Do I have a chance at NECO/USA schools/Waterloo?

[RIShrat]

Hi all!

I wrote my OAT today for the first time. I didn't think I was 100% ready, especially when I was scoring AA 290, and couldn't answer most of the questions in the examkrackers books. I received:
QR 290
RC 300
Bio 370
GC 350
OC 350
Phys 290
TS 340
AA 330

I was really proud of my score for bio, GC and OC. However, Phys and QR look terrible (I actually forgot we had the calculator for QR, I did all the calculations by hand which made me run out of time and guess on a bunch!...stupid)

I graduated with a B.Sc. this April, and my overall GPA is 3.4. I was VP of two clubs in my last two years, and I have been volunteering at the hospital for 5 years. I have shadowed a few optometrists, and have recently started volunteering at a mobile optometry clinic.

I am wondering if this is enough, or should I take a year off and re-write the OAT, volunteer/shadow and work for optometrists. I did a lot of research on this forum and I feel like it eventually comes down to luck and also great interview skills, which I lack. I don't want to waste another year and apply for 2015. What are the chances of getting into USA programs if I start applying now for 2014 cycle? Should I try to improve my OAT and shadowing experiences/extracurricular for the application?

I am Canadian so if I wait for the 2015 cycle I can apply for Waterloo. How hard is it to get into Waterloo with my stats? An optometrist I shadowed told me my GPA is not good enough for Waterloo and I should take the year off if I want to pay less tuition. I really want to go to NECO as well, but I don't know how much it would cost in total with tuition, living costs, and flights in and out of Canada.

I know this post has a lot but any help will be appreciated.

Thanks!

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[optgal]

You'll get in everywhere don't mess up your interviews! What materials did u use to study?

 

[gnomey]

Waterloo suggests that applicants who score below 300 in any category should retake the OAT, but I don't know how firm this is. I think your chances for Waterloo will depend on the type of applicants the school receives this year.

As for American schools, I'm pretty sure you will get interviews and acceptances to your desired schools (like NECO). Your GPA and OAT score is around/above the average and you have great extracurriculars!

So my advice is:
- give it a go for Waterloo; there's nothing to lose (except for the application fee).
- if you're serious about the states, apply. You're more than likely to get accepted.

Fees for American school is scary - I'm Canadian as well - but there's always loans, financial aid and work-study opportunities.

 

[RIShrat]

You'll get in everywhere don't mess up your interviews! What materials did u use to study?

Thanks for your reply!
I used the examkracker books which are great because it includes lots of practice problems. I used a terrible DAT book. It sort of gave me an idea of the quantitative reasoning section and had more on taxonomy and embryology than the examkracker books. I would definitely get a better book to study for the quantitative reasoning section of the OAT.

 

[RIShrat]

Waterloo suggests that applicants who score below 300 in any category should retake the OAT, but I don't know how firm this is. I think your chances for Waterloo will depend on the type of applicants the school receives this year.

As for American schools, I'm pretty sure you will get interviews and acceptances to your desired schools (like NECO). Your GPA and OAT score is around/above the average and you have great extracurriculars!

So my advice is:
- give it a go for Waterloo; there's nothing to lose (except for the application fee).
- if you're serious about the states, apply. You're more than likely to get accepted.

Fees for American school is scary - I'm Canadian as well - but there's always loans, financial aid and work-study opportunities.

Thank you. Only problem with applying to waterloo is that I would have to wait a full year but I guess I can try for American schools now.

 

[chb64]

Thank you. Only problem with applying to waterloo is that I would have to wait a full year but I guess I can try for American schools now.

Hey RIShrat! I think you should def give waterloo a try this year - like someone said, you've got nothing to lose. Someone with a 3.3 GPA got in last year, and their OAT score was 360/360 (check out the Waterloo 2014 thread). You have lots of optometry shadowing/job experience, so that'll definitely help you with your weaknesses (GPA/OAT). They do recommend retaking the OAT if you score below 290, but you should still give it a try, you never know what happens! In the meantime, also apply to American schools so you don't waste an application year. Good luck 🙂