u/Such-Lemon-42

Hello all :) I’m applying to optometry school this cycle and I’m trying to decide whether I should take the OAT in November 2026 or wait until January 2027. The cycle opened in June 2026 and closes in May 2027, but I know applying earlier is better because of rolling admissions.

I’m planning to use the 3 month OAT Booster to study. I’m taking just Organic Chemistry 1 this upcoming fall semester. I haven’t taken Orgo before, so if I take the OAT in November, I’d basically be learning Orgo for the first time in class while simultaneously trying to learn enough of it for the OAT. My semester ends in December, so if I wait until January, I’ll have completed Orgo and could use winter break to really focus on the OAT and hopefully get a better score while studying the other subjects excluding Orgo.

I could also submit without taking the OAT yet and put Orgo as in progress. Someone had recommended that to me and I’m not too sure about it.

Would submitting in November but not taking the OAT until January put me at a significant disadvantage? Or would you push to take it in November so my application is complete earlier, even though I’d have less time to prepare and wouldn’t have finished Orgo yet? I’m trying to figure out whether applying earlier with a potentially lower OAT score is better than waiting an extra couple months and hopefully scoring higher.

I would also like to add that I am only applying to one school, the university of Detroit Mercy, which is very new and I’m sure my chances to get in are a bit easier. Also heard that I don’t need an insane OAT score to get in. I have a health science degree 3.5 GPA, two years of tech experience, president and secretary of optometry club, 2 great letters of rec.

If anyone applied before taking their OAT, I’d also love to know whether schools actually reviewed your application or offered interviews while your score was pending, or if they basically waited until your OAT came in. Or if I should take it in November I’ll be fine if I haven’t completed Orgo or wait until I finish Orgo and take it / apply in January.

Purchasing booster on Monday!!! Anyone have a discount code I could use? (Could literally be 2% off lol ya girl is desperate)

Hellooo everyone! I’m applying to optometry school this cycle and I’m honestly feeling really lost with the application process. I’m a first gen student and don’t have anyone in my family or really anyone I know who has gone through this before so I’m basically trying to figure everything out on my own…

I start studying for the OAT on Monday and I’m doing a 3 month booster study plan, but I also want to start getting my optomcas application together now. I already made an account, but I have no idea where to start or what order I should be doing things in.

Let’s get specific..

• Personal statement: Is there a specific format I’m supposed to follow? How long should it be, and where exactly do I submit it in OptomCAS? Should I make a different statement for each school I’m applying to and make it relate to that program/school?

• Letters of recommendation: How does this work? Do my recommenders upload the letters directly to optomcas? How far in advance should I ask them? I have optometrists I worked with who I plan on asking, but I don’t know when I should send the requests.

• Transcripts: Do I manually enter all of my courses/grades AND send official transcripts? How does transcript verification work? Also taking orgo this winter and the lab in the summer so I’d have classes that are in progress while applying… how does this change things?

• Resume: Is there somewhere to upload a resume or do I just enter everything individually into the application?

• Optometric tech experience: I worked as an optometric technician for around 2 years. How do I report those hours? Am I supposed to calculate the total number of hours I worked during that entire time or provide my monthly time clock hours wise? So lost

• Experiences/activities: How detailed are you supposed to be when describing work, volunteering, leadership, shadowing, etc.?

• OAT: If I’m applying while still studying for/taking the OAT, how do I indicate that on my application? Or is it best to take the OAT then submit?

Basically, if you were starting an optomcas application from ZERO, what would you do first and in what order?? Is there a checklist or guide that walks you through every part of the application?

I’m worried about missing something important or realizing too late that I should’ve requested something months ago. I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has gone through this overwhelming process, especially other first-gen applicants who had to figure the process out themselves.

