Before you can apply to an optometry program, you need to complete an undergraduate degree. Most optometry schools require coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, English, and mathematics. A pre-med degree or degree in biological science will help prepare you for med school. Get a well-rounded undergrad education and work hard to get good grades! Medical schools will want to see that you take your education seriously. Tell your advisor or counselor that you’re thinking about becoming an optometrist and ask what courses you should be taking. Check the requirements at the optometry programs you plan on applying to so you don’t accidentally miss any courses. Shadowing is a great way for you to get hands-on experience in the field of optometry. This will give you a feel for how the career works and what an optometrist does. There’s no better way to find out if optometry is right for you than to watch a real optometrist at work, so take advantage of your opportunity and soak up all the wisdom you can!  Some people will observe optometrists with patients, and others may assist around the office. Try to get a sense of optometry from all perspectives, from the waiting area to the examination room. You can try to get a job or volunteer your time. Don’t worry if you can’t find a practice to work for on your first try. Keep looking and meeting as many optometrists as you can and an opportunity will come up. Your program will include both core classes in a classroom setting and hands-on experience through clinics. These programs will need to be completed at an accredited optometry school and take four years to complete. It sounds like a long time, but if it’s your dream to be an optometrist, you’ll be done before you know it and out helping people in no time. Get ready to take courses in biological sciences focused on the eye.
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One-sentence summary -- Obtain a bachelor's degree in pre-med or science. Get experience through shadowing. Complete a Doctor of Optometry Program.


Stick a travel-size pack of tissues in your purse or luggage. This is the next closest thing to toilet paper. You know that cardboard tube that's still hanging up on the roll when all the toilet paper is gone? Start peeling the layers of paper off it until you have enough to wipe with. Wet it at the sink to make it soft and comfortable. Flush when done. Although popular among the Romans, this method is no longer considered a great idea. Sponges pick up filth and bacteria quickly, so you'd better know where the sponge has been. After you're done, submerge the sponge in diluted bleach, any product containing quaternary ammonium, or boiling water. Take it out after five minutes.
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One-sentence summary -- Carry around a tissue pack. Prepare the cardboard paper roll. Wipe with a sponge.


What are your most important qualities? Understanding the unique gifts you have to offer the world can help you figure out what direction your life should take. Take a few hours to think deeply about what makes you special.  Spending time in a place where you can be yourself is a good way to identify what makes you, you. Try going to your favorite place in nature, or spending time near people who get you. When you can really be yourself, what qualities emerge? It may also help to ask people you trust what good qualities they see in you. Sometimes it's difficult to see our own strengths clearly. Spend time thinking about your priorities divorced from what you know your current obligations are. Take note of the happiest moments in your life, and prioritize the parts of your life that deliver these moments to you. Remember, you don’t need to think about what’s feasible and what isn’t, just what truly makes you tick. This will help you see what you cherish rather than the strategies you’ll use to get them. Keep the list short and sweet—no longer than five things. Ask yourself the following questions in order to connect with your priorities:  How would you like to live your life? Would you like to be healthy and vital? Would you like to have deeper connections with people in your life? What will make you proud to be able to say about yourself in ten years time? When you have a completely average day, what does it entail? By laying out a daily schedule, not of what you want for yourself, but of what you actually do you can see your current strategies for meeting your priorities. Now that you have this schedule, see if your priorities are reflected in your daily activity or not. Can you draw links between what you cherish and what you know must be taken care of each day? For example, if you already eat a nourishing breakfast in the morning, you can connect this up with a stated priority of maintaining a healthy body and mind. If you cannot see the connection between how you spend your time and what your deeper priorities are, you will know that a significant overhaul may be in order. Looking again at your daily schedule, sort everything you do into two different categories: urgent and valuable. Everything we do holds some sort of meaning for us, otherwise we wouldn't be doing it. Notice the things you do that are urgent, meaning that you feel as though you are under pressure and seek to avoid the consequences of not doing it. Then, look at the other activities that are valuable. If something is valuable that means that there is something intrinsically enjoyable to the activity itself, as it is in line with your priorities (even if only in a small way). For instance, you might be confused about where to place an activity like calling your mom. Ask yourself: do you call your mom daily because you would feel guilty or fear hurting her if you don't check in? Or, do you talk to her frequently because you prioritize family and talking to her sparks the joy of connection in you? Yes to the first option shows that the activity is urgent, and yes to the second means that it is valuable. These need not be only the obligations that we consider crucial, like paying rent and buying groceries, but also the obligations that you feel you have toward others. What are the things that you have to do, for fear of some type of punishment or shame? While these will not go away completely, recognition of what you do out of fear will sharpen your ability to see when you are acting from a priority and when you are acting out of fear, urgency or obligation.  Slowly, you'll learn to make different decisions about what needs to be done and when. This time, caring for your priorities and growth rather than simply running in fear of consequences. Begin to notice which obligations can be altered, split, or delegated in order for your values and priorities to be upheld. Can an aunt, friend, or coworker help out with the obligation half time? Or maybe the task is truly the responsibility of someone else - let that person rise to the opportunity to be responsible and handle the task. To live without getting overwhelmed or confused about what your priorities are, it is crucial to surround yourself with people who make you feel comfortable enough to be confident and creative. The next time you go out, be extra mindful of who gives you energy and who makes talking feel like a chore. This will bring out your gut feelings about whose presence really nourishes you, making it easier to spend your time feeling boosted rather than obligated in relation to others. Honestly ask yourself the questions: “Who makes me feel shrunken when I’m around them? Who makes me feel like my contributions are trivial?” You might be surprised (and shaken) to find that people who we love very much bring out tendencies of self-effacement and repression of our true feelings.
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One-sentence summary --
Visualize your best self. Make a list of your priorities. Write out a daily schedule. Separate the urgent from the valuable. List your obligations and duties. Think about your relationships.