ICO vs. SCO

[Optometry 101_102]

Hi!

I'm having a hard time deciding between ICO and SCO.
I really like both schools and I've had a great time talking to professors and faculty. I'd love to hear some opinions from people.

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[blain85]

I'm currently a first year at ICO and it's amazing here. I've not visited SCO but I've heard great things about that institution as well. The course load is ( I would imagine) heavy at any of them but the professors are quite helpful in explaining topics and encourage questions and are always hosting virtual or in person time to help students who need guidance. If you plan on practicing in a bigger-ish area, Chicago might be a good place to attend as their is a large and diverse group of people that visit the IEI, which, is attached to the school. So, it would expose you to several different types of patients you could encounter when at a practice.

 

[Optometry 101_102]

I'm currently a first year at ICO and it's amazing here. I've not visited SCO but I've heard great things about that institution as well. The course load is ( I would imagine) heavy at any of them but the professors are quite helpful in explaining topics and encourage questions and are always hosting virtual or in person time to help students who need guidance. If you plan on practicing in a bigger-ish area, Chicago might be a good place to attend as their is a large and diverse group of people that visit the IEI, which, is attached to the school. So, it would expose you to several different types of patients you could encounter when at a practice.

Thank you so much for the reply! I know you said coursework is hard at any institution, but curriculum at ICO seems to be especially intimating to me personally as it is quarter system and has about 8 courses per quarter(saw it on website, but I might be wrong). How hard, would you say, is to maintain a 'good' GPA there with a minimum of 3.4? I'm worried that I might not achieve that even if I try. Is it something that is hard to achieve after putting the best effort? or would you say it is doable if you try?

 

[blain85]

We do use quarter systems here and it does make it seem like its coming incredibly fast. For our first quarter we have 5 courses (19cr hour) and then 2nd quarter is 23 credit hours (1 extra class, 6 total I think) and it stays about that average for the first couple years. If you've been exposed to the material before I wouldn't imagine it'd be too bad. All of our tests so far are have been around 30 questions with a few fill in the blank or choose 2 thrown in, depending on the professors style. I had a 3.3 in undergrad majoring in biochem. I do not have that here, this is professional level courses though. Additionally, they don't teach (for the most part) straight memorization, it's more application and HOW the process occurs. So it's a different style for sure. If you did well in undergrad and have a solid grasp on the topic, I would say it's doable to maintain a 3.0+ average.