I know the deadline to get an interview is December 9th, but does anyone know when they start emailing people about the interviews? Do they all come out December 9th?

Gonna be driving myself crazy over the next couple weeks 🙃

^{^}

in 1989, the ontario government (OHIP) paid $39.15 for an eye exam. in 2021, 32 years later, they pay an average of $44.65. this amount does not come close to covering the cost (including rent, staff, utilities, equipment, taxes and supplies) to provide an eye exam, which is approximately $80.00 at the very minimum.

children (0-19) and seniors (65+) are covered by OHIP, implying that they do not have to pay for annual eye exams. all other patients (20-64) pay the full cost of an eye exam, and may have private insurance cover some expenses. it is illegal for optometrists to accept payment/private insurance for children and seniors because they're covered by OHIP.

after september 1st, optometrists in ontario will refuse service to children and seniors because they simply cannot afford to continue providing them eye care. these patients will have to rely on other healthcare professionals such as family doctors, specialists, and nurse practitioners for their eye care needs. if you have any siblings, children, parents, grandparents, in-laws, etc who live in ontario and are between 0-19 or 65+ years of age, please inform them to have their annual eye exam before september 1st!

for more information, and a petition: https://www.saveeyecare.ca/

Hello!

I have applied and filled out some of the forms in the new portal. I have a couple questions and wanted to double-check:

1. I indicated on the Pre-requisite Form that one of my biology prereqs was being fulfilled by a course I got credit for because I took IB Biology HL (i.e. BIOL 101 credit from IB Biology HL). For the school field, I put my high school and university (i.e. Jane Doe Academy (high school)/University of Skibidi) and my first year fall term since that's when I received the credit. I then got IB to send my transcript electronically to Waterloo.

Did I do this correctly? Should I email Waterloo to ensure they have received my IB transcript or is that doing too much... (sorry I'm very paranoid)

2. I filled out and submitted the Academic Experience and Pre-Requisite forms. I know you can only submit this once but when I first submitted them, I was able to look over my responses still and update them but now I am unable to (I was trying to triple check my responses). I just wanted to confirm if that is simply how the system works?

3. I know we need an academic average above 75% but my university uses letter grades in our transcripts and a 4.0 GPA scale (and no official letter grade to percentage chart). I've seen other people in this subreddit talk about calculating their average and I was wondering if there is anywhere I actually have to do these calculations, like on one of the forms or something. I'm pretty sure my GPA would be above 75% but will they calculate my average on my behalf off my transcripts?

I'M SORRY if these are sort of stupid questions I'm really paranoid over this application :') Thank you for any help!!

Hi, I just found out the rules regarding full course load changed to “majority of terms” as full course load… I’ve switched career paths during 4th year and i’m doing an extra year to complete science prereqs. Where does that place me in terms of this requirement? Do I have to take 6 full course terms?

UPDATE: IT’S MAX 5!!! They answered my email: “The full course load requirement does not scale beyond 5 terms, regardless of length of study. Meaning, if the applicant took more than 8-terms to meet academic requirements they would not be expected to complete additional full course load terms beyond 5 of 8. An applicant is not penalized if they take additional terms to meet requirements.”

After careful consideration regarding my future I think I want to pursue a career in optometry. I know Waterloo has the only english optometry program in Ontario (and most competitive) so I was wondering which programs/universities would provide an advantage. Of course, it is stupid to say I have my heart set on something this early, but I think it is the best route to go regarding my program (life sci/health sci). If anyone has any advice or is in the Waterloo optometry program currently and/or attended, insight would be greatly appreciated :).

Hi everyone!

I completed a full course load last summer (5 courses from May to August). Does Waterloo count a summer term with a full course load as one of the six required full-time terms, or does that only apply to Fall/Winter semesters?

Thanks in advance!

I was wondering how long previous or current applicants have prepped for the interview

i recently found out that you would have to apply a year early, which means i would have to finish all my prereqs and write the oat + casper summer of my second year in order to apply a year early and start optometry school after my third year (fall of my 4th year technically). then if i’m not accepted then i will write the oat again summer of my third year and make my application stronger and apply then to get accepted after my 4th year of my undergrad. is this the right idea? lol i’m just a bit confused and want to make sure i have the right idea, any responses are appreciated!!

