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How to Write a Personal Statement For Optometry School

Every year, the new application cycle for optometry schools in the US begins in late June. Students are required to fill out and submit their applications through the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS). Within the OptomCAS portal, there are several required documents, such as a personal statement and supplementary essays. A personal statement is a written piece required by optometry schools in the US that demonstrates who the writer is as a person, their personal and academic goals, and why they would be a good fit for the optometry program. The personal statement prompt is as follows:

Please describe what inspires your decision for becoming an optometrist, including your preparation for training in this profession, your aptitude and motivation, the basis for your interest in optometry, and your future career goals.

How you choose to answer the prompt is up to you, but you must do so in 4500 characters, which is equal to approximately 750 words. Because of how broad the prompt is, getting started on your personal statement can be a daunting task. You want to be concise yet clearly describe your motivations and reasons for pursuing optometry. If you are struggling to get started or having trouble with the OptomCAS portal, feel free to keep reading or check out our OptomCAS Application Guide . In this article, we will discuss 8 tips to help you write the perfect personal statement .

1️⃣ Start Early

The OptomCAS application cycle begins in late June every year, and this year it opens on June 29 th , 2023. There is no better time to start than now, as maximizing the amount of time spent on your personal statement will allow for more time to reread and revise! Optometry schools in the US also run on a rolling admission basis, meaning that the earlier you submit your completed application, the more seats will be available in each class and the higher your chances of receiving admission. Therefore, you want to give yourself at least 3 months to get a rough draft down so that you can set it aside, revisit what you have written, and enhance it even further.

2️⃣ Find Your Angle

You are given 4500 characters, or around 750 words, for your personal statement. Due to this word limit, it’s important to get your main points across but in an engaging, eloquent way. Instead of simply listing reasons why you are qualified for optometry school or why you think a certain program would best fit you, consider using a narrative to share your story instead. For example, you could write about an experience that sparked your interest in optometry, a personal life obstacle that you had to overcome that made you who you are today, or even a relationship with a family member, mentor or optometrist that inspired you to change your career path.

3️⃣ Focus On Your Values

If you are struggling to get started on your personal statement, reflect on your three main reasons for choosing to pursue optometry and the values you want to uphold as a future healthcare practitioner. With these values in mind, you can then extend your thought process into discussing different work or shadowing experiences in order to showcase what you have learned and how these initiatives have reinforced your passion for optometry. For example, if life-long learning is an important aspect of optometry that drives your passion for the field, and you have seen first-hand how newly developing technology has shaped a patient’s life, you can describe the experience you had in seeing how much the patient was struggling with their condition and how much better they were doing after being treated. This can then be played into how much you value lifelong learning and how you hope not only to continue educating yourself but your patients as well.

4️⃣ Do Not Summarize Your Resume

As mentioned earlier, do not use your personal statement to simply list off your accomplishments. This includes your GPA, standardized testing scores (such as your OAT or GRE scores), and basic tasks that you performed at an optometry clinic. Instead, take this time to reflect and describe how you grew and what you learned from interacting with patients and doctors during your clinical experiences. The same idea also applies to listing off qualities of your personality that you believe set you apart from other applicants and make you suitable for the field. For instance, simply stating that you have excellent communication skills and work ethic will not support your personal statement and application very strongly if you do not provide any examples to demonstrate those characteristics.

5️⃣ Be Specific

Adding onto the last tip, you can describe your experiences through short personal anecdotes. Instead of writing a long, elaborate life story, use a short personal narrative that includes specific details like the names of doctors you worked with or certain ocular or health conditions you saw. This will help illustrate important experiences you had or aspects of the field that have facilitated your learning and reinforced your passion for optometry. In other words – show, not tell!

