Interview at SALUS/ PCO!

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irisiris

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  1. Pre-Optometry
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Hi all!

Has anyone interviewed at Salus and is able to describe, with some level of detail, how the interview was orchestrated?

All I know is that it is an closed interview, and that the last part of the day is an open interview.

The feedback is very much appreciated!
 
I interviewed there just a few days ago. anyone PM if you want details.
 
I think the school is awesome. The early exposure to clinic keeps me fired up about the profession while the classes do what classes do, challenge me. I believe I'd have a harder time keeping my nose in the books without the reminder of the future & encouragement of the upperclassmen in clinic.

Just my two cents.
 
thanks.I don't feel comfortable giving out too much on the open forum, but there are a lot of issues with the school too
ab
 
Butt-Hurt Troll aside,

Talking to some friends this year, the interview is now open file and 1-1 with a Doctor at the school. They'll take on avg 35 minutes and they're not as hard-nosed as SUNY or SCCO (to name a few). Just be honest and back up your answers with solutions (not excuses). It's a very relaxed time. I'd prefer you to get the student tour guides as they aren't there to "sell" you the school but they may not always be available since they do have schedule conflicts due to practicals and what-not (but not often). Just come loaded with questions for the interviewer and the tour guide and relax.

Addressing the "terrible", yes the school has flaws but their are measures being taken to make the school better. What institution doesn't have flaws? I know people in about half the schools in the US and they all tell me that their school has SOMETHING wrong. You're delusional to think otherwise.
 
guixishiai said:
thanks.I don't feel comfortable giving out too much on the open forum, but there are a lot of issues with the school too
ab
Click to expand...
Says a 31 year old "psychologist" who applied to medical school back in 2011 but is taking the MCAT in 2014? Uhm yeah...

Don't listen to digitalized- he is just another JasonK type who bashes optometry at every chance they get. I don't understand why SDN is not harsher on these types of people.
 
Digitalized said:
What year are you in?
Click to expand...
I'm currently a first year at PCO and so far I'm absolutely loving my experience here. Aside from the excellent academics, the overall atmosphere is awesome. Everyone is friendly and encouraging. I'm not regretting my decision to come here at all.

Also, when I was applying to schools I did a lot of research to figure out which schools where the most prestigious. I found that in the end employers don't really care where your degree is from. So my recommendation is to go to a school that you think you'll love. You'll get an O.D. no matter where you go.
 
Just curious... but does PCO give interviews to anyone or....?
Just deciding if its worth it to attend an interview there or not.... I'm from the west coast.
 
thisguy88 said:
Just curious... but does PCO give interviews to anyone or....?
Just deciding if its worth it to attend an interview there or not.... I'm from the west coast.
Click to expand...
Last year 1119 people applied to PCO. PCO accepted 339 applicants, and 164 slots were filled. I have no idea how many interviews were conducted, maybe around 550? Don't quote me on that. There are 6 people in my class from California and a number of other people who had to travel a long way to get here. Hope this helps. Good luck in your interviews!
 

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member97 said:
Last year 1119 people applied to PCO. PCO accepted 339 applicants, and 164 slots were filled. I have no idea how many interviews were conducted, maybe around 550? Don't quote me on that. There are 6 people in my class from California and a number of other people who had to travel a long way to get here. Hope this helps. Good luck in your interviews!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! I take it that you are attending there? How is it? I know your answer may be biased, but what was your initial opinion about PCO?
Any info would help, thanks!
 
member97 said:
I'm currently a first year at PCO and so far I'm absolutely loving my experience here. Aside from the excellent academics, the overall atmosphere is awesome. Everyone is friendly and encouraging. I'm not regretting my decision to come here at all.

Also, when I was applying to schools I did a lot of research to figure out which schools where the most prestigious. I found that in the end employers don't really care where your degree is from. So my recommendation is to go to a school that you think you'll love. You'll get an O.D. no matter where you go.
Click to expand...
Yes, there are a lot of friendly professors and the classes are usually composed of friendly, helpful students, but you've been here for a few months, please keep that in mind.
 
