ICO interview

[pre_opt_sku]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I got an invite for an interview at ICO. Any interview advice?? Are there any current/former students that want to tell me about their experiences at ICO? Thanks!

 

[PreOptMegs]

When is your interview scheduled for? I am waiting for one...

 

[pre_opt_sku]

When is your interview scheduled for? I am waiting for one...

It isn't scheduled yet...they start scheduling them next thursday. I just got the e mail today inviting me for an interview and to call next week to schedule it.

 

[SoxTown]

I got an invite for an interview at ICO. Any interview advice?? Are there any current/former students that want to tell me about their experiences at ICO? Thanks!

My first piece of advice - wear comfortable shoes! Not always the most fashionable choice, but you will be taking a walking tour of the school and will want to be as comfortable as possible.

The interview was very laid-back; It was about 45 minutes, very conversational, however, the Professor who interviewed me is no longer at the school.

So as far as advice goes, try to relax during the interview, and make sure you're wearing comfortable shoes!
Good Luck!

 

[Dr4eyes]

I got an invite for an interview at ICO. Any interview advice?? Are there any current/former students that want to tell me about their experiences at ICO? Thanks!

CONGRATS!!! wat were ur stats?? and did u turn in ur secondary application already??

 

[al-majhul]

I got an invite for an interview at ICO. Any interview advice?? Are there any current/former students that want to tell me about their experiences at ICO? Thanks!

I interviewed at Chicago last year. I was accepted, but I ended up going to UCBSO. I'll tell you what I remember about my interview. I actually had the dean of admissions as my interviewer (point is he had an incredibly large and nice office).

The interview was actually really smooth for the most part. Try to relax as much as possible for the interview -- don't think of it as an interrogation (which is the way a lot of people said that was the way their Chicago interviews felt). See it as a conversation instead. Preparing yourself for this mentally I think is key.

Do a bit of research on the school. Things like "where their professors come from" is an example of something I decided to look up before going to each interview. I used it as a way to take hold of the conversation, especially when the interviewer wants to know what you know about their school (or even when they ask you if you have questions about the school).

At my Chicago interview, the interviewer sort of challenged me in a kind of sneaky way to see how much I knew about the profession. I don't remember the details of the question, but he proposed a scenario of an optometrist he knew in Florida who was making something like $120,000 a year and he wanted to know what I thought about that. Well, I knew 120,000 is possible for an optometrist to make, but it's on the rather high end of salaries. So I explained about what more average salaries tend to be, and he agreed with me and sort of hinted that it was a trick question because he said it in a way that assumed that six-figure salaries were common. Look out for those types of things.

I believe Chicago also has a short writing exercise before the interview. It's nothing you need to prepare for, the topic is general enough.

If I can remember anything else about it, I'll try to repost.

Good luck!

 

[pre_opt_sku]

CONGRATS!!! wat were ur stats?? and did u turn in ur secondary application already??

GPA = 3.9
OAT AA = 360
OAT TS = 360

I haven't turned in my secondary application yet. I will get it done this week so that it will get there asap (mail is slow from canada eh??) ICO is my #2 choice (behind Waterloo) so hopefully all will go well!

 

[jefguth]

I would suggest actually asking the admissions office who your interviewer will be. They may not be able to give you a definate answer but it certainly helped me move the converstation along by already knowing what the interviewers interests are.

Depending upon who actually conducts your interview you could have a very different experience. I was interviewed by a faculty member that mostly does clinical education to third year students so like al-majhul it was mostly conversational. We discussed what I had done to prepare for optometry school, what some of the present challenges are in the profession (both in canada and the US), education at ICO, what the prof did at ICO and her areas of interest, etc. By the end of the interview she had only a few of those annoyinhg standardized questions to ask like - I thought my responses were mediocre, but they seemed to care little weight given the rest of the interview. However, if you're interviewed by a non-OD staff member like the director of admissions or a PhD instructor you might expect to encounter more of those standardized questions and less conversation. That tends to be the trend I'm hearing from my classmates anyways.

As for the writing sample, I wouldn't be to concerned about it (I'm absolutely positive mine was illegiable!), but last year it was mainly about what you would be able to offer ICO as a student. You might want to think about that.

 

[pre_opt_sku]

Thanks everyone for your advice!