UHCO

[J.opt]

cpw, would you tell me a little bit about UHCO? How is it like, how good is the area where it is located? (etc). I?ve been in Houston twice, but both times I was too busy to go out. Provably UHCO will be my first option, but I really don?t know much about it. Once I met an optometrist who graduated from there and she told me great things about it. Another optometrist told me that at UHCO students didn?t get much contact lens exposure, but I don?t really know if that?s true. I also saw some pictures at the AOSA web site and everything looks very nice. I will visit it as soon as I get the chance.

I emailed Mr. Paul Pease last week asking him about which statistics class should I take, and he told me that the only class that would work was a senior-level psychology statistics class (which has another psychology class as a prerequisite). I think that?s pretty weird since all the other schools that I asked told me that a basic algebraic statistics class should be enough. Which statistics did you take?

I know that there are more people here that go to UHCO, but I don?t know specifically who you are, please post any thoughts.

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[r_salis]

Originally posted by J.opt
I emailed Mr. Paul Pease last week asking him about which statistics class should I take, and he told me that the only class that would work was a senior-level psychology statistics class (which has another psychology class as a prerequisite). I think that?s pretty weird since all the other schools that I asked told me that a basic algebraic statistics class should be enough. Which statistics did you take?

I've never been to UHCO, but my husband visited it for me earlier this year when he was in Houston -- does that count?

As far as statistics -- if you really *wanted* to take that psych stat class, if you explained your situation to the professor you shouldn't have any problem getting into it.

Or if you don't want to take a freakin' insanely difficult class, you may be able to get admissions to take your quantitative reasoning OAT score into consideration (assuming you did well), and ask that they allow you to take a lower-level social sciences-type stat course to fulfill their requirement.

 

[cpw]

Jopt.. I will answer your questions and then some tomorrow.. I have a MAJOR pharm test tomorrow at NOON and I"m freaking out right now...

But, I'll have some more time tomorrow (although I'll still have three more finals to study for)

 

[J.opt]

Thanks cpw,
r_salis, is not that I don?t want to take it, it?s just that maybe I will have to spend more time than what I had predicted into this statistics deal . I am a biology major, so I?m not very exited about taking psychology classes again.

By the way, what did your husband think about UHCO?

 

[r_salis]

I don't blame you for not wanting to take the heavy-duty stat class -- for both PCO and SUNY the social-sciences stat course I took was sufficient, thank goodness.

My husband visited the admissions office at UHCO to pick up some info for me, and talked to a couple students at the bookstore -- no tour or anything. His impression was good, as I remember. He said the campus was pretty and the students he talked to raved about the school (maybe one of them was cpw! ). I definitely would have considered UHCO, but was limited to considering east coast schools for personal reasons.

It's funny, my husband has visited NOVA, PCO, SUNY, UHCO and newenco (the last two schools I've never been to , the first 3 he got to see before I did ). He travels for work a lot, so he prides himself on his ability to "stalk" optometry schools for me.

 

[cpw]

Okay, on the stats class: I took statistics and probablility at a California community college.. if UHCO will take THAT I'm sure they'll take some other statistics course. I'd work on that.. definitely.

UHCO is not in the best part of Houston. It's on the main campus of UH (NOT in the Texas Med Center) in the far corner of the campus. But, we never leave our building so its not like it matters whether UH is pretty or not. The area around UH is NOT a nice area. (in fact I believe it's the third ward) No one in the OD program lives on campus.. almost everyone lives in an apartment near the med center and commutes (about a ten minute drive) and a bunch of people live at home (or with husbands/wives/ etc in houses they've bought)

UHCO's clinic is HUGE! and one of the main benefits to going here. You can do vision screenings the first year if you want to and you do them second year as a course requirement. (which we grumble about because it means we get no free morning off like we used to). You start seeing patients FOURTH SEMESTER!! (after you pass your third semester competency exam)


The school takes around 100 people (although it's been less the last few years due to a limited number of qualified applicants). My class right now has about 88 or 89.

Dr pease is actually retiring. This is his last week. The new director of student affairs will be Dr Julie Jackson (she's GREAT) !! The bummer is though now she won't be teaching my contact lens lab next semester.

As far as UHCO having little contact lens exposure.. I really couldn't say. We start fitting contacts on patients this summer and the CL clinic is ALWAYS booked up way in advance and from what I've heard they work you like a dog in that particular clinic. Maybe the complaint is that you don't see that many COMPLEX fits. I'm not sure. Most of your fits are going to be UH undergrads so most of them should be relatively easy I would think.

