Thoughts on schools

[cvu]

I've been accepted to ICO, SCCO, Western and waitlisted for PUCO. decided against Western and PUCO (decided the day of the interview).

its between ICO and SCCO. just interested in some thoughts from SDN

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[csandova]

I was fortunate enough to interview at ICO earlier this cycle and it's a really great school. Their passing rate on the boards is really good and their clinic is very nice. I liked that the school, clinic, and dorms (if you chose to live there) are all right next to each other so you don't actually have to drive anywhere or have any need to bring your car with you. Also the students that gave us the tour were very professional and dressed nice - they genuinely seemed like they liked their school and enjoyed optometry. Ultimately some of my deciding factors against ICO were the distance from home and the cold weather. I really liked the school itself though.

 

[cvu]

I had the same impressions during my interview at ICO. Although I do not plan on living in the RC, I thought that the labs and clinic were more comprehensive than that of SCCO. Granted, I went to SCCO on a saturday, so I didn't get a feel for the campus atmosphere. However, their optics and learning labs (lanes, equipment and all) felt old. Their clinic was nice and new, but it didn't seem to have any traffic at all compared to ICO's. I'm 99% sure i'm going to ICO, I was just curious to see what people had to say.

If it makes any difference, I did my undergrad at Cal poly Pomona (although i didn't grow up in SoCal) so i'm really familiar with the area/lifestyle. chicago would be a new experience for me..especially if I end up living in South Loop.

 

[lalala27]

I am attending ICO in the fall. Prior to interviews I thought PUCO was my top choice, but what left a bit confused after interview day (I also had my PUCO interview after ICO so that mightve had an affect on it as well). On the other hand i completely fell in love with ICO after my interview. I also really liked that the clinic was right on campus. Everyone i met was very friendly and genuinely seemed happy at their school. The clinic is top notch and their facilities are beyond impressive. I chose ICO over the other schools because of how impressed i was by the program and people i met. Chicago is also a new area/lifestyle for me because I too am from the west coast. I visited SCCO last summer when i was in California and I received a tour. It was a nice school and the faculty i met seemed very nice. But for some reason it just didnt feel like a right fit for me after that initial visit.