What is Optometry?

About Optometry & College & ROTC (10 points)?

• So, i do want to be a Optometrist for the military for awhile and then open up a practice in a city when i am older and want to just settle out of the military ( Trust me, i love the military. I am planning staying the full 20 years to get the retirement to, and i will be sorta old, 48 or something when i do 20 years? So i still can do my optometry job if i want) anyway, to the question! I need a bachelors degree and i want to do ROTC, for every year they pay you serve them for 1 year ( I can do all 4 years) then you have to serve for them, WILL they let me go finish optometry school for 4 years ( Which they pay if you serve for them the time they pay) so that's 7 years i need to serve for them, so the question is...can i do my bachelors ROTC, then owe 4 years but WAIT 4 years and get optometry school done and then that's +3 since they can pay 3/4's...so can do all 7 in a row for them, or do i have to do bachelors, military 4 years, optometry 4 years, then military optometrist for 3 years. So..will they let me finish optometry school?

• Answer:

  There is a program where if you are taking premed type bachelors degree, you can apply to go directly to medical school directly. Competition for this program is heavy. Same type of program lawyers use with pre-law bachelors degrees. If you do not get selected, you have to start serving your obligation. There are programs you can apply for while you are serving too. Another option is to go to ROTC for the National Guard, premed degree, continue to go to medial school while you are in the Guard. Then apply to be an active duty optometrist and the Army will pay off your medical school debt. A third option is to not do ROTC, just go to college and med school on your own, then go into the Army as an optometrist and they will pay back all of your student loans. Bottom line, if you get selected out of ROTC for medical school, then yes you can go, but if you don't you have to serve that obligation.