optometry at uni?

1

so im in my first year of a levels, doing fine art, maths and geography. but i think i want to do optom at uni. there are some unis (cardiff plymouth) that do a preliminary year, so i could finish my a levels then do prelim then do the optometry course. i’ve got work experience coming up which i’m excited for, and i guess my decision will partly be based on how that goes.
i could drop one of my a levels, and start physics or chem, subjects that could get me straight into the optometry course, and give more options of where to go. i got 8-9 combined science at gcse, i don’t know how well i’d do at a level. also i travel around 3 hours every day for college so it’s not ideal to do another year, and if my a levels aren’t all finished in the same year i don’t know if they count?
sorry that’s quite long, if anyone has any advice it would be appreciated!!

Reply 1

MindMax2000

22

Original post

by alliterationn

so im in my first year of a levels, doing fine art, maths and geography. but i think i want to do optom at uni. there are some unis (cardiff plymouth) that do a preliminary year, so i could finish my a levels then do prelim then do the optometry course. i’ve got work experience coming up which i’m excited for, and i guess my decision will partly be based on how that goes.
i could drop one of my a levels, and start physics or chem, subjects that could get me straight into the optometry course, and give more options of where to go. i got 8-9 combined science at gcse, i don’t know how well i’d do at a level. also i travel around 3 hours every day for college so it’s not ideal to do another year, and if my a levels aren’t all finished in the same year i don’t know if they count?
sorry that’s quite long, if anyone has any advice it would be appreciated!!

If you have to drop an A Level, then do so. There is nothing wrong with doing 4 A Levels if you can, but it can be a bit of a burden.
I would prefer people to do the extra A Level instead of doing the preliminary year, since it's significantly cheaper and like you said it gives you more options in terms of uni.
I also strongly recommend that you do A Level sciences (or anything with practicals or coursework) at college as opposed to doing them outside of college. Maths, which is 100% exam, won't cost an arm and a leg if you do it outside of college. Things with practicals and coursework will require special invigilation at specific exam centres and can cost £1000 or so per subject - not cheap, especially if you have to fund it yourself.
If for any reason your college refuses to allow you to do the science A Level, I would look at Access to HE courses with specialisation in chemistry and biology. These tend to be available at local adult/community colleges, but you might need to take out an Advanced Learner's Loan for it since you would have completed your A Levels by the time you apply. I would check the individual universities offering MOptom degrees to see if they accept this for the degree, as not all would - do not apply to study for an Access course without doing this check, otherwise you would be wasting time and money unnecessarily. The Access course would still offer you more choices of uni to apply to than the preliminary year.

If you are currently in your first year, that should mean you're about done with your first year as opposed to starting your first year. It's more likely then that the college will tell you to spend an extra year to finish your A Level in your chosen science. This is probably a good course of action since chemistry can be pretty content intensive - geography and fine art are also very content heavy and require a lot of time to prepare.

If your A Levels aren't finished in the same year, it doesn't matter as much - they all count as A Level qualifications that you can use for jobs and uni. If the specific uni has a problem with it, they will specify it in the entry requirements of the individual degree (I haven't come across an MOptom degree that says you do). However, do note MOptom is pretty competitive (nothing like medicine, veterinary science, or dentistry, but still competitive), and some admission staff can be a little funny about finishing subjects not all at the same time (I haven't heard it being a problem with MOptom, but I can't say for sure it won't be an issue).

Do note, A Level sciences are nothing like GCSE sciences. It's a lot more intensive, much like A Level Maths.

Reply 2

University of Plymouth Undergraduate Student Rep

Official Rep

12

Original post

by alliterationn

so im in my first year of a levels, doing fine art, maths and geography. but i think i want to do optom at uni. there are some unis (cardiff plymouth) that do a preliminary year, so i could finish my a levels then do prelim then do the optometry course. i’ve got work experience coming up which i’m excited for, and i guess my decision will partly be based on how that goes.
i could drop one of my a levels, and start physics or chem, subjects that could get me straight into the optometry course, and give more options of where to go. i got 8-9 combined science at gcse, i don’t know how well i’d do at a level. also i travel around 3 hours every day for college so it’s not ideal to do another year, and if my a levels aren’t all finished in the same year i don’t know if they count?
sorry that’s quite long, if anyone has any advice it would be appreciated!!

Hey there! 😊

I'd definitely agree with the above! There are some great points of advice there and wishing you the best of luck for your exams 😄

I know a few people that study optometry at Plymouth, and although I don't study the same course, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have about the university or city if you have any!

Best of luck! 🤩

-Alfie, University of Plymouth Undergraduate Student Rep

optometry at uni?

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