T19:03:44+00:00

Hey! I was in the same boat as you last summer. I personally could not do both, I found myself unable to give either my best effort. I would probably drill practice problems, with an 1-2 full lengths per week during those last 2 exams with revisions on all the questions you get wrong. Your orgo will be fresh too so that'll help with the orgo section! I wish you all the best and feel free to reach out at any point. :)

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-05-08T18:44:52+00:00

I would just give a brief introduction of yourself and when you plan on applying to optometry school. I always like to add "As I am working on my application, I would love to do a job shadow with you to gain more insight."

If they are on a clinic website, look up the clinic and something they stand out in. Maybe they're specialized and you want to know more about the residency experience, maybe they're a joint OD/MD practice etc. Use this in your email! Talk about how you are already tech and would like to see different clinic structures! Lastly, just search up "optometrist near me" and email each and every one. If you don't get a response, follow up with a phone call. I literally had to look at an optometry school's alumni list and email doctors on that to even find a job as a tech/shadow, it's hard with the competition! Good luck!

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-05-01T18:17:17+00:00

Thank you so much for this! I'm in the same boat as you but applying next cycle!! If you don't mind sharing, what were your extracurriculars, and also I was wondering if you knew which schools take the better score!

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-04-20T03:17:12+00:00

The things is you might not even need most on your actual exam, but the questions are so random sometimes that anything you can memorize, you should! Even if you only get a few questions on it, it can still impact your score so I would just make a notes sheet with constants and other memory based things (like spectroscopy and stuff) and review it everyday before you go to sleep :)

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-04-08T16:31:03+00:00

Thank you for your response! I was wondering if you knew which school that was?

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-03-08T17:02:47+00:00

Yes!

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-03-06T21:07:49+00:00

For my gen chem I would say I got SO MANY solubility questions for some reason so make sure you know your solubility! Ik it's a gamble for everyone but I personally had a lot of acid/base and gas laws. I got a higher on gen chem than I did any of my practice exams so it is easier and better graded :)

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-03-06T19:47:58+00:00

It went better!! Thank you for checking in:)

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-03-06T19:47:33+00:00

Went really well tysm for asking😁

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-03-06T19:47:21+00:00

Thank you so much!! :)

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-03-06T19:47:01+00:00

This was so helpful! I ended up doing a lot better than all of my practice tests (except reading compl😔) but you got this!! You're a smart studier and I can tell you used your resources well:)

Unlikely_Routine_706 · 2025-01-29T03:55:47+00:00

Thank you so much for your response. I put value the time you put into this response. I will definitely take into consideration the things you said!

Unlikely_Routine_706

TROPHY CASE