Hi all, I am struggling with choosing one of these 3 schools: PCO, NECO and ICO. I got in all of them and I need to decide by next week. But my next interview at SCCO is in November.
I'm an international student and I won't be eligible for government loan. I am studying at a university in California right now. I want to practice in the US after graduation from OD school. All of these programs have things I love about.
PCO has great clinical program (18 months externship and all the diseases we can see from patients) and they give me some scholarship (not much though). Also the living expense might be slightly lower in Elkins Park?
NECO has the most diverse student population, and Boston is beautiful. Their outreach clinical program is unique as well.
I love ICO's curriculum because they have a tough first year and a less tough second year, so that students can gradually switch into clinical education in their second year. It's also very convenient to have all the facilities on campus (dorm, clinic).
I really can't decide. I have to admit that I also want to check the schools in California because they have small class size.
For each school, is it hard to get good GPA? I know GPA does matter a lot when matching the residency program. My major at my undergraduate school is really competitive so my GPA isn't that high, so that might be the reason ICO didn't give me scholarship. I also heard it's hard to get good GPA in ICO, is it true?
I'm sorry that I have too many questions. I try to know more about all parts of these schools. Since I'm alone in the US, the location of the school doesn't really matter. So I won't need to consider to be close to my family or something. And I don't mind getting a car for either PCO ot SCCO. Any advice will be appreciated, thank you very much!
I'm an international student and I won't be eligible for government loan. I am studying at a university in California right now. I want to practice in the US after graduation from OD school. All of these programs have things I love about.
PCO has great clinical program (18 months externship and all the diseases we can see from patients) and they give me some scholarship (not much though). Also the living expense might be slightly lower in Elkins Park?
NECO has the most diverse student population, and Boston is beautiful. Their outreach clinical program is unique as well.
I love ICO's curriculum because they have a tough first year and a less tough second year, so that students can gradually switch into clinical education in their second year. It's also very convenient to have all the facilities on campus (dorm, clinic).
I really can't decide. I have to admit that I also want to check the schools in California because they have small class size.
For each school, is it hard to get good GPA? I know GPA does matter a lot when matching the residency program. My major at my undergraduate school is really competitive so my GPA isn't that high, so that might be the reason ICO didn't give me scholarship. I also heard it's hard to get good GPA in ICO, is it true?
I'm sorry that I have too many questions. I try to know more about all parts of these schools. Since I'm alone in the US, the location of the school doesn't really matter. So I won't need to consider to be close to my family or something. And I don't mind getting a car for either PCO ot SCCO. Any advice will be appreciated, thank you very much!
Last edited: