SCO vs SUNY vs ICO vs PCO

[SimpleS]

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Hello everyone. I just got accepted to PCO today! But I am also interviewing at ICO, SUNY, and SCO within the next three weeks. I do have questions about choosing a school 😕. My current ranking right now starting with my first choice is SCO, SUNY, ICO, then PCO (hope no one is offended by my ranking 😳, but I did apply to the top 4 schools on my list). Pros and cons of these schools? Living expenses, tuition, scholarships, cost of living, environment, curriculum, faculty, extrcurriculars, etc.? Anyone have any advice? Anything you can share will be helpful and greatly appreciated! Thanks! 😀

 

[blazenmadison]

Hello everyone. I just got accepted to PCO today! But I am also interviewing at ICO, SUNY, and SCO within the next three weeks. I do have questions about choosing a school 😕. My current ranking right now starting with my first choice is SCO, SUNY, ICO, then PCO (hope no one is offended by my ranking 😳, but I did apply to the top 4 schools on my list). Pros and cons of these schools? Living expenses, tuition, scholarships, cost of living, environment, curriculum, faculty, extrcurriculars, etc.? Anyone have any advice? Anything you can share will be helpful and greatly appreciated! Thanks! 😀

you're interviewing pretty late at this stage of the application process. SCO's new class is getting close to full, and I am sure that goes for the other schools as well.

SCO's pros: Cheap living expenses, lowest tuition for out-of-staters (20k/year), 30 out of 120 students usually get a scholarship, friendly atmosphere, good number of student orgs, new clinic

Cons: Crime around Memphis like any other city (Chicago)

You really have to tour each school to make your final choice and ask students there for advice. Message boards aren't the most reliable sources of information and can be filled with bitter students/ODs or frauds! 😉

 

[xulachic07]

Well I'm almost in the same boat as you. I applied to SCO, ICO, UAB and UHCO. Thus far I interviewed with ICO at the end of last month and just got my acceptance letter last week. I have an interview with SCO on this Friday. It is late in the game for interviews but it's better late than never. When I visited ICO, the most impressive thing was the amount of clinical experience that you get at the school. It's estimated that you get to see at least 1600 patients as a student. Their Adam's Center was also really impressive. Here you get full camera access to a live examination in which your instructor gets to communicate with the doctor during the exam. The negative things about ICO would be the tuition. It's estimated that the average ICO student leaves at least $150k in debt. Yikes! Also the area around the campus is really vacant looking and under construction and like most major cities, it is a crime magnet. The residential complex is located right across the street from the school, which seems great for first year students who don't know the area and want to make friends. But at this age who actually wants to live in a dorm? The cost of living in Chicago is ridiculous so opting to live off campus will cost more and you will also have to battle Chicago's crazy weather and traffic every day. ICO only offers one place to eat on campus and that's cafeteria food. YuK! I ate there and stayed in the dorms during my interview, and trust me when I say I couldn't imagine doing it for nearly 4 years. The students that I encountered at ICO all seemed to be happy with their choice. I was warned that 1st year students have nearly 60 tests in their first year (2-3 tests a week), which is not what I've heard about other schools. ICO does have a parking garage (which is $600/yr) and a fitness center for students to enjoy. I know one doctor that went to ICO and graduated last year, but she doesn't seem to be extremely thrilled about the school. I have not interviewed at SCO yet but the perks thus far seem to be the new clinic. The clinic is attached to the school like ICO. It is also a lot cheaper to live in Memphis. SCO doesn't offer on-campus housing but the apartments in the area are nice and reasonable in price. The tuition in nearly half the amount of ICO. Despite the finances, SCO has a high passage rate for board tests, and ultimately that's what really matters to me. I know several doctors that have graduated from this school and they all say its a great choice. I haven't decided which school I want to go to yet but I've been rooting for SCO since I first considered optometry school. A lot of people tend to mention the area in which the schools are in. From my understanding both schools fall in an urban community. It's a concern but it's just about everywhere you go. I'm from New Orleans, so I doubt it could be any worse for me. Hope something I said helped. 🙂

 

[SimpleS]

I've already been accepted to PCO 🙂, but SCO 😉 is really where my heart is set on. I know a few SCO alumni optometrists and they have nothing but great things to say about SCO. I interview at ICO on 2/22, then SUNY on 3/05, then SCO 3/07. It's costing me a fortune to travel so much, but I'd rather be sure about the school! I find that SUNY has a great clinic, but I'm concerned about the cost of living 😱! ICO and PCO aren't much cheaper either 😱. Thanks so much for the info 😉. If anyone else would like to share anything on this thread, please feel free to do so. I will be checking it everyday for any advice. What's interviewing at ICO like? I hear it's pretty laid back, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. If anyone has any interview advice for ICO, SUNY, or SCO, please share your experience with us . Thanks! 😀

 

[beatnik10884]

I applied/accepted to three schools and I will be attending SCO. This was my first choice and my interview experience was really nice. The staff was very laidback and so helpful in answering our questions. It was a blind interview, therefore expect to be asked why optometry?Why not be an optician?Do you think you can handle the courseload? What kind of exposure to the field?.....etc. The interview was very conversational. I was so nervous because I interviewed at NOVA and ICO. The questions I got were out there, for example AIDS came up in one of my questions at NOVA. The students at SCO were extremely nice, but I will say Memphis will take a lot of getting used to, I've never lived in a city were the demographic is so mixed up. (I lived in NYC and now ATL). PM if you have any questions. GL!

