Illinois College Of Optometry Individual responses

⭐ Overall Impressions ▼

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

7 out of 10

How you think you did?

10 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

10 out of 10

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

10 out of 10

💬 Interview Questions ▼

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

How have I come to optometry as a career choice Why optometry and what experiences led you to it? Describe your trend in grades What do you like to do for fun Why ICO? If you get accepted into more than one school, which would you pick? Where I see optometry in the future Tell me about yourself What activities are you involved in? If I could tell the admissions committee 3 things about myself before they made their decision, what would they be? Where and in which setting do you plan to practice? Classes that I am interested in. not interested in What had of exposure have I had in the workplace? What are some experiences you've had in shadowing/working How did you prepare for the OAT?

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I will just list all the questions asked, including in the one-on-one file review with an admissions counselor and one-on-one interview with faculty.

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There is an inpromtu Essay: You have 10 minutes to write about what "Characteristics you will bring to the ICO community"

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What was the most interesting question?

Honestly...the interviewer will probably read your personal statement 15 minutes before your interview. Have this work FOR you. Read and re-read your essay 1000000 times. Be consistent, but not verbatim. They want to make sure your experiences were real and worthwhile.

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What was the most difficult question?

It's sometimes hard explaining WHY you want to go into a certain field, it may just be the experiences you had and words may not be enough. Practice your response, but make it sincere. It's just as bad to be mumbling throughout the interview than it is to say a bunch of BS.

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🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼

How long was the interview?

35 minutes

How many people interviewed you?

1

What was the style of the interview?

One-on-one

What type of interview was it?

Open file

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

No responses

Where did the interview take place?

At the school

📍 On-Site Experience ▼

Who was the tour given by?

Student

How did the tour guide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

10 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

0-1 hour

What was your primary mode of travel?

Train or subway

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

< $100

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

No responses

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

No responses

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

9 out of 10

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

9 out of 10

What are your comments on where you stayed?

No responses

✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

SDN is a blessing! I went through all the questions that these interview feedbacks had and then I made sure I could answer each question (even the "stupid ones"). Like, it was for some reason hard to answer how I studied for the OAT. Why? Because when I saw that question on SDN, I thought it was "stupid" and didn't bother to answer it.

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What impressed you positively?

Things I like about ICO: Clinical experience exposure, diversity of patients and surroundings, Technology and clinics (Eyepods, in classrooms and library), student and faculty relationship, resources that can help students, community environment

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What impressed you negatively?

How long the process was. I had already visited ICO twice and didn't need to see the dorms again. Long, but worth it.

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What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

It's nice to have someone with you. Maybe not your whole family, because that's overkill, but I was lonely :( Wear a suit....I know a lot of people say you can wear a nice sweater or whatever, but common. This is a professional interview. Wear a nice, clean, IRONED suit. And easy to walk in shoes. And look nice. First impressions are everything.

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What are your general comments?

I am not kidding when I say this...practice every single question you think they could possibly ask you...twice! GOOD LUCK!

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What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses

Illinois College Of Optometry

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