Western or Salus? Live in California

[TheAlmighty]

As of now, I have an interview scheduled with Salus, but I am still waiting to hear back from Western.

Hypothetical situation: I get into both Western and Salus, which one should I go to?

My thoughts: There are pro's and con's to either decision I make

Western
-Closer to home since I live in Norcal. I can drive down there and I will have a car instead of needing to buy one
-It is cheaper to travel home, should I decide to
-I plan to practice in California so it makes more sense to attend school in Cali because I will network with people here while I am in optometry school
-However Western is pre-accredited (does that mean they will be accredited for sure after they graduate their first class, which is this year?) while Salus IS accredited
-A degree from Western will not look as good as a degree from Salus (right?)

Salus
-An accredited school
-It is an older school, more "prestigious" than Western (high avg GPA, OAT, etc)
-A degree from Salus will look better than a degree from Western (Am I right? lol)
-However Salus is far from home. Financially, it makes less sense to attend school here
-I won't really have any network in California if I plan to return to Cali to practice


What are your thoughts?

In the end, the question is: How much does the school your degree came from, matter? When you own a private practice? When you work commercial?

Thanks

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[mattosu]

I think you should also include how much each school will cost you. Your student loans will be around well after you have graduated and taken a first job and (hopefully) moved into a position that you want to be in for a long time. Good financial planing will help you out for years and should never be discounted in your choices. Good Luck with your interview.

 

[TheAlmighty]

I think you should also include how much each school will cost you. Your student loans will be around well after you have graduated and taken a first job and (hopefully) moved into a position that you want to be in for a long time. Good financial planing will help you out for years and should never be discounted in your choices. Good Luck with your interview.

Thanks!

I have read the other thread, where someone said optometry is becoming more prevalent as a part time job because of the abundance of O.D's. If finding a job will be that difficult in the future, it makes more sense to pursue the "better looking" degree (Salus) then doesn't it?

 

[mattosu]

In my opinion, you will get an OD from either one. this will matter a great deal for your first position you look for. after that you can build your professional resume and expand from there. If you go to Salus and are a terrible doctor that will limit what you can do. If you go to a new school and 15 years from now you are a well respected and valued member of your professional community things will be much easier on you.
To link this with my previous post. graduate with as little debt as you can and be the best doctor you can.
Also, no one here knows what the job market will look like in 4 or 5 years so take their predictions with a grain of salt.

 

[TheAlmighty]

In my opinion, you will get an OD from either one. this will matter a great deal for your first position you look for. after that you can build your professional resume and expand from there. If you go to Salus and are a terrible doctor that will limit what you can do. If you go to a new school and 15 years from now you are a well respected and valued member of your professional community things will be much easier on you.
To link this with my previous post. graduate with as little debt as you can and be the best doctor you can.
Also, no one here knows what the job market will look like in 4 or 5 years so take their predictions with a grain of salt.

Right, but you could be a good doctor too if you come from Salus.

Ok, so basically good financial planning takes precedence over the difference that a degree from Salus makes as opposed to one from Western?

 

[pienfoo]

do whatever saves you money.

aside from that. i'm from so cal and graduated from Salus, and so it's been favorably looked upon when I applied or jobs or when interacting with other OD. but at this point i might have wanted to stay in cali and save the money : ) g'luck! stay home.