6️⃣ Minimize Negativity

Another point to keep in mind when writing your personal statement is to keep any negative talk to a minimum. Although negative experiences with an optometrist or health care provider may have been the driving force or spark to your interest in pursuing optometry, try to keep the description short so you can move on and discuss what you have learned from the experience instead. Use your writing to focus on how the experience shaped you or changed your outlook for the better. This also applies to negativity such as addressing poor grades or hardships in your life – if you believe mentioning these aspects will do more harm than good, consider not mentioning them at all in your personal statement. With the limited word count, it would be best to focus on the positives instead of accentuating your flaws.

7️⃣ Ask For Feedback

Lastly, make sure to ask for feedback before submitting your personal statement. This goes hand in hand with starting early, as you want to allow yourself enough time to get a rough first draft down and an improved second draft before sending your work out for feedback. Consider sharing your draft with people of different backgrounds and stages of life to get a variety of perspectives – this includes professors, mentors, current optometry students, optometrists, friends of different academic backgrounds, or a pre-health advisor, if possible. Ask specifically for constructive criticism, especially regarding how clearly your piece answers the personal statement prompt and how strongly your experiences support your points.

8️⃣ Read, Review, and Read Again

Once you have asked for feedback, take some time to make any adjustments according to the criticism received. Afterward, step away for a few days before revisiting your personal statement with fresh eyes to make any necessary changes. Set a personal deadline for when you will have all your required documents ready to go. Within the remaining time, go through a few more cycles of editing so that you can better refine your piece before submitting the final copy.

👉 Conclusion

With the OptomCAS cycle up and running, it’s important to get a head start on your personal statement. As discussed, there are many aspects to your personal statement, so starting as early as you can will provide you with enough time to perfect your work and best express yourself through your application. Hopefully these 8 tips have been helpful and will get you on the right track to starting your piece. At the same time, there are also other required documents in your OptomCAS application, such as your Optometry Admission Test (OAT) scores and reference letters. For more information on the OAT and how to ask for a strong reference letter, feel free to read our articles: How to Study for the OAT , How Is the OAT Scored , What Is a Good OAT Score , What to Expect on OAT Exam Day and How to ask for Reference Letters for Optometry School Applications . Good luck!

Explore more useful articles.

Optometry Admissions Blog

Southern california college of optometry at marshall b. ketchum university.

• Applying Through OptomCAS: Your Application Through Its Stages

This article about applying through OptomCAS is broken down into two segments:

• Start Through Submit provides tips about getting started and all phases leading up to submitting your application electronically through OptomCAS
• Hitting Submit ,  meaning that your application is now being processed by both OptomCAS and SCCO.  What are the key steps in that process?

Start to Submit

Submitting an application to a professional school is inherently anxiety-producing. While some of this anxiety is warranted, much is unnecessarily produced simply from a lack of knowledge regarding the admissions process.

SCCO’s admissions advisors are here to help!  This two-part article will guide you toward appropriate resources and insider tips—all provided to ensure smooth sailing on your journey to being admitted to optometry school.

Please note that while much of this information may apply to any or all optometry programs, some content is specific to SCCO. Applicants are advised to thoroughly review the OptomCAS website for current and accurate information, especially each school’s admissions policies.

Steps in the Process:

All optometry schools require applicants to submit their applications through OptomCAS. Each cycle begins on July 1.  The deadlines for submitting an application vary from school to school. Once the online application is accessed, OptomCAS allows applicants to work on their applications, save changes, and submit the application when ready.

Reading the directions provided throughout the application thoroughly is important because some entries are irreversible/permanent even if the application has not yet been submitted.

We highly recommend you become an expert in the application process by reading through OptomCAS’ helpful sections with tips to help before and after you submit your application:

• Frequently Asked Questions

Once you create a login, the first section you’ll want to tackle is “Manage My Programs,” where you can select the various programs you plan to apply to. You may go back and edit this section anytime if your program choices change. OptomCAS charges processing fees, which are addressed in this section. Viewing the program options, you will notice that OptomCAS provides a deadline date.

Adviser Tip:   it is VERY important that you research the schools you are selecting to find out if they utilize rolling admissions. If they do, waiting until the last minute to apply jeopardizes your chances of being admitted.

