Illinois College Of Optometry Individual responses

⭐ Overall Impressions ▼

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

8 out of 10

How you think you did?

8 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

8 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?

Asked about different optometry shadowing experiences. Where do you see yourself in the future (what type of optometrist do you want to be). Do you have any questions for me?

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How do you relieve stress? Time management skill? How did you study for the OAT? How do your parents feel about you moving to Chicago?

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Talked mainly about my grades and low gpa/struggles. Be prepared to explain if you have a lot gpa/got bad grades. I feel like 80% of the interview was her concern about my struggle in college and how I might struggle at ICO

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What was the most interesting question?

If you were to encounter a personal tragedy during your time here at ICO, how would you deal with it and how would you prevent it from affecting your studies?

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What was the most difficult question?

If you were having trouble in one of our courses here, what would you do?

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🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼

How long was the interview?

45 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?

9 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

Out of state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

4-6 hours

What was your primary mode of travel?

Airplane

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

$501+

What airport did you fly into?

Midway

Where did you stay?

At school facility

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

5 out of 10

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

4 out of 10

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

5 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?

6 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

8 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

SDN

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What impressed you positively?

The whole interview flow went smoothly. I really like how professional the environment seemed. It seemed like a really established optometry school with really focused students (everywhere we walked, students were focused with studying). I loved the clinic that was attached to the school and was excited about the diversity of patients that students could see. Overall I liked how it seemed like a serious place to learn and succeed. I went to another school that seemed more laid back and relax which you would think is a good thing... but I actually preferred ICO's slightly more "serious" environment. The security guys are really nice!

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What impressed you negatively?

It was slightly intimidating how the students seemed a bit stressed - but that is optometry school and you're there to work hard and learn. It was a bit stressful that everything seemed so "dark". Outside the building was dark and cold. Inside the building lights were extremely dimmed, and it just seemed like a dark, dark cold place. I don't know, maybe it's because I'm from California lol. Students were nice, but not as nice as another school interviewed at. Maybe they had an important test coming up or something. Oh, there was this lady at the front desk that was not that pleasant at all. I think she was an older Caucasian lady that really just did not have common sense when it came to manners. I'm surprised she's allowed to work there, given her personality. She wasn't extremely mean, but I was expecting a different personality (nice, warm, welcoming), given that she was the first person I saw, walking into the school for the first time.

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What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

How to get back to the airport. After the interview was over, I wasn't sure what to do next, haha. They were just sort of like - Okay, that's all, bye! And I felt so lost and stranded. (At the other school I interviewed at, I won't mention which school, the admissions office asked if I knew how to get back to the airport ok, and one even offered to walk me to the subway! Wow!) But at ICO, I walked around outside with my luggage and had to ask a student how to get a taxi. I wanted to ask my-not-so-favorite-lady at the front desk, but she was busy talking on the phone (obviously for personal/pleasure, not business) and ignored the fact that I was lingering around waiting for her assistance. Eventually she went away and another nice lady (African American descent) helped me with calling a taxi. She was very nice.

Illinois College Of Optometry

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