How many people interviewed you?
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.16 | 55 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Positively | 47 |
| Negatively | 4 |
| No change | 5 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 3.31 | 51 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.38 | 56 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.43 | 54 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In Person | 2 |
| Virtual | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 2 |
| 10 minutes | 2 |
| 15 minutes | 1 |
| 20 minutes | 5 |
| 25 minutes | 3 |
| 30 minutes | 7 |
| 35 minutes | 5 |
| 40 minutes | 5 |
| 45 minutes | 9 |
| 50 minutes | 6 |
| 55 minutes | 3 |
| 60+ minutes | 7 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At the school | 53 |
| At a regional location | 0 |
| At another location | 2 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| One-on-one | 52 |
| In a group | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Open file | 14 |
| Closed file | 40 |
| Response Average | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 1.16 | 55 |
"Explain low grades. How did you study for OAT?"
"What are some problems with the field of Optometry"
"What are some opportunities in the optometry field"
"What do you think is one of the biggest problems optometry is facing today?"
"What do you hope to gain from coming to SALUS?"
"What opportunities do you see in optometry? What is an issue with optometry now?"
"What opportunities do you see in optometry?"
"What are some of the challenges in the field of optometry?"
"How do you make a difficult decision? What is your thought process?"
"How do you deal with stress?"
"What experiences prepared you for optometry?"
"What are current issues or hindrances in the field?"
"What will you do if you dont get in"
"What optometric experience do you have?"
"Why Optometry"
"About my research experience"
"Do you think you are a good student academically? Do not tell me your gpa or grades."
"Why optometry, what other schools did you apply to"
"Why do you want to do optometry?"
"I will just list all the questions: whats the biggest accomplishment? what does an optometrist do? what are your strength and weaknesses? Who did you talk to first after you decided to do optometry? Why PCO?"
"How did you get involved in optometry?"
"Who did you talk to about your decision to become an optometrist? What is your perception of the school's curriculum?"
"Tell me about yourself."
"Why do you want to be an optometrist?"
"Why Optometry? What before choosing optometry?"
"why did you apply to PCO?"
"What's your strengths/ weaknesses?"
"What are your strengths and weaknesses as a student?"
"What are your weaknesses?"
"When you first became interested in the field, who did you talk to?"
"What was your first exposure to optometry?"
"Is PCO your first choice?"
"What are the current issues regarding optometry?"
"What's your greatest strength?"
"What are the current issues facing optometry?"
"why optometry?"
"How did you become interested in Optometry"
"General questions about your background. "
"What do you know about our curriculum?"
"What is an optometrist?"
"What do you know about optometry?"
"What did you learn as an opt tech? Why Salus?(asked in a room with other students, not in the interview)"
"Leadership experiences"
"What are some challenges in optometry"
"Why are you choosing Salus? What made this school stand out to you among other schools?"
"What do you think are the highlights and then the challenges with the optometry profession?"
"Tell me a time you displayed or saw someone display leadership that you admire?"
"What challenges do you see in optometry?"
"Why Salus?"
"What other schools did you apply to and why?"
"Why did you get this bad grade? (I received a D in one physics class)"
"Please discuss two challenges within the field of optometry."
"What will you bring to pco?"
"What are your hobbies?"
"What are some current issues in the field"
"What are some of your hobbies?"
"They will ask what specialties you know of. Of those they'll pick one and ask you what you know of that specialty (how in-depth your answer will vary)"
"Why PCO"
"Why optometry?"
"What is an optometrist?"
"Would you like to specialize in a certain field of optometry? If so, do you think pco is right for you?"
"What is optometry? What does an optometrist do that is different from an ophthalmologist?"
"what is an optometrist and what do they do, how would you go about dealing with a difficult patient"
"What do you like about the profession?"
"What are your extraciriculars/hobbies intersts? Why optometry? applied to any other schools and why so many?(i applied to 9) what other careers did you think about? "
"What made you decide on PCO?"
"What does an optometrist do? Why do you want to be an optometrist? Why have you applied to PCO?"
"Who did you talk to when deciding to be an optometrist."
"Why PC0?"
"What are some of the challenges facing Optometry?"
"why do you want to become an optometrist?"
"What do you do in free time?"
"Why optometry and why PCO?"
"Why optometry? Why PCO?"
"Why PCO?"
"What are the kinds of classes you did best and worst in, not based on the grades?"
"Have you had to overcome any major challenges?"
"What do you think of our curriculum?"
"What is your greatest achievement? "
"What are your weaknesses?"
"What's your greatest weakness?"
"what has been your exposure?"
"What current issue in optometry do you believe is the most important...and why?"
"What do you see yourself doing in 10 years?"
"what experiences do you have in optometry?"
"Do you think you can make the adjustment to living in Philadelphia?"
"Are you a good student? Explain "
"What is your weakness in your studies?"
