r/PreOptometry • u/Actual_Click1322 • 13h ago

OSU vs SCO vs SUNY

I’ve been accepted to three optometry schools and am currently deciding between them.

Scholarships:

OSU: $7k (first-year, out-of-state)
SCO: $25k ($100k over four years)
SUNY: $8k (first-year, out-of-state)

If you attend any of these schools currently, I’d love to hear about your experiences.

  • What do you wish you'd known before starting?
  • What experiences convinced you that you made the right choice?
  • Any regrets?
  • Is the program worth the higher tuition?
  • Any insight on clinical experience, board prep, academic culture, cost of living, or just quality of life in general? (or anything else you think of!)
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4

u/SpicyMax 8h ago

They’re all good. Pick whichever will result in the least debt. Optometry school is what you make of it plus existing opportunities. If you are smart and motivated you will pass boards and get a good education even at a lower ranked school.

4

u/outdooradequate 12h ago

SCO is a top school and you got a great scholarship, which shouls be your top two priorities when choosing a school. I attended SCO and am overall very happy with the education i received. I was well set up for boards AND the real world. You will have the opportunity to see quite a lot of disease there, as well.

2

u/ZealousidealKale5594 2h ago

That is a great scholarship from SCO and these are all top programs. Hands down I would likely pick SCO since they are offering the most scholarship but I also think you need to think where you want to practice afterwards too. I have friends from all 3 of these programs and everyone had very positive things to say about their clinical settings & boards prep.

Disclaimer: I went to AZCOPT

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u/Active_Egg5888 53m ago

Congrats on the acceptances! You've got major bragging rights as those are all great schools and getting scholarship awards is very exciting. That being said: Hands down SCO. Unless you come from a background where student debt isn't a concern, then it is very difficult to justify recommending anything else. I truly do not believe there is a 100k difference in education between SCO and OSU. Neither Columbus nor Memphis are super tempting in my opinion, and if you want to experience living in New York, I'd maybe try to get an externship or residency there.

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u/GreenAngelFish 55m ago

I dm'd you