Hi all, I'm having a really tough time choosing between ICO and Midwestern IL's CCO. What draws me to ICO is that it has been around for a long time and receiving a degree from there is reputable. I also loved Midwestern's school and faculty, but the drawback is that it is not fully accredited yet. For those of you considering Midwestern, how confident are you in their accreditation status? Would you risk going there? Or would you rather go to ICO?
ICO or CCO Midwestern?
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fruitydelight
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Hi! I'm also having the same problem. Exact same reasons as you. A part of me wants to go to CCO though. Facility is nice, and I'm confident they'll get accredited. They get accredited once they get their first graduating class. I don't think any school has not gotten accredited before. And there's no way they aren't going to have a graduating class. So yea I'm pretty confident. But yes, I am still taking the gamble. I like to try new things and I think CCO isn't as sketchy as people make it look. There's a lot of potential in the school and they've already got residency rooms set up (I think you already know from the tour). And they can't have residencies without ofcourse, being accredited first. So everything sort of happens after their graduating class. I'm planning on taking the risk, and I personally believe that it's not so much where you go, but how you carry yourself. A nice school name like ICO under your belt looks nice but doesn't mean going to CCO will make it impossible for me to succeed post-graduation. I'm the type of person who likes to take risks and I like the modern look on the facility. The clinic being off-campus isn't a big deal to me. So yea, altogether I haven't made a final decision but im leaning towards CCO. This is like my second* post so I'm not sure how in depth I can go about myself...but you can always DM me for more.
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That makes a lot of sense! I definitely really liked the faculty and thought they were really easy to get along with. I agree with you about how they have a lot of potential! Your thoughts definitely helped a lot, thank you! Have you committed there already?
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I'm taking the "gamble" also. Midwestern itself has a great reputation and has a lot of programs that have been around for a long time. I highly doubt CCO would not get accredited. It is a fantastic school with a faculty that is eager to teach.
fruitydelight
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I already completed their deposit and matriculation and stuff. I dont actually know if there's a button to fully commit? If there is please let me know, I dont want to miss anything D: .I just sent my transcripts to them a couple weeks ago but not all of them have arrived so im just waiting on that. I applied fairly late to Western (just sent my app yesterday) because im from CA, so my family would like me to stay close if possible. But if I dont get into western then yes i'll commit to CCO. On a side note, just for anyone else who was interested why I like CCO is because I'm a reapplicant and I've been through both last cycle and this cycle's interview. Their interview was way different during that time. It was MMI style, and the tour session was so long, it wasn't great. I was even reluctant to interview this time around but after coming, I noticed there were significant changes. Different people interviewed me. CCO must have listened to student feedback on the interview session since the previous cycle on how to improve and it ended up being a 1v2 interview the second time around. (Me + 2 interviewers) and it was very casual, closed file, and friendly. It wasnt a 2 minute MMI interview where I was pressed on time, not able to include details about myself, etc. This time felt a lot better. You have plenty of time to chat and tell your experiences. So I like how they have the mindset of "how can we improve, what can we do better" and listening to students feedback. I wont go too long with the details but if anyone would like to know more they can just message me.
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deleted936320
Anyone here commit to CCO
odfuturedoc
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Source?
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deleted936320
doesn’t mean they won’t get accredited. it’s better than western and MCPHS right now lol
Hi,
I have also recently got accepted to Midwestern University but the tuition is the highest among other schools. I have a couple of specific questions about CCO but I am not able to direct message you
Like others have mentioned i would be cautious of CCO, i am an ICO student and we have all heard from profs that CCO is needing like major help increasing boards rates otherwise they wont get accredited, last years boards was something like 60%
They only have 3rd year optometry students I mean this would be the first graduate students and they have not taken the board yet if they do that will be the first time taking the board exam. How do you they need to increase board rates, even though they have not taken the board yet? Or am I missing something here!
Preoptometry550
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I agree--this seems off/fishy. Their students haven't taken boards yet so so how is another school saying they need major help? I've heard that their students work closely with AZCOPT with boards preparation which is pretty cool. AZCOPTs first time pass rate last year was over 90%! I was impressed with CCO's campus and program. Yea, tuition is on the higher side, but all the technology and resources is a plus and they have a smaller class size!
I think so because I had an interview last week with Midwestern university located in Downers Grove, IL. They only had 3rd year students and some of them were responsible to give us a tour and have lunch with us. They said they have not taken the board yet but they are going to write it soon. Meanwhile, the school has been there for a long time but the optometry department started in 2016 so the first graduating class will be at the end of 2020.
Preoptometry550
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Yea, if I recall they opened in 2014, but first class started in 2017 (so they'll be graduating in 2021). I'm between CCO and ICO, but I'm leaning towards CCO!
I'm a current CCO student and yes, the highest class we have so far is 3rd years. The clinic has been established for years before the school opened so they have a good patient base. Also, I know the 3rd years have rigorous board prep and even have preparatory class for it thats in their schedules. They spend half the time in the clinic and half taking electives and prep for board.
The faculty is amazing and extremely qualified. Since we are part of a larger Health sciences university, our basic science classes like immunology or physiology are all taught by non-OD experts in those fields while the Optometry classes are all taught by ODs. We switch professors within classes as well. For example, our one Physiology course can have 2-3 professors depending on the specific lecture topic (ex: PhD in cardio for our cardiology topic, pulmonologist for lungs, etc)
Yes, the school is new but honestly it means nothing when you see the qualifications of the faculty and staff here. The dean and academic team are extremely receptive to feedback from students and are constantly changing to based off of our requests and feedback. If anyone has more specific questions about MWU you can always private message me.
In general, I love the school.
The faculty is amazing and extremely qualified. Since we are part of a larger Health sciences university, our basic science classes like immunology or physiology are all taught by non-OD experts in those fields while the Optometry classes are all taught by ODs. We switch professors within classes as well. For example, our one Physiology course can have 2-3 professors depending on the specific lecture topic (ex: PhD in cardio for our cardiology topic, pulmonologist for lungs, etc)
Yes, the school is new but honestly it means nothing when you see the qualifications of the faculty and staff here. The dean and academic team are extremely receptive to feedback from students and are constantly changing to based off of our requests and feedback. If anyone has more specific questions about MWU you can always private message me.
In general, I love the school.
I am a student at CCO and just wanted to say I agree with everything LUC78 stated. It is a great program and the faculty/administration have done a great job assuring we are receiving the best education possible. Although nervous, CCO has very much prepared us for boards, and as a 3rd year (inaugural class) I already feel confident in my skills and knowledge to be successful after graduation.
