Nova Vs. Sco
- Thread starter orion771
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it's quite difficult for someone to tell you which one to choose, because choosing a school is completely personal. the right school for me may not be the right one for you, and viceversa. do a search of those two schools on this forum to find out more of what you want to know. what is important to you? board passing rates? class size? teaching? school location? school reputation? tuition?
good luck. 👍
good luck. 👍
orion771 said:
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- Pre-Optometry
I'd like to know the dirt on NOVA too..
these 2 schools are my top 2 choices as well.. SCO is a great school--statistically speaking.. however, i just dont think id be happiest here? NOVA had an awesome environment... but i want a quality educational experience.. (i want to immediately practice.. and their pass rates are significantly lower than SCO's)
soooo.. its a really tough call? any one want to chime in??
these 2 schools are my top 2 choices as well.. SCO is a great school--statistically speaking.. however, i just dont think id be happiest here? NOVA had an awesome environment... but i want a quality educational experience.. (i want to immediately practice.. and their pass rates are significantly lower than SCO's)
soooo.. its a really tough call? any one want to chime in??
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I don't know any statistics, but I have been dealing with a similar decision (PCO vs. Nova) and after a lot of advice telling me how great of a school PCO is, I have decided to go to Nova...Like everyone has said, it is a personal decision about where you will be the most comfortable and the most successful. Personally, I plan to study really hard for the boards regardless of where I go. I am from Pennsylvania, so PCO was the expected choice for me, but when I sat down and compared my interview experiences the choice was obvious (in Nova's favor). I was very impressed with the faculty that I met at Nova and the students all seemed very happy with their school. The facilities were really nice and it was in a great location. I personally did not apply to SCO, mostly because I was not interested in living in Memphis for four years, but from what people have posted it sounds like a great school. Good luck with your decision, let me know if you have any questions.
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hey keg106- did you interview in December? I think I may know ya 🙂
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keg601 said:
Good thing you made a decision you like 🙂 I made the opposite as yours. 😉 I loved what I saw at PCO. The faculty was sooo nice, the school is awesome, the clinic is very busy and the current first years I know there are loving every second. Philly is also a nice city, since I come from a big city as well, Toronto.
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I also thought that the faculty member I interviewed with at Nova was great. You always go into an interview hoping that someone is going to like you. We spent most of our time looking at how the school would actually meet my needs as a student. This was a different approach then some of my other interviews. He gave me the opportunity to ask him about some of the negative comments made about the school. All of his answers were very informative and honest. I didnt spend too much time with him but I came out of the interview with an increased respect for the school itself and the faculty at Nova.
Many people on these forums express their own negative opinions. Its really important to make a note of who's making these comments. As a student it is important to realize that all optometry schools in North America provide quality education. I think that it is really important to talk to students at the school you were accepted to and ask them their opinion. Most students speak very highly of their own schools and always give you an honest opinion. They will tell you what is good about the school and what is not so good. You should ask the admissions department at both schools if it is possible to get in contact with some students.
Many people on these forums express their own negative opinions. Its really important to make a note of who's making these comments. As a student it is important to realize that all optometry schools in North America provide quality education. I think that it is really important to talk to students at the school you were accepted to and ask them their opinion. Most students speak very highly of their own schools and always give you an honest opinion. They will tell you what is good about the school and what is not so good. You should ask the admissions department at both schools if it is possible to get in contact with some students.
orion771 said:
In Tennessee we are allowed to give injections into the eyelid and eyeball. This means we can actually practice these procedures instead of just watch them on a video or read about them.
I'm not aware that Florida currently allows either of these (please correct me if I'm wrong).
sco1styear said:
That sounds great and all but I'm not too sure how much an advantage that is unless the state you wind up practicing in allows ODs to do this.
I'm actually trying to decide between SCO and Nova too. My brother goes to dental school at Nova and I've been there. One nice thing is that there are plently of Condos/Apartments just a minute or two from the school and the area is super safe. I've heard the area around SCO isn't safe at all and so most students live a ways a way from campus and therefore have a daily 20-30 minute commute each way to school. That all being said I think I still prefer SCO due to the lower price of tuition and the cost of living in Memphis being less than that in Fort Lauderdale. I am though having an even tougher time deciding these days than I was before cause if you buy a condo in Florida you'll likely make money on it when you leave, as Florida real estate is valuable these days, and the tuition is actually just a tad more than SCO. SCO does though have more scholarships than Nova, I believe. decisions...decisions...
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sco1styear said:
Nova also teaches injectables. I was told that we will practice on each other. Yowza! 🙂 ha
gsinccom said:
Tons of students from SCO and other schools around Memphis live on Mud Island which is just over 10min from school (depending on how you hit the lights). Several students also have bought houses there, but they are in high demand and hard to come by. I had a friend who built a house on the island and sold it a couple of months later and made $30,000 on it!
Plus, the island is super super safe.
The area around SCO isn't the best, it's close to downtown. Right behind SCO there are apartments called the Bristol that are really nice and safe that a few students live in.
There's also an area called Cooper-Young that is less than 10min to school and several people have bought houses and live in that area as well.
