To those last two posters who are attending IU may I ask why you chose that school? What you liked about it compared to other schools and where else you may have interviewed? I interviewed/ are interviewing at NOVA, NECO and ICO but also got an interview at IU and OSU and am just curious on your thoughts or comparisons between these! Thank you!
And congrats on your acceptances!
Hello! I interviewed at NOVA and Pacific and turned down interviews at ICO, Ferris State, and UMSL. Ultimately, any school you choose is going to be good, and so I based my decision mostly on where I could see myself living for the next few years - or longer.
I attended the University of Wisconsin for undergrad, and Bloomington reminded me a lot of Madison. Being part of a bigger university will help ease my transition from undergrad to optometry and help me feel like I am part of something bigger. Bloomington is not as big as Madison, though, and it also seems to be much cleaner and safer. Also, the people at IU were extremely friendly and approachable, and they even invited me to attend an optometry get-together they had going on the weekend of my interview. As they say, "you'll know when you know," and with Indiana, I knew! They are in the process of remodeling, too, and it will all be done when we arrive in the fall. Very cool!
I chose not to attend NOVA because I felt like I was on vacation the entire time. The Florida weather is nice, but I feel like I want to go to places like Florida to "get away," and if I am in Florida I might feel like I am on vacation and I am not confident that I would give my studies the proper attention with an ocean nearby. Also, I felt extremely overwhelmed the entire day, and I did not get a good vibe from my one-on-one interview despite the fact that they ended up accepting me. The school itself is located in a higher traffic area, and Fort Lauderdale was kind of a zoo to navigate. Though I had an amazing weekend in Florida, it was not a home for me. The way they have their program set up is really cool, though, because you take some of your classes with other disciplines (dentistry, etc.), which adds a new dimension to your education. Also, their facilities are AMAZING and brand new - so that's a perk!
As for Pacific, it was just too dreary. Also, I was not impressed with the on-campus facilities. The town is very run-down, and it seems that the economy out there is quite depressed. Also, there is a lot of farm land, so it seems like things are way too spread out. There are 6 clinics, but they are not all in close proximity. The people there were very receptive, and they have lots of cool research going on there!
Biggest suggestion: attend as many interviews as you think are necessary to find a place where you feel most comfortable. People on here can give you their advice, but it's your own personal experiences that will speak the loudest.
Good luck!
