DON’T MISS THIS FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO GET ANSWERS TO YOUR MOST PRESSING QUESTIONS ABOUT OPTOMETRY SCHOOL!
Registration is now open for the 2014 Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) Optometry Virtual Fair. The fair, ASCO’s second, takes place on April 17. No matter where you are that day, you can hop onto the Internet and live chat with admissions representatives from any or all of the 21 ASCO member schools — all for free!
Any questions you may have are fair game. Still trying to figure out whether optometry is the right field for you? Wondering which program is best for you and if you’re on track with prerequisites? Curious about when you’d actually start working with patients? Contemplating whether your OAT score and GPA give you a good shot at being accepted? Have questions about student housing? No problem, ask away! Also, it’s not required but you can upload your resume prior to the event so the schools and colleges can get to know you better, too. Each school chooses the hours during which it will have representatives available. (It was an all-day affair for many last year.) After you register for the fair at www.CareerEco.com/events/Optometry, you’ll be notified of each school’s hours.
What People Said about Last Year’s Fair
More than 900 prospective applicants and representatives from optometry institutions participated in last year’s event. One school reported it exchanged information with nearly 175 prospective students, one of whom had this to say: “Thank you for giving such great advice! Just reading your comments to other students helped me get a better understanding of your program. For sure, I would love to keep in contact for future advice.” These comments were among the feedback provided by others after the event:
- “It [is] a fantastic way to get a better understanding of the schools and programs.”
- “Representatives were very welcoming and informative.”
- “[I liked] the quick feedback to my specific questions.”
- “… it has been nice to connect at once with all the schools I’ve been researching for so long!”
- “I’ve been impressed with the depth of the answers given to me by some of the representatives.”
Do Your Friends a Favor and Spread the Word
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity. Tell your friends about the fair — and anyone else you know who would like to explore a rewarding career in health care. Even sophomore and junior undergrads, who are a while away from actually applying to optometry schools, say they came away from the 2013 fair with much-needed guidance and a new awareness of questions they should be asking.
We’re Here to Help
The Optometry Virtual Fair is powered by CareerEco, and they’re happy to answer your questions about the nuts and bolts of the event. You can reach them at optometry@careereco.com or (770) 980-0088. Paige Pence, ASCO’s Director of Student and Residency Affairs is here to help as well. You can drop her a line at ppence@opted.org and also make sure to take look at the ASCO website at www.opted.org for valuable resources.
We leave you with a bit of advice from one of the admissions officials who worked the fair last year. It’s easy to feel ultra-informal during the event. And, yes, it’s meant to be a friendly, relaxed environment. But don’t forget this is your chance to make a good first impression. So, chat with proper spelling and grammar, and, for example, to show your appreciation for getting what you came for, type something more like “Thank you very much!” and less like “Sweeeeet!”
Tell us what you want to hear about!
