- Joined
- Jan 1, 2014
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi All and a happy new year! I don't know how much people like to see these "x vs y" posts especially on a pre professional forum board, but I was really hoping to get some outside opinions. I've been accepted to UHCO and SCO and am trying to decide between the two schools. I originally applied to SCO because of their diverse and large Eye Center. However, I'm from Houston so going to UHCO means I can be close to my family. Here are some pro's and cons that I've come up with for each school:
UHCO pros:
-strong research
-OD/MS and OD/PhD potential programs (how useful is this in real life though? would it be better to do this to "set myself apart from other od's?")
-good board pass rates
-diverse patient population
-clinic starts in second semester of second year
-close to home
-partnership with ophthalmologists w/ the laser procedure room
UHCO cons:
-no vision therapy clinic/small pediatric clinic
-safety on campus
-not so friendly staff experiences (please tell me if i'm wrong, but I've just had some neutral interactions with staff/admissions in other words, not very positive interactions with them)
SCO pros:
-scholarship that makes attending UHCO comparable
-strong clinical experience vs research oriented (so I've heard)
-new city
-everyone I've talked to seems happy there
-high pass rates
-laser observation center
-seemingly very friendly staff
SCO cons:
-traveling to and from would cost a plane ticket and far from home
-lack of University affiliation
-smaller city
I need to make a decision really soon. I also would like to pursue vision therapy in the future but could I do a residency after obtaining my OD? So would that make UHCO the better option since it's close to home? At the same time, SCO has been very good at contacting and corresponding with me. They just make me feel more wanted at that school (haha). I'd really appreciate your feedback or if someone from UH and/or SCO could give me their take on their experience there.
I like SCO as a school but also don't want to throw away UH because it's close to home. Thank you for your help~
UHCO pros:
-strong research
-OD/MS and OD/PhD potential programs (how useful is this in real life though? would it be better to do this to "set myself apart from other od's?")
-good board pass rates
-diverse patient population
-clinic starts in second semester of second year
-close to home
-partnership with ophthalmologists w/ the laser procedure room
UHCO cons:
-no vision therapy clinic/small pediatric clinic
-safety on campus
-not so friendly staff experiences (please tell me if i'm wrong, but I've just had some neutral interactions with staff/admissions in other words, not very positive interactions with them)
SCO pros:
-scholarship that makes attending UHCO comparable
-strong clinical experience vs research oriented (so I've heard)
-new city
-everyone I've talked to seems happy there
-high pass rates
-laser observation center
-seemingly very friendly staff
SCO cons:
-traveling to and from would cost a plane ticket and far from home
-lack of University affiliation
-smaller city
I need to make a decision really soon. I also would like to pursue vision therapy in the future but could I do a residency after obtaining my OD? So would that make UHCO the better option since it's close to home? At the same time, SCO has been very good at contacting and corresponding with me. They just make me feel more wanted at that school (haha). I'd really appreciate your feedback or if someone from UH and/or SCO could give me their take on their experience there.
I like SCO as a school but also don't want to throw away UH because it's close to home. Thank you for your help~