The four categories of the OptomCAS application are:

• Personal Information
• Academic History
• Supporting Information
• Program Materials

Apart from making sure you’re providing accurate information, it is important for you to know that admissions officers look at the ENTIRE application to determine if an applicant has what it takes to serve as a health care provider. Such professional qualities include: paying attention to details, being thorough, double checking your grammar and content. Many applicants make the mistake of laboring over their personal statement for weeks yet neglect to proofread the rest of their application, editing for the use of proper punctuation and grammar throughout.

While the application is central, there may be additional requirements or information that is specific to a program’s admissions requirements that are not stipulated on the OptomCAS application. Become an expert in the admissions process for each school you apply to. Know what makes a competitive applicant . 

Advisor Tip: So you know how many elements are completed and to gauge your progress, OptomCAS provides an icon entitled “Sections Completed” for each category. While this is helpful, you are advised to communicate with your designated programs after submitting your application to verify that your application is in fact considered complete by their program.

Personal Information:

Academic History:

In this section, you will record ALL colleges and universities attended, including dates attended and degrees earned or expected. OptomCAS requires grades for every school and course to be entered. For details regarding how coursework should be classified, refer to OptomCAS’ FAQ section referenced at the beginning of this article. Even if you only took one class at a school or the coursework appears on another school’s transcript, you will need to input the information and submit the original transcript directly to OptomCAS for verification purposes. OptomCAS will review the transcripts for accuracy and supply the information for each optometry program to use the verified grades to evaluate GPAs, identify trends, etc.

Advisor Tip:  Admissions advisors may counsel you as to what academic benchmarks you should meet to be a competitive applicant; however, when the season begins, competition within the applicant pool must take place and you will be forced to compete with other applicants in the pool for a shot at an interview invitation.

Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) or Other Standardized Tests:

In this section, you will add “Standardized Tests,” such as the Optometry Admissions Test. This section allows you to enter scores if you have already taken the test or enter a date when you plan to take the test. Be encouraged to enter future test dates as this information factors into our decision-making process.

In addition to entering the above information into OptomCAS, you must also let the testing facility know that you would like your scores released to the various programs to which you apply.

Each program processes test scores differently, so it is important that you research each program’s preferences and requirements regarding standardized tests. SCCO will not offer an interview invitation before receiving OFFICIAL standardized test scores directly from the exam administrators.  Also, unofficial copies submitted by applicants are not acceptable.

The OAT is the preferred test; however, the MCAT and DAT are also accepted.

Advisor Tips : OAT scores are sent directly from the OAT testing agency to OptomCAS. It takes OptomCAS 3-4 weeks to get your application verified and delivered to the various optometry programs. The first time you take the OAT, it takes roughly 3-4 weeks from the date of your test for the scores to populate in OptomCAS. After a retake, it takes roughly 1-2 weeks from the date of your test for the scores to populate in OptomCAS. If you have taken the OAT before applying, it will take about 10 days for your OAT scores to populate in OptomCAS. You do not need OAT test scores to apply;  however, your application will not advance in the process until OAT scores are received and evaluated.

For evaluation, SCCO uses the highest set of scores from the most recent OAT test date.  Within the admissions cycle, SCCO is proactive in informing applicants should it be necessary to retake the OAT to improve competitiveness.

If you retake the OAT, please inform us via email at [email protected] 

There is a wealth of firsthand information on the Blog regarding OAT preparation and timeline strategy for taking the OAT by applicants who have taken it:   Tips for OAT Preparation and Other Strategies

SCCO does not require TOEFL scores from foreign applicants.

Supporting Information:

This section includes Evaluations, Experiences, Achievements, and a Release Statement.

Letters of Recommendation are not required by SCCO but are highly recommended as part of your OptomCAS application. Should you wish to submit LORs with your application, the following information should prove helpful.

The email from OptomCAS provides instructions for the recommender to upload an electronic copy of the LOR he or she has prepared, as well as how to fill out a “rating of attributes,” the form where the recommender rates the applicant on various skills and qualities.

