SCO or IUSO?

[werewolfopt]

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Hello all,

I posted this question in the Optometry forum, but I thought I might as well ask some pre-optometry students their opinions, as well.

I've been accepted to SCO and IUSO and am trying to decide where I want to go. Here's my list of pros and cons for each:

SCO pros
-Low cost of attendance and cost of living
-Brand new facilities
-Large clinic and diverse patient base
-Students can participate in work-study

SCO cons
-Location; (Memphis isn't my kind of town); safety?
-Far from home
-Only 2 externships (one rotation must be done in Memphis)

IUSO pros
-Close to home
-Amazing location and lots of fun things to do; Bloomington is my kind of town
-Research-oriented (?)
-Integrative approach to optometry (not sure if this is a pro or a con)
-University-based school
-3 externships
-I'm not sure how true this is, but I've heard from two sources that IUSO students have been noted by preceptors as being the best prepared for rotations

IUSO cons
-Higher cost of attendance and cost of living
-Older facilities
-Small clinic and relatively healthy patient base (although I've heard you get most of your clinical experience during your rotations anyway)

My mind says SCO (I'll save money, get great clinical experience, have a chance to work on brand new equipment, and be able to work at least a few hours a week while going to school), but my heart says IUSO (I want to spend my 20s in a place where I'll have a great overall experience - something I missed out on during college). That being said, I'm not looking for some kind of college experience - I know I'm going to school to get a good optometric education and not to have a good time, but perhaps living in a place I love will help offset some of the misery that comes with spending all of my time studying.

Is anyone else also deciding between these two schools? What are your thoughts?

 

[AlexU]

I am currently trying to decide between these exact same two schools! My pros and cons lists for the two schools is basically identical to yours as well. I'm trying to decide if it is worth being in a city (Memphis) that isn't exactly my type of atmosphere in order to go to a school with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, or if I am better off going to IUSO where I feel much more comfortable but clearly the facilities are nowhere near as nice. Bloomington seems like a great city with lots of stuff to do for people our age, while Memphis doesn't seem like it has a lot to offer for people in their 20's. Obviously while in optometry school the focus isn't on having fun, but feeling comfortable in a city certainly is an important factor for me. On the flip side I do like the lecture recording service at SCO, the boards exam replica room, and the advanced procedures room with the TV monitor.
Does anyone that has attended either of these schools have any insights, particularly on their clinical experiences at the school?

 

[Mewcakes]

I'm a 4th year at SCO and I loved my time here. Memphis isn't as bad of a city as everyone makes it out to be. We have Beale Street (drinks and dancing) and the Cooper-Young District (younger hipster-type hangouts, sports bars, and fooding) for entertainment and to be honest, when you're busy with school, that's all you really need. Restaurants are pretty good here too. Sure, it's ghetto in some areas and the majority of our patients at The Eye Center are on Medicare, but the variety of patients we see are incredible. Trust me, healthy patients get really boring after the10th or 11th one. And about hearing that IU students are the best prepared when they arrive at rotations, I've heard the same thing about SCO students. I...wouldn't put much stock in that. You'll be prepared if you study hard and pay attention in clinic, no matter where you go.

Your happiness, I believe, is based in the friends you make at school. Memphis is rowdy, but me and my friends have so much fun taking on the adventures of the city. Your time at school will be what you make of it. Just go where you'll have the least regrets. Will you regret not spending 4 years in "your kind of town"? Will you regret not going to a school that sees a lot of diseased patients? Will you regret being so far from home? Will you regret being in more debt when you graduate? Look at it that way and see if it helps. Sorry I'm not much help. Good luck to you both!

 

[optoapp2012]

I don't attend either school, but am a 2nd year now. I think my perspective has changed a lot on what's important in a program. I don't really know about any efforts to change the programs at either school...I only know what I've heard from other students and grads.

When I was a pre-opto, I thought the new technology was a super important feature. I don't think that anymore. 90% or more (I'm just making up stats, but the point is the *vast majority*) of offices you could work in after graduation will not have the newest technology available. It's really hard to have spent most of your time on an autophoropter in opt school and then try to get used to a manual. It's pretty easy to go the other way. And you can get lots of exposure to new technology at expos and conferences. Furthermore, it's just fast to learn and if you ever buy one, companies will train you. Furthermore, the older equipment requires that you understand how to calculate and figure out a lot, so you get a better conceptual understanding. I definitely think students need exposure to BOTH...but I also feel that now looking back, new equipment isn't really good reason to pick a school if education is what's important to you!

I also feel like the vibe of the city IS really important. Sure you spend lots of time studying and most of your friends will be in class with you. But sometimes you need an escape and I also absolutely love attending school on a bigger campus, because I like meeting people in different programs and getting to talk about something other than eyes for a change.

I think both of those reasons argue for Indiana.