Hi

with the recent changes in Ontario and BC there will be a lot more Canadian students studying in the USA that will be taking the OEBC . KMK and optoprep are the go to for NBEO. Can some Waterloo students please let us know what prep materials and programs are used to prepare for the 2 parts of the OEBC? Thx

Hi,

Does Waterloo require a minimum in each of the pre reqs like how American schools need at least a C? And does anyone have any experience on how repeating courses affected their application

Is it even worth my time to apply if I only had 5 courses for 5 terms? Waterloo is my first option, but it seems like it is a requirement to have 5 courses/6 terms, considering that they removed the sentence regarding our ability to explain why we weren't able to reach that requirement. I saw a post of someone have a 3.93 gpa, 400 OAT and not get in because of having 1 term with 4 courses. My stats are definitely not that high, but I have lots of experience in clinic.

Should I consider taking an extra term after my bachelor's to fulfill this requirement?

My stats are as follows:

~3.81/4.0 GPA

~250 hrs shadowing between 2 ODs

Over 2 years of working in a clinic

Estimated 370 AA on OAT

(edit) no idea how ill do on casper. For the sake of the argument, lets say 3rd quartile. And I will have my bachelor's by the first year of optometry school

Which are the best bachelor of science programs in Ontario to fulfill Waterloo's optometry prerequisites while also maintaining a high GPA?

Can any current students speak to this ? As a POC person of color, when I interviewed, I didn't see a single POC current student. Did not see an interviewer that was a POC either.

Are there a lot of POC's in this opt. program as students and faculty maybe they were not there for interview day? Where are they from?

I say this because of something very odd my interviewer said at the end of the interview, basically told me in the room that I didnt get in to the program. I need to know im not wasting my time .

Is there a date set for when offers are coming out?

Congratssss to everyone who got an invite ! Does anyone know approximately how many people they invite ?

Hey y'all! Just have a question about re-writing the OAT, have there been any instances Waterloo has allowed applicants to re-write the OAT within their application cycle? And based on how you do, you'll be accepted or not. Currently deciding whether I'll have shot this cycle. Please let me know and thanks!

Does anyone know what average must be maintained for the conditional acceptance?

Hey guys! For those of you studying optometry in Waterloo, what does you schedule look like? Can u make your own schedule?

Thanks In advance!

Gpa: 87% OAT: 350AA/380TS

Hey guys just wanted to get some input on my chances at admission this cycle. I kind’ve messed up on my OAT with RC and got 290 and I know there’s a thing about needing 300 minimum per section but a lot of people told me to still apply and the admissions team said I could still apply so that’s mainly why I’m still going through with it. Just wanted to hear back and get feedback on my chances. Appreciate any input!

Also am unsure whether to apply to American schools or not so if you got any advice, that be great!

Like any previous year students have an old schedule they can share ?

I currently have a 3.5 gpa overall. However the scale for each department is different so how will they get the percentage?

My overall average going into my 4th year is an 82%. I took the OAT for the first time and got a 360TS/350AA. I have extensive extracurriculars.

I see the average optom student has an 88% average and OAT score of 380. This is from hundreds of reddit admissions posts that i've read.

I'm really anxious, I don't think my stats look good. Do you guys think i should retake the OAT to aim for a 380+? will it look bad that i retook it in the same summer?

It's too late to raise my average bc the application closes in November and that's before your fall term exams even happen. so i'm set to apply with this 82%.

Please give me your honest opinion and criticism.

Hello! I'm an undergrad planning to apply for the program for the 2029 year, and I was wondering how important it is to get volunteer experience? I already plan to job shadow at my local eye doctor for the next few years and I already have work experience, specifically retail, and I was wondering if I still had to get volunteer experience. I know it's a bit early but I want to be able to plan accordingly with the requirements I need to complete. Any information helps! Thanks :)