Hardcopy letters will not be accepted by OptomCAS. Each school has specific recommendations or requirements regarding LORs; therefore, it is important to research each program’s individual requirements.

When a recommender submits his or her information, an email is triggered to notify you of its completion. You DO NOT need to wait until all LORs have been received in order to hit “submit” on your application. LORs will continue to populate in your application even after you have officially submitted.

Advisor Tip:   Though submitting LORs is not a mandatory requirement, they will be read and considered should they be submitted as part of your application. When deciding between the recommenders who will write LORs on your behalf, a rule of thumb is to choose the recommender who knows you best.  Sometimes this is impossible, (i.e. when you have an academic adviser who had you in class for, say, only one term, and didn’t really know you all that well).  Because the recommender states how long he or she has known the applicant, it is a more authentic source when there has been a longer relationship with the applicant.

Experiences may be classified on OptomCAS in one of these categories:  employment, extracurricular, shadowing, optometric experience, or volunteer. You will enter the name and contact information of the organization or individual you interacted with and experience dates and details.

Many students fail to include experiences or activities because they don’t think they relate directly to optometry. This is a big mistake! Admissions officers and application reviewers are trying to get the whole picture of who you are as a person in order to answer the important question of “is this person doctor material?” While much of these experiences are explored during the interview exchange, your application can tell us more about you than you know!

Here are just a few examples to provide insight as to what your experiences may convey:

Does this applicant have good time management skills? While evaluating experiences, we also cross-reference your activities with your grades and course load to determine if you could effectively multi-task, balancing your schoolwork and activities, much like you will be doing during optometry school.

Will this applicant work well with classmates and faculty members? Being the captain of an intramural soccer team may not tell us if you’ll be a good clinician, but it does tell us you have leadership qualities and know how to work with a team.

Will this person work well with patients? Community service and employment are very effective ways to learn how to deal with the public and develop excellent people skills. Applicants are advised to seek opportunities that will allow them to directly work with people from various demographics. Participating in a cancer fundraising walk does not help you learn compassion for patients the way that volunteering in a pediatric cancer hospital will. Tutoring your classmates is great, but tutoring at-risk youth will help you stretch yourself and get out of your comfort zone. Stuffing goodie bags for a holiday party at a senior citizen’s home is far less impactful than volunteering to talk with residents once a week.

Does this applicant have a heart for service, and have they proven this with the experiences outlined?  Talk is cheap. If your personal statement describes your passion for serving the less fortunate and your experiences don’t indicate that you’ve chosen to do this with your discretionary time, you’ve dug a hole for yourself.

Adviser Tip:   Confusion may arise as to what experience to list under which heading. For example, you completed an internship with an optometrist. Is that shadowing or optometric experience? If there is any confusion about under which heading your experience should be listed, choose the section you feel it best belongs under; there is no right or wrong answer for this situation and all experiences will be reviewed.

Frequently asked questions about the Experiences section:

How far back should I go when including information? Typically admissions committees prefer work and experiences from the past few years or your entire undergraduate career. If you have been involved in something since high school and are still currently involved, this is worth mentioning because it shows your commitment level to this experience.

What if I have an experience planned, but it won’t take place until after I’ve submitted my application? (For example, you’ve secured an internship for the month of August, but you are submitting your application in July)  If you have an experience planned but not completed by the time you submit your application, you are best advised to include as much information as possible and note that the experience will be taking place.  These experiences are explored fully in the interview, which is when you need to have information about additional shadowing and experiences ready to discuss.

What if I don’t know the end date of the experience?   OptomCAS will allow you to leave the “End Date” section empty.

Achievements are awards and honors earned and should be self-explanatory.  Include high school awards, especially if they are academic.

Program Materials:

When you click on a particular optometry school, it brings up an overview of their program as well as a “Questions” section. This is where you will submit your 4500-character Personal Statement.

Some schools, such as SCCO, have OptomCAS host their supplemental essay questions, which allows applicants to submit their supplemental essay questions through the OptomCAS application instead of sending them separately to the schools.  Here are the Essay Questions .

