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I'm a first year Optometry student, ask me anything! :)

I know that there's barely any advice or resources for students who are thinking of applying for Optometry (there isn't even an Optom section on TSR), so I thought that I'd create this forum. I'll try my best to help you out :smile:


Edit: I'm currently doing my Pre-Registration year now so feel free to ask any questions about that too!
(edited 3 months ago)

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Avatar for giella
giella
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Why eyes?
Original post by giella
Why eyes?

I've been going to regular eye tests since I was a child and so I saw first hand how much glasses improved my daily life e.g. education. I think sight is the most important sense :smile:
Where are you studying optometry?
Original post by nxsha
I know that there's barely any advice or resources for students who are thinking of applying for Optometry (there isn't even an optom section on TSR), so I thought that I'd create this forum. I'll try my best to help you out :smile:


how to write a personal statement for optometry?
Original post by Augenstern
how to write a personal statement for optometry?



For mine, I wrote about why I wanted to do Optometry in the first paragraph and how I came to that decision.

The main, middle section should be focusing on any work experience/volunteering you've done. If you've had work experience at an optician's, then that's amazing- talk about anything you learned about the role of an Optometrist and the skills they need. You could also mention how they communicated with their patient, the equipment you saw being used, how the staff worked well under pressure etc (this shows that you have a good knowledge of what working in Optometry is like)

If you haven't had optometry related work experience, then that's okay (especially with the covid situation right now). When I applied it wasn't compulsory to have work experience like medicine/dentistry. You should always mention skills you've gained from other experiences e.g. volunteering, part-time jobs, NCS, DofE, leadership roles in school. A few examples of transferrable skills to Optometry are: communication, logical thinking, accuracy, empathy, problem-solving, organisational. These skills can also come from your A-Levels.

You should also show that you're genuinely interested in the course. Talk about any books/articles/magazines you've read. The New Scientist website has loads of articles about the eye if you're struggling to find resources. Or talk about your interest in a specific subject related to Optom like physics or biology.

The last paragraph should be brief and include your hobbies/interests/awards, anything that makes you stand out :smile:

Hope this helps, good luck with your application!
Original post by nxsha
For mine, I wrote about why I wanted to do Optometry in the first paragraph and how I came to that decision.

The main, middle section should be focusing on any work experience/volunteering you've done. If you've had work experience at an optician's, then that's amazing- talk about anything you learned about the role of an Optometrist and the skills they need. You could also mention how they communicated with their patient, the equipment you saw being used, how the staff worked well under pressure etc (this shows that you have a good knowledge of what working in Optometry is like)

If you haven't had optometry related work experience, then that's okay (especially with the covid situation right now). When I applied it wasn't compulsory to have work experience like medicine/dentistry. You should always mention skills you've gained from other experiences e.g. volunteering, part-time jobs, NCS, DofE, leadership roles in school. A few examples of transferrable skills to Optometry are: communication, logical thinking, accuracy, empathy, problem-solving, organisational. These skills can also come from your A-Levels.

You should also show that you're genuinely interested in the course. Talk about any books/articles/magazines you've read. The New Scientist website has loads of articles about the eye if you're struggling to find resources. Or talk about your interest in a specific subject related to Optom like physics or biology.

The last paragraph should be brief and include your hobbies/interests/awards, anything that makes you stand out :smile:

Hope this helps, good luck with your application!

Thank you!!
Did you have to do interviews? How did you find them?
Original post by Hazelly
Did you have to do interviews? How did you find them?

Only 2/5 of the unis I applied to required an interview so it really depends on the uni.

Both of my interviews were polar opposites. One was a 5-10 minute conversation where they asked basic questions like "Why did you choose Optometry", "Why did you decide to apply here", whereas the other was more formal and involved questions relating to my personal statement and also Optometry like "What skills does an Optometrist need?", "What other roles can Optometrists do other than working in a high street practice?"

That being said, the interviews weren't difficult (in my experience) as long as you know your personal statement well and have a good, basic understanding of the optometry career. It's definitely not something to worry too much about & I don't think it's a big deal if you struggle to answer a question- my mind went completely blank for a few of them haha :biggrin: The interviewer will guide/help you come up with an answer :smile:
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by nxsha
I know that there's barely any advice or resources for students who are thinking of applying for Optometry (there isn't even an optom section on TSR), so I thought that I'd create this forum. I'll try my best to help you out :smile:

Thank you so much. I am going to be applying for university this year because I am in year 13. I am worried because I got predicted BCC for my as level which is unfair because I couldn't actually take the exams. I want to apply to city university for optometry. Do u think I have a chance. Btw do I have to apply for the introduction to optometry course before I can apply for the BSc honours optometry course because in the entry requirements sections it says that a bachelor's degree is required. I am really confused. Which university did u go to?
Hi,
I am picking my A level subjects this year. Which subjects would you advise if you would like to study optometry in university?
Original post by Izaariak12
Thank you so much. I am going to be applying for university this year because I am in year 13. I am worried because I got predicted BCC for my as level which is unfair because I couldn't actually take the exams. I want to apply to city university for optometry. Do u think I have a chance. Btw do I have to apply for the introduction to optometry course before I can apply for the BSc honours optometry course because in the entry requirements sections it says that a bachelor's degree is required. I am really confused. Which university did u go to?

