The Illinois College of Optometry Student Blog

To tell you the truth, these past four years have been some of the most challenging in my entire life. Filled with many late nights, early mornings, and stressful weeks, it sometimes felt like graduation would never come. But here I am- in my last week as a student doctor and only steps away from becoming Dr. Capri. Although there are many optometry schools to choose from (and the number keeps growing,) I am lucky to have ended up at ICO. I was able to earn a top notch clinic

Thinking about applying to optometry school? Already applied and trying to make your final decision about where to go? It can definitely be tough making a choice that will determine the next four years of your life. Hopefully, some advice from someone who can now look back at being in your position will help. My biggest piece of advice is speaking with current students. I don’t mean simply talking to students on your interview day. Try your best to reach out to students and a

What I have learned during my fourth year, while rotating with students from other optometry schools, is that ICO is one of the few schools that has a break week in between quarters. Break week even occurs during fourth year. While this may not seem like a lot while you are a student at ICO, especially if you have a mid-week clinic shift at the IEI, it is a perk. Many other schools only have a long weekend between their quarter breaks. Graduate school is very demanding and ca

Aloha from Honolulu on the island of Oahu! I’m very lucky to be spending my fall quarter fourth-year rotation in this magical place. A big thanks to the US Air Force and Navy for such a great opportunity! You may or may not already know that fourth-year optometry students rotate at different externship sites during this last year of their graduate education. ICO is one of the few schools that has sites for students in almost every state as well as international locations. We

Aside from shadowing different eye doctors, upon entering optometry school, I didn’t know any current optometrists or optometry students. Looking back, I wish I had gotten to know a current optometry student. They could have not only answered my questions about applying and what the field is like, but also explained to me what I would truly experience in optometry school… especially all of the math! I strongly, strongly dislike math. I’ve always felt that way. I’m not sure if