UHCO class of 2010

[Phantom06]

Hi everyone,

I thought we should start a new thread for UHCO for all of us who have made the final decision to attend UHCO so that we can get to know each other or ask any questions.

Does anyone know when the fall semester starts and also what is the class schedule like? Is it whole day or half day?

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[cpw]

It's a whole day. Lecture in the morning, labs in the afternoon. Most days it'll be about 9-4, you'll stay late til 7pm one night for labs. you'll have one afternoon a week off. (depending on which lab group you're in)

 

[HighlyFanatic]

It's a whole day. Lecture in the morning, labs in the afternoon. Most days it'll be about 9-4, you'll stay late til 7pm one night for labs. you'll have one afternoon a week off. (depending on which lab group you're in)

hehe, what she said!!

 

[cpw]

hehe, what she said!!

hey sexy Canadian ! haven't seen you around in while !

 

[OD_2010]

I'll be at UHCO this Fall, I got a letter that said Orientation is Aug 14-15, but it also said that this may change, I'm assuming school starts that next week? Don't know for sure.
Does anyone know when we will hear from school about the equipment we need, they mentioned during my interview that a student organization sends out papers??
That and to anyone who's gone through this already, when will we know about financial aid stuff? They've been processing my FAFSA since January... not that I'm in a hurry or anything, just a little concerned about the thousands in loans I need !

 

[jltopt10]

I'll be starting at UHCO in August. Yea Class of 2010! Anyways, does anyone know anything about the school creating/facilitating an online forum to find roommates? I heard from a graduate that the school does. If they are behind in the app process, does anyone know when they might get around to helping us out? Thanks!

 

[odstudent]

I'll be starting at UHCO in August. Yea Class of 2010! Anyways, does anyone know anything about the school creating/facilitating an online forum to find roommates? I heard from a graduate that the school does. If they are behind in the app process, does anyone know when they might get around to helping us out? Thanks!

They created a message board for us last year on yahoo groups... I think it didnt start till around mid summer though. So just hang in there~~

 

[quailman]

does anyone have any advice on where to live, how to find a good roommate (because i don't know ANYONE in houston!), whether or not it's even necessary or safe/unsafe to live in that part of houston alone ... etc?

 

[weezer]

most grads live in med center area of houston, near 288 which is relatively close to UH. You dont want to live right next to UH since thats third ward... which is not safe at all.

there are really great apartments in med center area, theres a whole bunch of new complexes on old spanish trail (which is a road in that area).

a little bit further down on highway 59 is Kirby area, Rice Village and West University thats a nice area as well but it can get a bit pricy

 

[Phantom06]

I was also told that Medical area is best bet for apartments. There are some cheap ones there as well.

Do we know when exactly the classes start?

 

[jltopt10]

I've swam competively for eleven years now. I'm thinking about joining a masters swim team in Houston, but don't know if I'll have enough time. I figured if I was able to swim 20 hrs/wk in college, then I could maybe do it in moderation during opt school. I also wanted to get involved in the student groups. Will I be streching my time too thin?

 

[humperdoodle]

classes start aug. 21. looking forward to meeting everyone.

 

[Phantom06]

Thanks humperdoodle.

 

[timmyd21]

most grads live in med center area of houston, near 288 which is relatively close to UH. You dont want to live right next to UH since thats third ward... which is not safe at all.

there are really great apartments in med center area, theres a whole bunch of new complexes on old spanish trail (which is a road in that area).

a little bit further down on highway 59 is Kirby area, Rice Village and West University thats a nice area as well but it can get a bit pricy

I'm finishing up at UHCO this year, and will be moving mid-late July. We live in the Heights, right next door to the dean of the school who doubles as our landlord. We're supposed to try to find some people to take over our house. It's a 2br/1ba and about 950 sq ft with a 5 car garage in the back (to make up for you lack of storage space). The Heights is a great eclectic area and we love it here. It's the first suburb of Houston, which is basically just north of Downtown. The houses are beatiful older homes. If any students coming in have a family, I really recommend this area. We lived in the Med Center and it gets really old being cramped in an apartment for 4 years. As you get closer to coming here, let me know if you want to take a look at the house.

 

[J.opt]

I've swam competively for eleven years now. I'm thinking about joining a masters swim team in Houston, but don't know if I'll have enough time. I figured if I was able to swim 20 hrs/wk in college, then I could maybe do it in moderation during opt school. I also wanted to get involved in the student groups. Will I be streching my time too thin?

That depends on your time-management skills, and on how well you keep up with things. There are people in my class that never have time to do anything and are constantly worried, and then there are people like one of the girls, who has two jobs, works 20 hrs+/week, and does well above average in school.

 

[jltopt10]

That depends on your time-management skills, and on how well you keep up with things. There are people in my class that never have time to do anything and are constantly worried, and then there are people like one of the girls, who has two jobs, works 20 hrs+/week, and does well above average in school.

Thanks!

 

[Amy19]

Hi timmy, how did u like HCO? I am stuck between PCO and HCO.

 

[timmyd21]

I liked UHCO, but I'm not a fan of living in Houston really. It's a litle big for my taste.

 

[quailman]

could anyone who knows please elaborate on the the difficulty of the 1st/2nd years vs. 3rd/4th years? i've just always heard that 1st/2nd are more difficult. thanks!

 

[J.opt]

could anyone who knows please elaborate on the the difficulty of the 1st/2nd years vs. 3rd/4th years? i've just always heard that 1st/2nd are more difficult. thanks!

Yeah, the first 2 years suck, real bad. The material may not be tougher than what you had in undergrad, but the amount of material is heavy. You should shadow several optometrists before you come, so you’ll be able to keep your eyes on the goal, because it’s likely that in the those 2 years you’ll question your decision of wanting to be an OD.

I heard that 3rd year is better, but the hardest part is dealing with stress at the clinic. Students seem to have a difficult time adjusting to the clinic, and getting used to having a faculty member supervise all they do.

After the 3rd year I’d think you are set. The summer of the 3rd year, and the 4th year are externships. You are required to do a presentation about a clinical case in front of an audience, but that shouldn’t be too bad.

I don’t mean to intimidate anyone. It’s doable, and outside of class, school is a ton of fun

 

[istudent]

So where's everyone going to live when you get to Houston...only a couple months till school starts. I've been looking at condos around the medical center area...any suggestions?

Thanks