School Impressions from interviwing

[aggie14]

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Howdy,
I know how difficult it is decide which optometry schools to apply to and how expensive it is to travel to interview (especially if you already have an acceptance letter) so I thought it would be nice to share our impressions of visiting/ applying to schools to help others make this choice. I know I hunted for these and read what I could before applying myself- this way the information is up to date.

I applied to five schools and heard back from all of them-
1.) Salus was the first to contact me- their school was gorgeous and the admissions committee was very friendly. I would highly recommend this school but will not be attending here.
2.) Rosenberg- Incarnate Word- The school was very nice and the clinic is gorgeous. The faculty really know southern hospitality and stresses personal relationships. They also offered a very nice scholarship and review students for scholarships yearly.
3.) UH- The faculty has been nice every time I have spoken to them. I went to an open house last year and the facilities are amazing.
4.) Mid-western- I withdrew my application (before the interview) but they were the third school to contact about an interview. The staff was very helpful over the phone when I did call.
5.) ICO- I can not stress enough how much I wish I had not applied to this school. I would highly disrecomend it. I filled out my supplement in the second week in August and have email confirmations for both I and the course work but never heard anything back even though it is suppose to take two weeks. I was then contacted the second week in October reminding me to fill out these forms. I had and paid! I emailed them back letting them know I had filled both out and paid but would like to withdraw my application. They then emailed me back and said I still needed to fill out my coursework sheet. I then called expressing that I upset to have been told this after paying and filling the forms over two months ago and would like to withdraw. The lady was quite rude to me and said they didn't lose my forms but didn't know where they were but they are not lost. Anyways- it was incredibly frustrating not to be given the service (reviewing my application) though I paid for it and not receiving an apology. I can't imagine going to a school where this acceptable. I have heard from fellow students at interviews who went there first it was not an impressive school.

Hope this helps!

 

[drumstix]

Thank you for this -- very helpful list you've compiled.👍

Howdy,
I know how difficult it is decide which optometry schools to apply to and how expensive it is to travel to interview (especially if you already have an acceptance letter) so I thought it would be nice to share our impressions of visiting/ applying to schools to help others make this choice. I know I hunted for these and read what I could before applying myself- this way the information is up to date.

I applied to five schools and heard back from all of them-
1.) Salus was the first to contact me- their school was gorgeous and the admissions committee was very friendly. I would highly recommend this school but will not be attending here.
2.) Rosenberg- Incarnate Word- The school was very nice and the clinic is gorgeous. The faculty really know southern hospitality and stresses personal relationships. They also offered a very nice scholarship and review students for scholarships yearly.
3.) UH- The faculty has been nice every time I have spoken to them. I went to an open house last year and the facilities are amazing.
4.) Mid-western- I withdrew my application (before the interview) but they were the third school to contact about an interview. The staff was very helpful over the phone when I did call.
5.) ICO- I can not stress enough how much I wish I had not applied to this school. I would highly disrecomend it. I filled out my supplement in the second week in August and have email confirmations for both I and the course work but never heard anything back even though it is suppose to take two weeks. I was then contacted the second week in October reminding me to fill out these forms. I had and paid! I emailed them back letting them know I had filled both out and paid but would like to withdraw my application. They then emailed me back and said I still needed to fill out my coursework sheet. I then called expressing that I upset to have been told this after paying and filling the forms over two months ago and would like to withdraw. The lady was quite rude to me and said they didn't lose my forms but didn't know where they were but they are not lost. Anyways- it was incredibly frustrating not to be given the service (reviewing my application) though I paid for it and not receiving an apology. I can't imagine going to a school where this acceptable. I have heard from fellow students at interviews who went there first it was not an impressive school.

Hope this helps!

 

[browneyes22]

what school are you attending 🙂 also what were ur stats. you can pm if you prefer!

I interviewed at pco as well. most of the students I met were really nice. and their clinic is very nice. I can imagine their doctors are really well trained considering the amount of patients they see.
I did not interview at MCO or IU but I went to visit them. I thought both schools were great. but people who are not into small towns may not like it. Both schools had great staff and great clinics.