First year is rough.. second year is WAY WORSE! But, I've heard the worst semester is teh third one and thank god I'm almost done with that..

Now.. have I answered all your questions in my rambling... hmmm...
I hope so.. if you have others definitely ask! (there are definitely UHCO lurkers around here)

 

[TAL]

J. Opt,

You certainly don't need a senior-level statistics course to meet the requirement. Just take the basic statistics offered in the psychology department, you usually just need Psychology 101 to enroll in that class. That's what I did. Dr. Pease may have been having a senior moment

I like UHCO so far. It is challenging, but at least I feel like I am getting my money's worth. Tuition is one of the lowest among optometry schools, especially if you can get an in-state tuition contract seat for Oklahoma (does UHCO offer that for OK residents?). Considering the quality of the faculty (excellent IMO), the board passage rates, the relatively low tuition, and the relatively low cost of living in Houston, I feel that UHCO may be the best VALUE for your optometric education dollar.

The neigborhood (Southeast of downtown, 3rd Ward) is not great by any means, but you don't have to picture an outright slum. A little further south, maybe so. It is on the campus of a major university, and 95% students commute from somewhere else. I technically live in the 3rd Ward, but I am just across the freeway from the Med Center. 5 minute drive to campus, which is a huge plus.

Good luck and if you have any more specific questions you can PM me.

TAL
UHCO - 1st Year

 

[J.opt]

cpw and TAL, did you guys apply to any school(s) other than UHCO? What made you take the decision to go to Houston? I read somewhere that cpw went to school in Cal for a while.

What about SCO? Does anyone here go to school there? I read that it was a good school, but I?ve also heard awful things about Memphis. Any comments?

 

[Simisn]

Originally posted by cpw


Dr pease is actually retiring. This is his last week. The new director of student affairs will be Dr Julie Jackson (she's GREAT) !! The bummer is though now she won't be teaching my contact lens lab next semester.

I'm doing my undergrad right now at UH. Cpw is right about Dr. Juie Jackson being a great person. She and Dr. Pease had come to our last meeting at POPS, which was where I first met her. All the facutly that I've met so far from UHCO are really nice people.
As far as the statistics class I'm almost positive that you don't have to take a senior level course. Right now I'm looking at a sheet of paper, that either Dean Strickland or Dr. Pease ( I don't remember which one) gave us about specific course requirements, and the Stat class listed here is 2301, which is at a sophmore level.

 

[cpw]

Maybe Jopt's school doesn't have a lower stats class that Dr Pease thought would count.. who knows... ??

Yes, I did take some classes in CA, but they were at a community college at night to fullfill remaning pre-reqs I needed after I finished undergrad (three years previously) I went to the Univ. of Texas for undergrad.

I also applied to SCCO and UCBerkeley, but I was only accepted at SCCO. So, deciding between SCCO and UHCO was hard, but in the end money was the deciding factor. (I'm in state at UH and SCCO is private)

 

[J.opt]

Originally posted by cpw
Maybe Jopt's school doesn't have a lower stats class that Dr Pease thought would count.. who knows... ??

In my college there are three statistics classes being offered. One for business majors, one for psychology, and one from the math department for non-math majors. Non of the colleges accepts the business one, and several schools (excluding UHCO) told me that the math one would be fine. I think the problem between the math one and UHCO is that it?s a low-level class (1313), and they might want something higher .

 

[r_salis]

Did you do well on the Quantitative section of the OAT? Maybe you can "bargain" with UHCO for the 100-level stat class by using your OAT score. It worked for me: I had a very old stat class -- 100-level, also -- that PCO agreed to accept as long as I got a good quant score. Just an idea...

 

[J.opt]

I haven?t taken the OAT yet. I?m going to call UH again in January and try to work something out.

 

[cpw]

I've talked to about ten people at UHCO (in my class and the first year class). NONE Of them took an upper level stats class.. everyone I talked to took a math based lower level stats class. There used to be a list on the web site of what classes did and did not count. The only class I remember NOT counting was BUSINESS stats... But, I can't find the web link now (they changed the web page since I applied) Hmmmmmmmm quandries..
sorry I''m not more help

 

[hema1013]

Some other info about UHCO... the 2nd years just got clinic scheduals, and it seems like we are seeing about 3x the patients that the class before us had. They are doing this so that can get more clinic experiences in the summer, which is very exciting.

Also, Optometry Day is March 8, 2003. You have to register by Feb. 28. Parts of the day are like 2/4's of the interview process: the tour and financial aid presentation. Some of the professors will take you around the building and tell you about the research they do. Highly recommended. Check out the schools webpage.