MCPHS? Opinions

[steviey2493]

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I have an interview at MCPHS on December 10th. I have been accepted to PCO also. Just wondering what people have thought about MCPHS that have been there?

The facilities look brand new, and you start clinical work in the first year.

It is a new school yes, but MCPHS has a ton of successful medical graduate programs, with multiple campuses around Massachusetts. How is the area around the school? Was it organized and professional?

I've read that people that hire for jobs don't make a HUGE deal about your school. It is the same OD degree.

Thoughts?! Thanks!

 

[Blondiechick919]

Can't say anything about mcphs, but I disagree about "it's the same od degree". I've asked many a doctor about this and they think the new schools are watering down the pool of applicants. And you can't be certain the education you get at a new program will be the same as it is at an established school. You can basically guarantee it won't be. Patients also won't know to go to the clinic and extern sites will be limited. If you have been accepted to PCO I would say forget about the unaccredited schools.

 

[jwilso88]

Hey Stevie, I would go to the interview and pick the one that feels like the right fit for you!

 

[steviey2493]

Thanks for the answers guys! I might cancel my interview there. I looked at their tuition to see if I'd be saving any money trying it out, but its $1,000 more than PCO!!!!!!! Blondiechick, how do you like Nova? I've heard mixed reviews, but I love Fort Lauderdale, my mom used to live there!!

 

[sky019]

Another thing for MCPHS. I'm the first here here. All of my classmates got scholarships from our GPA. That's something you can also think about. Not sure if they will give out for this entering class though

 

[ChocolateRun]

A lot of doctors are not happy about these new schools of optometry and they are also unestablished. So unless you want your only option to be Lenscrafters or America's "Best" I suggest you don't go.

An OD is not an OD whether you like it or not. These new schools might produce students that are able to pass the boards, but that doesn't tell you the whole story. Any doctor worth their salt will tell you that a lot of private practice is experience and you are simply not going to get that experience going to one of these new schools. I highly disagree with jwilso. For any job that is not Lenscrafters or America's Best, an actual OD is going to be doing the hiring, not some random manager. You are going to have a lot more weight if you and the OD share an alma mater. With these new schools, you are not going to find any alumni support out there.

 

[Blondiechick919]

A lot of doctors are not happy about these new schools of optometry and they are also unestablished. So unless you want your only option to be Lenscrafters or America's "Best" I suggest you don't go.

An OD is not an OD whether you like it or not. These new schools might produce students that are able to pass the boards, but that doesn't tell you the whole story. Any doctor worth their salt will tell you that a lot of private practice is experience and you are simply not going to get that experience going to one of these new schools. I highly disagree with jwilso. For any job that is not Lenscrafters or America's Best, an actual OD is going to be doing the hiring, not some random manager. You are going to have a lot more weight if you and the OD share an alma mater. With these new schools, you are not going to find any alumni support out there.

This has been the reaction I have seen from every doctor I worked with. I applied in '11 for the fall '12 admission and there were 4 newbie schools (which are now accredited) and my mentor docs told me to not even bother applying. Too much resentment.

 

[Rain Clouds]

Yep, remember that PCO will have a huge alumni network for you to draw off of after graduation. How big of an alumni network does MCPHS currently have? None.

 

[mathcod]

My biggest concern as a student applying to a new school would be the quality of instructors. The other schools have instructors that are in the top of their field - they do CE courses for other ODs, publish literature and do research, and have taught for years and have received years of feedback to best instruct. New schools might have good doctors but that doesn't guarantee they know how to teach or have the same clinical pearls/perspective as other gurus.

Analogy: It is possible that Harvard may have a single very ****ty and uneffective professor in its faculty, and an unaccredited college may have a super effective instructor, but generally speaking I'd bet Harvard would have the better faculty overall.

Also I don't think "clinical work" as a first year is that important, for this school or any school. I can't imagine it amounting to anything that would totally revolutionize your overall clinical ability because the skills and knowledge base just aren't there yet for a first-year, so I doubt the role is anything more than something mundane. It's 3rd and 4th year where clinic time is the most important: 3rd year because you have perspective and you are expected to discuss and handle your case with supervision of your preceptor based on your acquired knowledge, and 4th year when you begin your efficiency seeing 10+ patients a day instead of 2/week. A first-year in clinic simply cannot do very much at all, and I would doubt clinical work as a first year would be anything useful except for shadowing.

And there's nothing wrong with shadowing; but you can shadow any time you want by just simply asking to shadow somebody, whether in clinic or in lab.

 

[drumstix]

Also I don't think "clinical work" as a first year is that important, for this school or any school. I can't imagine it amounting to anything that would totally revolutionize your overall clinical ability because the skills and knowledge base just aren't there yet for a first-year, so I doubt the role is anything more than something mundane. It's 3rd and 4th year where clinic time is the most important: 3rd year because you have perspective and you are expected to discuss and handle your case with supervision of your preceptor based on your acquired knowledge, and 4th year when you begin your efficiency seeing 10+ patients a day instead of 2/week. A first-year in clinic simply cannot do very much at all, and I would doubt clinical work as a first year would be anything useful except for shadowing.

And there's nothing wrong with shadowing; but you can shadow any time you want by just simply asking to shadow somebody, whether in clinic or in lab.

i've also heard that this actually detracted from some people's studying because it was basically time wasted sitting in a clinic not doing anything but sitting around and watching patients with doctors (just like shadowing more or less).. i'd rather use that time to study (and all the time i could get from how much studying is involved) rather than just shadow.. clinical experience is built into the curriculum at the time it is most beneficial to students, so why try to make it sound like something flashy when it really isn't?

 

[jjl123]

Hi, I just had my MCPHS interview this week, and after touring the school (which was literally 10 minutes. I was so disappointed) I would say that it is not worth it to goto MCPHS if you have a choice to attend somewhere else.
The school is "big", as in there's lots of MCPHS buildings. However, you're only going to be inside ONE building. literally one. and the size of their eye clinic is so tiny compared to other universities. Also, there's no STATS about the college graduates, so why would you risk it? It's not even accredited...