"What type of experience do you have in optometry?"
"Do you play tennis?"
"Tell me about a time you displayed or were inspired by someone else's leadership."
"How did you prepare for the OAT"
"Something about leadership. I can't remember the exact format"
"Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership or observed someone else in a leadership role?"
"Scenario-based question about how myself and a committee of people would give one of three possible gifts to a community/communities in a developing country."
"You got this grade this quarter can you explain why?"
"What makes someone a good leader?"
"Why did you choose PCO?"
"Directly after graduating from PCO, what do you hope to give back to optometry?"
"How do you plan to contribute to our incoming class?"
"my hobbies"
"What are some final things you want the admissions office to know about you?"
"Who did you first tell when you decided to do optometry, was your family supportive"
"What other schools did you apply to?"
"How bout them Phillies? (I asked them. Reference the date if you're a baseball fan) ;P"
"What is your greatest accomplishment?"
"What are current issues in optometry?"
"What other schools did you apply to? How does their curriculum compare to ours?"
"what is your acadademic strength coming into this program, what are your career goals"
"What are your hobbies?"
"Most of your hobbies are related to art. Why not follow that path?"
"How will you practice after graduating? Tell me about yourself? It was just a conversation, so for the most part, she just skipped some questions, becuase i just told her most of the answers without having her ask me the questions."
"Will you be able to adjust away from home?"
"How have you attempted to explore/learn more about the profession?"
"What do you know about PCO's curriculum. "
"What do you wish to accomplish in the field?"
"how many schools you applied to."
"Why PCO? How did you prepare?"
"What do you think an optometrist does?"
"Question about research b/c of my background."
"In what activities are you interested?/What do you do to relieve stress?"
"Do you think you would want to specialize and why PCO? (Be careful on this one...PCO prides itself on producing wonderful general optometrists, not Contact lens specialists, etc.)"
"Is your family supportive?"
"What are some of the things you like to do to relax?"
"Why PCO?"
"Would you prefer a private practice or group practice setting?"
"What kind of experience/knowledge do you have with/about optometry?"
"what do you know about our curriculum?"
"Some question about stressful situations."
"What was your biggest achievement?"
"what issues face the field of optometry?"
"What is an issue that you're concerned about for the future of optometry"
"What is an optometrist?"
"What kind of practice do you see yourself doing?"
"When did you decide to become an optometrist? Have you ever considered another career?"
"What were your experiences?"
"What did you take away from your experience with COVID?"
"Why i got a D in a class. Was it because of the course load?"
"What do you think you can get out of becoming a student at Salus?"
"Summarize your undergraduate career (don't have to be specific)."
"In this scenario, if you only had $100 to donate to charity. Which would it be? To buy educational supplies ie pens & books, medical supplies, or water?"
"What things do you look for in an optometry school?"
"What challenges does optometry face?"
"What do you know about PCO?"
"what I like to do for fun"
"What qualities would make you a good optometrist?"
"Why PCO?"
"What do you see as being the biggest hinderance to the growth of the profession? (apparently this question throws many interviewees off)"
"Tell me about yourself"
"What are your extracurriculars?"
"What is c-reactive protein and what is it's clinical importance in relation to the eye? (I had mentioned that I worked at a medical lab)"
"Is there anything you prepared to talk about that we haven't covered?"
"what is the biggest challenge facing optometry"
"What problems will optometrists face in the future?"
"Do you know the history of macrame?"
"whats your greatest accomplishment?"
"Does your family support you?"
"What extracurricular activities or hobbies do you enjoy?"
"None really."
"None"
"What was the biggest mistake you've made in your life? What did you do to rectify it?"
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
"what do you like to do in your spare time?"
"What was the most challenging event in your life?"
"What did I learn from my job working with children?"
"Nothing interesting. Just all the basic get-to-know-you questions that are posted on here. I was asked most of the questions that are posted on sdn."
"None were too interesting...just your basics!"
"If you could go out to dinner tonight with 3 people (dead or alive), who would they be?"
"None were really interesting/unexpected."
"To describe the kind of person I am and how I handle a stressful/challenging situation."
"None of the questions were interesting....just about my undergrad experience, strengths/weaknesses, knowledge of optometry, etc."
"What are your goals for optometry?"
"None of the questions were interesting or surprising - mostly just stuff like why optometry? experience? college experience, etc"
"How do you handle stress?"
"All question was as expected nothing out of the ordinary"
"what do you like about our school?"
"what type of student are you?"
"If you could eat dinner with any three people who would you choose?"
"What is your major strength?"
"What was your biggest achievement?"
"There really were no difficult questions but you do need to now where you stand. Since the questions were quite broad, it also allows yourself to stand out amongst the other interviewers. (ie; What is your biggest accomplishment?)"
"none that was memorably interesting.."
