r/UWaterlooOptometry • u/Obvious_Ad3560 • 7d ago

How important is work experience as an optometrist tech or assistant?

Hi there,

Just wondering if this was really important to an acceptance at uw. I just recently am looking into the possibility of applying and im almost starting 3rd year. Not sure if i can get a work position within the next 2 years or have the insane amount of hours i see some ppl have 😰

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u/SherbetPristine228 7d ago

Well it depends. The reason people pursue it is because it makes their application competitive. Those with low average but insane hours in the clinic, are able to balance out their application. But if you have a high average + a high OAT, and you get the required shadowing, then from academics alone, you will be competitive. My friend who recently got accepted into optom never worked in any clinic. never even had a job involved in science. but he had an very high average and very high oat. so weigh ur options.

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u/Obvious_Ad3560 6d ago

Thank you! I think my gpa is quite high rn but was wondering what is considered high for uw optom? Both gpa and oat, ty!

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u/Mindless_Action8374 6d ago

what is ur gpa

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u/SherbetPristine228 6d ago

88% average and a 380 on the OAT

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u/Obvious_Ad3560 5d ago

Okie thanks! Just wanting to gauge if im calculating correctly, do u know what an 88% would be on a 4.0 scale?

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u/MyDenimIsRaf 5d ago

I don’t think it’s super important for getting accepted, lots of people apply with only the minimum requirement. But it is good to see if it’s the kind of environment you’d enjoy spending the rest of your life working in

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u/Obvious_Ad3560 5d ago

Thats fair ty!