Thank you!! I genuinely have no idea what I’m doing 😭

I’m planning to apply this cycle for Fall 2027 and wanted to get opinions on whether this timeline is realistic or not…

Disclaimer I am only applying to Detroit mercy optometry as it is close to home and I want to commute during school. I’m aware it’s a newer school but I am willing to take a chance to save $ on moving out and would like my family as a support system during those stressful years. :)

A little background on me:

•Bachelor’s in Health Science graduated last May (3.5 GPA, a couple of withdrawals, 2 for Orgo and 1 for anatomy, sh*t happens) •About 2 years of experience as an optometric technician •Strong relationships with the optometrists I worked for (planning to get LORs from them) •The only prerequisite I still need is Organic Chemistry 1… (lecture in the fall, lab in the winter. I’d need to ace it to prove the withdrawals were from personal reasons, not failing) •President (1 year) & Secretary (2 years) of my uni’s Optometry Club

Here’s my current plan:

(2026) now, August–September

• Enroll in Organic Chemistry 1 at my uni
• Work on my personal statement
• Request letters of recommendation
• Complete my OptomCAS application
• Start a 3-month OAT study program (booster!)

August–November

• Follow the OAT study schedule every day (structured 3 month prep course)

November = Take the OAT around Thanksgiving = Submit my application as soon as my score is available (my goal is around Thanksgiving)

December

• Finish Organic Chemistry I

January–May 2027

• Complete Organic Chemistry lab

Fall 2027

• Begin optometry school !!!

My biggest concern is balancing OAT studying with Organic Chemistry, but I also don’t want to delay my application until January or later. My goal is to apply as early as I reasonably can without rushing the rest of my application.

Does this seem like a solid plan, or would you change anything? Has anyone here successfully studied for the OAT while taking Orgo…? Any advice would be wonderful and extremely appreciated :)

Chat, do we think applying in January too late if the deadline is May 20? Lol

I'm only applying to one optometry school (UDM), and their application deadline is May 20.

My plan is to spend now through December studying all of the OAT subjects except Organic Chemistry, since I'm taking Organic Chemistry this fall. As soon as I finish the course, I plan to take the OAT in January and submit my application immediately afterward.

The rest of my application (letters of recommendation, personal statement, etc.) will be ready by then.

For those familiar with optometry admissions and rolling admissions, would applying in January put me at a disadvantage even though the deadline isn't until May? Or is that still considered early enough to have a good chance?

I'd appreciate any advice or experiences.

Is applying in March/April too late if the deadline is May 20?

I’m planning to apply to just one optometry school because it’s the only one I can commute to from home.

The school’s application deadline is May 20, but because of my prerequisites, I probably won’t be able to apply until March or April.

I’m taking Organic Chemistry this upcoming fall, and the lab is also required. My university doesn’t let you take the lab until you’ve passed the lecture course, so I won’t be able to complete the lab until afterward. My plan is to take the OAT after finishing Organic Chemistry since it’s a major section of the exam. I’d study from January (when I finish the Orgo course) until March and take it right away.

I know admissions are rolling, so I’m worried that applying in March or April—even though it’s before the deadline—might be considered too late.

Has anyone here applied that late in the cycle and still gotten accepted? If you were in my position, would you still apply this cycle or wait until the next one?

I'm 23 and graduated with a B.S. in Health Science (3.5 GPA) in May of 2025. I worked as an optometric technician for about 2 years and genuinely loved the field. I enjoyed the patient interactions, the work-life balance I saw from the ODs I worked with, and I keep coming back to optometry after looking into a bunch of other healthcare careers.

My current plan is:

• Organic Chemistry lecture: Fall 2026
• Organic Chemistry lab: Winter 2027
• Study for the OAT after finishing Orgo
• Apply for Fall 2027 admission

The school I want to attend is the new University of Detroit Mercy College of Optometry. It's about 20 minutes from my house, so I can commute and avoid paying for housing, which is a major reason I'm interested in it.

The application deadline is May 20, and I'm hoping to apply before then. However, I'm worried that I might be applying too late in the cycle since admissions are rolling. Is applying in the winter/spring still realistic, or does it significantly hurt my chances compared to applying much earlier?

Another concern is that UDM is a brand-new optometry school. It's currently in pre-accreditation status and, from my understanding, would receive full accreditation later if everything goes as planned, likely around the time the inaugural class takes the NBEO boards. Would that make you hesitant to attend, or is that not something I should worry too much about?