"If accepted, would you attend Salus?"
"What are some problems with the field of Optometry"
"None was difficult"
"Are there any specialties you want to focus on during your time as an optometry student?"
"How do you think you will be successful in optometry school based on past challenges?"
"MMI Question: given a prompt about the impact of the internet on healthcare/diagnosis and told to "discuss""
"Asked point-of-view on people diagnosing themselves through websites such as WebMD."
"Why did you score low on one of the courses (I got a C+ in Organic Chemistry). Be prepared to have a good explanation."
"What can you gain from PCO, unrelated to academics?"
"Challenges in optometry, Knowledge about PCO's program"
"How I handle a difficult situation"
"What is something that PCO needs to improve on?"
"Why Salus/PCO? This was only hard because I tried not to sound like a cookie cutter with the information provided on their website."
"What is the biggest challenge that Optometry is currently facing"
"nothing too difficult"
"There was no difficult questions"
"Why not opthamology?"
"What is the biggest historic accomplishment your state has achieved in the field of optometry? (which i had no clue about and was definitely not prepared to answer this!)"
"What are 2 of your weaknesses?"
"what is your acadademic weakness coming into this program"
"Why weren't you accepted last year?"
"none really"
"Do you have any weaknesses coming into this program?"
"What are your academic strengths and weaknesses?"
"What would you change about yourself."
"What is your biggest weakness?"
"nothing really...maybe What are some of the challenges Optometry is facing?"
"why dont you like about optometry?"
"What was the most challenging event in your life?"
"None really."
"I have some research experience, and was asked about that. My interviewer"
"Where do you see yourself living in the future, and what sort of patients do you want to see? (As those two questions sort of go hand-in-hand.)"
"What is your biggest accomplishment in your life so far?"
"How do I approach a problem and how would I handle it."
"I did not find any of the questions difficult. "
"None."
"My greatest weakness"
"what are your academic strength/weaknesses"
"Was not asked a very difficult question."
"If you could have dinner with three people who would it be?"
"What are your weaknesses?"
"How would you define success as an optometrist?"
"What is an Optometrist"
"There were really no questions that I didn't expect."
"I wouldn't say it was hard..but this question can make you shine if you answered it well. (What are some of the issues facing optometrists?)"
"none"
"YouTube mock interviews, sdn questions, reviewing their website"
"Used SDN and reddit."
"I watched YouTube videos and read as many articles as possible about how to perform my best in an interview. I tried to think about my most valuable life experiences and make sure to have them fleshed out so that I can give those examples to the interviewer if they ask. I asked my mom or a friend to ask me questions. I practiced answering questions in front of my camera (i.e. I opened my own private Zoom meeting and just spoke to myself). I copied and pasted questions to a google doc and just typed out my answers. I researched the school, about their curriculum and everything they offer, and how they compare to other schools to make sure I show I am knowledgeable about their school and how it compares to other schools."
"Student Doctor Network, YouTube videos, a lot of practicing with myself on the car ride there (It was a long drive to get there)"
"SDN, asking friends, reviewing my app"
"SDN feedback, rehearsed any questions I could find, made sure I knew my 'why optometry' and could talk about all of my experiences"
"Read stats about the school online in order to ask questions."
"SDN, optomcas essay, another set of questions from a website, LOTS OF PRACTICE"
"Student doctor network interview feedback, looking over optomcas experiences, practicing being confident!"
"SDN all the way! Thank you!!"
"this site"
"This forum."
"read these forums. almost all the questions they asked were posted here"
"SDN, mock interview"
"SDN (not much honestly), SalusU website, Student handbook (this was hard to find), brochures, the interview folder (you're given one at the start of the day when you enter the office)"
"SDN Boards"
"SDN forums practiced answering questions others posted on interview feedback"
"I read over SDN questions and answered them. I read over them the morning before my interview."
"Practice the questions mentioned in this survey for the most part. Definitely was not ready for some of the questions though (such as the "pop quiz" I had on historical facts about my home state)"
"SDN"
"mock interview, practice interview with my friends and family, SDN questions"
"SDN interview feedback!"
"SDN, PCO website, previous interviews"
"SDN INTERVIEW FEEDBACK. This website is a blessing from God!!! i basically didnt get any questions that werent on this website. so know the answer to every single question even the really silly ones!!! i also looked at all the materials that they sent me from PCO and i looked at their website. Know info about their curriculum as well."
"SDN questions, some other quetions on an optometry site, prepped with family and friends."
"Looked up questions on SDN and practiced in the mirror."
"Mock interview and sample questions. "
"Mock interviews Prepare Q&A"
"SDN interview feedback, mock interviews"
"Compiled all the questions from here, and just read other questions on the web, practiced them out. If you practice the questions from here, you are more than likely ready for it!"
"SDN, other website"
"SDN, my application, PCO website, Mock interview"
"prepared list of SDN questions!"
"Browsed SDN forums, read over my application, practiced with a mock-interview."
"Read up on the school, read over my activities, since I knew it was closed file."
"SDN, reviewed my app."
"SDN,school website, and I know myself pretty well, I think."
"SDN, looked through the PCO's website and catalog guide"
"SDN, speaking to optometrists, researching the school"
"Read up on the current issues in optometry and read posts on this website "
"Reviewed current optometry related materials and read up on the school facts."
"StudentDoctor.Net and info from the school website"
"website, sdn, interview seminar"
"PCO website, reviewed my application and lettes."
"browsed the forums."
"Read over my essays"
"practice interviews from professors, Student Doctor, PCO Web-site"
"Honestly, I feel horrible because I was going over some possible questions on the way to the interview! However, I normally fair well in interviews/under pressure. "
"prepared Q&A"
"Friendliness of the staff and the casual nature of the interview."
"Doctors and students at the clinic were very nice and eager to show us around"
"The interviewer was easy to talk to. Made me feel less nervous"
"That the interviewer was very kind, and of younger age. The interview felt like more of a conversation, and they allowed me to kind of talk freely about myself."
"Innovative, strong culture of commraderie, The Eye Institute, brand new equipment/technology, early patient exposure, residency programs, tutoring, curriculum, everything was very impressive"
"They were very timely with emailing me before, after the interview"
"Everyone was friendly, the Dean who gave us a presentation at the beginning was very kind and welcoming, the clinic is new, large, and close to campus, the virtual reality lab is amazing, and the new Lombardi classroom is beautiful!"
"Amazing technology, the Eye Institute is beautiful."
"The Eye Institute is amazing and I heard that they went through 11 million dollars worth of renovations and you could really see that at the TEI"
"I heard bad things about this school, but the facilities are really nice: large gym across the street, huge classrooms, nice library space, new/plenty of equipment, large clinic."
"The program is extremely patient-focused with extra coursework to teach you about the importance of doctor-patient relationship. Brand new renovations and equipment at their long-standing institute (almost 100 years!). Availability of resource office to help you start a private practice. Note-taking services. Large class = more variety of classmates to practice on. Finish all core coursework in 2.5 years rather than 3."
"The school has an excellent curriculum. The place their first years in the clinic early, which is great. They also have good board scores."
"The campus and facilities! New equipment? yes. Early clinical? yes. Nice gym? yes please."
"the clinic is brand new and in a rough area so you most likely see a lot of pathology there"
"The eye care institute! Free contacts, and lenses. Top professors of optometry work and teach here. Module learning"
"The Eye Institute (clinic) is brand new and just finished this year. 3 floors of optometric classrooms. huge gym/rec area. very nice area where campus is located."
"Great facilities, both the main campus and eye institute look amazing"
"the new clinic"
"School facilities"
"The different health professionals at the school besides optometrists, clinicals, and curriculum"
"The amount of clinical experience offered"
"Unique course set up (integrative modules), beautiful campus (small pond that was frozen when I went). Gym facilities were alright, offer some classes for a fee."
"the campus, faculty, curriculum, clinic"
"The entire tour: The classroom with all the pods, the gym, the appearance of the school."
"The Elkins Park campus."
"location, staff and how the interview was conducted"
"The building was awesome! The clinic is really nice, a bit far away, but really great because the patient population seems to be so diverse. The area is really nice too, quiet as well. The people were super polite and nice!"
"The student tour guides were really cool people and the student body appears rather diverse."
"Everyone was nice and they had good facilities."
"The facilities. TEI was great (and huge)."
"How nice everyone was, friendly and joking around. The Eye Institute and PCO's emphasis on clinical studies. "
"the killer clinical cirriculum. the clinic is old, but huge. awsome school. lots of vision rehab services and course. "
"Recently renovated school building and professional atmosphere in clinic. "
"- school seems small enough for you to know everyone - student guide said the students were not competitive...everyone helps each other out - the Hafter Center (gym+study lounge) is nice. relatively new."
"I absolutely love the school. Their curriculum is AMAZING. Everyone was really nice and helpful. The interview was very laid back. They are just trying to get to know you. I also loved the tour of the eye clinic. "
"The location---I was worried as I heard it wasn't the greatest city to live in, but it's in a suburb and has very nice neighborhoods in the vicinity. Don't be scared to check the place out due to the fact that it's in ''Philly''."
"The school is huge! The classrooms look nice since you are going to be spending tons of time there. They were very honest about everything."
"Their clinic is really large and has a lot of sections for each specialty."
"Such a professional school and people seemed very friendly. "
"campus (very well maintained), attitude of the faculty members & students (very nice, friendly, and helpful), have a very nice student community center "
"Lab facilities, clinical curriculum, and the weather"
"Quality of the clinical curriculum and enthusiasm of the people/students I met"
"modern facilities, nice clean campus"
"Very nice area surrounding the school. The train to downtown was in walking distance. "
"The staff and students were very nice."
"new building, new recreation center, the nice staff"
"The schools new building."
"The buildings and equipment were in great shape. The new student center looks awesome."
"I loved my interviewer. He was very nice. He sold the school very well. Very enthusiastic--- great conversationalist"
"How nice everyone was."
"The faculty were very nice and it was a nice environment. "
"The PCO building is architecturally beautiful. "
"The interview was rushed due to the fact that the interviewer had 2 students to talk to. Thought this was an easily fixable solution because other students returned to the waiting area before I was called in, so I could have been interviewed earlier by one of those admissions staff members, as opposed to waiting for mine. The interviewer also only let me ask one question."
"It does seem to be in a rough area of town like everyone else says. But maybe we're all just seeing one, narrow perspective. The tour they took us on can all be explored online so I had already seen all of it."
"The area."
"N/A"
"Location isn’t the greatest."
"The campus itself was very concentrated and small compared to the TEI."
"The interview process was also extremely unorganized, where all of the interviewees sat and waited in a room for 45 minutes, only to find out that our tour guide had bailed on us because of finals. We were interviewed very briefly because the dean of admissions was late, and we didn't get to meet any faculty from optometry.."
"While the school's area is quaint, the clinic's site is located in North Philly. It is a rather ghetto area 15 minutes from the school and it seems their patients are predominantly African-American. I am unsure about their exposure to actual patient diversity. I attest, however, that you will likely see plenty of disease with their patient base. Also, even though there is public transportation, you will likely need a car because it's in the suburbs where everything is spaced out."
"The location. It is pretty depressing. The fact that you have to drive to the clinic is a huge turnoff."
"Philly is not the nicest neighbourhood; however, because that is the area that the eye institute is in, you would probably see a lot of diverse diseases and problems."
"the area around the clinic was rough and pretty ghetto and also some of the rooms within the school looked older"
"Staff was not as attentive. Student tour guide wasn't enthusiastic."
"library is very small...."
"Area isnt great"
"surrounding location...downtown philly"
"location"
"You may need a car because clinic is not walkable from school."
"the campus, reminded me of a community college"
"Basically all students need to have cars (yes parking is free on campus). The closest apartments "the colony" looked rundown. Surrounding area seemed shady, cafeteria food was not so great. CLINIC IS ROUGHLY 3 MILES AWAY and looks old (but should soon be remodeled/added onto)."
"how far the clinic is from the school and everything closes early around the area"
"The fact that the clinic is 2-3 miles away from the academic building kind of sucks."
"The Oak Lane campus-very run down."
"none"
"Just the clinic being a bit too far away, but also the lack of dormitories. The area seemed to have a lot of apartments though, so it shouldn't be hard to find."
"There is no shuttle to the Eye Institute. Its not too far away but you have catch the local public transportation, have a car, or hitch a ride to get there."
"Driving 10-15 minutes to get to the clinic."
"Nothing."
"Northern Philly is pretty sketchy"
"You need a car to survive here...and the location I guess."
"location...man it could have been better. "
"The distance between school and clinic, the area around clinic is like a ghetto (although school itself is in fairly quite + clean location)"
"- The Eye Institute is 15 mins away. you need a car since there is no public transportation to take you there - Philly is ghetto"
"The clinic was very outdated, but still effective, so not that big of a deal. Its also about 15 minutes from the school, but you get to see a wide variety of patients and I think its worth it."
"That you definitely need a car to go anywhere."
"Not much, really. However, Philadelphia appears to be a very ghetto city."
"nothing really!"
"None."
"The area around the school is rather ho-hum."
"nothing"
"The eye clinic was kind of old and junky, but was supposed to undergo renovation in the future."
" Nothing"
"needing to drive to clinic, location off campus, distance from the airport"
"The center of town. Wasn't very pretty."
"The Eye Institute is in a ghetto"
"The tour. The students were a bad represnetation of the student body. could not answer any questions about student life/living, partying, etc"
"The fact that I had to wait for everyone to finish their interviews before we went on the tour."
"Hmm..the buildings can be a little renovated. "
"The PCO area is very isolated. Don't see a store anywhere in 5 mile radius. Don't see anyone walking in the neighborhood either, which strikes me as lonely. "
"I would have to hit multiple topics in each question since my time was short and she asked fewer questions than expected. She also had to cut my answers short to keep the interview moving so I felt things were half-answered."
"That the interview itself was very casual"
"That the interview wouldn't really be that long, and that I should prepare good questions to ask them that show I am interested in the school, and be able to research what makes Salus stand out among other schools."
"To know my interview would be so short and make sure I get everything in that I wanted them to know when making the decision to accept me."
