Interviews at SUNY & PCO

[JAB1215]

I have interviews at both PCO & SUNY next week (my first interviews ever). I was wondering if anyone who interviewed at either of these schools could give me some information as to what these two interviews were like? I know interview days are all-day events, consisting of the actual interview, tours, & lunches with current students.
I was hoping to get some insight as to the structure of the actual interviews. I thought I read online that PCO's interview is closed file? Is this true? Also, is it a panel interview or just a one-on-one? When I signed up for an interview date it asked me how many guests I was bringing, do people typically bring their parents with them on these interview days?
Also in regards to SUNY (my top choice), I was also hoping to get some info on the structure of their interview. I believe theirs is open file, with a panel of 3 interviewers? I know SUNY is super competitive & I'm sure their interview is intense; therefore, if anyone can give me an idea of what it was like for them interviewing at SUNY that would be awesome!
Also, I have read some previous posts on here mentioning writing an essay during their interviews? Is this something that optometry schools used to do during their interviews but have now stopped? I have only heard about them in some of these posts from about 10 years ago.
Thanks!!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[car guy doc]

Can't speak for SUNY, but I just had PCO yesterday. Super chill... don't worry about the interview at all, it was one-on-one but everything he asked had to do with optometry future/challenges/opportunities for the field -- pretty obvious stuff. The only interview style question he asked was what qualities do I have that make me a good leader. Be prepared to talk about any weak spots on your application, it was open file, but honestly, do not worry about it. According to my parents, I was in and out in like 10 minutes. I think the hardest part of the day was the student tour guide asking us questions lol, those questions felt more like an interview than the actual interview itself haha. The school felt very homey and every faculty member I encountered was incredibly welcoming and friendly.

As far as writing an essay on the spot, ICO still does this -- not sure if you applied. But it was very easy, and nothing to worry about. Just know yourself and your application so you actually have things to reference. I'm sure if other schools do this, it will be the same, theyre just making sure you have critical thinking abilities

 

[ODplease]

SUNY does not make you write an essay at the interview. I had my interview about two weeks ago, and the three faculty members on the panel were very nice and welcoming. It was open-file, so the questions they asked me were very simple. Why SUNY? Why Microbiology (my major)? Tell us about your shadowing experience and extracurriculars. I also asked them a lot of questions about the school and how students handle living in the city and balancing their studies. I felt like the interview went by really fast. I was very nervous right before because I was the first to go in my group that day, but the panel was very chill. The interview was probably about 30 minutes, and after that, you wait for everyone else to finish and then you go on a student-led tour around the building. You eat lunch, go to your financial advisement meeting, etc. Don't be nervous. They can't really ask a tough question because they really just want to get to know you. Good luck!

 

[JAB1215]

Can't speak for SUNY, but I just had PCO yesterday. Super chill... don't worry about the interview at all, it was one-on-one but everything he asked had to do with optometry future/challenges/opportunities for the field -- pretty obvious stuff. The only interview style question he asked was what qualities do I have that make me a good leader. Be prepared to talk about any weak spots on your application, it was open file, but honestly, do not worry about it. According to my parents, I was in and out in like 10 minutes. I think the hardest part of the day was the student tour guide asking us questions lol, those questions felt more like an interview than the actual interview itself haha. The school felt very homey and every faculty member I encountered was incredibly welcoming and friendly.

As far as writing an essay on the spot, ICO still does this -- not sure if you applied. But it was very easy, and nothing to worry about. Just know yourself and your application so you actually have things to reference. I'm sure if other schools do this, it will be the same, theyre just making sure you have critical thinking abilities

Thank you for your reply and your help!! Do parents come with you on the interview day to PCO? I saw that when I scheduled the interview it asked for the number of guests you were bringing so i was a little confused.

 

[JAB1215]

SUNY does not make you write an essay at the interview. I had my interview about two weeks ago, and the three faculty members on the panel were very nice and welcoming. It was open-file, so the questions they asked me were very simple. Why SUNY? Why Microbiology (my major)? Tell us about your shadowing experience and extracurriculars. I also asked them a lot of questions about the school and how students handle living in the city and balancing their studies. I felt like the interview went by really fast. I was very nervous right before because I was the first to go in my group that day, but the panel was very chill. The interview was probably about 30 minutes, and after that, you wait for everyone else to finish and then you go on a student-led tour around the building. You eat lunch, go to your financial advisement meeting, etc. Don't be nervous. They can't really ask a tough question because they really just want to get to know you. Good luck!

Thank you for your help!!! I was also wondering if SUNY asked any scenario-style questions on the interview? Like, "if you knew someone was cheating in your class what would you do?" - type of questions?

 

[car guy doc]

Thank you for your reply and your help!! Do parents come with you on the interview day to PCO? I saw that when I scheduled the interview it asked for the number of guests you were bringing so i was a little confused.