 

[missbrightside]

wow that sounds like a bad experience at ICO. Let you tell me about my experience with them:
I had an interview there a few weeks ago. Looks like a solid school to me, excellent eye clinic that is attached to the school and a on-campus dorm for 1st years that help them integrate into optometry school better. I still haven't heard anything back from ICO as far as acceptance b/c they mail out your letters of acceptance or rejection through snail mail instead of calling or emailing the decision :/ Anyways... only thing i did not like about ICO was that the lady in the admissions department (might have been the same one who you talked to, aggie14?) was kind of snooty and conceited during the file review on interview day. She asked me "what kind of trend do you notice in your grades in undergrad?" and i said i didn't notice any trend in my grades, they were pretty consistent throughout the 4 years, but i asked her did she notice any trends in my grade? and she said "well i'm asking you" and i thought 'oh excuse mee' that was rude of her, and she covered up the paper that she was writing my answers down on defensively. she seemed squirrely and high-strung to me, lol. Other than that i liked the school and the students seemed very friendly. OH one more thing, the supplemental application for ICO sucks because it is a very long pre-requisite sheet you have to fill out on your computer but it is full of glitches and very difficult to fill out. (plus shouldn't they already know your prerequisites from optomcas?)

SCO: amazing school and facilities! they also have the friendliest people i've ever met (maybe because its in the south) like i'm talking super friendly and nice. The only bad thing is i'm not really feeling the city of memphis that much.

 

[sbabu1]

Thanks for the information, guys! On somewhat of a side note-is there anything that you have to bring to the interview?

 

[02201992]

Missbrightside: with ICO you can log back in to the supplemental application and check your status. It let me know two weeks before I got the snail mail letter that I was accepted.

 

[aggie14]

Missbrightside: That is awful. All of my interviewers have been incredibly nice to me. Remember your interviews are as much as an opportunity for you to interview the school as well. You get to decide where you are going!

sbabu1: No you don't need anything. I would write out a few questions before hand. I have done that and it seems to really impress the interviewer.

 

[missbrightside]

Missbrightside: with ICO you can log back in to the supplemental application and check your status. It let me know two weeks before I got the snail mail letter that I was accepted.

wow Thanks for that info! i just logged in and checked my status! 😀🙂

 

[Kurgen525]

Anyways... only thing i did not like about ICO was that the lady in the admissions department (might have been the same one who you talked to, aggie14?) was kind of snooty and conceited during the file review on interview day. She asked me "what kind of trend do you notice in your grades in undergrad?" and i said i didn't notice any trend in my grades, they were pretty consistent throughout the 4 years, but i asked her did she notice any trends in my grade? and she said "well i'm asking you" and i thought 'oh excuse mee' that was rude of her, and she covered up the paper that she was writing my answers down on defensively. she seemed squirrely and high-strung to me, lol. Other than that i liked the school and the students seemed very friendly. OH one more thing, the supplemental application for ICO sucks because it is a very long pre-requisite sheet you have to fill out on your computer but it is full of glitches and very difficult to fill out. (plus shouldn't they already know your prerequisites from optomcas?)

I just interviewed at ICO recently and had a very similar experience with the admission people from ICO. It was almost over the top in formality, both in action and tone. Kinda reminded me of how teachers might read all the instructions for a standardized test to a class. Very rehearsed and stiff. So they didn't particularly impress me with their personality. Some questions seemed really odd as well. However, with that said, although I was not a big fan of the admissions staff and processes, it's not like you'd really deal with them much once anyone is at the school.

Otherwise I liked all the other aspects of the interview day that you would experience on a daily basis. The students were nice and very candid about the place. I thought the lab and lecture spaces were really quite nice and I did really like how everything is right there. I know people have knocked it for the neighborhood on these boards before, but since I got lost a bit going there I got a chance to see some it. I found the surrounding area to not be as bad as people often make it out to be. Right near ICO is another technical school so the area immediately around ICO is really full of a lot of students so the area seems fine. It seems like ICO gets the bad neighborhood rap from the name of the neighborhood its in rather than what actually is near the school.

 

[snooze]

SCO: amazing school and facilities! they also have the friendliest people i've ever met (maybe because its in the south) like i'm talking super friendly and nice. The only bad thing is i'm not really feeling the city of memphis that much.