"How laid back my interview would have been and not to worry so much!"
"I wish I knew they would ask me about my courses as well. I was not prepared to give an explanation for that."
"How unreliable the public transportation is! I didn't want to rent a car because it was snowing.. and it took me 4 hours to get to my hotel when it could've taken 30 minutes by car. You definitely need a car while at this school, which is something I didn't want."
"There was a group interview with a faculty member with 3-4 questions after they gave a presentation. Then you go out and wait for your one-on-one interview with an admissions staff. The second interview is open file, but you will be answering a few more general questions before they open your file."
"That the interview was so not personal. Seriously, how can they get to know us with just one question? The group interview was kind of awkward. Was not a fan. The exit interview was more personable."
"Just wish I applied earlier!"
"Eye care institute is great!!"
"Students have midterms on the 2nd week of October (no 2ne year student tourguide). Boston Convention was around the week I interviewed (no dean or doctors to speak with)"
"that the interviewer has a list of standard questions that they ask everyone. pretty much every question you have will be posted somewhere on this site :P"
"The clinic is roughly 3 miles away, students pretty much need to have cars, campus surroundings seem dodgy."
"nothing really"
"That it was going to be so relaxed. I expected to be asked why I got this grade in that class, etc during my exit interview, but it didn't happen."
"They take you in a van for your tour of the clinic. Don't worry about driving there!"
"To be relaxed, i know there were many posts on here stating that the interview is laid back but i was still really really really nervous because it was my first interview. But once the interview started i was ok for the most part."
"Not to stress so much because the inteview was so laid back and easy."
"More about their curriculum. "
"Nothing."
"Nothing really."
"the 18 month rotations"
"not much. I think I did fair amount of research before the interview."
"nothing really. i rented a car and driving there was a lil difficult."
"Take the train instead of a cab if you can. You can take the train to the station near the school, and someone from the admissions office will come pick you up at the train station and bring you to the interview. The staff is awesome!"
"The exit interview is nothing more than them reviewing your application, and making sure you have all parts complete (or will in the near future.) Nothing to prepare for or stress about!"
"My interview was sooo relaxed, way more than I thought it would be. It was actually with the president of PCO, Dr. Lewis and he was great to talk to. He really wanted to get to know me instead of drill me on typical interview questions."
"Traffic is horrible."
"That there is a Marriot hotel attached to the airport that I would have stayed at. Also, that the train system is so easy to use. The pamphlet I got told me I may have to transfer trains, but the R1 train took me straight from airport to school and it took ~45 min. I went so early to make sure I had extra time in case I got lost/took wrong train, etc. and I ended up arriving 2 hours early to my interview."
"The roads may get a bit confusing due to the massive construction going on there."
"SDN prepared me for everything."
"I could have taken the train from the airport to the school for 7 dollars. However, I did not know that until I paid $55 dollars for a cab..."
"The school surrounding area didn't look like a good neighborhood."
"that since i had the 9am interview, i would have to wait until 12pm for everyone else to be done. if i knew that, i would have brought a book or study material."
"My response to the admissions person after the interview at the checkout."
"That I would be interviewed by the president of the college"
"Philidelphia's a run down, ghetto city"
"That it was going to be that long! I only got 4 hours of sleep the night before and I was exhausted. (Interview/tour was from 10am-3pm) "
"nothing"
"Despite its lower NBEO, Salus has many successful alumni which ultimately made me apply. They also have really strong, diverse clinical experience. I just wish I had more time with my interviewer"
"The interview starts with a tour around school facilities and ends with a tour around the clinic, so be prepared for lots of walking."
"I would love to attend the school. It takes about 2 weeks for them to get back to you."
"The interview was very laid back, and low stress. Their admissions committee is very kind and understanding. They make you feel heard and take the effort to read your application so they can have a good conversation with you. They provide you with many chances to ask questions and also allow invite you to add anything if you feel like they didn't ask you."
"Fantastic school, incredible faculty and training, such a diverse patient exposure, really everything you would want in an optometry school. I think the school is honest about who they are and when they make mistakes. I found it refreshing how honest but genuine people were. I think anyone would be lucky to attend SALUS."
"It very SUPER lack. the dead even was talking casually with the assistant dean. It probably was to help get us to feel comfortable and open up to them because they want you to say things that may not be on your application."
"The interview was very, very short. Mine was with an admissions counselor. He asked me 3 questions total. Generally about my motivations, my grades/file, and one simple scenario based situation asking how you would react as a leader. Interview was very brief almost felt like I really couldn't explain much about myself or pitch myself to the interviewer."
"The interview day solidified my decision to attend PCO and was a great representation of the school."
"PCO is a great school with the best TEI and as it was the first optometry school to give out the doctor of optometry degree, it has to maintain those standards. Loved the students who gave me a tour, very informative and helpful."
