Forest Grove, OR
Optometry Schools | Private Non-Profit
Application Cycle: 2009-10
⭐ Overall Impressions
How do you rank the facilities?
5 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
7 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
7 out of 10
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
6 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
7 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
💬 Interview Questions
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
If we could fly your best friend here right now, what would he or she say about you?
What was the most interesting question?
If you could go back and take more classes in undergrad that are not prereqs, what kind of classes would you take?
What was the most difficult question?
What qualities do you think an optometrist should possess? And which of these characteristics do you think you possess already? Which do you not yet possess?
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions
How long was the interview?
50 minutes
How did the interview impress you?
No change 😐
How many people interviewed you?
2
How you think you did?
9 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
What was the style of the interview?
One-on-one
What type of interview was it?
Closed file
Where did the interview take place?
At the school
How did you prepare for the interview?
Read over practice questions from SDN, read over info about the school, spoke with current students.
What impressed you positively?
The family-oriented atmosphere and small ''hometown'' feel to Forest Grove. It was not very intimidating and all of the faculty were very friendly and enthusastic.
What impressed you negatively?
The clinicals director was very abrasive and tried to sugar-coat the fact that the clinics that actually had patients coming through at a steady pace were all located in Portland . . . an hour away. The facilities seemed a bit small.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Pacific attempts to accept an equal number of males and females for each class, so with the ratios going the way they are, all males should apply to Pacific since they'll have a great chance of getting in! I didn't see how this isn't discrimination of gender. Shouldn't all have an equal opportunity to be accepted regardless of gender, race, religion, etc?!
What are your general comments?
I was actually interviewed by two faculty, rather than the usual one faculty and one student. I did not prefer this format. The two were sitting rather close but far apart from each other, so splitting my attention between the two while I spoke nearly got me dizzy. It was NOT as relaxed as everyone makes it out to be because with a 2-on-1 interview, it's much more difficult for the interview to flow like a conversation. The interviewers took turns asking questions and they were much trickier and difficult to answer (at least about yourself) than my other interviews. The interviewers almost lost their personalities as soon as it was my turn to be asked questions, and then became people again when it was my turn to ask questions at the end. It was really intimidating. I also was very UNimpressed with the clinicals director - he was rapid-firing questions at us applicants at a very vulnerable time and completely ignored some people in the room. I found him to be borderline unprofessional. The area is gorgeous though - great for someone used to the small, hometown feel. It's also great having the undergrad right there because it opens up the extra curriculars like sports and music so that it's not always the same 30 people participating! It's a very active campus, and the cafeteria was fantastic. Save room for a big burrito!
📍 On-Site Experience
Who was the tour given by?
Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Neutral
What is your in-state status?
Out of state
What were your total hours spent traveling?
7+ hours
What was your primary mode of travel?
Airplane
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
$301-$400
What airport did you fly into?
PDX
Where did you stay?
Friends or family
How would you rate the hotel?
8 out of 10
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
yes
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