Introducing a New Blog: Eye on Optometry

February 3, 2014

Welcome to Eye on Optometry, a new blog from the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO)! The main goal of the blog is to provide timely and useful information to anyone who is interested in applying to optometry school. It’s all part of one of ASCO’s many strategic objectives, which is to help the schools and colleges of optometry develop a large, diverse and highly qualified national applicant pool while getting the word out about the attractiveness of a career in the profession.

At least twice each month, we’ll bring you answers to questions that are common among potential applicants to optometry school. You’ll benefit from the insights of people in the know, such as optometry school admissions officials. You’ll also read about the firsthand experiences of those who have traveled the road from applicant to student to optometrist. Stay tuned for future posts such as “A Day in the Life of an Optometry Student,” as well as tips for preparing for the Optometry Admission Test (OAT), and a heads-up to register for the ASCO Optometry Virtual Fair this spring. The fair is an innovative and convenient opportunity for you to interact, from the comfort of your computer, with representatives from the admissions departments of the schools and colleges of optometry.

We hope you’ll visit Eye on Optometry often for helpful information. If you have a question you’d like to see answered in the blog, e-mail it to Paige Pence, ASCO’s Director for Student and Residency Affairs, at ppence@opted.org.

In the meantime, don’t forget to take advantage of ASCO’s Web site, www.opted.org, which also contains resources you’ll want to check out. The site is where you’ll find the official guide to the Optometry Admission Test, a profile of each school’s most recent entering class, and key information about OptomCAS, the centralized application service that allows you to file one application and send it to multiple optometry programs. You’ll also find a new booklet produced by ASCO, (“What Do Doctors of Optometry Do?”) that is filled with inspiring examples of how optometrists make a real difference in the lives of their patients every day — and more!

Let us know below what you would like to hear about!