 

[xulachic07]

ICO interview was really laid back. It helps if you read the interviews that are on this website. The day begins with talking to the guy at the front desk named Anthony. He gets you prepped for your interview because he has a ton of questions and is full of energy. At that point my level of nervousness flew out the window. The day is pretty long though but it ends with you having lunch with students, where you're able to ask whatever you want. There is an essay that you have to write before your interview but it's super easy. You have a file review in which they just check to see that your file is complete. Next you get to meet with financial aid and they go over expenses, loans and scholarships. Next each applicant is called out individually to interview with a member of the admissions staff. I was asked questions like, why optometry? Go back to your high school days and explain the choices you made up until this point? What are your strengths? what are your weaknesses? How do you think your family feels about your career choice? After the interview, which is about 45 minutes and open file, you get a tour of the campus by two students and you have lunch with them.
Overall it was a good experience and better than what I thought it would be. Hope this helped. 🙂

 

[SimpleS]

Just got back from Chicago. I must say that I was very impressed with ICO. That school is like a little village. They even have a full-service mailroom! I was also informed that they are implementing mandatory injections classes for the upcoming students, which is a definite plus for me! Their eye labs are being upgraded and expected to be completed by October, with LCD screens and new equipment. Plus wireless Internet connection will be enjoyed by everyone beginning Fall 2008. I can't imagine anyone having to leave campus unless to go downtown to hang out or grab a few things from a grocery store. They did spend some time with security, which only reassured me that it's pretty safe having them around. All of their security officers are either Chicago Police or retired Chicago Police! The neighborhood isn't the best place, but it didn't seem too bad. I actually waited for a bus to orange line on Indiana and 32nd at night, around 6:30pm, and it didn't seem so bad. Not to say it's completely safe, but to give a little perspective. The facilities are in great condition, and the students seem to be happy. Although Chicago is cold and I come from a hot dry place, I think I can adapt to it. Chicago is such a great town. Their public transportation system (CTA) is awesome! I purchased a 3-day visitor's pass at the airport terminal and got around everywhere on it. I met the infamous Anthony and he is definitely a character. Hilarious guy and definitely scared off my pre-interview jitters! Interview was very conversational and laid-back, but you still need to prepare for it. The RC isn't too shabby either, it's right across the street and furnished.

Well that's my experience with ICO, hope it helps someone. BUT now I face SUNY, SCO, and NOVA. Any advice anyone? I would still like to see these three schools before I make my final decision. I do plan on sending my deposit to PCO, just in case these schools fall through. Any sort of advice will be greatly appreciated! 😀 Thanks a million!

 

[blazenmadison]

Just got back from Chicago. I must say that I was very impressed with ICO. That school is like a little village. They even have a full-service mailroom! I was also informed that they are implementing mandatory injections classes for the upcoming students, which is a definite plus for me!

SCO already has an injections and IV program. They have a mailroom too! 🙂
Good luck with your choices!

 

[JMU07]

I chose SCO for the mailroom. 😀 (just kidding, of course)

 

[xulachic07]

I interviewed at SCO last week and I must say that I liked it a lot. I was more comfortable with the staff. They all were exceptionally friendly but I guess that's just Southern hospitality. I love the new facilities. Compared to my interview at ICO, I strongly felt like SCO put more time into informing applicants of what their school has to offer as well as the city. Everything was explained in debt so it left little room for questions. The students I saw and previous students seemed a lot more excited about their experience at SCO. The interview is a little different than ICO since it's closed file. So you'll be asked more general questions like why optometry? why is it important for optometrist to be politically active? why not be an optician? Overall it was a great experience and even the other students that were interviewing that day were pretty excited and impressed with the school. SCO does injections too and already has wireless internet, which are two things that ICO will be new too. Plus ICO mentions that you will have at least 1600 patient encounters, but SCO's estimate is higher and expected to increase due to the changes in curriculum due to national board changes.

 

[SimpleS]

Thanks for all the input. I really can't wait to go to SCO and see what they have to offer. Chicago is a great town though. I hear my interview on 3/07 at SCO will be second to the last interviews they're conducting which is 3/14. But I'm hoping for the best anyway! How's Memphis? I'm not familiar with the area, but is it a pretty big town? My hotel is approximately 1 mile from the campus, is there public transportation? SCO does allow guests to join the students during their tour, right? Again thank you for all the help! SDN is such a helpful site!

 

[JMU07]

I live outside of Richmond and I hate it. I wasn't sure about Memphis because I'm not much of a city person but it actually is a lot of fun! There are areas to stay away from just like any other big city. It isn't huge or anything but it's not small. There is a ton of stuff to do. SCO does allow you to bring guests during the tour/interview, and they like to see that you have people that support you. The guests just wait in the lobby during the interview. I don't know much about public transportation there but I'm sure it exists.

 

[xulachic07]

Memphis is a little small. Th great thing is that not only do they have public busses but they also have trollies/street cars. Memphis is well known for its music so there seems to be a lot of historic places to visit and festivities to enjoy. SCO is like 3 miles from downtown, so you don't have to drive far.