I'm also only planning to apply to one school. I know that's uncommon, but I really want to stay close to home and commute, so I don't have much interest in moving away.

My biggest source of stress right now is the OAT. Since I haven't taken Organic Chemistry yet, I can't really study that section effectively. On top of that, I took biology and physics over two years ago, so I feel like I've forgotten a lot of that material. I'm worried I'll be relearning a huge portion of the exam while also trying to prepare for it.

For my application I'll have:

• 3.5 cumulative GPA
• About 2 years of experience as an optometric technician
• Leadership experience in my university's Pre-Optometry Club (Treasurer, Secretary, President)
• Strong letters of recommendation from optometrists I've worked with

I'd really appreciate honest feedback!

I'm 23 and graduated with a B.S. in Health Science (3.5 GPA) in May of 2025. I worked as an optometric technician for about 2 years and genuinely loved the field. I enjoyed the patient interactions, the work-life balance I saw from the ODs I worked with, and I keep coming back to optometry after looking into a bunch of other healthcare careers.

My current plan is:

• Organic Chemistry lecture: Fall 2026
• Organic Chemistry lab: Winter 2027
• Study for the OAT after finishing Orgo
• Apply for Fall 2027 admission

The school I want to attend is the new University of Detroit Mercy College of Optometry. It's about 20 minutes from my house, so I can commute and avoid paying for housing, which is a major reason I'm interested in it.

The application deadline is May 20, and I'm hoping to apply before then. However, I'm worried that I might be applying too late in the cycle since admissions are rolling. Is applying in the winter/spring still realistic, or does it significantly hurt my chances compared to applying much earlier?

Another concern is that UDM is a brand-new optometry school. It's currently in pre-accreditation status and, from my understanding, would receive full accreditation later if everything goes as planned, likely around the time the inaugural class takes the NBEO boards. Would that make you hesitant to attend, or is that not something I should worry too much about?

I'm also only planning to apply to one school. I know that's uncommon, but I really want to stay close to home and commute, so I don't have much interest in moving away.

My biggest source of stress right now is the OAT. Since I haven't taken Organic Chemistry yet, I can't really study that section effectively. On top of that, I took biology and physics over two years ago, so I feel like I've forgotten a lot of that material. I'm worried I'll be relearning a huge portion of the exam while also trying to prepare for it.

For my application I'll have:

• 3.5 cumulative GPA
• About 2 years of experience as an optometric technician
• Leadership experience in my university's Pre-Optometry Club
• Strong letters of recommendation from optometrists I've worked with

I'd really appreciate honest feedback!

I'm 23 and trying to make what feels like one of the biggest decisions of my life. I'd really appreciate advice from anyone!

I already have a bachelor's degree in Health Science and worked as an optometric technician for about two years. I genuinely enjoyed the clinic environment, the patient interactions, and the work-life balance.

For a long time I thought optometry was the obvious choice, but the logistics are making me question it.

One of my biggest priorities is staying close to home. I have no interest in relocating, and realistically there's only one optometry program I would commute to. The problem is that it's currently not fully accredited, and tuition is around $50,000 per semester, which is hard for me to justify. I know there are other accredited schools, but I don't want to move away. I did really like the role of an optometrist though.

Because of that, I've started looking seriously at accelerated nursing. There are multiple ABSN programs within commuting distance of me, so I'd have several options without having to relocate. I could finish much sooner and with far less debt.

That said, I don't think traditional bedside nursing is my personality. I don't see myself working long-term in the ICU, ER, or med-surg. If I became a nurse, my goal would be to eventually work in aesthetics, dermatology, plastic surgery, or another outpatient specialty with more regular hours.

These are my biggest priorities:

• Staying close to home.
• Graduating sooner rather than later.
• Avoiding overwhelming student debt.
• Having a stable career with good work-life balance.
• Having flexibility when I eventually have a family.

Questions for y’all:

• Given my situation, does accelerated nursing seem like the more practical choice for me?
• Is it realistic to work toward aesthetics or another outpatient specialty after becoming an RN?
• If you were in my shoes, what would you do and why?

I'm looking for honest opinions, even if it's something I may not want to hear.

I’m looking for some honest advice about whether OT sounds like the right path for me.