SCCO communicates with applicants in two ways: 1) email updates regarding the status of your application or missing requirements, and 2) we provide each applicant with a secure personal login for your own personal online Applicant Portal which allows you to track your status, read helpful documents pertaining to the particular stage of the process you are in, submit school-specific payments, and check on which requirements have been received or may be missing.

  Hit Submit

You’ve tediously entered transcripts, proofread your personal statement 2,020 times (because you’re after perfection, of course), and you’ve contacted all of your letter of recommendation writers, right? You’ve hit “Submit,” so congratulations, your application is done!

Many applicants assume that as soon as they hit “Submit,” there’s nothing left for them to do but sit around and wait to hear back from schools. Not so. Instead, now you must proactively manage your application all season long by periodically logging onto your OptomCAS application and making sure that 1) transcripts and LORs have been received, 2)  your “Experiences” sections stay updated with new activities and new shadowing experiences,  3) you are adding updated test scores should you have retaken any tests, and 4) making sure that no further action is required on your part.

You’ve made certain your application is complete, and will continue to make updates to it as necessary. What does the rest of the process look like for the applicant through OptomCAS and SCCO?

Advisor Tip: In preparation to read this entire article, click here for the PDF version  for the overview Map of  SCCO’s Admissions Process as pictured below (the links are functional in this version): There are six statuses in which OptomCAS may categorize your application:

The OptomCAS Statuses Are: “In Progress”:  Application has been started for this program, but has not yet been submitted to OptomCAS for processing. “ Received” :  Applicant has e-submitted application, but required documents and/or payment have not been received. “Complete” : Applicant has e-submitted the application, and all required documents and payments have been received. Applicant is currently in queue for verification and to have GPAs calculated. As soon as you hit submit, your application goes to OptomCAS and NOT directly to the schools. OptomCAS will cross-reference/verify your transcripts for accuracy, and collect your letters of recommendation prior to releasing your completed application to your designated schools. This process typically takes 3-4 weeks. Applicants are encouraged to monitor their application through the “My Application” section of their application and contact OptomCAS with any questions. SCCO will inform you via email when your application reaches this stage in the process. “Verified”: Application is completed, verified, and has been released to schools electronically as ready for review. Once your application reaches this stage, SCCO will contact you through two separate emails: 1) to let you know your application has reached our program and is eligible for review and, 2) to provide you with a personal login for our My.Ketchum.edu Applicant Portal. This Portal will allow you to pay your $75 Supplemental Application Fee, which initiates the review process on our end. “ On Hold ” or “ Undelivered ” are designations made by OptomCAS. If this is your status, OptomCAS customarily will notify you as to the reason why; however, you are best advised to proactively contact OptomCAS to find out if there is any action required on your part to move the process along.

As you periodically check in on your application, if you see that your application is in any category but “verified,” it means that it is not eligible for review.  If this is the case, direct all questions about your application to OptomCAS .

Advisor Tip: SCCO’s supplemental essay questions are included in OptomCAS, so there is no need to submit any additional content beyond the payment. As soon as this payment is received, we will access your standardized test scores (unless you haven’t taken any tests yet) and begin reviewing your application. Here is the  overview of our first qualifying round in the process, the  academic qualification .

Now SCCO Gets Involved:

Within 1-2 weeks of submitting your $75 payment, you will receive an email from SCCO regarding the status of your application. Upon initial review, there are two possible outcomes:

The First Possible Outcome is “On Hold”: This may happen for various reasons such as missing or low OAT scores, awaiting fall grades, etc.

If your application is placed on hold, you will be notified by email stating the reason for the hold, and we will provide details of any action required on your part.

Once the requested items are received, we will review your application again, and you will be notified of a status update. If your application is indeed placed on hold, don’t get discouraged because applicants who are placed on hold may be taken off hold and offered an interview at any time during the season.

The Second Possible Outcome is “Offered an Interview”: Congratulations! Through your Portal login, you will have access to schedule an interview time slot for an interview.

