Hey guys, I have gotten into both SCO and Nova for the entering class of 2018 and I am having a very difficult time making a decision. Both schools have pros and cons. What I like about Nova is definitely the location, integrated curriculum, newer facilities, nice faculty, and great board scores. Also florida is very diverse so i will see an array of patients.What I dislike is the cost of the school and the cost of living in Florida. Also since its a newer school I don't know how that is viewed by hiring optometry practices. What I like about SCO is their state of the art eye center , the cost of living and the tuition is lower than other school. They also have nice facilities and great faculty. What I dislike is the fact that it's a solo optometry school not integrated with any other programs which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Also Memphis is very sketch and a little scary and unsafe. If anyone who has attended these schools or currently enrolled can please give me some insight as to your experiences and why you chose your school that would be very helpful ! Thank you so much
SCO or Nova?
- Thread starter beansmd
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2013
- Messages
- 33
- Reaction score
- 8
Go to the cheaper one. Plus you are becoming an optometrist. Not a vet or a dentist or anything else. What purpose is there in integrated classes? Plus with SCO's established history, you have a bigger network.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2012
- Messages
- 314
- Reaction score
- 29
NOVA had its first class start in 1989...that is probably before you were born. I don't consider that to be "new." Sure, SCO was 1932, but is 1989 really that new compared to RSO, Midwestern, Western, and MCPHS?
I never even interviewed at any other school, only SCO. so I can't really tell you the pros and cons. However, I can tell you my experience with SCO:
The whole "safety" thing comes up a lot. Sure, it's Memphis, and that sounds scary, but I doubt you'll be living in the projects. The school itself has a a fantastic security team, and they really keep an eye on things. The parking lots are patroled, and access to the campus is by keycard only. I've never even given safety a second thought while on campus. What you do with your free time, though, is on you. Like any big city, be smart and don't go to shady areas.
I actually chose to live ouside of Memphis in the "nicer" surrounding town of Bartlett. Even then, my commute is only 20 minutes in the morning.
As far as the school itself, you start with a retinoscope in your hand on day one. The curriculum is very clinical driven, and optometry is the only thing we do. Some may prefer more integrated curriculum, but frankly I like the fact that all my professors are optometrists. And our board pass rates are fantastic. We have all new pre-clinic labs, and the Eye Center is second to none. We have a long heritage of graduating top notch optometrists, so you can't go wrong with SCO.
That's my 2 cents!
The whole "safety" thing comes up a lot. Sure, it's Memphis, and that sounds scary, but I doubt you'll be living in the projects. The school itself has a a fantastic security team, and they really keep an eye on things. The parking lots are patroled, and access to the campus is by keycard only. I've never even given safety a second thought while on campus. What you do with your free time, though, is on you. Like any big city, be smart and don't go to shady areas.
I actually chose to live ouside of Memphis in the "nicer" surrounding town of Bartlett. Even then, my commute is only 20 minutes in the morning.
As far as the school itself, you start with a retinoscope in your hand on day one. The curriculum is very clinical driven, and optometry is the only thing we do. Some may prefer more integrated curriculum, but frankly I like the fact that all my professors are optometrists. And our board pass rates are fantastic. We have all new pre-clinic labs, and the Eye Center is second to none. We have a long heritage of graduating top notch optometrists, so you can't go wrong with SCO.
That's my 2 cents!
Wow!!! Thank you so much for all the wonderful information about SCO. It's good to hear from a current student . That really helps me alot in making my decision. Plus you can't beat the tuition at SCO and the cost of living. And like you said with any big city there will be good parts and bad parts. I think once I live there I will get more familiar with the area.
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2014
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 7
Exactly how much cheaper is SCO than Nova?
SCO is around 19k for a regional seat and 29k non regional. If you don't get a regional seat upon acceptance they may have a seat open later and the tuition could be lowered. Housing seems to be more affordable in Memphis than Florida as well.