I’m 23 and graduated with a Health Science degree last year with a 3.5 GPA. During undergrad I was originally pre-optometry, served as president and treasurer of my university’s optometry club, and worked as an optometric technician for about 2 years. Recently I’ve been trying to figure out what career makes the most sense long-term.

I’ve seriously considered optometry, nursing, radiology tech, healthcare administration, and even law school, but I’m starting to wonder if occupational therapy might be a better fit. I like healthcare, helping people, and having meaningful patient interactions, but I also value work-life balance and want a career that’s stable and rewarding.

One thing that attracts me to OT is that it seems like you get to build relationships with patients and make a real impact on their quality of life. I’m planning to shadow an OT soon to get a better idea of the day-to-day.

Not taking an admissions test and minimal to none shadowing hours is really calling my name… also 3 years program with multiple in my state that wouldn’t require me to move out, unlike optometry, where the only commute friendly optometry school isn’t accredited as it’s a fairly new program and may i add extremely expensive.

For optometry school admissions I’d have to take rigorous difficult classes that I graduated with my degree without, like organic chemistry, orgo lab, calculus, etc. Whereas OT is anatomy & lab and some psychology courses, I really enjoyed learning psych in undergrad and high school.

Also my boyfriend is in medical school and finishing residency in 2030. I will be finishing school the same time he’s done with residency which is nice. Optometry I’d need a year to take Orgo & the OAT (optometry admissions test) then 4 years of school. That’d be 2031, assuming I get in on the 2027 cycle but I’d be applying the last couple of months on a rolling admissions cycle… not the best idea.

Not to mention the amount of debt that optometry schools leave you with… 200k estimated, haven’t done much research on specific schools but OT is much less, correct?

Also should I get a MOT or OTD. I know the main differences but input on this topic could be insightful.

I don’t currently have all of the OT prerequisites completed, so I’d likely need to go back to school for about a semester to finish the remaining classes.

For those of you in OT school or already practicing:

• Are you happy with your career choice?
• Is the debt-to-salary ratio worth it?
• Does my background sound like someone who would enjoy OT? ****** If I need to spend a semester finishing prerequisites, when would I realistically be able to apply and start a program? Can you apply while still completing prerequisites? ******

I’m at a point where I really need to choose a direction and commit to it, so I’d appreciate any honest feedback. Thanks!

I'm 23F and graduated with a Health Science degree in May 2025 with a 3.5 GPA. Since graduating, I've been struggling to decide on a career path and feel like I'm stuck in analysis paralysis.

My original plan was optometry. I was president and secretary-treasurer of my university's pre-optometry club, worked as an optometric technician for almost 2 years, and can likely get strong letters of recommendation from optometrists I've worked with. The problem is that I still need Organic Chemistry, would need to take the OAT, and if everything goes according to plan I wouldn't start optometry school until Fall 2027 and wouldn't graduate until around age 28.

Another concern is timing. Because I still need Organic Chemistry, I likely wouldn't take the OAT until around January–March 2027, meaning I'd be applying relatively late in the admissions cycle. Some schools I'm considering have rolling admissions, so I'm worried about whether I'd be putting myself at a disadvantage by applying that late.

Lately I've been considering sonography, MRI, nuclear medicine, occupational therapy, and nursing because they seem like they could get me into a career sooner with less debt.

Part of what's making this difficult is my personal timeline. My boyfriend is finishing medical school next May and will then be in residency for another 3–4 years. By the time he's done with residency, I could either be finishing optometry school or already established in another healthcare career. I'm trying to think about the bigger picture, including marriage, starting a family, finances, and overall quality of life.

The issue is that I don't feel strongly passionate about any particular career. I mostly want:

• Stable income
• Good work-life balance
• A respected healthcare profession
• Reasonable debt
• The ability to start my career sooner rather than later

For those who were between multiple healthcare careers, how did you decide? If you were in my position, would you continue pursuing optometry since I'm already invested in that path, or pivot to something with a shorter timeline?

I'd especially love to hear from people in optometry, sonography, MRI/radiology, OT, nursing, nuclear medicine, or anyone who chose between a doctorate-level healthcare career and a shorter allied health path.