Onto the Interview:

SCCO holds five to six interview days each season, typically on Saturdays and once a month from September through May. For more information about the interview day or how to prepare, you’re sure to find all of these resources helpful:

• The “How to Apply” page on our website outlines the entire application process, including details about how interviews will work for each specific cycle.
• “ The Interview-The Second Qualifying Round ”  will provide information about the interview day.
• Blog Articles About Preparing to Interview  is a series of articles written to prepare you for SCCO’s applicant interview.
• Blog Articles About Shadowing will help you with this all-important interview topic. It’s important to shadow, but it’s even more important to know how to discuss your shadowing experience in the interview.
• The Medical School Interview by Jeremiah Fleenor, MD, MBA is a book that is highly recommended  as a tool to prepare for the interview. this book serves as the code-cracker for understanding why interviewers ask the questions they ask. It gives practical tips on how to prepare yourself to an interview and even about how to dress for the encounter. It is a must!

Advisor Tip: Interview time slot reservations are first come first serve. We utilize rolling admissions explained  so applicants are encouraged to take the first available interview time slot.

After the Interview:

Applicants will be notified of their status  within a week of the interview.  There are two possible outcomes:

The First Possible Outcome is “Being Placed on the Alternate List”: Applicants placed on the Alternate List are still being considered for admission but have not qualified for immediate acceptance. For more information on how the Alternate List functions in a rolling admissions cycle .

The Second Possible Outcome is “ Offer Made”: Congratulations! You have been provisionally accepted to the Southern California College of Optometry! Terms of your acceptance include submitting a signed Matriculation Agreement, paying the first half of your $750 non-refundable deposit, and initiating your Criminal Background Check (CBC) . Prior to May 15, applicants have 2 weeks to submit these 3 requirements. After May 15, applicants have 1 week to do so.

Finishing Up:

Securing your seat in the incoming class is contingent upon completing the above three requirements by a deadline. The CBC needs to only be initiated by the accepted applicant before the deadline and not necessarily received by SCCO as it may take up to several weeks for the company to complete the check. Once the satisfactory CBC is received, your official acceptance will be granted, and your seat in SCCO’s incoming class is secure. Welcome to the MBKU Family!

Applicants who were placed on hold and not offered an interview and thus not moving forward in the process to an interview invitation will typically be notified by March or April at the latest.

SCCO’s Incoming Class of 2017 on Orientation Day

Applicants who interview and are placed on the Alternate List may be offered a seat in the class at any time during the season prior to Orientation but typically are called up after all interviews have concluded in the spring. Past season’s trends suggest that anyone not admitted off the Alternate List by mid-June will likely need to accept an offer elsewhere or reapply; however, it is possible to be admitted even as late as mid-August should an open seat become available.

Peer Advisors will be assigned during the summertime for students who are admitted to the class. The Peer Advisors help with any questions matriculating students may have leading up to Orientation in mid-August. Peer Advisors also host a Peer Advisor Blog, and here are some sample Peer Advisor blog articles written for incoming students .

So now you have it. For those who confidently work through the process, it should be very enjoyable.

If you swing by the area to look for housing, pop into campus and say hello to the Admissions Officers! We love seeing our incoming students and their families as they prepare to embark on an exciting four years with us at SCCO!

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How to write a wicked awesome personal statement

Today I want to reach out to those prospective students out there who are trying to tackle the ever-daunting personal statement.

For some of you, writing isn’t your strong suit, writing about yourself is uncomfortable, and fitting everything within 4,500 characters seems impossible. However, personal statements are extremely important. They are the “face” to your application. Without it, you’re only a list of achievements and scores.

Kristen Tobin, Director of Admissions at NECO, says, “The purpose of a personal statement is for a student to provide a more personalized overview of who they are as a person and as an applicant.  The personal statement is great opportunity for a student to talk about their journey and what has led them to the decision to pursue optometry.” This is your chance to show admissions who you really are before they call you in to interview!