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IXthEvil said:
Butt-Hurt Troll aside,

Addressing the "terrible", yes the school has flaws but their are measures being taken to make the school better. What institution doesn't have flaws? I know people in about half the schools in the US and they all tell me that their school has SOMETHING wrong. You're delusional to think otherwise.
Click to expand...
Well, a goal of the forum is to help people to determine which school has the least amount of flaws, and from talking with students from other schools (I have real life friends in schools such as SCO and ICO) I can tell you that they seem much happier with what they're getting. But whatever, I don't have time for this anymore. It's not delusional to accept that there are hierarchical levels of quality and that some schools likely really are better than others.
 
So, I'm not one to really post much or anything, but I'm also a PCO person, and I do agree that some things really need to be fixed. It is true that we are paying a ton of money, so I don't know why the more noticeable problems haven't been fixed by the school yet. I know they claim that things are going to change and that they're trying to make things better, so I really do hope that they're being serious and really trying. It sucks to feel that you're not getting your money's worth in regard to certain things, like the state of the equipment. That's just my little thought blurb. Yeah, we don't know what it's like at other institutions, but I do know that a lot of us feel that our undergrad schools were much better organized. Maybe it's an optometry thing...I don't know. But I don't think it's fair to bash people for trying to talk about things that disappoint them. Forums are here to help people gather information, both positive and negative. Good luck to all who are trying to pick schools.
 
thisguy88 said:
Thanks for the info! I take it that you are attending there? How is it? I know your answer may be biased, but what was your initial opinion about PCO?
Any info would help, thanks!
Click to expand...
So far I really like the program. The clinical aspect of Salus is what really drew me here. The Eye Institute (our clinic) recently had a multi-million dollar renovation, and it's actually quite impressive. Salus students start their externships in the second semester of their third year, which is an entire semester before any other school (as far as I know). As a student, I want to get out of the classroom and into the clinic as soon as possible. The clinic isn't very far of a drive. Maybe 10 or 15 mins from campus. And the area it's in isn't that terrible.

I've heard that my next two semesters are going to be pretty intense, buy any upperclassmen I've talked to have been very encouraging about. It's just something you have to get through. I'm sure any optometry school is going to get pretty crazy with it's workload. Overall I love it here so far. It's 100x better than undergrad.
 
Digitalized said:
PM, and I'll try to get to you asap. I don't feel comfortable giving out too much on the open forum, but there are a lot of issues with the school.
Click to expand...
Can you also PM me why you think it's a bad school? I'm interviewing there as well.
 
member97 said:
I'm currently a first year at PCO and so far I'm absolutely loving my experience here. Aside from the excellent academics, the overall atmosphere is awesome. Everyone is friendly and encouraging. I'm not regretting my decision to come here at all.

Also, when I was applying to schools I did a lot of research to figure out which schools where the most prestigious. I found that in the end employers don't really care where your degree is from. So my recommendation is to go to a school that you think you'll love. You'll get an O.D. no matter where you go.
Click to expand...
I definitely agree and have the same thoughts as you do!
 
It's one thing to speak out - but if you wanted change in Salus, all you have to do is petition for change among the student body. If you feel that strongly about it, use your time to do something productive. What I'm seeing here is you coming on the boards and targeting people who don't have the full story of Salus and who are in the process of applying for optometry schools. It's already stressful enough for the application process and you're presenting to them from a biased point of view. Like IXthEvil said, all schools will have their issues.
 
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The PCO clinical portion is very good, and there are a lot of really nice doctors to work with. I'll give them that.
 
Digitalized is telling us his opinion of his/her school. He is not bashing it, and he is not calling out any specific Dr.'s or staff. He does say there are positive aspects of the program as well. Overall, I gather, Digitalized would choose a different school if he could do it all over again and is trying to help you guys before you choose.

Some things you can't change about a school.
 
When I went to PCO I was appalled that I didn't meet with an OD or Dean. I met with a M.Ed and the Associate Director of Admissions. Basically I was accepted because my GPA and OAT were competent enough to satisfy their requirements. What I search for in a program is professionalism (I at least meet with the Dean) and a sense of warmth and welcoming. The students at PCO seemed to be happy just because they were in Optometry school, not because they are going to PCO. That in itself drove me away from the program more than anything. MCO is my home and I hope you find yours 😀
 
I was wondering, how long after the interview did you hear back from PCO?
It's been 2 weeks since my interview & I haven't heard back concerning an acceptance or rejection. Someone at admissions told me it was bc of the snowstorms
 
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