ASCO (Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry) is optometric education’s mothership. Founded in 1941, ASCO is a non-profit education association representing the interests of optometric education. ASCO’s membership encompasses the schools and colleges of optometry in the United States and Puerto Rico.
ASCO is committed to achieving excellence in optometric education and to helping its member schools prepare well-qualified graduates for entrance into the profession of optometry.
The mission of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry is to serve the public through the continued advancement and promotion of all aspects of academic optometry.
Here are some of the resources ASCO provides for those students considering optometry as a profession.
ASCO’s YouTube Channel:
With its wealth of information and resources for potential optometry students, here is ASCO’s You Tube Channel.
Here’s just a sample of what is featured:
ASCO’s Blog:
The goal of the Eye on Optometry blog is to provide timely and useful information to anyone who is interested in applying to optometry school. It’s all part of one of ASCO’s many strategic objectives, which is to help the schools and colleges of optometry develop a large, diverse and highly qualified national applicant pool while getting the word out about the attractiveness of a career in the profession. Here is ASCO’s blog.
ASCO’s Podcasts:
ASCO’s podcast series covers various topics pertaining to the profession and ASCO member institutions. Each podcast is available on iTunes and ASCO’s YouTube channel. Here is ASCO’s podcast menu.
ASCO’s Brochure: “True Stories”
This colorful and engaging booklet conveys to prospective students true stories about how optometrists improve the lives of real people — significantly and immediately — through the gift of sight. The “True Stories” booklet is formatted 
into two distinct sections, inspiration and information. The first section showcases inspirational stories, such as “Today I kept a survivor’s hope from dimming” and “Today I made sure a working man would keep working” that describe the role of the optometrist in diagnosing and treating the patient and its impact. The second section of the booklet contains an informational narrative that educates the reader on the rewards and benefits of a career in optometry, outlines the educational requirements of the profession, and provides contact information for all 21 colleges and schools of optometry. Here is the online version of ASCO’s brochure.
ASCO’s PowerPoint Presentation: “Be a Doctor of Optometry”
This presentation is available to be used to speak about the profession of optometry. It contains everything you need to know about optometry from learning what Doctors of Optometry do, types of practice, career outlook, and educational requirements. Scroll down the page for instructions on how to access this large PPT file.
Categories: Minority Pre-Optometry Students Resources
Eryn Kraning, Senior Director of the Office of Admissions, SCCO
Jane Ann Munroe, OD, Assistant Dean of Admissions, SCCO
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Mari Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Admissions
Optometry Admissions Blog 