Pacifc/Waterloo/OAT Questions~

[Kally]

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hey guys, first time poster so dont flame please!! lol

anyways heres my situation,

gpa:3.70
year:2nd
prereqs😳nly have physiology, phil, eng, and micro left to do, im done the rest

Questions

1)I was planning on writing OAT in the summer but i havent took physiology so im afraid of the bio section so should i wait or just take it. My sister took the mcat and she said kaplan stuff will prepare me for the section so i should just take it, but what are your thoughts?

2)For Watleroo, is 3.7 good? only accepts 90 students in all of canada so im afraid of not getting in.

3)For Pacifc, one of my friends went there and said it was a dull place. I care a lot of the atmosphere because well im gonna be there for 4 years lol. So is it really that bad?

Oh and i only mentioned those 2 schools because im probably gonna only apply to those two, if i dont get in im just gonna complete my 4th year and try again.

 

[bobbio]

Hi Kally,

1) Don't worry about physiology, it won't be on the OAT. I took the OAT without physiology and did well.

2) I don't know much about Waterloo - not from Canada.

3) Pacific is a small community....really small community. I visited the campus over spring break last year and there wasn't much to do. You'd have to go to Portland, which is about 35 minutes away if you want a lively atmosphere.

 

[Jenboo23]

hey guys, first time poster so dont flame please!! lol

anyways heres my situation,

gpa:3.70
year:2nd
prereqs😳nly have physiology, phil, eng, and micro left to do, im done the rest

Questions

1)I was planning on writing OAT in the summer but i havent took physiology so im afraid of the bio section so should i wait or just take it. My sister took the mcat and she said kaplan stuff will prepare me for the section so i should just take it, but what are your thoughts?

2)For Watleroo, is 3.7 good? only accepts 90 students in all of canada so im afraid of not getting in.

3)For Pacifc, one of my friends went there and said it was a dull place. I care a lot of the atmosphere because well im gonna be there for 4 years lol. So is it really that bad?

Oh and i only mentioned those 2 schools because im probably gonna only apply to those two, if i dont get in im just gonna complete my 4th year and try again.

3.7 is probably good enough to get you an interview if you are from Ontario and should definitely get you an interview if you are not from Ontario

 

[Slapshot13]

Hi Kally,

1) Don't worry about physiology, it won't be on the OAT. I took the OAT without physiology and did well.

2) I don't know much about Waterloo - not from Canada.

3) Pacific is a small community....really small community. I visited the campus over spring break last year and there wasn't much to do. You'd have to go to Portland, which is about 35 minutes away if you want a lively atmosphere.

Physiology WILL be on the OAT. I was in the same situation (no physiology pre req complete at the time). You do not need the pre req to learn all the stuff, but it certainly is on the OAT. I spent the majority of my time studying specifically physiology because I had not learned it.

With respect to waterloo, just get your grades as high as you can. I am in the same boat as you, good luck!

 

[Kally]

ah awesome alright thanks for the help guys, appreciate it a lot

 

[prettygreeneyes]

hey guys, first time poster so dont flame please!! lol

anyways heres my situation,

gpa:3.70
year:2nd
prereqs😳nly have physiology, phil, eng, and micro left to do, im done the rest

Questions

1)I was planning on writing OAT in the summer but i havent took physiology so im afraid of the bio section so should i wait or just take it. My sister took the mcat and she said kaplan stuff will prepare me for the section so i should just take it, but what are your thoughts?

2)For Watleroo, is 3.7 good? only accepts 90 students in all of canada so im afraid of not getting in.

3)For Pacifc, one of my friends went there and said it was a dull place. I care a lot of the atmosphere because well im gonna be there for 4 years lol. So is it really that bad?

Oh and i only mentioned those 2 schools because im probably gonna only apply to those two, if i dont get in im just gonna complete my 4th year and try again.

Is your friend in opt school at Pacific currently? I'm surprised anybody would call Pacific "dull". Yes, Forest Grove is small, but the social activities at school mean rarely does a weekend goes by when there isn't something to do. Portland is a short drive away, the coast is a bit further, there is amazing hiking, camping, and skiing very close by. There are several wineries within a 15 minute drive, and the Northwest has some delicious microbreweries. The challenge I have had was never finding something to do - it was always finding a way to do everything that I wanted - and keep up on my school work.