Aw I'm so sorry that happened :frown: I think that the universities understand that your predicted grades aren't always accurate (especially this year) and that most people will achieve different results. You should have a chance, I know people who had really low predicted grades and got an interview!

I'm presuming you mean the entry requirements for city university? I think it's saying you need one of these bullet points:

-'A' Level: ABB (including two from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics).
-Tariff: 128 UCAS tariff points. Read more about the new UCAS tariff from September 2017.
-Bachelor Degrees: Upper second class Honours degree in other science or medically related degree
-IB: 31 points (including 6 in two Higher Level sciences and 5 in Standard Level English and Mathematics)

I'm guessing you're doing A-levels so only the first bullet point applies to you.

Hope my answer helps clear things up and I'll PM you the uni I go to :smile:
Original post by Catrinhh
Hi,
I am picking my A level subjects this year. Which subjects would you advise if you would like to study optometry in university?

I think that most universities ask for 2 A-Levels from the following: Biology, Maths, Chemistry, Physics. I'd highly recommend Biology (it will make your first term so much easier as a lot of it is A-level content). Physics and Maths would be really useful too!

Good luck :smile:
How would you link studying biology and chemistry at a level in your personal statement?
Original post by imaan555888
How would you link studying biology and chemistry at a level in your personal statement?



I think the paragraph about your A-levels should go after your work experience/volunteering/part-time jobs paragraphs as these are more important. I've listed some relevant points/skills from Biology.

Biology
-accuracy (from practicals & using scientific equipment) > optometrists need to be precise when using equipment (give examples of some)
-working under time pressure (practicals)
-maths skills
-mention a topic you enjoyed which links to optometry e.g. the visual system, immune system, diseases etc and why you found it interesting

I didn't do Chemistry but I'm guessing you did a lot of practicals/experiments, you can link this to the dexterity skill & precision.

I think 1-2 points is enough for each subject so don't worry if you can't think of a lot, just remember to link it to Optometry :smile:
Best of luck with your application, let me know if you have any more questions!
Original post by nxsha
Aw I'm so sorry that happened :frown: I think that the universities understand that your predicted grades aren't always accurate (especially this year) and that most people will achieve different results. You should have a chance, I know people who had really low predicted grades and got an interview!

I'm presuming you mean the entry requirements for city university? I think it's saying you need one of these bullet points:

-'A' Level: ABB (including two from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics).
-Tariff: 128 UCAS tariff points. Read more about the new UCAS tariff from September 2017.
-Bachelor Degrees: Upper second class Honours degree in other science or medically related degree
-IB: 31 points (including 6 in two Higher Level sciences and 5 in Standard Level English and Mathematics)

I'm guessing you're doing A-levels so only the first bullet point applies to you.

Hope my answer helps clear things up and I'll PM you the uni I go to :smile:


Thank you so much. This really means a lot to me. I wish there were more helpful and kind people like you in this world because it makes me soooo happy. Thanks again
Original post by Izaariak12
Thank you so much. This really means a lot to me. I wish there were more helpful and kind people like you in this world because it makes me soooo happy. Thanks again

No worries and thank you so much for the nice comment, it's made my day :smile:
Original post by nxsha
I think that most universities ask for 2 A-Levels from the following: Biology, Maths, Chemistry, Physics. I'd highly recommend Biology (it will make your first term so much easier as a lot of it is A-level content). Physics and Maths would be really useful too!

Good luck :smile:

Thank you so much for your help!
Original post by imaan555888
Hi thanks so much for the reply! How would I link the immune system to optometry and my interest in it as I am struggling with this.

After talking about the skills you gained from Biology, you can say something along the lines of "I particularly enjoyed covering the immune system and so I'm looking forward to learning about how the eye responds to bacterial infections like... (give an example)."

I'd say try to keep your A-Levels paragraph brief as there are more important paragraphs (work experience). If you've ran out of characters then it's completely fine to miss this part out.

Hope this helped clear things up :smile:
Thank you so much!! :smile:

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