I'm 23F and graduated with a Health Science degree in May 2025 with a 3.5 GPA. Since graduating, I've been struggling to decide on a career path and feel like I'm stuck in analysis paralysis.

My original plan was optometry. I was president and secretary-treasurer of my university's pre-optometry club, worked as an optometric technician for almost 2 years, and can likely get strong letters of recommendation from optometrists I've worked with. The problem is that I still need Organic Chemistry, would need to take the OAT, and if everything goes according to plan I wouldn't start optometry school until Fall 2027 and wouldn't graduate until around age 28.

Another concern is timing. Because I still need Organic Chemistry, I likely wouldn't take the OAT until around January–March 2027, meaning I'd be applying relatively late in the admissions cycle. Some schools I'm considering have rolling admissions, so I'm worried about whether I'd be putting myself at a disadvantage by applying that late.

Lately I've been considering sonography, MRI, nuclear medicine, occupational therapy, and nursing because they seem like they could get me into a career sooner with less debt.

Part of what's making this difficult is my personal timeline. My boyfriend is finishing medical school next May and will then be in residency for another 3–4 years. By the time he's done with residency, I could either be finishing optometry school or already established in another healthcare career. I'm trying to think about the bigger picture, including marriage, starting a family, finances, and overall quality of life.

The issue is that I don't feel strongly passionate about any particular career. I mostly want:

• Stable income
• Good work-life balance
• A respected healthcare profession
• Reasonable debt
• The ability to start my career sooner rather than later

For those who were between multiple healthcare careers, how did you decide? If you were in my position, would you continue pursuing optometry since I'm already invested in that path, or pivot to something with a shorter timeline?

I'd especially love to hear from people in optometry, sonography, MRI/radiology, OT, nursing, nuclear medicine, or anyone who chose between a doctorate-level healthcare career and a shorter allied health path..

I'm 23F and graduated with a Health Science degree in May 2025 with a 3.5 GPA. Since graduating, I've been struggling to decide on a career path and feel like I'm stuck in analysis paralysis.

My original plan was optometry. I was president and secretary-treasurer of my university's pre-optometry club, worked as an optometric technician for almost 2 years, and can likely get strong letters of recommendation from optometrists I've worked with. The problem is that I still need Organic Chemistry, would need to take the OAT, and if everything goes according to plan I wouldn't start optometry school until Fall 2027 and wouldn't graduate until around age 28.

Lately I've been considering sonography, MRI, nuclear medicine, occupational therapy, and nursing because they seem like they could get me into a career sooner with less debt.

Part of what's making this difficult is my personal timeline. My boyfriend is finishing medical school this May and will then be in residency for another 3–4 years. By the time he's done with residency, I could either be finishing optometry school or already established in another healthcare career. I'm trying to think about the bigger picture, including marriage, starting a family, finances, and overall quality of life.

The issue is that I don't feel strongly passionate about any particular career. I mostly want:

• Stable income
• Good work-life balance
• A respected healthcare profession
• Reasonable debt
• The ability to start my career sooner rather than later

For those who were between multiple healthcare careers, how did you decide? If you were in my position, would you continue pursuing optometry since I'm already invested in that path, or pivot to something with a shorter timeline?

I'd especially love to hear from people in optometry, sonography, MRI/radiology, OT, nursing, nuclear medicine, or anyone who chose between a doctorate-level healthcare career and a shorter allied health path.

I'm looking for honest advice from current optometry students or ODs because I've been going back and forth on my career path for a while and finally think I've settled on optometry, but I'm worried about my timeline.

Background:

• 23F in Michigan
• Graduated in May 2025 with a B.S. in Health Science (3.5 GPA)
• Worked as an optometric technician for about 2 years and genuinely loved working in the field
• Served as Secretary, Treasurer, and eventually President of my university's Pre-Optometry Club
• Can obtain 2 strong letters of recommendation from the optometrists/doctors I worked with

The issue is that I still need Organic Chemistry I + lab before I can apply.

