PCO or NOVA

[drft]

Hello all,

I just got accepted to both NOVA and PCO, and I was wondering which I should go to. Please HELP!

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[avalon91]

I visited both schools this year. Both had very nice facilities, and seemed like solid programs. There were a few pros and cons that really stood out to me:

PCO:
Pros: Epic clinic, 2.5 clinical years instead of only 2, well-established reputation, very smooth/organized flow, small "cozy" sort of campus, near a train station to Philly.
Cons: Low entering class OAT/GPA scores (does anyone know why?) the city and its suburbs can be dangerous, higher cost of living.

Nova:
Pros: Near the beach, hot weather/sun year-round, very many professional students of different disciplines, nice gym/campus, awesome/friendly faculty (esp. admissions), and a few cool housing options nearby.
Cons: Kind of a weird suburb area (doesn't seem walkable), Fort Lauderdale has a strange touristy/plastic feel (at least, I thought so), and a more limited externship selection.


Does anyone know which school is stronger academically? PCO spends less time in the classroom apparently, and I've heard that mixed things about Nova's academics, though their entering stats look better.

 

[Digitalized]

I visited both schools this year. Both had very nice facilities, and seemed like solid programs. There were a few pros and cons that really stood out to me:

PCO:
Pros: Epic clinic, 2.5 clinical years instead of only 2, well-established reputation, very smooth/organized flow, small "cozy" sort of campus, near a train station to Philly.
Cons: Low entering class OAT/GPA scores (does anyone know why?) the city and its suburbs can be dangerous, higher cost of living.


Does anyone know which school is stronger academically? PCO spends less time in the classroom apparently, and I've heard that mixed things about Nova's academics, though their entering stats look better.

In reply to the low entering scores: These schools are all businesses as well, and when your business isn't doing as well (older equipment, less advanced labs and technologies, problematic board scores) as some others you get fewer of the strongest applicants wanting to be a part of your program. It doesn't mean that you don't get any strong applicants. I know that some of my friends and I didn't quite realize that the school was no longer top dog or we would have looked elsewhere. With that being said, there are a lot of smart people in the PCO program, but it is a red flag. Being around the longest doesn't meant that you're still the best. PCO does spend less time in the classroom, which is probably one of the reasons that they don't do as well on the academic portion of the national boards. The curriculum is often rushed and stressful. Clinical portion is better. You get to see a lot of different diseases. Can't speak for NOVA, but I think their program is five years, which seems to me like it might be less stress inducing. Also, consider your overall costs. I know people on here don't always like hearing this stuff about PCO, but this is just how things are. I'm just trying to give you some info and answer your questions.

 

[avalon91]

Interesting input- is there a particular school you wished you had gone to?
And about PCO's issues, aren't PCO's board scores about average? And isn't their clinic new?

By saying the curriculum is rushed/ stressful, do you mean that it is simply too much to cram into 1.5 yrs?

Sorry to bombard you with questions, but this could really help with my decision as well.

 

[Digitalized]

Interesting input- is there a particular school you wished you had gone to?
And about PCO's issues, aren't PCO's board scores about average? And isn't their clinic new?

By saying the curriculum is rushed/ stressful, do you mean that it is simply too much to cram into 1.5 yrs?

Sorry to bombard you with questions, but this could really help with my decision as well.

I think that quite a few students feel this way, yes. Sometimes there is so much material on an exam that you basically have to cram. You don't get to digest the material very well, if that makes sense. I always got the sense that everything was rushed. No matter how intelligent a group of people is, some concepts and techniques require time to learn well. The clinic is newly renovated and looks nice, but the academic building is rather old with older lab equipment and less technology than some other schools. I wish I had gone to SCO or ICO. I usually hear pretty good things from their students. PCO also has a really big class size, and there were times where smaller classes and more personalized instruction could have been very beneficial. If PCO didn't have the huge price tag, I wouldn't be so down on them. I know that everyone is different, and I'm not saying that you can't learn at this school, but I do think that it's important to let people know about the flaws because it's a big investment of time and money and everyone deserves to have as much knowledge as possible on the subject. Good luck with your decision. Feel free to send me a private message if you want to discuss this further.

 

[avalon91]

That makes a lot of sense. I have generally only heard good things about every optometry school, so its good to hear a rational, honest criticism of some aspects of PCO.
I also have wondered about the cost of tuition there, because it is one of the highest. I think they average about 32-33k, and PCO is nearly 36, so of course one would expect state-of-the-art technology.

Thanks for the info, its really much appreciated.

 

[optogirl81]

Nova's program is only 4 years. However, they do have an extended program that is 5 years for people with special circumstances (family, etc.). I love it at Nova..I'm an OD2 right now. The faculty and professors are amazing and very smart. I do not feel rushed at all since academics are split between 3 years. First year was mostly basic sciences and some opto classes. Second year is all opto classes plus pathology and pharm. Third year will be one day of opto classes, 4 labs and clinic. Forth year is completely clinic. We do take a few general science classes with Dental students - it's nice, I like being able to see different students during the day.

As for living in Davie (suburb of Ft Lauderdale) - it's pretty nice, it's quiet, most things are close by. Lots of grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. Going out in Ft Lauderdale is perfect - It's about a 10 minute drive. The Ft Lauderdale airport is about 10-15 minutes from campus. The beach is 10-15 minutes away! Also, Miami is only 30-40 minutes away

 

[optogirl81]

Oh as for clinic/experience, I know we get to see a lot more disease and glaucoma, etc. because we get a lot of patients from the islands & pts who have never been to an optometrist before. I know a lot of the graduates loved that about Nova - they felt more prepared & felt they could tackle it all !

 

[steviey2493]

Super hard choice. My only beef with Nova is the curriculum, staying in classes another 2 years straight before clinic stuff. PCO has wayyyy more externship sites, you could also do those elsewhere! But Fort Lauderdale is really beautiful, and Nova will definitely be cheaper in the long run!

 

[angelica17]

Hello all,

I just got accepted to both NOVA and PCO, and I was wondering which I should go to. Please HELP!

Hey,

I stuck with the same decision as you. I was wondering if you can tell me what school you decided and your experience so far.

 

[generallyspeaking]

Go to Nova. You're welcome.