What is your current position and/or program?
I am a graduate of the Doctor of Optometry program at the University of Waterloo and have started working as an Associate Optometrist at a private clinic in Ottawa’s west end as of September 2018.
What stood out about your experience in Carleton’s Department of Neuroscience?
There are a few aspects that stood out in particular for me regarding the Neuroscience program. The first was how diverse the subjects and material were that you get to cover and learn. Multiple courses in both Biology and Psychology comprised my degree with diverse subjects focusing on sex, drugs, sensation and perception, stress, etc. There was a great opportunity to focus and customize your degree with subjects you wanted to learn. The other great part about the program was how intimate it was in regards to relations between students and professors. The instructors were all very kind and eager to help in your education and always easy to meet to discuss anything you needed. These two aspects came together for me when I wanted to do my honours research paper on retinal ganglion cells. There was no one at Carleton studying the visual system in great detail but my supervisor was more than willing to let me write on that subject while researching it himself so he had a better basis with which to help guide me.
Do you have any advice for current or incoming students?
I think my advice would simply be: explore. Look at all the different courses available and try whatever interests you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or guidance from the professors, program directors, etc. Everyone in Neuroscience wants you to succeed.
Do you have any advice for students pursuing optometry?
First and foremost, look into shadowing some optometrists. In Ottawa, the optometry community is quite friendly and more than willing to have people watch and teach them about our field. It’s also a great opportunity to see what the field actually entails. It’s a lot more than just prescribing glasses and neuroscience gives you an amazing foundation for what you’ll need to know later on!