SUNY Meeting

November 6, 2007 ~ 7:30-9:30pm ~ Gallery B ~ UCSD Price Center
Dr. Edward Johnston from SUNY State College of Optometry:

Profession of Optometry that SUNY offers:

• Optometrist (OD) generalist in field
• Most students Biology BS, but not required, just need to take prerequisites
• Must have degree to pass licensing exam
• Has national exam accepted by most states to practice
• Residency done because want to be on staff of optometry program, want to specialize (in optometry school you will have all education needed to be general/specialist)
• More and more are going into group practices
• If have group practice with different specialists = better opportunity for you
• •All states allow OD to treat all medical problems of eye, not like before where only diagnose
• “we want OD to know what to do with patients and what they’re seeing”
• Can see what’s happening with whole nervous system, by just looking at blood vessels in the eye
• Beside glasses, contacts, etc. OD does vision therapy to fix eye strain w/o surgery (practice converging eye and focusing to make for decrease symptoms of headaches and dry/itchy eyes able to work at computer)
• OD = satisfying/rewarding optometry
• Lasik – OD does pre/post care while ophthalmologist does surgery b/c requires cut of cornea, but next couple of generations will have lasers where you don’t have to cut cornea and OD may be able to be trained and do lasik
• Optometry is an expanding profession

Admissions Process:

• Feb 28th of year you’re going to enter = deadline for OATs
• Don’t have set GPA that you must have b/c take home school and OAT scores into account
• Likes OAT scores above 320
• Example: if B student from UCSD won’t be hard to do well on OATs
• B student with OATs above 320 = competitive
• Looks for:
• Decent communicator (no yes/no or short answers in interview), show communication skills to be able to work with patients in future
• How have you explored this profession? (don’t require working/volunteer, but requires shadowing – know different types of OD, shadow them
• Volunteering in Community (not optometry) – want to know that you’re involved not just sitting there (leadership in good)
• Why are you choosing Optometry? Why is it right for you?
• Always come into interview and ask questions about profession and the school you’re interviewing it (to see that the school is right for you)
• Non-private schools take less applicants
• SUNY looks at other things besides grades/OATs (community colleges not as good as UCSD, b/c wants to see that you’re ready)
• Application: good when apply at fall of last year, because rolling admissions, deadline in March but longer you wait = less seats = harder to get in
• December applications means you’re in good shape
• Turn in apps even if haven’t taken all prerequisites or OATs or Letter of Recommendations
• If weaker student = better to apply to private schools because take more students

Why SUNY?

• NYC = safest largest city
• NYC = 5 barrows, Manhattan = island
• SUNY in heart of NYC, 2 blocks from times square
• Don’t choose school b/c of
  
  • 2 things to consider:
  • Academics of school (no bad schools not there): measure it by seeing how students do on exam (SUNY average 95% passing rate 1^st time taken, university schools are higher than private schools)
  • Clinic – largest in-house clinic for all optometry schools, with larger diversity in clinic, can rotate each student through all aspects of specialties (able to do so b/c of small class size), have clinics around city and around USA for externships (SUNY thinks best to keep you in-house because you learn better that way)
• Tuition $26,000 to begin (out-of-state), after first year ~ $13,000 (cheaper than any school)
• At end of 2^nd year start full diagnostic examinations
  
• Summer between 2^nd/3^rd year = in clinic full-time
  
• 3^rd year – lectures on specialties and specialty rotation
  
• ~ 2,000 patients see before graduate, but not important as diversity of what you’re seeing
  
• Has classes for business aspect of optometry
  
• Moving to semester system and integrating material (biochem of eye with how it applies clinically)
  
• Some basic science courses but integrated into optometry
  
• Expansive to live in NYC, have staff that help find housing
  
• 50% live in Manhattan average cost for apt for 2 people = $1100 each
  
• Others live in suburbs and take subway (15-30 minutes away)
  
• Might be cheaper total of cost after 1^st year b/c drop in tuition
  
• 95% of graduates has position within 6 months
  
• 18-20% students from CA, no discrimination from where you’re from
  
• National exam different state exam for laws of each state
  
• Letter of Recommendation – 3, letters 2 from science, can send in more if want, accepts TA, but want faculty to sign