An optometrist I shadowed attended SCO and said Memphis was a pretty crap town to live in. I haven't been there myself so I can't add any personal opinion. He liked SCO and the education he received there, but was unhappy about memphis.. Did you interview there?

 

[Sav2448]

Hey everyone!

I have had all great experiences with my interviews and overall application process. I applied to 5 schools and got interviews at each of them, and attended 4 interviews, I got accepted at all 4 of them! I was really excited and I still am, the hardest parts for me were deciding where to go and knowing what they'll ask for the interviews.

At each of the interviews they wanted to know about you, why optometry, nothing super difficult! Very relaxed! (But do prepare some, and have questions to ask!)

(The Interview I did not attend was Nova - and they were nice about me not attending and wished me the best of luck!)

My first interview was at IUSO:
Loved the facilities, they are doing some renovations now and I believe it is going to look great! The faculty, staff, and students were nice and helpful with any questions you may have. The school seemed to have a positive and friendly atmosphere. This was an Admissions Day, not so much an actual "interview" but they did observe you while you were there. This campus is absolutely gorgeous, and has a small town feel being located in Bloomington.

I then went to UABSO:
The faculty and students there were super nice, very friendly. Great clinic. Definitely a southern atmosphere. They wanted you to feel welcome and relaxed. There were two interviews an open and closed file, the interviews were not bad at all. Birmingham area was not what I expected, nice people, not as busy as I thought, has a small town feel in a large city, and the campus is also not located right downtown and is also nice.

Next was SCO:
Yet again the faculty and facilities were all great and extensive. They give you a very elaborate and detailed tour. The student ambassadors were all nice as well. The interviews were also one open, one closed. Neither were difficult, the closed file wanted to know a lot more about you. But overall a great experience. Wanted you to feel relaxed and excited to be there. The Memphis area was definitely a city atmosphere, but the people were nice. Also being able to walk along the Mississippi river was awesome!

Last was OSU:
Once again nice facility, they are also doing some renovations. The faculty were nice and wanted to help you. The campus was beautiful as well, very nice library and recreation center, not to mention the Buckeye's! Interview was a panel of 4, each asked you questions, it was not bad either. They were all interested in you. Great experience as well.

Overall I had a great experience at each of my interviews, the faculty and students at all of them were great and were happy to answer any questions you had. Each gave a good presentation preparing you for finances and living expenses. (Each were just the basic info)

It was difficult for me to decide where I wanted to go, but as I visited each of the excellent schools with great facilities I was waiting on "The feeling" that everyone talked about. I never thought I would have it...But I did! Looking at the schools they were all excellent, I just accepted where I felt like I was suppose to go 😀

You will know 😉

 

[BrandNewSpaces]

I just recently interviewed at ICO and didn't seem to notice any hostility or 'snootiness' from anyone in the admissions department (or anyone else at the school for that matter). The admissions counsellor who interviewed me for the file review portion of the interview day was very friendly, and it felt generally relaxed. She did ask if I noticed any trends in my transcript, but it did not come across as rude or accusatory by any means. I saw it more as an opportunity to either discuss consistency in my grades, or explain any discrepancies, and she seemed quite responsive to what I said (which was not very much as my grades were fairly consistent, aside from a semester with medical issues and course withdrawals). They have a list of things that they need to go over with you, but I don't think that it's done with the intention of putting you in the hot seat. I think it was more to make sure everything was in check (pre-requisites, OAT scores, graduation, etc), and also to understand more about your study habits as optometry is such a rigorous program and they want to make sure that students will be able to succeed academically. Maybe I lucked out with the particular Admissions Counsellor I spoke with, but from discussions with other people who interviewed on the same day as I did, it didn't seem like any of them had negative experiences either.

