This might be helpful for some of you UHCO people who are still waiting for interviews:
Apparently, UHCO didn't use to give interviews. They do it now more as a formality than anything. In other words, if you got an interview invite, youre pretty much accepted. Just dont show up drunk. While is this a lot less pressure to kick ass on interview day (which really isn't as much an interview as it is a casual chat with a prof and a student), it probably also means you have to wait a very long time before they invite you. They only invite those they know they want.
As for the process of how they pick who they want:
GPA + OAT = your "score"
ex: say you have a 3.0 and you scored a 320 on your total oat. your score is 620.
anything above a 700 youre pretty much guarenteed (again, dont show up drunk on interview day).
anything above 650 is competitive, etc etc.
Essays are just to see if youre literate in english. Also, make sure your personal statement essay is very, well, personable. Dr. Perrigin was saying how he hated reading crap about "i knew i wanted to be an eye doctor since i was five!". make it funny. make it memorable. they read crap loads of them.
For those of you preparing for your interview, relax. you start the day with a tour and they show you around like you already accepted (here are the microwaves. here is where you'll park. seriously.). Then lunch with faculty and current opt students, then you split up and each applicant goes with his/her respective faculty member and opt student and you chat for half an hour (what are your study habits like, what are your hobbies, blablabla). then you go to ANOTHer interview (exit interview) and they ask you your thoughts on how the process was and they hand you (most of you) an acceptance letter right then and there.
hope that helps.
