I just had my first day of classes here at PCO. Classes began at 9am and ended at 4:45 today; they were still getting us oriented. Tomorrow is when we go into the real thing: anatomy, genetics in optometry & Medicine (just to name a few), and then we go to the eye clinic. Yes, it's only the second day; they're going to start us in the clinic already. The fall class schedule seems very intense. We have exams scheduled every Mondays and a couple of Fridays throughout the first semester. The volume of information will be massive; but that's expected of any professional school. As far as housing goes, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I live across the street from school. The walk from my apartment to school is 7 minutes total; 2 of these minutes is spent waiting for the elevator (I live on the top floor). The neighborhood the school is in is relatively safe. The area where the clinic is at is not, but that's where there will be many eye pathologies. They tell us that by the time we graduate, we will have seen 3,000 patients. They also have implemented a clinical tracking system where they will track each and every one of our patient encounters. So far, I have the feeling that PCO will prepare me thouroughly for the optometric profession. I am confidant that they will prepare me to be a skilled clinician as well as a business owner. By looking at the syllabus and the curriculum, I can tell you that the next 4 years won't be cake walk. The schedule that I received today shows me that I will start classes at 8am and finish at 9pm everyday. This is quite a load; however, just having gone through this weeks orientation and first day of classes, I can say that I am comfortable with the curriculum as well as the school. I can honestly say that I have made a wise decision. You should definitely give PCO some thoughts. If you get a chance, visit the campus and talk to the admissions officers. Good Luck!
