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, click here to access 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. Click here to access 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. Click here to access 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. Click here to access the online version of the 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. Click here and scroll down the page for instructions on how to access this large file.
ASCO’s “Career Guide”
This career guide was written and compiled by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). The guide was written to provide a “core document” that could represent the most current, consistent, and reliable information on optometry as a career for use by prospective students, prehealth advisors, and optometrists who want to share information about their profession with others. The material is intended for use by ASCO and its member schools and colleges in any format that will make information about optometry accessible and available to those who express interest in the profession. Updated Spring 2015
Optometry Admissions Blog 