As for the rest of my interview day, I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed! Everyone that I met -from the gentleman at the admissions desk, to the students who led the tour, the security officers, and the admissions counsellors - was very friendly and made sure that everyone could feel as comfortable as possible, understanding that this can be such a nerve-wracking process. They even asked if anyone would need a cab at the end of the day, and had them ready for us when the day was done (one less thing to worry about)! My one-on-one interview was actually quite enjoyable. It felt like a normal conversation, and I was able to ask several questions and learn so much more about what ICO has to offer to its students. My interviewer was VERY welcoming, was very responsive, and showed genuine interest in my experiences. She even mentioned that if I do end up at ICO next year, she would find me so that we could continue some of the discussions we had. I learned a lot about ICO from my interviewer as well as from the students leading the tour, and realized how many resources and facilities are available to their students!

I'm sorry to hear that others may have had experiences that were not as positive as mine, just try to remember that one person you meet does not necessarily represent the school all together. On a side note, I had emailed admissions several times with different questions while I was working on my applications, and responses from different Admissions Counsellors were always helpful and efficient.

 

[Loptometriste]

I will chime in and say that when I contacted ICO during my cycle, they would not return my phone calls. I wanted to contact them via phone rather than by E-mail. When I noticed after several attempts, voicemails, and weeks that no one was going to call me back, I decided to E-mail them. I received a reply with the their number asking to call them instead! It was frustrating, and at that point, I decided I did not want to attend their school.

Perhaps the rest of their school could be amazing, but one bad egg does ruin the batch.

 

[BrandNewSpaces]

I will chime in and say that when I contacted ICO during my cycle, they would not return my phone calls. I wanted to contact them via phone rather than by E-mail. When I noticed after several attempts, voicemails, and weeks that no one was going to call me back, I decided to E-mail them. I received a reply with the their number asking to call them instead! It was frustrating, and at that point, I decided I did not want to attend their school.

Perhaps the rest of their school could be amazing, but one bad egg does ruin the batch.

I'm sorry to hear that, I can understand how frustrating that must have been!! 🙁

I can't say much about their phone response as with my school and work schedule and time zone difference, I couldn't call within their office hours, which is why I stuck to emailing for the most part. I called them a couple times to book my interview date, and was able to reach them both times. I will admit that when I emailed them, there were one or two times it took them a few days to reply (and realistically, they must receive a lot of emails and it takes time to go through them...however, it was definitely still very frustrating), and other times I received responses within the same day.

 

[Groucho Marx]

Howdy,
I know how difficult it is decide which optometry schools to apply to and how expensive it is to travel to interview (especially if you already have an acceptance letter) so I thought it would be nice to share our impressions of visiting/ applying to schools to help others make this choice. I know I hunted for these and read what I could before applying myself- this way the information is up to date.

I applied to five schools and heard back from all of them-
1.) Salus was the first to contact me- their school was gorgeous and the admissions committee was very friendly. I would highly recommend this school but will not be attending here.
2.) Rosenberg- Incarnate Word- The school was very nice and the clinic is gorgeous. The faculty really know southern hospitality and stresses personal relationships. They also offered a very nice scholarship and review students for scholarships yearly.
3.) UH- The faculty has been nice every time I have spoken to them. I went to an open house last year and the facilities are amazing.
4.) Mid-western- I withdrew my application (before the interview) but they were the third school to contact about an interview. The staff was very helpful over the phone when I did call.
5.) ICO- I can not stress enough how much I wish I had not applied to this school. I would highly disrecomend it. I filled out my supplement in the second week in August and have email confirmations for both I and the course work but never heard anything back even though it is suppose to take two weeks. I was then contacted the second week in October reminding me to fill out these forms. I had and paid! I emailed them back letting them know I had filled both out and paid but would like to withdraw my application. They then emailed me back and said I still needed to fill out my coursework sheet. I then called expressing that I upset to have been told this after paying and filling the forms over two months ago and would like to withdraw. The lady was quite rude to me and said they didn't lose my forms but didn't know where they were but they are not lost. Anyways- it was incredibly frustrating not to be given the service (reviewing my application) though I paid for it and not receiving an apology. I can't imagine going to a school where this acceptable. I have heard from fellow students at interviews who went there first it was not an impressive school.

Hope this helps!