"Great campus (equipment, gym, clinic), but expensive tuition, unorganized interview process, commute to clinic, unreliable public transportation, and in a depressing run down location. (I'm used to LA and NY so being in these run down suburbs was sort of depressing)"
"I walked into this interview expecting to see a run-down clinic in a bad neighborhood. While I originally had negative thoughts, this clinic far exceeded my expectations. It is extremely state-of-the-art with recent renovations. You feel a sense of history learning in the same clinic as all the PCO students before you. It seriously was not as bad a neighborhood as I anticipated and as a girl, that's saying a lot. I feel their reputable program will build me into a strong clinician and it far outweighs the negativity of its clinic's location. And btw, Elkins Park area is so quaint!! :)"
"What you read online is most likely true about this school"
"A lot of people on the forum said that their interviews were only one-on-one; however, for my interview, they asked us one question each when we were in the group and talking to the dean (dean took notes) before splitting us apart."
"most of the questions are here so read up and be prepared to answer them"
"From the west, it was COLD!"
"The school is very impressive and the Eye Institute is salivatingly new and well designed. If you did well you'll receive an acceptance email in under 4 days (that's me! :D) and the packet within a week of interviewing."
"Seems like a great school"
"Great school, no essay before interview"
"Very laid back interview!"
"Not the school for me but I have met students that are quite impressed with PCO. Interviewer didn't keep track of time, had an 'interview' for over an hour and ended up walking into the financial aid talk late."
"My exit interview was immediately after my interview but both were very laid back and not as crazy as I thought they would be"
"This school looks amazing and the clinic seems like a wonderful place to gain experience in all types of specialties. Everyone I encountered during my interview day, including some students, was very very friendly. They all love being there. The school is not in the center of a busy city, nor is it in the middle of nowhere (a plus for someone like me). There is free and ample parking for all students!"
"Overall I really liked the school, but the faculty wasn't very friendly."
"They say there are two interviews but there's really only one and thats the closed file. The second interview aka exit interview is just going thru. your file to see if anything is missing, and they just wanted my fall grades sent to them. I had the exit interview right after my actual interview. Since i got the stressful things out of the way first, i was able to enjoy the rest of my visit there. There is also free parking at the school. I got to know just last week that I was accepted. Good luck to all."
"Don't stress so much before the interview, it's really not bad."
"I was accepted to the school one week and one day after my interview!"
"It was better than I expected. =)"
"I was very nervous! My first interview ever and because of that I did stumble a little bit! However I think in the end all went well. If you prepare and read over the questions from this forum I'm sure you will be fine! Everyone is very nice, and the interview itself was not too hectic. It was more of a conversation than ok question 1, 2, 3."
"awsome experience, one on one, basically i forgot it was an interview, but more of a conversation. i was asked basic questions, most are personal and my desire to do optometry"
"It was in better neighborhood than I expected. The interviewer was a bit traditional unlike I heard from other people. When I talked to the students at the PCO , they told me that my interviewer is the only one who asks very formal questions. "
"1-1 interview, exit interview, financial aid meeting, TEI tour, lunch, PCO tour 10am-1:30pm"
"PCO is an amazing school."
"The day went smoothly. Definitely allow plenty of time to arrive there. The construction areas are terrible and traffic moves slow. The interview was relaxing and everyone I met was friendly and interested in getting to know me. It was a great day."
"It was wonderful. And I must have done well, since I've already been accepted!!"
"I first got interviewed by a faculty member who wrote down everything I said and didn't seem to be all that interested in doing the interview. Then I went on a tour of the building and then to the clinic. The clinic is way better than SUNY's even though it looks like it belongs in the 70s. Then my exit interview, lunch, and financial aid. The lady who did my exit interview was really distracted and was like since you are interviewing so early and the committee doesn't meet this early, it will take 4-6 weeks to hear back. I was really impressed that the school allows you to do 5 externships for 1 and a half years, which is a lot more than most schools. They also make sure that you get to do an externship at each type of practice, (group, group w/MD, VA, private) so you can figure out which one you like best. Also, PCO's first year courses include way more credits than any other school's first year because they need to make time for the externships. I don't know if its better to get everything over with early or if its a lot of unecessary stress."
"School is professional, organized, and curriculum seems really good. Lots of lab experience and I got a sense that the students that were there were happy with their choice. Experience was very positive."
"It was a great experience. My interviewer was extremely nice and told me a lot about what the school offers to its students. It was not intimidating at all. "
"My mother and I stayed at Fort Washington Holiday Inn. It was literally a 10 min train ride to Jenkintown and from there it was a $5 cab ride to the campus. Since we did not drive we used SEPTA and found it very easy to get around. Fort Washington is right by the train station - a 5 min walk, as well, it is close to Friendly's for a quick bite to eat. Also if you plan on taking a cab to your hotel, its best to reconsider and take the train. It only cost $7 and it was extremely easy. If you are staying at Fort Washington, I suggest you take the train to Suburban station, get off and wait for the R5 train (It is clearly marked on the platform). Also if you mention you are going there for an interview, Fort Washington gives you a discounted rate of $99.00/night."