I brought both, but you dont need to

 

[ODplease]

I went alone and so did the rest of the applicants that were there that day. They did not ask me any of those scenario questions. They were all questions about myself and why I wanted to go to SUNY.

 

[tt2022]

I have interviews at both PCO & SUNY next week (my first interviews ever). I was wondering if anyone who interviewed at either of these schools could give me some information as to what these two interviews were like? I know interview days are all-day events, consisting of the actual interview, tours, & lunches with current students.
I was hoping to get some insight as to the structure of the actual interviews. I thought I read online that PCO's interview is closed file? Is this true? Also, is it a panel interview or just a one-on-one? When I signed up for an interview date it asked me how many guests I was bringing, do people typically bring their parents with them on these interview days?
Also in regards to SUNY (my top choice), I was also hoping to get some info on the structure of their interview. I believe theirs is open file, with a panel of 3 interviewers? I know SUNY is super competitive & I'm sure their interview is intense; therefore, if anyone can give me an idea of what it was like for them interviewing at SUNY that would be awesome!
Also, I have read some previous posts on here mentioning writing an essay during their interviews? Is this something that optometry schools used to do during their interviews but have now stopped? I have only heard about them in some of these posts from about 10 years ago.
Thanks!!!

How did your interviews go? Mine are this week!

 

[JAB1215]

How did your interviews go? Mine are this week!

The interviews went well - I got accepted to both SUNY & PCO. Both interviews are laid back & are nothing to stress too much over. The PCO interview was extremely laid back & was one-on-one with an admissions counselor. They asked more questions centered around optometry in general, as opposed to personal questions about myself. I was asked questions like, "what challenges have I observed in the field of optometry through my shadowing?" "Who is someone I regard as a leader?" "How do I plan to give back/ get involved during my time in optometry school?" I was then given a scenario & was asked how I would react in that situation. Overall, the PCO interview was definitely nothing to stress over. As compared to SUNY though, the PCO interviewer seemed to be expecting/ evaluating my answers on the spot, as she would respond with "good" or "excellent" after each question, so it really was not much of a conversation/ getting to know me on a more personal level. My PCO interview seemed really short, it honestly may have been 10 minutes.
However, my SUNY interview (which I was the most nervous about), was much more conversational-based, & you could tell that the interviewers really just genuinely wanted to get to know you more as a person - they weren't evaluating or judging any answers I gave. SUNY interview was a panel of 3 faculty members at the college. Two of the interviewers asked me about two of the classes I took that had unusual titles, as they were curious & wanted to learn more about them. I was also asked "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" Other than that, it was really just a conversation that was based off of the answers I gave. I then asked them questions that made for even more conversation. SUNY interview was definitely much more professional (but still laid back) as compared to the PCO interview. I think my SUNY interview lasted for about 30-40 minutes

Good luck on your interviews!!!

 

[ssulim1]

Hey!
Thanks for your feedback on the interview. I felt like mine went similarly. I was wondering how long it took you to get a reply back from SUNY about your acceptance. Thanks for the help

Safia

The interviews went well - I got accepted to both SUNY & PCO. Both interviews are laid back & are nothing to stress too much over. The PCO interview was extremely laid back & was one-on-one with an admissions counselor. They asked more questions centered around optometry in general, as opposed to personal questions about myself. I was asked questions like, "what challenges have I observed in the field of optometry through my shadowing?" "Who is someone I regard as a leader?" "How do I plan to give back/ get involved during my time in optometry school?" I was then given a scenario & was asked how I would react in that situation. Overall, the PCO interview was definitely nothing to stress over. As compared to SUNY though, the PCO interviewer seemed to be expecting/ evaluating my answers on the spot, as she would respond with "good" or "excellent" after each question, so it really was not much of a conversation/ getting to know me on a more personal level. My PCO interview seemed really short, it honestly may have been 10 minutes.
However, my SUNY interview (which I was the most nervous about), was much more conversational-based, & you could tell that the interviewers really just genuinely wanted to get to know you more as a person - they weren't evaluating or judging any answers I gave. SUNY interview was a panel of 3 faculty members at the college. Two of the interviewers asked me about two of the classes I took that had unusual titles, as they were curious & wanted to learn more about them. I was also asked "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" Other than that, it was really just a conversation that was based off of the answers I gave. I then asked them questions that made for even more conversation. SUNY interview was definitely much more professional (but still laid back) as compared to the PCO interview. I think my SUNY interview lasted for about 30-40 minutes

Good luck on your interviews!!!

 

[JAB1215]

Hey!
Thanks for your feedback on the interview. I felt like mine went similarly. I was wondering how long it took you to get a reply back from SUNY about your acceptance. Thanks for the help

Safia

I actually got my acceptance email from SUNY the day after I interviewed. My interview was in October though, so I may have heard back so quickly because it was pretty early in the cycle