Mercer students who are planning to apply to optometry schools are designated as pre-medicine students for the purposes of academic advising.  Thus, pre-optometry students should read through the "Health Vocations Advising Frequently Asked Questions" (hvafaq08.doc), taking special note of the "Additional Courses" section under Question 6, and should use the "Pre-Medicine Advising Checklist" (Pre-Med Checklist.doc) as a guide for scheduling courses and extracurricular activities.  In addition to completing the courses recommended in these documents, students should make themselves aware of any other courses that are required or recommended by the specific optometry schools in which they are interested; microbiology, anatomy and physiology, statistics, calculus, psychology, and/or speech may be among the courses required or recommended by some optometry schools.  Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the admission requirements of the specific schools to which they intend to apply.

It is important for pre-optometry students to note that the pre-optometry/pre-medicine designation is not the same as an academic major.  A pre-optometry student who intends to earn a bachelor's degree must declare a major and complete the course requirements for that major, in addition to completing the prerequisite courses for admission to specific optometry schools.  No specific undergraduate major is required or preferred by optometry schools, so a pre-optometry student should choose a major that s/he is passionate about; a student who majors in a topic in which s/he is genuinely interested is more likely to achieve the academic success that will enable her/him to get into an optometry school.  Note that any student who completes the chemistry courses recommended for the pre-optometry/pre-med track (CHM 111, 112, 221, and 222) will earn a minor in chemistry (a minimum of 6 credits in chemistry must be completed in residence at Mercer University in order for Mercer to award a student a minor in chemistry; see Mercer's catalog for further details).

Students should also note that, while most optometry schools do not require a student to have a bachelor's degree prior to enrollment (though most schools recommend it), the vast majority of accepted optometry school applicants do have bachelor's degrees.  As the rules for acceptance of students without bachelor's degrees vary from school to school, students interested in this option should look carefully at the requirements for the particular schools in which they are interested.  Note that the fact that an applicant does not have a bachelor's degree does not exempt him/her from having to complete all the prerequisite classes for admission to any given optometry school.  Further, since admission to optometry schools is granted on a competitive basis, it is important for students to have alternative plans in the event that they are not accepted to the optometry schools to which they apply; a bachelor's degree will be extremely valuable to any student who ultimately opts to pursue other educational/career paths besides optometry school.

Beyond the academic preparations students should make before applying to optometry schools, pre-optometry students should also obtain some type of experience with the optometry profession; this experience may include working at an optometrist's office or shadowing an optometrist extensively.  Such experience will, of course, serve as evidence to optometry schools that a student is truly interested in and knowledgeable about the profession, but it will also help the student determine if s/he is making the right choice by going to optometry school.

In addition to pursuing experiences within the optometry profession, pre-optometry students may also wish to join Mercer's pre-health club, MerPMed.  For more information, students should visit the club's website, located at http://www2.mercer.edu/AAS/Pre-professional Information/MerPMed.htm, or send an e-mail to merpmed@yahoo.com.

There are several useful websites related to optometry schools and to the profession of optometry.  Pre-optometry students can find information about optometry programs and careers at the website of the American Optometric Association (AOA) (http://www.aoa.org/) and the website of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) (http://www.opted.org/).  A list of optometry schools in the United States can be found at the following link: http://www.opted.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3336.  There are no optometry schools located in Georgia, but information about the optometry profession in Georgia is available at the Georgia Optometric Association's website (http://www.ciclt.net/goa/).

For information about the Optometry Admission Test (OAT), which is required by most optometry schools, students should visit https://www.ada.org/oat/index.html.  Pre-optometry students should familiarize themselves with and prepare for the OAT well in advance of taking the test, and they should give themselves the opportunity to take the test multiple times, if necessary.

Note that, unlike some other types of professional schools, optometry schools do not use a unified application service.  Thus, students interested in attending a school of optometry must complete separate applications for each school to which they apply.  It is advisable for pre-optometry students to research the admission requirements and procedures for each of the optometry schools in which they are interested well before they intend to begin the application process.

For more information about preparing for and applying to optometry schools, contact  the pre-professional advisor in the Office of Academic and Advising Services.