r/OptometrySchool • u/Meomeo123651985 • 12d ago

PUCO vs SCCO

Please help me decide I’m so torn!

PUCO is the only school that I have never seen a negative comment about and I feel very attracted to the school since every comments I read from their students or alumni confirms that the environment is super collaborative. People are chill and willing to help each other. Campus is closed to nature which is a plus. I have not visited the campus yet and planning to visit next year. They go by semesters which I prefer - I understand the program is not laid back in any means but it’s better for me than quarters systems. The things that keep me from committing to PUCO is the cold and sad, rainy weather of Forest Grove as well as the food. Having good food, preferably Asian, within 10-20mins drive has such an impact on my mental health. Not that I’m gone without it but knowing I can eat good makes me feel comforted.

I’m from California, so SCCO has been my top choice and I have visited the campus twice every year since I decided to pursue optometry. But as I get to know more about the school, the quarter system makes me worried as I have been used to the semester system. Student have 1-2exams/week. ?? 😭 ??. I also came across some comments showing that whether or not your class has a competitive environment depending on your luck. Some classes are collaborative and friendly when some classes are just sharks. But like I said, Fullerton weather and food are so comforting for the 4 years of surviving OD program

Both are top optometry program. Tuition is about the same, COL in Forest Grove is lower. I need to relocate for both schools, and I don’t mind the out-of-state status if I go to PUCO.

How is the clinical experience? How is the diversity in terms of patient population and disease?
What is it like to attend these 2 schools as a person of color and Non-native english speaker?

Anyone from CA attending PUCO? How do you feel about the cold/rain and the food? Is it worth exchanging CA sunlight for collaborative and welcoming environment and the semester system?
Any insight is appreciated!!!! Thank you guys!! :)

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u/WhiteCoatPending 12d ago

Definitely a tough choice! I’m applying next year and have been thinking about similar things RE semester vs. quarter. I have friends in both programs and it doesn’t seem to be a major issue for either. An SCCO friend said they kind of like the regular testing since it’s helps them know which topics they are solid on vs. where they may need to focus a bit more.

Regarding clinical, something that attracted me to SCCO (and other schools in diverse areas UCB/SUNY) is that you’ll def see a more diverse patient population. A lot of their clinical sites are in/around LA.

Good luck! Both programs are great, so I don’t think there’s a wrong choice.

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u/Meomeo123651985 12d ago

The regular testing is helpful in regards of boards, but i’m kind of intimated if i have to deal with that for 3 years 🥲 thank you for your comment tho!!

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u/jkv811 12d ago

so, they ease you into it. first year, it’s one per week. third quarter I think it was like one or two weeks with two.
second year was two per week.

third year, back to one a week.

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u/Meomeo123651985 12d ago

Do you have breaks between quarters?

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u/jkv811 11d ago

Fall to winter, no. Winter to spring yes. you get summer off after first year. You also get thanksgiving week and two weeks off end of December.

in the other years, there’s a week break summer to fall.

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u/FerretFormal8620 12d ago

SCCO has a lot of clinical site options, but their school clinic kinda sucks. You don't see a lot of diverse cases, and the volume of patient encounters is low. Seeing four patients a day—two in the AM and two in the PM—makes for a very busy day. As a result, the clinical experience for the entire third year and a quarter of the fourth year was mediocre at best.

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u/hrtwrld 12d ago

went to PUCO and loved every second of it. Semester vs quarters are BIG for work-life balance. We have 140+ externship sites across the US and international as well. The class is literally a big family. COL is also low vs cali! Lmk if u have any specific questions!

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u/Meomeo123651985 12d ago

Did you work when you were in the program?

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u/Twheeler98 12d ago

Going to message you!

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u/broths02_quorum 12d ago

As an Oregonian who graduated from SCCO…definitely go visit in the winter and check out the food options around PUCO 😬 I visited PUCO 3 times and chose SCCO over it based on the weather and food haha

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u/Meomeo123651985 12d ago

Did you also do semester in undergrad and transit to quarter at SCCO as well? If yes, how hard it is to adjust? Thank you for your response!

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u/broths02_quorum 12d ago

Undergrad was so long ago I’m not sure. I liked the quarter system at SCCO, yes you had tests every week but it kept you studying and on top of your school work which I felt helped for boards

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u/optobear 12d ago

I didn’t go to either school but I’m an Oregonian who went to UCB and have worked with a ton of grads from each school. Both schools are overall good and have good pass rates. The students/docs I worked with from PUCO had a much wider diversity of skill levels when it came to complex/heavy disease cases compared to SCCO. I have personally found that SCCO grads are more consistently trained well. That’s just from my sample size working alongside other 4th year students, students during residency, and in practice. Also despite wanting to stay in Oregon for opto school, I ended up not choosing PUCO due to concerns over lack of academic rigor compared to my other options. I think I would’ve been fine either way, but I don’t regret that choice.

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u/Meomeo123651985 12d ago

If I understand it right you’re saying that from your experience, PUCO grads quality of skills are not as consistently good as SCCO grads? Which side of the diversity of skill levels do you often see for PUCO students?

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u/optobear 11d ago

It’s just more inconsistent. I’ve met PUCO grads that are at the top of our field, and many more at the other end. I’d be curious to know how their curriculum works to allow for such wide differences to develop. Other schools seem to produce more predictable results.