Opinions on Illinois College of Optometry

[sweetie02]

Hi!

Can anyone on here tell me their opinions on the Illinois College of Optometry? I would appreciate some input from current or past students of ICO! I have been hearing some bad things about it and I thought it was my first choice school. Thanks!

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[Squint]

use the search function on here and you will find lots

 

[BuckeyeICO]

I am a proud graduate of ICO and have nothing but great things to say about the school (except for the price of tuition).

 

[prettygreeneyes]

I applied and was accepted at ICO for the Class of 2010. Pacific was a better fit for me personally, but I loved the clinical education at ICO, and the city of Chicago is amazing!

Hopefully some current students will chime in, but do check out the Ambassador program thread at the top of this forum. A current student, illuminate, is an ambassador and would be happy to answer your questions!

 

[Magician99]

oops wrong thread

 

[jefguth]

cons: no wifi on campus yet, very little problem based learning (execpt with a few profs that inject some PBL into lectures), little dedicated prep time for boards (but that is supposedly changing), library does not have direct access to a number of somewhat obscure medical journals (but you can order individual articles), located in rough neighbourhood, living in Chicago is easily very expensive

pros: awesome exposure to very interesting clinic patients, a good number of very good and dedicated instructors

 

[docwatson]

Hi!

Can anyone on here tell me their opinions on the Illinois College of Optometry? I would appreciate some input from current or past students of ICO! I have been hearing some bad things about it and I thought it was my first choice school. Thanks!

I'm getting off on a tangent here but my suggestion is to always go for the least expensive school and find a way to get in-state tuition. I believe all of the schools are more or less equivalent as far as educational value.

We just don't make enough money to support the incredibly huge loans that people graduate with. But you do what you feel that you have to do. Just some words of wisdom..

 

[paremyd]

I agree with Doc Watson.

The money you save could be tremendous.

If you feel like the education/learning experience is important, then do a residency when you get out.

Then take all of your experience and apply them in private practice.

 

[sweetie02]

Well thanks for the input! I was wondering if optometry schools were ranked based upon the best education. I'm assuming all of them provide a great education.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Well thanks for the input! I was wondering if optometry schools were ranked based upon the best education. I'm assuming all of them provide a great education.

There is no official ranking of schools. Even if there was, it would be bogus in my opinion because the factors that some organization names most important could be on the bottom of my list. Go where you will be the happiest, and where you will do your best learning over the next four years. If that place is the cheapest, all the better for you. Each school gives you the same degree, giving you the same practice opportunities.

 

[in_translation]

I'm an ICO student - I picked ICO because we have one of the most diverse clinic experiences around. Clinic is on the south side of Chicago, with a large Medicare patient base and lots of ocular disease going on. They say if you don't see it while you're at ICO, you probably won't see it in your practice later on.
Just talked to an alum last week and she said she opened a practice with another student - graduate of a different optom school which shall not be named, so as to not start an argument around here. She said the other OD even admitted she felt less comfortable dealing with many of the more complex issues in clinical practice. It wasn't that she hadn't heard about them, or didn't know how to deal with them - she just didn't have much first-hand experience. Our alum had had the experience and therefore felt more comfortable dealing with a wider range of patients.

Have you interviewed there yet? Whatever you're hearing, I think you might change your mind after your interview day. Keep an open mind.

Just my two cents.
Good luck!

 

[docwatson]

I'm an ICO student - I picked ICO because we have one of the most diverse clinic experiences around. Clinic is on the south side of Chicago, with a large Medicare patient base and lots of ocular disease going on. They say if you don't see it while you're at ICO, you probably won't see it in your practice later on.
Just talked to an alum last week and she said she opened a practice with another student - graduate of a different optom school which shall not be named, so as to not start an argument around here. She said the other OD even admitted she felt less comfortable dealing with many of the more complex issues in clinical practice. It wasn't that she hadn't heard about them, or didn't know how to deal with them - she just didn't have much first-hand experience. Our alum had had the experience and therefore felt more comfortable dealing with a wider range of patients.

Have you interviewed there yet? Whatever you're hearing, I think you might change your mind after your interview day. Keep an open mind.

Just my two cents.
Good luck!

in-translation...

Just curious... You paid twice as much so that you could get a diverse education??? Why not pick a less expensive school? I went to THE least expensive school at the time (UHCO in '95), and I think I got a pretty good education. Although, frankly, I think the school clinics are a waste of time. The real education occurs in two places: Externships and after graduation.

I mainly was just biding my time until I got out. Felt like it was not only a barrier to getting a license but also a prison sentence!

Wonder if any professors or other officials at UHCO reads these forums? If so, drop me a line. I'll tell you want is wrong with your school! It's just a big lovefest isn't it?

 

[prettygreeneyes]

I'm an ICO student - I picked ICO because we have one of the most diverse clinic experiences around. Clinic is on the south side of Chicago, with a large Medicare patient base and lots of ocular disease going on. They say if you don't see it while you're at ICO, you probably won't see it in your practice later on.
Just talked to an alum last week and she said she opened a practice with another student - graduate of a different optom school which shall not be named, so as to not start an argument around here. She said the other OD even admitted she felt less comfortable dealing with many of the more complex issues in clinical practice. It wasn't that she hadn't heard about them, or didn't know how to deal with them - she just didn't have much first-hand experience. Our alum had had the experience and therefore felt more comfortable dealing with a wider range of patients.

Have you interviewed there yet? Whatever you're hearing, I think you might change your mind after your interview day. Keep an open mind.

Just my two cents.
Good luck!

I wonder how many PM's you are going to get requesting the name of the "other" school.

 

[docwatson]

I wonder how many PM's you are going to get requesting the name of the "other" school.

Come on... Every student and every school thinks theirs is the best...

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Come on... Every student and every school thinks theirs is the best...

I don't doubt that they do. But every impressionable applicant afraid of making the "wrong decision" is probably desperate to find out which school the "other" school was.