Current plan:

• OAT study all other subjects except for Orgo July 2026-September 2026 (continue as much as I can throughout the fall semester)
• Take Organic Chemistry in Fall 2026
• Take the lab in Winter 2027 (my university requires the lecture first)
• Study for the OAT 1 month after finishing Orgo
• Take the OAT around Feb 2027
• Apply during the 2026-2027 cycle, which ends May 2027
• Hopefully start optometry school in Fall 2027

One important detail: I'm only planning to apply to University of Detroit Mercy School of Optometry. I want to stay close to home, commute, and avoid relocating, so realistically this is my only option. If I don't get in, I would likely have to wait and reapply another cycle.

My concerns:

1. Is taking the OAT around March 2027 too late for a school with rolling admissions?
2. Am I taking a major risk by only applying to one school?
3. Would schools view my application negatively because I took a couple gap years after graduation?
4. Is it realistic to relearn all the OAT material if I haven't taken biology, chemistry, and physics in a few years?
5. Would you recommend studying for the non-Orgo sections before I even start Organic Chemistry?
6. Given my background and timeline, do I seem like a competitive applicant assuming I earn a decent OAT score?
7. If you were in my position, would you stick with this plan or do something differently?

I've considered other healthcare careers (nursing, OT, etc.), but optometry is the one career I keep coming back to because I enjoyed the actual day-to-day work environment when I was working in clinic, despite not being the best at science, I do have some withdraws/fails on my transcript but recovered with 3.5 overall I guess.

I'd really appreciate honest feedback from anyone! Thank you so much for taking the time.

I'm looking for honest advice from current optometry students or ODs because I've been going back and forth on my career path for a while and finally think I've settled on optometry, but I'm worried about my timeline.

Background:

• 23F in Michigan
• Graduated in May 2025 with a B.S. in Health Science (3.5 GPA)
• Worked as an optometric technician for about 2 years and genuinely loved working in the field
• Served as Secretary, Treasurer, and eventually President of my university's Pre-Optometry Club
• Can obtain 2 strong letters of recommendation from the optometrists/doctors I worked with

The issue is that I still need Organic Chemistry I + lab before I can apply.

Current plan:

• OAT study all other subjects except for Orgo July 2026-September 2026 (continue as much as I can throughout the fall semester)
• Take Organic Chemistry in Fall 2026
• Take the lab in Winter 2027 (my university requires the lecture first)
• Study for the OAT 1 month after finishing Orgo
• Take the OAT around Feb 2027
• Apply during the 2026-2027 cycle, which ends May 2027
• Hopefully start optometry school in Fall 2027

One important detail: I'm only planning to apply to University of Detroit Mercy School of Optometry. I want to stay close to home, commute, and avoid relocating, so realistically this is my only option. If I don't get in, I would likely have to wait and reapply another cycle.

My concerns:

1. Is taking the OAT around March 2027 too late for a school with rolling admissions?
2. Am I taking a major risk by only applying to one school?
3. Would schools view my application negatively because I took a couple gap years after graduation?
4. Is it realistic to relearn all the OAT material if I haven't taken biology, chemistry, and physics in a few years?
5. Would you recommend studying for the non-Orgo sections before I even start Organic Chemistry?
6. Given my background and timeline, do I seem like a competitive applicant assuming I earn a decent OAT score?
7. If you were in my position, would you stick with this plan or do something differently?

I've considered other healthcare careers (nursing, OT, etc.), but optometry is the one career I keep coming back to because I enjoyed the actual day-to-day work environment when I was working in clinic, despite not being the best at science, I do have some withdraws/fails on my transcript but recovered with 3.5 overall I guess.

I'd really appreciate honest feedback from anyone! Thank you so much for taking the time.

23F and honestly having a full blown career crisis. I graduated in May 2025 with a health science degree. 3.5 GPA. My original plan was optometry school, which is why I chose the degree in the first place, but the schooling honestly scared me away. I struggled enough with prereqs in undergrad (organic chemistry and anatomy especially humbled me badly lol) and the idea of 4 more intense years plus hundreds of thousands in debt for a salary that honestly isn’t THAT high compared to the debt made me start questioning everything.

