Canadian Student

[ronzroyce97]

Hi all. I'm a 3rd year biology Canadian student looking to apply to Optometry schools both Waterloo and US schools. I'm trying to figure out what schools and how many schools I should apply to this summer. My GPA right now is at a 3.7, I will be taking the OAT in August. I've got three professors and two optometrists who are willing to write me letters of recommendations. I just need help figuring out what schools I should apply to, for me its mostly about finances so the cheaper the school the better, but also I'd want a school that is of good quality. Thanks for any feedback.

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[AcademicEyes]

Found this online for cost: Optometry Schools in USA Comparison | SCO

Have you visited any campuses? What are you looking for in the school you attend? Any area you'd prefer to be in?

Keep in mind housing costs vary. Also try and find out what externship sites are available at schools you're considering - you want to be sure you spend the last year of school getting good experience.

 

[rudolffairbanks]

I am new to this board, happy to be here.

 

[ronzroyce97]

Found this online for cost: Optometry Schools in USA Comparison | SCO

Have you visited any campuses? What are you looking for in the school you attend? Any area you'd prefer to be in?

Keep in mind housing costs vary. Also try and find out what externship sites are available at schools you're considering - you want to be sure you spend the last year of school getting good experience.

Thanks for this! I haven't visited any campuses, and I'm not too sure what I want in a school.

 

[AcademicEyes]

Thanks for this! I haven't visited any campuses, and I'm not too sure what I want in a school.

No problem! I also recommend getting in touch with third or fourth-year students if you can. First and second years are usually still honeymooning about their school, and they can't tell you much about the clinical experience firsthand. Personally, I would still stay away from newer schools like Western/MCPHS because they have pretty low pass rates across the board.
Part I = longest exam that's based on what you learn in school/applied science
Part 2 = patient care & management
Part 3 = clinical skills

https://optometriceducation.org/wp-...1/NBEO-Pass-Rate-Report-2016-2017-FINAL-1.pdf

 

[yetbun12]

UW is definitely the way to go. It's a fraction of the cost of US schools and has a better reputation than most of them! Especially as a Canadian student you should definitely consider UW.

In the states, generally the cheaper the school the worse the reputation. If you are thinking about practising in Canada, I would definitely recommend going to school here. Or look at your US potential schools pass rates of the Canadian boards. Some schools have as high as a 97% pass rate of the Canadian boards, where as others only have a 52% pass rate. Optom school in the US has a HUGE range of quality so make sure to do your research.

 

[London22]

In the states, generally the cheaper the school the worse the reputation.

This is actually usually the opposite in the US. The vast majority of the schools here are about the same cost wise, with the newer ones being most expensive sometimes. (with the exception of KYCO that bundles tuition and fees) The "cheaper" schools are usually more competitive/higher stats to get in because they offer in-state tuition for local residents which offers discounts like 25k/year instead of 40k tuition. People fight hard for these spots, the schools have good reputations, and some offer these discounts after only a year of living there. (OSU, SUNY, UHCO) For these 3 I'm pretty positive international students can get the tuition reduction as well after a year but I would double check in case.

OP definitely do your research and compare all factors (tuition, fees, cost of living, car) if you end up planning to come here as a plan B. I was able to shave off 50k from my total 4 year costs by heavily comparing 3 top schools here. I applied to all of them as out-of-state so I'm paying about the same (idk how your loans interest work) as someone who would be international.