SALUS OR MCPHS????

[am2355]

Hello everyone. I recently got accepted into Salus and MCPHS traditional programs. I just wanted some advice on both schools before I make a final decision. Some information to know: MCPHS has given me a scholarship which essentially covers a whole year of my tuition. I really liked MCPHS but I’m worried it’s a newer school so the connections for our branching and networking won’t be as great as an established school such as Salus. Salus has its own eye institute which was pretty impressive. I’m not sure MCPHS really had that even after visiting both schools. And the clinical at MCP was much newer but smaller than Salus’. The school was a lot newer which means they had the most state of the art technology. After visiting I also enjoyed the city of Worcester which is just outside of Boston more than I did Elkins park, however I do feel like living expenses in Elkins park will be cheaper in the future. I also have a friend who goes to MCP and she has informed me that they’re new boards pass rats was incredibly high (unofficial boards rate for the past year which she was informed by a higher up at the school), however when I went to salus and a few students informed me that their boards passing rate wasn’t as high which is why the school is changing the curriculum completely. I need to make a decision soon so ANY ADVICE HELPS!!!

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[MayaPCO]

It sounds to me based on your post that your mind is made up already! It sounds like you would like to go to MCPHS! I am a current third year Salus student and I could not be happier. Go with your gut!

 

[London22]

Have you applied to NECO? Highly, highly recommend if you like Mass and haven't checked it out.

But to answer your question, I would go with the school that you feel will make you a better clinician. You'll want to form that opinion with a magnifying glass, because it will follow you for the rest of your career. Board scores really aren't something you want to second guess, and I'd proceed with caution if they're giving you any sort of red flags. Optometry school is really difficult and densely packed info that makes undergrad look like a joke, and boards are harder, but much easier to pass when you're set up to do well. Anything below 85% is suspicious to me. That means more than 15% of a schools class was failing in information you'll be using on real patients. Not to scare you but it's definitely something to think deeply about.

MCPHS might offer you a scholarship but Massachusetts is also one of the top 5 most expensive states to live in, so it might cancel out when you do the math for inflated cost of living. I moved across country for school last year, but was born and raised in both the Worcester and Boston burbs. The two are very different since they're 40 miles apart in an extremely dense state. If you ever have any questions I'd be happy to help!