BUT...I think the absolute most important thing is something all of you mentioned. The exposure to eye disease is SO important. Some rotations will give you great exposure to it, others will not. But if the school's clinic has lots of disease, that's a whole other YEAR of exposure (even if you aren't in the disease clinic, you will have classmates talking about what they see). I think exposure to disease is huge, because the medical side of optometry has the potential to expand a lot and you want to be exceptionally well-prepared for that. I have heard from Indiana grads and current students that their disease clinic is kind of a joke and there isn't much of it. That said, I also know an IU grad who works in an OMD practice and handles tons of disease. So it's not to say that you couldn't get that...but I think it's harder.

I've also heard absolutely excellent things about SCO and everyone I know there loves it, regardless of where they are from. I wasn't a fan of Memphis either, but it doesn't seem like anyone I've talked to says anything but good stuff about life there.

That doesn't really help...but just trying to help prioritize what you're considering from an opto student's point of view!

 

[Mewcakes]

Yeah, I would agree with a lot of what optoapp2012 said.

I obviously can't attest to IU's equipment, but you are trained completely on manual phoropters until your 4th year, then you spend 1 day a week in one of the clinics with the automated Marco System during your SCO rotation. We have both marco and topcon slit lamps scattered throughout the clinic. You never know what you're gonna get! They're all very well maintained though. We have also added the University Eye Clinic to our SCO rotation. So one day a week, for half the semester of your 4th year internal rotation, you'll be going to the clinic we set up on the University of Memphis campus. It's meant to simulate a private practice setting and only 4 students are there at any one time. I just happened to be there today...it's great!! Patients show up on time and while the majority of them are healthy...the majority of your patients in private practice will also be healthy.

But yeah, I still don't know what to say about the city. I come from the San Francisco Bay Area and I really don't hate Memphis at all. I find ways to entertain myself and my friends keep me company. There's a lot of Southern culture here too. Crawfish festival (!!), Memphis in May (Music & nomz), Cooper Young Festival, a second crawfish festival, and weekly concerts at Overton Park during the summer. I'm probably not even covering 1/4 of the events that Memphis has going on every year. I promise Memphis isn't as lame and crime-laden as people make it out to be. 😛

 

[MNtoMEM]

Hello Alex and werewolf,


I am a second year at SCO. I am from Minnesota, I was accepted at IUSO and SCO and have family in Indiana and have spent some time in Bloomington. Hopefully I can help shed a little light. Before I jump into the stuff Memphis has to offer I wanted to just comment on one thing werewolf said about SCO externships. It may just be the way it was written but just wanted to clarify that we have 3 externships at SCO with only one being in Memphis leaving two others to be wherever you like.


As far as Memphis goes it offers just about anything you like. First of food, showcasing BBQ, is great and you can find foods that’s cheaper and delicious and also higher end and classier. We have music of all kinds from major stars that perform at the FEDEX Forum, to other well known artists that perform at the band shell on Mud Island or at the Orpheum, not to mention all the music being played on Beale and around town with many cheap or free concerts. If you’re looking to go out on a weekend, Beale Street can keep you occupied for a long time but once you’re over that scene there are other great clubs or just cool hang out type bars/places to find around town. I know Bloomington is a an awesome college town and has variations of this stuff as well, but keep in mind how many professional schools Memphis has from dental to medical to law school and more. The city does reflect the earily 20’s atmosphere of the universities here and the mid to late 20’s atmosphere that the professional schools bring in. We also have professional and minor league sports if that’s your flow. The Grizzlies were great last year and the Redbirds (Cardinals AAA team) is always a good time. If you like art there are galleries and there is “Trolley Night” on south main and you can go in and out of galleries spilling on wine and beer and pretend to know about art. There are other neighborhoods around Memphis that offer cool younger atmospheres with shops/coffee shops and small parks. Memphis has one of the largest urban parks where you can go and run, bike, play ball, take a dog etc. As far as safety, I never really feel unsafe here. I live on Mud Island, which is a great place for 20 something because a lot of professional student live out there and use the greenbelt park that runs the length of the Island. This is only scratching the surface of what Memphis has. I understand the hesitation because I felt it before I lived down here but now being here for a year or so I see it’s a great city. From what I’ve experienced you, if you explore a bit, you’ll never get bored.

 

[Mewcakes]

@ MNtoMEM: #Truth

 

[AlexU]

Thank you all for your insight! I don't think I can really go wrong with either school, so it will all work out. Once again, I appreciate the comments.

 

[optoapp2012]

One other quick note...word on the street (lol) is that Indiana students are really unhappy with the current dean. Who's to say whether he was hired to make some tough decisions that the admin knew would be unpopular or whether there's some more personal reason. But I know he is really unpopular and it might be worth looking into a little more to try to find out the root of that. If he's just unpopular for making some cuts that the university made him do, then that's not really a good reason to avoid the school. But again, if it's something else then that can be important because deans can have a huge effect on the culture and direction of the school.