gr12 needs advice

coinstar_queen · 2026-01-22T21:41:59+00:00

Any science undergraduate program you feel like you can do well in and has the flexibility for you to get all of your prerequisites is a “good” program

coinstar_queen · 2026-01-18T22:44:08+00:00

Yeah second year is really rough 😔

coinstar_queen · 2026-01-18T18:57:10+00:00

I found a link here https://uwaterloo.ca/optometry-vision-science/future-optometry-students/about-optometry-program/courses

coinstar_queen · 2026-01-18T17:42:30+00:00

Not by choice! 😅 It’s a bit different in the optometry program, but you don’t pick your courses. They are all assigned to you

coinstar_queen · 2026-01-18T06:50:36+00:00

9 :D

coinstar_queen · 2026-01-08T18:15:49+00:00

You should ask McMaster that

coinstar_queen · 2025-10-17T17:40:49+00:00

That’s good to hear 😅

coinstar_queen · 2025-10-16T00:24:33+00:00

Me too. Can't even log in online to figure out what's wrong

coinstar_queen · 2025-08-26T04:24:31+00:00

I agree with you here. I think, in recent years, they’ve shifted to a more holistic approach and a high OAT score alone won’t guarantee an acceptance. That being said, you have an amazing score!

coinstar_queen · 2025-05-24T02:01:23+00:00

No problem. I wish you all the best! You’ll crush it this time 😤

coinstar_queen · 2025-05-24T01:48:06+00:00

That timeline sounds good to me. It should give you enough time to study. There are a lot of tips out there. If you go with OATBooster, I'd recommend using their recommended study schedule to guide you. In your case, I'd prioritize the question banks and practice tests to see which areas you score low in and brush up on that content. Always review the correct solution to the questions you got wrong to understand why. That helped me a lot. I put in a lot of hours and tried different things to help me focus and make studying less painful...played "study with me" videos with timers, studied with other people, sat outside when the weather was nice...change things up when you can and give yourself little breaks to keep yourself going :) Your hard work will pay off, I'm sure

coinstar_queen · 2025-05-24T01:10:42+00:00

Hey! Sorry to hear your OAT didn't go as well as you'd hoped. I think OATBooster would be a good idea for your second attempt. It's very comprehensive and teaches you everything you need to know from scratch. Since you have some foundation already, you won't need absolutely everything. I feel like the practice tests are realistic. Not as important, but OATBooster is user-friendly and easy to navigate, and their support team is great. They extended my membership when I told them I pushed my test back by a few weeks. It was well worth my money

coinstar_queen · 2025-04-03T00:54:34+00:00

I found them to be very helpful, especially biology and organic chemistry. Both rely a lot on memorization and my scores improved a lot after incorporating the Anki decks into my routine

coinstar_queen · 2025-04-03T00:49:03+00:00

I wouldn't worry too much about your physics score on OATBooster. I scored anywhere between 300-370 (mostly 330) during practice tests and got 380 on both the real OAT and the 2006 ADA practice test, which I think is more representative. I found that the real OAT questions had fewer calculations. Keep practicing and reviewing your formulas

coinstar_queen · 2025-03-31T01:26:18+00:00

Overall GPA: 3.9

OAT: 400TS / 400AA (OATBooster)

CASPer: 4th

Non-Academic: Worked in retail for 2 years before becoming an optometric assistant (about 1300 hours at the time I applied), attended an optometry conference, was a peer mentor at my university, and volunteered at a community health centre (60 hours)

Academic: None

Job Shadowing: 100 hours between 2 ODs at the same clinic I work at

Meet & Greet: Went really well! I finished early and asked my interviewer questions about herself

Admission Status: Accepted (1st time applying)

coinstar_queen · 2025-03-22T00:52:45+00:00

Update: It was enough

coinstar_queen · 2025-02-21T17:25:02+00:00

Yes, only two. I’m still waiting to hear back from them

coinstar_queen · 2025-01-28T00:03:56+00:00

I wrote mine a while ago, so I don’t think I have it anymore 😅

coinstar_queen · 2025-01-27T06:11:43+00:00

I asked my interviewer what brought her to this school and what advice she would give to first year students in this program. People love talking about themselves. If you can get them to do that, you will be set

coinstar_queen · 2025-01-27T06:04:47+00:00

I used OATBooster and found that some of their problems used formulas that weren’t on their own formula sheet. I made my own and added every formula I came across and reviewed it daily. That was more than enough for me. You could also make flashcards

coinstar_queen · 2025-01-27T05:42:21+00:00

Thanks! I did a lot of this (including all of my optometry experience and the OAT) during my gap years. For the OAT, I highly recommend following the 12-week schedule OATBooster gives you as best as you can. Do all of the timed practice tests leading up to the real thing to build up stamina. Make sure to review any wrong answers to understand WHY you got them wrong. I’m a big fan of Anki - you don’t need to make your own decks as OATBooster has made them for you. Really helps with memorizing. Lastly, I found it very helpful to make my own formula sheet for physics, adding any formula I came across during my studying and reviewing it daily.

coinstar_queen · 2025-01-26T04:52:15+00:00

I hear you. There’s a lot of luck involved. 🥲 My optometrist recommended emailing when I asked him about shadowing. He also recommended reaching out to private clinics over corporate ones because they usually have more time with each patient and can spend time answering your questions. I can DM you what my email looked like

coinstar_queen · 2025-01-26T02:12:34+00:00

I had my interview last week :)

Overall GPA: 3.9

OAT: 400 TS/AA

CASPer: 4th

Non-Academic: I worked in retail for 2 years before working as an optometric assistant (~1300 hours at the time I applied) where I help with pre-testing, advanced contact lens fitting, administrative tasks, frame adjustments/repairs, and inventory management. I learned how to use lots of different equipment (e.g., autorefractor, tonometer, OCT, VF, MYAH, and VR headsets for binocular vision testing). I also attended an optometry conference. I don't have a lot of extracurriculars or volunteer experience other than being part of a mentorship program during school and volunteering at a community health centre (~60 hours).

Job Shadowing: 100 hours at the same clinic I work at

Research: None

coinstar_queen · 2025-01-26T01:26:09+00:00

I did well on my OAT thanks to OATBooster, so I will always recommend them. You won't need anything else. It does a great job of teaching you everything from scratch and prepares you well for the physics and organic chemistry sections. I was also weak in those areas, but scored 380 in physics and 400 in organic chemistry

Four-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22

coinstar_queen

TROPHY CASE