 

[Kally]

Is your friend in opt school at Pacific currently? I'm surprised anybody would call Pacific "dull". Yes, Forest Grove is small, but the social activities at school mean rarely does a weekend goes by when there isn't something to do. Portland is a short drive away, the coast is a bit further, there is amazing hiking, camping, and skiing very close by. There are several wineries within a 15 minute drive, and the Northwest has some delicious microbreweries. The challenge I have had was never finding something to do - it was always finding a way to do everything that I wanted - and keep up on my school work.

my friend had graduated from pacfic about 2 years ago. I dont know how but she ended up in Hawaii for some optometry work in like third or fourth year at pacfic, i believe they had some kind of program where u go out in the country to test your new found optometry powers 🙂 ; back to your comment, the description you gave me makes pacfic look great!, i guess ill just apply and focus on school for now and decide once (i mean IF lol) i get accepted there.

perhaps i should do some research on the mountains down there....sking seems very appealing

 

[Oogilily]

Second that on Pacific being a fun place. If you like the outdoors there are TONS of things to do. We find new things to do every weekend. You can't beat the coast. Portland is a fun city that always has something going on. It's not that bad of a drive either. I wouldn't have gone anywhere else.

 

[5221133]

Hey I am a 4th year and applied to Waterloo this year. I have a gpa of 3.6, did really well on the OAT (390TS, 380AA) and already had gone for my interview.. we are just waiting for acceptances/rejections now!

I know someone from SDN who was in third year, had a GPA of 3.6 and did well on the OAT (360, 350 I think).. he got rejected right away.. didn't even get an interview.

So we think the year actually matters a lot.. the fact that you are second or third year (by the time you apply) might put you to a disadvantage.

In fact, at my interviews, there were plenty of grad students.. as you know, there are only 90 spots and it's the only optom school in Canada that teaches in English, so it's very competitive.

Anyhow, goodluck!

 

[thanotoriousfob]

Second that on Pacific being a fun place. If you like the outdoors there are TONS of things to do. We find new things to do every weekend. You can't beat the coast. Portland is a fun city that always has something going on. It's not that bad of a drive either. I wouldn't have gone anywhere else.

Living in the Portland region most my life and having been to Pacific a handful of times I can say that Forest Grove itself is not that great. But what makes its unique is how close everyone gets. It's a very special atmosphere in that regard and professors treat you like colleagues there. Also, if you have ever observed/shadowed an optometrist from Pacific, you will quickly realize they have nothing but great things to say about the school!

I think in some ways it is good that the town of Forest Grove does not have much going on within its city limits so that way you can focus on school. The weekend however, is a good time to get away because as others have mentioned, the beach, skiing and downtown Portland can all be reach within an hour or less. Not to mention Portland microbrews are the best! If you like and appreciate the outdoors, this is a good place to be.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

LNot to mention Portland microbrews are the best!

Amen to that!!!

McMenamin's Ruby or Widmer Hef... good.
Off the Rail Sweet Leaf Amber... yum.
Bridgeport Ropewalk Amber Ale ... double yum.
Widmer Drop Top...

Wish I was drinking any of the above instead of studying for boards right now!!!

 

[Kally]

Hey I am a 4th year and applied to Waterloo this year. I have a gpa of 3.6, did really well on the OAT (390TS, 380AA) and already had gone for my interview.. we are just waiting for acceptances/rejections now!

I know someone from SDN who was in third year, had a GPA of 3.6 and did well on the OAT (360, 350 I think).. he got rejected right away.. didn't even get an interview.

So we think the year actually matters a lot.. the fact that you are second or third year (by the time you apply) might put you to a disadvantage.

In fact, at my interviews, there were plenty of grad students.. as you know, there are only 90 spots and it's the only optom school in Canada that teaches in English, so it's very competitive.

Anyhow, goodluck!

yeah I thought my chances were going to slim of getting in waterloo after only my third year. Oh well, i recently looked into ICO. I guess ill do some research on that school because it gives a bachelors of vision to people who enter early like pacific does. However I have only really looked into waterloo and pacific so i guess ill do some more research.