"Arrived at the school at 9 o'clock and waited in the office until called upon. I was then interviewed by a nice woman for about 40 mins or so. Following the interview, a student took us on a tour of the school and the eye clinic. When we returned we ate lunch and went over financial aid. Then we had a closer interview and were allowed to leave. Overall, it was a full day event so be prepared for such. "
"The interview was more laidback than I thought. Staff was very pleasant."
"the interviewer was friendly, as was the staff. the school seems great, but the location is a bit sketchy, especially where the clinic is located, which is 10-15 mins from the actual school."
"The interview was my favorite part. I learned a lot from the school from my interviewer. I really enjoyed talking to my interviewer"
"Had a very positive experience. "
"It was a nice interview. However, I think I was a lot more nervous than I should hav e been. I feel if optometry is your passion then you should have no problem answering any questions, let it come straight from the heart and try not to sound too ''textbook.'' But that is not to say you shouldn't practice going over questions with someone you're comfortable with."
"I was interviewed by a senior level faculty member, who seemed to have an interest in taking me right from the start. I told him by qualifications and experiences, and he was impressed and started to talk on and on about how good PCO is. It was an easy interview. "
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Student | 43 |
| Faculty member | 2 |
| Admissions staff | 9 |
| Other | 1 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Enthusiastic | 46 |
| Neutral | 7 |
| Discouraging | 2 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.13 | 55 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| In state | 0 |
| Out of state | 55 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 0-1 hour | 11 |
| 2-3 hours | 11 |
| 4-6 hours | 18 |
| 7+ hours | 14 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| Airplane | 23 |
| Automobile | 25 |
| Train or subway | 3 |
| Other | 3 |
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| < $100 | 7 |
| $101-$200 | 10 |
| $201-$300 | 10 |
| $301-$400 | 5 |
| $401-$500 | 5 |
| $501+ | 11 |
Phil-International
Philly Airport
Philadelphia
PHL
| Response | # Responders |
|---|---|
| At school facility | 1 |
| With students at the school | 1 |
| Friends or family | 6 |
| Hotel | 36 |
| Home | 1 |
| Other | 2 |
Airport Marriott Four Seasons
Best Western
club quarters
Comfort Inn
Comfort Inn (it's a little far ~30 minutes)
Courtyard by Marriot
Crowne Plaza
Days Inn Horsham
Farifield Marriott
Fort Washington Holiday Inn
Fort Washington Hotel and Conference Center
Hamptom Inn Willow Grove
Hampton Inn
Hampton Inn (Willow Grove)
Hampton Inn in Willow Grove
Hampton Inn Willow Grove
Hampton Inn, Willow Grove
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Fort Washington
Marriott Downtown (Philadelphia)
No
Quality Inn Airport
Sheraton Suites by Airport
The Hilton
Yes
Airport Marriott Four Seasons
Best Western
club quarters
Comfort Inn
Comfort Inn (it's a little far ~30 minutes)
Courtyard by Marriot
Crowne Plaza
Days Inn Horsham
Farifield Marriott
Fort Washington Holiday Inn
Fort Washington Hotel and Conference Center
Hamptom Inn Willow Grove
Hampton Inn
Hampton Inn (Willow Grove)
Hampton Inn in Willow Grove
Hampton Inn Willow Grove
Hampton Inn, Willow Grove
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Fort Washington
Marriott Downtown (Philadelphia)
No
Quality Inn Airport
Sheraton Suites by Airport
The Hilton
Yes
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.59 | 54 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 5.98 | 56 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.20 | 56 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 7.97 | 33 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 8.00 | 33 |
| Response Avg | # Responders |
|---|---|
| 6.28 | 32 |
"Schedule more time for interviews and try to limit one student per admissions staff member."
"None. Thank you for making virtual interviews an option."
"Less time on a tour of the campus and more time with interviews to get a very clear understanding of the student you're considering."
"N/A everything was impressive!"
"Have less interviews instead of offering so many dates; it would be easier to organize this way, and the applicants won't be so disappointed that they traveled so far to attend such an unorganized event"
"There was wait time in between meeting new people for the interview and for the tour. It would've been a lot better if there was a transitional announcement to let us know what the wait was for each time."
"The lady in the front is not very friendly. You would think the school would want the most cheerful person for the incoming class to meet."
"More welcoming. Compare to other schools the staff was pretty quiet and the tour guide was apparently doing work study and wasn't enthusiastic about the tour."
We help students become doctors. TM
What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?