making the right choice.

[jdom29]

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which should i pick - sco or ico and why?

please list pros and cons, i am having a really hard time deciding.

 

[Eyecrazy]

I would also like to know reasons for choosing either. I really liked ICO's facilities the best and the fact that they have the RC, which is super convenient. However, I'm also having a tough time deciding. :/

 

[Shnurek]

OK, here's a breakdown:

SCO

Pros:
Medical optometry - ocular disease focus
Wide scope of practice in Tennessee and neighboring states (e.g. Kentucky)
Low housing costs
Low tuition
Excellent campus and friendly people
Gender ratio is almost 1:1

Negs:
Memphis is not very diverse: 66% african-american so a lot of glaucoma but not enough diversity of other pathology
Memphis: crime, high murder rate


ICO

Pros:
Located in a somewhat diverse area so more diverse pathology

Cons:
Rotations at commercial sites like Lenscrafters
Big class size
Gender ratio skewed

Don't know too many more things about ICO someone else can fill them in if they wish. I'd personally go to SCO since its more rural but ICO is good if you like more urban. (I went to SUNY to save $$$)

 

[319671]

whats RC?

 

[jdom29]

residental complex, basically their dorms

 

[janedoe88]

OK, here's a breakdown:

SCO

Pros:
Medical optometry - ocular disease focus
Wide scope of practice in Tennessee and neighboring states (e.g. Kentucky)
Low housing costs
Low tuition
Excellent campus and friendly people
Gender ratio is almost 1:1

Negs:
Memphis is not very diverse: 66% african-american so a lot of glaucoma but not enough diversity of other pathology
Memphis: crime, high murder rate


ICO

Pros:
Located in a somewhat diverse area so more diverse pathology

Cons:
Rotations at commercial sites like Lenscrafters
Big class size
Gender ratio skewed

Don't know too many more things about ICO someone else can fill them in if they wish. I'd personally go to SCO since its more rural but ICO is good if you like more urban. (I went to SUNY to save $$$)

I think I would pick ICO cause:
1. I met alot of ICO students at my internship in a private practice in California and they all seemed really intelligent and well-prepared for the job.
2. ICO also seems like it has a better reputation.
3. Safer place to live and much less crime.
4. more urban/city with more entertainment- Memphis just seems like the worst place in the US to live (no offense).

 

[Shnurek]

4. more urban/city with more entertainment- Memphis just seems like the worst place in the US to live (no offense).

I agree, Memphis kinda sucks but most students live in the suburbs and commute in. Also, it depends on your definition of entertainment. If you like outdoorsy stuff then Chicago may not be for you.

 

[hockeystar123]

I had a hard time choosing between SUNY and ICO, but here some of my reasons for choosing ICO in comparison to SUNY and SCCO (in no particular order):

1. RC: convenient and a good way to interact with future colleagues
2. Well established: I believe it's the oldest, or one of the oldest, optometry schools
3. Private school: better facilities, library, classrooms, etc
4. Faculty are student-friendly: you'll feel welcomed and comfortable
5. Clinical experience: in a big city you're more likely to encounter patients of various backgrounds, socioeconomic classes, etc. They also have a 100% pass rate on the third part of the board exam which is the clinical skills exam.
6. High pass rates on board exams: the entering OAT scores for ICO are very average (definitely not as high as Berkeley or SUNY), but ICO students do very well on boards which assures me that these students might not be amazing test-takers, but that they are very well prepared.

In my opinion, one of the biggest cons about ICO is the cost and large class size. However, if you're toward the smarter end of the spectrum, you may get a scholarship. I was also able to get over the large class size (~160 students/class) because I think if you're smart enough to get accepted, you'll be fine here. They have a note-taking program, tutors, office hours, etc. too though if you're struggling. The labs only have about 25 students which is reasonable.

Take everything into consideration, but go where you feel comfortable. Hope that helps!

 

[caitsiex]

Just to clarify something Shrunek said, ICO DOES NOT have externships at commercial sites. That was a rumor going around last year that never played out. I definitely recommend ICO!

 

[DawgOD]

1) Memphis statistically has a higher crime report because the city reports EVERY single incident that occurs.. something most cities do not do. They report crimes according to the "National Incident Based Reporting System" so most rates reported are inflated in a sense compared to others.

2) ICO's school is not in the best location, so in all honesty the reasons associated with crime is a wash. JMHO. I didn't look up the actual crime rates, but Chicago is notorious for high crime just as much as Memphis. It is a nice city though.

3) Most students do NOT commute to school. Most students stay on Mud Island which is roughly 5 minutes away from campus.

4) In regards to pathology.. How did you come up with that? Just curious if you actually have something of substance to back your statement up.

5) ICO has dorms which is cool. You are right across the street from school. But I mean we are all adults. I'd rather have my own spot to live.

6) SCO is the only school to have an Advanced Procedures Theater and Digital Observatory that houses state of the art Lasers (YAG, Argon, SLT, and Surgitron) where students can view procedures from both the doctor's and patient's perspective. Pretty cool set up.

7) SCO is about to build new state of the art classrooms as well. I won't go into all the details, but they will definitely impress.

8) SCO's Eye Center.. One of the largest of its kind. 72 Exam rooms.. Specialty suites.. Vision Therapy, Ocular Disease, Contact Lenses, Pediatrics, Low Vision, Adult Primary Care, Ophthalmology Suite ..

I mean at the end of the day.. both schools are great. I'm a little bias of course 🙂 but SCO does a great job of preparing their students.

 

[Shnurek]

6) SCO is the only school to have an Advanced Procedures Theater and Digital Observatory that houses state of the art Lasers (YAG, Argon, SLT, and Surgitron) where students can view procedures from both the doctor's and patient's perspective. Pretty cool set up.

Pretty awesome. I actually regretted not going to SCO at one point but I did save like around $20,000 a year because of living at home and tuition difference (OOS)😀 I wonder if you can transfer in as a 4th year seeing as its basically just clinicals and I'll def consider them for residency. Sorry didn't know about the Mud Island thing, is it nice?

 

[hockeystar123]

Just to clarify something Shrunek said, ICO DOES NOT have externships at commercial sites. That was a rumor going around last year that never played out. I definitely recommend ICO!

A few of our family friends graduated from ICO and some of my friends are at ICO right now, and they have all also said ICO does NOT have externships at commercial sites.

 

[DawgOD]

Pretty awesome. I actually regretted not going to SCO at one point but I did save like around $20,000 a year because of living at home and tuition difference (OOS)😀 I wonder if you can transfer in as a 4th year seeing as its basically just clinicals and I'll def consider them for residency. Sorry didn't know about the Mud Island thing, is it nice?

Mud Island is relatively nice.. There are some newer apartments/ townhomes etc.. and then you have some older ones that may be just okay to some.. Convenience is key though. 5 mins from school. You really can't beat that.

and one of the good things about mud island is that you are practically living with other future professionals. There are dentistry students, medical school students, etc etc..

 

[Caerulus]

Instead of making new thread, I figure I jump on this one....sorry OP =)

What would a break down between Pacific University (Oregon) vs Waterloo (Canada) look like?

The most obvious one is:

1. Cost of attendance which favors Waterloo

But:

2. Weather/West Coast lifestyle
3. Clinical experience favors Pacific (from what I have read/heard, especially binocular vision)