I think it's very nice that you've taken the time to compile this list for all who are currently trying to pick a school. I would, however, caution against making such strong judgments based on your interviews. It's certainly fine to tell people about your personal experiences. The outside of PCO is very pretty, but to highly recommend it based on the outside appearance and the kindness of the admissions committee might be not be the best advice for everyone. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with ICO, but from what I know of the school in real life and the people who go there, students seem to be generally very satisfied with their experience. I can't say the same for PCO people. PCO's outside definitely stands out, but some of the labs and equipment are outdated and in need of some work (not trying to be overly harsh--just honest). Here are some things to consider when interviewing at various schools:
*How big is the average class/lab size? (Unlike undergrad, individualized learning is much more important in the clinical lab settings.)
*What are the board pass rates for all parts?
*What is the class retention rate?
*Ask about academic policies regarding practicals, class attendance, and clinic attendance. For example, "Can I switch a clinic date easily if I am ill/unable to attend?"
*When do we start to see patients?
*See if they have any graduating class satisfaction statistics
*Tuition costs compared to other schools
*And my number one suggestion is to talk to current students--as many as you possibly can and not just the ones who are giving tours. I'm not in any way trying to say anything bad about people who give tours, but I think you're more likely to take the job if you've had positive experiences. Message people on here or other forums and try to find students in the cafeteria, library, etc. when you're interviewing. Say something like, "Hey, I'm currently thinking about attending this school, and I'm just here for today to interview. Do you like it here?" Honestly, if people feel strongly one way or another, they will probably take it from there and start talking with you. I think it is the best way to get a feel for a place. And try to chat with upperclassmen who have seen more of how things are run. You should be able to gather very helpful information that is both positive and negative about a school.

 

[Commando303]

I think it's very nice that you've taken the time to compile this list for all who are currently trying to pick a school. I would, however, caution against making such strong judgments based on your interviews. It's certainly fine to tell people about your personal experiences. The outside of PCO is very pretty, but to highly recommend it based on the outside appearance and the kindness of the admissions committee might be not be the best advice for everyone. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with ICO, but from what I know of the school in real life and the people who go there, students seem to be generally very satisfied with their experience. I can't say the same for PCO people. PCO's outside definitely stands out, but some of the labs and equipment are outdated and in need of some work (not trying to be overly harsh--just honest). Here are some things to consider when interviewing at various schools:
*How big is the average class/lab size? (Unlike undergrad, individualized learning is much more important in the clinical lab settings.)
*What are the board pass rates for all parts?
*What is the class retention rate?
*Ask about academic policies regarding practicals, class attendance, and clinic attendance. For example, "Can I switch a clinic date easily if I am ill/unable to attend?"
*When do we start to see patients?
*See if they have any graduating class satisfaction statistics
*Tuition costs compared to other schools
*And my number one suggestion is to talk to current students--as many as you possibly can and not just the ones who are giving interviews. I'm not in any way trying to say anything bad about people who give interviews, but I think you're more likely to take the job if you've had positive experiences. Message people on here or other forums and try to find students in the cafeteria, library, etc. when you're interviewing. Say something like, "Hey, I'm currently thinking about attending this school, and I'm just here for today to interview. Do you like it here?" Honestly, if people feel strongly one way or another, they will probably take it from there and start talking with you. I think it is the best way to get a feel for a place. And try to chat with upperclassmen who have seen more of how things are run. You should be able to gather very helpful information that is both positive and negative about a school.

Great suggestions.

One comment: When asking admissions offices for N.B.E.O. pass-rates, be careful to specifically request the first-time pass-rate for each part, perhaps over the past five years. You want to know how students of the school perform on their first attempt on each examination; not whether Try #27 finally gets people across the finishing line.

 

[Groucho Marx]

Great suggestions.

One comment: When asking admissions offices for N.B.E.O. pass-rates, be careful to specifically request the first-time pass-rate for each part, perhaps over the past five years. You want to know how students of the school perform on their first attempt on each examination; not whether Try #27 finally gets people across the finishing line.

This is a good point.

 

[Rain Clouds]

As an ICO student, for what it's worth... I know who you are all talking about in the admissions office, and trust me, don't let that one or two interactions you have there turn you off to the entire school - everyone here is really very nice, though I understand that first impressions are everything. I won't go into too much detail here, but my PM box is always open if you have any questions.