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2013
- Messages
- 259
- Reaction score
- 107
does SCO give you "in state" tuition after the first year like some other schools? and is there a difference between "regional seat" and "in state" tuition? (probably the same thing i'm guessing).
also, do they have dorms/student housing at SCO? maybe you can live there the first year because usually, those are more secure than apartments. and then that'll get you familiar with different areas of memphis once you've settled there for a year.
also, do they have dorms/student housing at SCO? maybe you can live there the first year because usually, those are more secure than apartments. and then that'll get you familiar with different areas of memphis once you've settled there for a year.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2011
- Messages
- 376
- Reaction score
- 5
People think living in Florida is super expensive. It can be-if you live like a baller in Miami. None of us do. It was WAYYYY less for me to come to nova than PCO or SUNY. Didn't apply to sco so I don't know what to say about it there.
Integrated classes are meh, but at least you don't see ONLY the same 100 people from day 1 until graduation. In my opinion that would get old FAST. I came from a 40,000 undergrad so even a full private undergrad campus + Novas grad campus seems tiny.
Ps. We're not a new school. New schools are the 4/5 that just got accredited and the ones that haven't even been. Having been around for 25 or 30 years is a solid chunk of time to get a program out of the ground. We won student bowl at AOA and consistently have kick ass board scores so were doing something right.
Integrated classes are meh, but at least you don't see ONLY the same 100 people from day 1 until graduation. In my opinion that would get old FAST. I came from a 40,000 undergrad so even a full private undergrad campus + Novas grad campus seems tiny.
Ps. We're not a new school. New schools are the 4/5 that just got accredited and the ones that haven't even been. Having been around for 25 or 30 years is a solid chunk of time to get a program out of the ground. We won student bowl at AOA and consistently have kick ass board scores so were doing something right.
@ drumstix, yes regional versus non regional is somewhat similar to in state and out of state tuition. TN has contract seats with some states that they allocate each year. Now SCO doesn't have graduate dorms but most students tend to live off campus and within 20 minutes of the school
@Blondiechick919, I have heard great things about the Nova program too and it is definitely one of my top choices which is why I'm having a hard time making the decision. If you don't mind me asking, what are some highlights about nova and why did you choose to attend the school? Also what's the average cost of housing around Nova? Thanks
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2013
- Messages
- 259
- Reaction score
- 107
so students that are TN residents get "regional" tuition rate? i'm just trying to understand if there are 3 different levels of tuition at SCO ("regional" vs. "non-regional" vs. "in-state" rates) or if there are just the 2 (of "regional" rate vs. "non-regional" rate)?
as everyone else has also said, go to the cheaper school. it's the same OD degree at the end of the day 4 years from now.
Yes, regional is essentially the same thing as in state tuition in a sense. They are a private school so they don't really offer any tuition cuts to TN residents . I understand going to a cheaper school but I also want to be happy with the area that I live in too. This is really tough
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2014
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 7
It's not like the school is located around a ghetto right? If you use common sense and stay away from bad areas at night you'll probably be fine.
Also if you save money from tuition, cheaper housing that'll be a lot in the long run. And if you like the appeal of better facilities, newer equipment and the established reputation SCO has then I think it's pretty obvious which way you're leaning already.
Also if you save money from tuition, cheaper housing that'll be a lot in the long run. And if you like the appeal of better facilities, newer equipment and the established reputation SCO has then I think it's pretty obvious which way you're leaning already.
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2013
- Messages
- 259
- Reaction score
- 107
Seriously. Seems like SCO is the best option to go with, at least from where I stand after taking everything mentioned into account. ICO is in Chicago and that's a rough city too (has a rough reputation) but that doesn't stop people from going there and that doesn't take anything away from their excellent reputation. Samething with SCO.
True, very very true statements. Thank you for all of your guidance, advice, and tips. It makes my decision a lot smoother. I will take all of your comments into consideration when I make my decision. Thank you so much
