hey i just have a few questions about the field of optometry and i was looking for some help on my chances of getting into Waterloo.

4 year gpa - 3.35 (According to MAC system)
last 2 years - 3.97

im just wondering my chances of getting into an optometry school in canada / us based on a decent OAT score, adequate amount of extra curriculars and my 4 year GPA.

My sister heads the optometry club at her school in UofT. She met with abuncha professionals. Many say that the waterloo program isn't good since it's the only one so they have high standards and dont really care much. They went to the US which was more expensive but they definetly learned more/more prepared than waterloo students

Are there any specific schools that your sister would recommend if thinking about US schools?

Also, if I could get some information statistically speaking on my chances of getting into Waterloo/US schools based on my given GPA and other statistics, it would be greatly appreciated.

Are you going to practice as an optometrist in Canada or the US? It is the only English speaking optometry school in Canada, therefore very hard to get into.

Who the hell says a medical school, a dental school, a pharmacy school or an optometry school isn't good in Canada?! 100% Employment Rate from this program.

Originally Posted by Lawstudent

Are you going to practice as an optometrist in Canada or the US? It is the only English speaking optometry school in Canada, therefore very hard to get into.

Who the hell says a medical school, a dental school, a pharmacy school or an optometry school isn't good in Canada?! 100% Employment Rate from this program.

If it's the only school in Canada, then I'm not surprised that there is a 100% employment rate. That doesn't say anything about the quality of the program.

It has to be accredited and meet a bunch of criteria, but there's a difference between meeting those criteria and exceeding them. There's often less pressure to excel when there's no competition. Waterloo's program is sufficient to prepare you to be an optometrist, and for many people who don't want to go to the US, it's their first choice simply because of its location. This makes it harder to get into, again without saying anything about the quality of the program.

Nobody was talking about med/dental/pharmacy schools...and nobody was saying that just because it's in Canada, it's not a good program or that the US's programs are better. But the flip side of that is that just because a school is in Canada, that doesn't automatically make it the best either.

Bottomline apply and see if you actually get in. Not sure if it looks at cGPA or 2 years though. I know most grad schools atleast look at cGPA even if they don't include it in calculation.

All school are different. Do your research. A few years ago Waterloo was known for their refractions, I'm sure they are transitioning due to the expanding optometry practice (drugs laws, etc). PCO is known for their pathology, especially in glaucoma.

I would personally recommend a US school since the laws in the States have been in place for much longer than the currently catching up Canadian laws. They've had much more experience at teaching students the materials necessary to succeed in the growing field of Optometry.