In this blog I’ve compiled some strategies I found helpful, some advice from NECO Admissions, and web resources to help you write a killer personal statement.

Start early.

Writing is a process, and this is one of the most important things you’ll write, so you want to give yourself plenty of time. Begin your brainstorming at least a month in advance! Ms. Tobin advises, “As students sit down to write their personal statement, I encourage them to take some time to reflect on their own academic, professional and personal experiences and how those experiences led them to applying to optometry school and to NECO.” After cranking out your first draft, put it away for several days. Look at it again with fresh eyes, then revise and revise again. When you think you’ve finished, take it to a friend, mentor, or writing center for feedback. Repeat as necessary. You’ll go through several revisions before you have a final copy.

Avoid summarizing your resume.

Your personal statement is not your resume in word form. Admissions will already have a list of your achievements and extracurricular activities in addition to your GPA and OAT scores. What they really need to know is who you are as a person, what you value, and what kind of doctor you will be. Ms. Tobin explains, “At NECO we complete a very holistic approach of applications which includes reviewing grades, test scores, work, volunteer and extracurricular experience, and letters of recommendation. What the personal statement adds to the equation is insight into the student as a person and also as a potential student and optometrist.”

Tell a story.

Admissions staff will be reading through hundreds of applications; yours needs to stand out. Try structuring your personal statement in a way that follows a narrative. Begin with a hook, something that draws the reader in, such as a particular experience or personality trait that makes you unique. Then use that throughout the paper to keep a natural flow. While a thesis statement is not necessary for personal statements, I recommend having one to guide and structure the rest of your paper.

For example, I began my personal statement by describing the scene at one of my volunteer experiences. I then used aspects of that experience throughout the paper to illustrate why optometry is a good fit and what traits I felt qualified me to be admitted.

One of the purposes of the personal statement is for admissions to find out what kind of person you are. This is your chance to show your personality! Talk about why you chose optometry and what motivates you to succeed. It might feel more natural to talk about your family, the doctors you shadowed, or particular patient experiences, but remember to focus on  you . The admissions staff at NECO wants you to know “The best personal statements are reflective, thoughtful, honest and most importantly, well written!  We understand that not every student has a radically compelling story but we know that everyone does have something to share.  I find that optometry students are some of the most dedicated, hard-working and compassionate people I have ever met and often times the best essays exude these qualities.

Still feeling lost? Check out these articles written for students just like you:

• “Your application to [optometry] school is a testimony to your desire to ultimately be a doctor. The admissions committee will look at your essay to see that you’ve answered the obvious, but not so simple, question “Why?” You must be able to explain your motivation for attending [optometry] school.” The Student Doctor Network
• “Remember that you’re selling yourself as a great addition to the profession. This is where you talk about your strengths, passion for the field, and all your extra-curricular hard work you’ve done in preparing for optometry school.” oatcracker.com/blog
• “The goal of this essay is to have your reader put down your [personal statement] and say to themselves “wow, this applicant knows exactly why they want to become a [optometrist] and it’s legit.” NOT “oh wow this applicant is very qualified.” reddit.com/the-personal-statement

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Applicant/Student Profile and Prerequisites

Profiles of Applicants to OD Programs

With 24 out of 24 schools and colleges of optometry in the United States reporting for the OptomCAS application cycle 2022-2023 for admission to optometry school in Fall 2023:

• There were 2,773 individuals who applied for admission to the schools and colleges of optometry in the United States with a total number of 11,834. The average number of applications per applicant was 4.27.
• The median age of applicants was 22 years old, with 72% female and 28% male.
• The ethnicity breakdown for applicants was 43% White, 32% Asian, 13% Spanish/Hispanic/Latino/Latina, 5% Black/African-American, 4% Two or More Races, and less than 1% American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. Three percent of applicants did not report a race.
• The average overall cumulative GPA for all applicants was 3.42.

For a complete report of the 2022-2023 applicant pool, please review the OptomCAS Applicant Data Report – National Snapshot at optomcas.org .