I actually never completed organic chemistry or anatomy. I withdrew from both because I was failing them pretty badly and realized I genuinely might not be cut out for certain heavy science paths. I still graduated with my degree without those classes, but now if I wanted to apply to certain science-based programs like radiology or other healthcare fields, I’d probably have to go back to school for at least a semester just to finish prereqs first, which makes everything feel even more overwhelming.

I worked as an optometry tech from October 2023 to January 2025.

Since then, I’ve been doing social media/TikTok full time and thankfully made a pretty good amount of money from it, so financially I’m okay right now. But social media obviously is unstable long term and now I feel completely stuck trying to figure out what actual career path makes sense for me.

For years I also considered law school because I’ve always liked reading/writing more than science, but now I’m questioning if I’m cut out for the stress and lifestyle of law too. I know deep down I’m not. I value low stress and law is very much not that (my dad’s an attorney, so I’ve witnessed firsthand lol.) I’ve also looked into radiology tech, a master’s in health administration, regulatory affairs masters, occupational therapy, nursing, etc.

Every option sounds okay until I start thinking about debt, burnout, stress, failing, years of schooling, whether I’m even passionate enough, etc.

Last fall my plan was actually to work in healthcare administration while getting my MHA part time. I applied to probably 100+ entry level admin/coordinator jobs, got a couple interviews, and then never actually landed a job. That honestly destroyed my confidence for a while because I thought healthcare admin would be my “safe” option after graduating.

Another thing is I honestly don’t currently plan on working much once I have kids someday if I’m fortunate enough not to have to. So part of me struggles with the idea of taking on massive debt and years of stress for a career I may not even stay in forever. But at the same time, I still want something respectable, stable, and meaningful because I hate feeling directionless.

Meanwhile everyone around me seems to have their lives figured out already. Any advice, recommendations, or suggestions are welcome. Thank you so much for reading/helping!

23F and honestly having a full blown career crisis. I graduated in May 2025 with a health science degree. 3.5 GPA. My original plan was optometry school, which is why I chose the degree in the first place, but the schooling honestly scared me away. I struggled enough with prereqs in undergrad (organic chemistry and anatomy especially humbled me badly lol) and the idea of 4 more intense years plus hundreds of thousands in debt for a salary that honestly isn’t THAT high compared to the debt made me start questioning everything.

I actually never completed organic chemistry or anatomy. I withdrew from both because I was failing them pretty badly and realized I genuinely might not be cut out for certain heavy science paths. I still graduated with my degree without those classes, but now if I wanted to apply to certain science-based programs like radiology or other healthcare fields, I’d probably have to go back to school for at least a semester just to finish prereqs first, which makes everything feel even more overwhelming.

I worked as an optometry tech from October 2023 to January 2025.

Since then, I’ve been doing social media/TikTok full time and thankfully made a pretty good amount of money from it, so financially I’m okay right now. But social media obviously is unstable long term and now I feel completely stuck trying to figure out what actual career path makes sense for me.

For years I also considered law school because I’ve always liked reading/writing more than science, but now I’m questioning if I’m cut out for the stress and lifestyle of law too. I know deep down I’m not. I value low stress and law is very much not that (my dad’s an attorney, so I’ve witnessed firsthand lol.) I’ve also looked into radiology tech, a master’s in health administration, regulatory affairs masters, occupational therapy, nursing, etc.

Every option sounds okay until I start thinking about debt, burnout, stress, failing, years of schooling, whether I’m even passionate enough, etc.

Last fall my plan was actually to work in healthcare administration while getting my MHA part time. I applied to probably 100+ entry level admin/coordinator jobs, got a couple interviews, and then never actually landed a job. That honestly destroyed my confidence for a while because I thought healthcare admin would be my “safe” option after graduating.

Another thing is I honestly don’t currently plan on working much once I have kids someday if I’m fortunate enough not to have to. So part of me struggles with the idea of taking on massive debt and years of stress for a career I may not even stay in forever. But at the same time, I still want something respectable, stable, and meaningful because I hate feeling directionless.

Meanwhile everyone around me seems to have their lives figured out already. Any advice, recommendations, or suggestions are welcome. Thank you so much for reading/helping!