Waterloo Optometry 2011 Cycle

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i'm just in my third year of undergrad biology major... so if i don't get in i will finish my degree next year... this summer i'll be working at lenscrafters and hopefully getting some shadowing in...

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Anyone know when the waitlist offers will start?
 
Anyone know when the waitlist offers will start?

The deadline for accepting offers is the end of the month so maybe in April... But depending where you are on the waitlist it could be days from april or months..
 
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Guys.. just got the call. They're starting to move through the waitlist!
 
if you don't mind me asking.... what place were you on the waitlist?
 
I talked to someone yesterday who just got the call. He was #2 on the waiting list! Good luck, everyone!
 
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Good luck to all of you waitlisters! Looking forward to sharing stories of losing sleep over SDN posts in person!
 
Good luck to all of you waitlisters! Looking forward to sharing stories of losing sleep over SDN posts in person!

Thanks, looks like a few more months?? of losing sleep and playing the waiting game since the class is now full. :boom:
 
Also, Marie told me they accepted 3 people from the waitlist...
 
congrats jitterbug! fingers crossed for the rest of those on the waitlist!! :)
 
Wooohooo, I'm so happy for you, Jitterbuggg. Best of luck to everyone else still waiting, it's still early in the summer!
 
I'm also interested, outsidechance, on your future school plans. Congrats to people who are hearing back from the waiting list! Exciting to see you all September :)
 
Does anyone still have their Kaplan OAT review notes book? I'm in Toronto and Waterloo. PM me please!
 
Congratz to everyone who got in, and those still waiting.
Quick question here. If i take a summer course that is a pre-req, for example english, will it not be excepted for admission? i just recently came across the waterloo admission page that said this.
Courses completed between the end of May and the beginning of September will not be considered by the Admissions Committee.

so pretty much if i need a course i need to stey back a year, is that what this means!?
 
Congratz to everyone who got in, and those still waiting.
Quick question here. If i take a summer course that is a pre-req, for example english, will it not be excepted for admission? i just recently came across the waterloo admission page that said this.
Courses completed between the end of May and the beginning of September will not be considered by the Admissions Committee.

so pretty much if i need a course i need to stey back a year, is that what this means!?

That's what I take it to mean, yes. Unfortunately. :(
 
Congratz to everyone who got in, and those still waiting.
Quick question here. If i take a summer course that is a pre-req, for example english, will it not be excepted for admission? i just recently came across the waterloo admission page that said this.
Courses completed between the end of May and the beginning of September will not be considered by the Admissions Committee.

so pretty much if i need a course i need to stey back a year, is that what this means!?


I would definitely email them to ask about this, but the way I interpreted that was to say that you had to have all your prereqs done by the summer before you were scheduled to enter, not necessarily that you couldn't take any prereqs in any summer. The line on the webpage I found says "Courses completed between the end of May and the beginning of September of the year you enter Optometry will not be considered by the Admissions Committee." For example, if you were applying to enter in September 2012, you would have to have all your prereqs done by May 2012 - you couldn't take your English course in summer 2012, but you could have taken it in summer 2011. I looked back at your previous posts and I see you're applying this summer for entry in September 2012, so it seems to me that you should be fine taking your English course this summer if you want! You just have to have all your prereqs done by next May.
 
I would definitely email them to ask about this, but the way I interpreted that was to say that you had to have all your prereqs done by the summer before you were scheduled to enter, not necessarily that you couldn't take any prereqs in any summer. The line on the webpage I found says "Courses completed between the end of May and the beginning of September of the year you enter Optometry will not be considered by the Admissions Committee." For example, if you were applying to enter in September 2012, you would have to have all your prereqs done by May 2012 - you couldn't take your English course in summer 2012, but you could have taken it in summer 2011. I looked back at your previous posts and I see you're applying this summer for entry in September 2012, so it seems to me that you should be fine taking your English course this summer if you want! You just have to have all your prereqs done by next May.

This is all correct. I myself took some pre-requisites in summer courses over the duration of my degree, that's no problem. You just can't take pre-requisites in the summer before the fall when you are entering the program, just as you said. I thought the OP was asking specifically about that. Sorry for the confusion!! :)
 
perfect! thank you guys so much, it helped alot.

so lets just say i apply in may 2012 for the september 2013 admissions and i don't have my OATS completed or a couple of pre-req completed, i can still get in if i take them before the end of may 2013?
 
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perfect! thank you guys so much, it helped alot.

so lets just say i apply in may 2012 for the september 2013 admissions and i don't have my OATS completed or a couple of pre-req completed, i can still get in if i take them before the end of may 2013?

That's exactly right regarding the pre-req classes.

With the OATs though, you actually have to complete them by the December before the fall of admission. So in your example, you could write the OATs any time up until December 31st, 2012. If you write them after, those scores won't be considered for September 2013 admission. This link might explain it a little better: http://optometry.uwaterloo.ca/future-students/doctor-of-optometry/non-academic-requirements

Hope this helps! :)
 
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perfect! thank you guys so much, it helped alot.

so lets just say i apply in may 2012 for the september 2013 admissions and i don't have my OATS completed or a couple of pre-req completed, i can still get in if i take them before the end of may 2013?

Yes, although you'd be applying in July 2012, not May 2012 - the application opens in July. ;) I applied for September 2011 admission last summer, took my OAT in July, and finished my final prereq course in December. So for September 2013 admission, you would apply in July 2012, take your OAT by December 31 2012, and finish your prereq courses by May 2013.
 
Hi everyone.

Congratulations for everyone who got accepted.

I'm thinking about becoming an optometrist. However, I've been doing a lot of research on the forum about the oversupply of optometrists, and how it can be hard to find patients. Is there an oversupply of optometrists in Canada? Is there a lot of demand? How do the future prospects look? My goal is to make 100 000+ in a private practice in BC because I've been here all my life.

I'm thinking of going to the states for optometry because of the better clinical experience. But if I go to the states to study, end up with a lot of debt, and don't have a job or make too little money, then it is not practical for me to become an optometrist.

Thanks!
 
Hi everyone.

Congratulations for everyone who got accepted.

I'm thinking about becoming an optometrist. However, I've been doing a lot of research on the forum about the oversupply of optometrists, and how it can be hard to find patients. Is there an oversupply of optometrists in Canada? Is there a lot of demand? How do the future prospects look? My goal is to make 100 000+ in a private practice in BC because I've been here all my life.

I'm thinking of going to the states for optometry because of the better clinical experience. But if I go to the states to study, end up with a lot of debt, and don't have a job or make too little money, then it is not practical for me to become an optometrist.

Thanks!


Some people on this forum will probably say differently, but from what I've learned, oversupply in Canada is not nearly as bad as it is in the States. They put out over 1000 new optometrists a year - between Waterloo and Montreal, Canada only gets 120 new optometrists a year, and 30 of those will probably remain in Quebec.

Larger cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary are beginning to see a saturation of optometrists, but smaller towns are still in need of them. I don't know that you'd be able to make over $100K in Vancouver, but in other towns with a large enough population to demand an optometrist on a regular basis but small enough that they're not saturated, it's possible.
 
Got the call last week.... I'm in. I was #9 on the wait list for those who are wondering. Good luck to everyone else :)
 
I heard that too! Congrats, you're quite the lucky one!
Say hi when you get the chance, I'm the guy with the canes; you can't miss me. :)
 
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