Prerequisites

School-Specific Prerequisites of our Member Schools and Colleges

Profiles of the Entering Classes

• At the schools and colleges of optometry in the United States, there were a total of 7,209 students enrolled in the full-time regular professional OD program during the 2022-2023 academic year, and another 173 enrolled in part-time, alternate and special programs leading to the OD degree.
• For the 2022-2023 academic year, 70.5% of the full-time student body was female and 29.5% was male. In addition, the full-time student body was 49.5% White, 30.4% Asian, 8.7% Hispanic or Latino, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 0.3% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 2.9% two or more races and 3.3% unknown.
• The average GPA of the 2023 entering class was 3.54.

2023 Matriculating Optometry Student Survey Report

• In 2022, there were a total of 1,728 students who received OD degrees through both regular and special programs at the schools and colleges of optometry in the United States, a decrease of 4.4% over the number of 2021 graduates. The number of Doctor of Optometry students who received OD degrees through only regular OD programs fell from 1,750 in 2021 to 1,700 in 2022, a decrease of 2.9%.
• Of the Doctor of Optometry students receiving OD degrees through both regular and special programs in 2022, 67.8% were female and 32.2% were male. In addition, 53.5% were White, 30.4% were Asian, 5.7% were Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% were Black or African American, 0.6% were American Indian or Alaskan Native, 0.2% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 3.2% were two or more races and 3.9% were Unknown.
• For graduates of both regular and special OD programs in 2022, 92.7% had a permanent residence in the U.S. or U.S. territories, 6.7% in Canada and 0.6% in other countries.

Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry

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Benedictine College nuns denounce Harrison Butker's speech at their school

John Helton

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker speaks to the media during NFL football Super Bowl 58 opening night on Feb. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas. Butker railed against Pride month along with President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his stance on abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker speaks to the media during NFL football Super Bowl 58 opening night on Feb. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas. Butker railed against Pride month along with President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his stance on abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.

An order of nuns affiliated with Benedictine College rejected Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison's Butker's comments in a commencement speech there last weekend that stirred up a culture war skirmish.

"The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker's comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested," the nuns wrote in a statement posted on Facebook .

In his 20-minute address , Butker denounced abortion rights, Pride Month, COVID-19 lockdowns and "the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion" at the Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kan.

He also told women in the audience to embrace the "vocation" of homemaker.

"I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross the stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you're going to get in your career?" he asked. "Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world."

For many Missouri Catholics, abortion rights means choosing between faith, politics

That was one of the themes that the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica took issue with.

"Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division," they wrote. "One of our concerns was the assertion that being a homemaker is the highest calling for a woman. We sisters have dedicated our lives to God and God's people, including the many women whom we have taught and influenced during the past 160 years. These women have made a tremendous difference in the world in their roles as wives and mothers and through their God-given gifts in leadership, scholarship, and their careers."

The Benedictine sisters of Mount St. Scholastica founded a school for girls in Atchinson in the 1860s. It merged with St. Benedict's College in 1971 to form Benedictine College.

Neither Butker nor the Chiefs have commented on the controversy. An online petition calling for the Chiefs to release the kicker had nearly 215,000 signatures as of Sunday morning.

6 in 10 U.S. Catholics are in favor of abortion rights, Pew Research report finds

The NFL, for its part, has distanced itself from Butker's remarks.

"Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity," Jonathan Beane, the NFL's senior VP and chief diversity and inclusion officer told NPR on Thursday. "His views are not those of the NFL as an organization."

Meanwhile, Butker's No. 7 jersey is one of the league's top-sellers , rivaling those of better-known teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Butker has been open about his faith. The 28-year-old father of two told the Eternal Word Television Network in 2019 that he grew up Catholic but practiced less in high school and college before rediscovering his belief later in life.

His comments have gotten some support from football fan social media accounts and Christian and conservative media personalities .

A video of his speech posted on Benedictine College's YouTube channel has 1.5 million views.

Rachel Treisman contributed to this story.

• Harrison Butker
• benedictine college