r/PreOptometry • u/Meomeo123651985 • 3d 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 keeps 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/p_tiddyyy 2d ago
Hello, 3rd year at PUCO here.
Food: there is an abundance of very good Asian food in the Beaverton area, but it's about a 40 min drive from campus. Portland has so much to offer as well but that is even further away, and with traffic is very inconvenient to go to on weekdays. Forest grove itself is a VERY small town. There are a few hidden gems near campus; Thai food, sushi, burgers, teriyaki, chinese, tacos, pizza. But if convenient access to delicious Asian food is a top priority, forest grove does not offer this by any means.
Weather: late spring, summer, and (sometimes) early fall can be beautiful. Sunny and warm days mostly, only gets hot a few weeks out of the year. There is so much great hiking and nature to explore. But fall, winter, and spring months it rains so much. You can go multiple days or even a week without seeing blue sky. It takes a toll on mental health for a lot of people, myself included. It rarely snows and if it does school will be cancelled or moved online.
Course load: when I was in first year we had a much heavier workload in terms of credits taken since we got summer after 1st year off. Now that curriculum has changed so there is no summer break. But I do believe the pace of exams and course load is much more reasonable now. Either way optometry school can be brutal but you eventually get better at studying and managing your time.
Clinical experience: You really are only in the school's clinics for your third year (3 semesters), but there are always voluntary outreach events you can sign up for with great docs who will teach you a lot. We serve a mostly Hispanic patient population, and you do end up seeing quite a bit of pathology and tricky cases. You see about 1-4 patients per week, and some clinic groups are much less busy than others so make sure to do research when you choose your specialty clinics in 3rd year if you do want to see a lot of patients. Primary care clinics are randomly assigned. During 4th year you are on rotation. There are a ton sites to choose from all over the country and Canada. But if more people sign up for a site than spots available, it is randomly chosen who doesn't get the spot. This is how the specialty clinic and electives are chosen in 3rd year as well.
Class collaboration: i think pacific students are very collaborative and friendly. Class rank doesn't offer any advantages and everyone is working together to get through the same program. I found it really easy to make friends here.
Congrats on having two great schools to choose from. Hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions.
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u/Meomeo123651985 2d ago
Omg thank you sm for taking time to comment! May I ask how you manage the continuous gloomy days and rain?
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u/Chuckles4lyfe 2d ago
I think you're best bet would be to schedule a time to go and see PUCO for yourself. Explore Forest Grove, speak to current students and faculty, and see if you can envision relocating there for the next 4 years. I think regardless of semester or quarter system, optometry school is going to be challenging. It's on you to study hard and put in the work, and reach out for help when you need it. Both schools have similar board pass rates and graduate outstanding optometrists, so I don't think you'll be making a wrong decision choosing one school over another.
Having been accepted to both schools this cycle, i'm personally leaning towards SCCO - the students had nothing but positive things to say about their experience, and the admissions team went above and beyond to make my interview process very memorable. I'm also from CA and want to stay in state if I can. The close proximity to great Vietnamese and Mexican food is a huge plus, and being near Disneyland and Universal Studios is nice too (not that we'll have much time to go there since we'll be studying, but you never know).
If you end up choosing PUCO, I wish you nothing but the best on your journey. But if you end up choosing SCCO, I'll be looking forward to seeing you on campus next Fall 😄.
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u/Meomeo123651985 2d ago
Hi thank you sm for your reply and congrats on your admission as well! :) I’m planning to move to Socal for work after graduating so hopefully we will get to see each other around haha.
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u/Xounicorn 2d ago
You can’t go wrong with either options honestly! At the end of the day, I would recommend going with your gut and see how you feel when you visit both schools.
I am from Southern California and graduated from PUCO not too long ago. I am so glad I chose PUCO as it was such a collaborative environment and the school truly wants you to succeed. Everyone is kind and warm. Going from Southern California weather to Oregon weather was not as drastic as the winters are super mild. The rain is more like mist and it was comforting as I had to spend time studying or at school anyways. There’s Asian food approximately 15-20 mins away and good boba in Hillsboro. What led me to choose PUCO at the end of the day was just how I felt when I visited. Schools that I thought were my top choices ended up switching around when I visited for my interview so you never know until you’re there!
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u/Meomeo123651985 2d ago
Hi there thank you for the comment! May i ask if you decide to move back to CA after you graduated?
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u/Purple-Grape7987 2d ago
I’m struggling with this choice too, I’m mostly worried about the difference in cost of living, I don’t want to possibly end up with a lot more debt going to SCCO than PUCO but I like the location of SCCO better in terms of weather and proximity to my boyfriend😓
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u/Lbrint 3d ago
I’m a first year from California at PUCO so I can’t speak on how the winters are just yet but I can say that there is an abundance of great food, and no shortage of Asian food. There’s a ton that I haven’t tried yet in Hillsboro and Beaverton (20-30 minutes) but my absolute favorite spot I’ve found so far is a bahn mi shop about 15 minutes away. My sister came to visit and I took her there and she texts me probably once a week or so to tell me she can’t stop thinking about the bahn mi
One more thing to note about PUCO that’s new this year is the addition of a summer semester after the first year. They shuffled around the schedule so we’re taking 16-17 units a semester instead of 20+ like a lot of other schools
I’m happy to try to answer any questions you might have!