This August, a group of us traveled to St. Lucia on a SVOSH (Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) humanitarian trip....

The time has come for us third year students to choose our externship sites for fourth year! Fourth year education at ICO consists of...

We are continuing with our tradition of writing a few quick words of advice for incoming students. After having been through a year at...

I’ve been fortunate to use this blog as a platform to spotlight individuals at ICO who have inspired me in some way and who have...

Soon after I started my first year at ICO, I started to look forward to my last summer break which would take place between my first and...

Preparing for the big move to Chicago a year ago, I had no idea I would finish my first year of optometry school in my house in the midst...

Last year, around this time, I was putting together a list of items I would need for the move to the Residential Complex (RC). The RC is...

When entering graduate school, you may be wondering what supplies you will be needing and how similar it is to undergrad. Here at ICO,...

First and foremost, congratulations to all my colleagues at ICO. We've made it through another year! It wasn't easy given the added...

This past week, I had the opportunity to sit down with ICO’s very own “@_eyedealistic,” a.k.a. Jackie Nguyen. Jackie is a second-year...

While this winter in Chicago has been relatively mild, I'm sooo ready for it to be over. More often than not, I find myself daydreaming...

I pressed “submit” on my screen and let out one big breath. That had been the final exam for my winter quarter of first year. I couldn’t...

One main thing I’ve learned over the course of the past two quarters is that not all subjects require you to study for them in the same...

This past month, we got introduced to the skill of refraction, a big component of an optometrist’s job! I was extremely excited to learn...

Nerves were running high as I was trying to get some sleep the night before taking NBEO Part 3 on Wednesday (and NBEO Part 2 a few weeks...

As Winter Quarter at ICO neared, I couldn't help but think about how time had flown- through Orientation week, the whole Fall quarter and...

This month, resilience was a recurrent theme that kept emerging from different people and situations at ICO. Resilience is defined as the...

Fourth year at ICO has been a whirlwind so far! It feels like it has been progressing slowly, but going quickly at the same time, if that...

I am now almost half-way through my first quarter here at ICO and it has felt like a roller coaster with many highs and lows. The first...

Five weeks of optometry school down! That means fall quarter is already halfway over. I've taken my first exams for each of my classes,...

With the start of optometry school interview season, I thought I would write a post on what my Interview Day experience was like at ICO....

It has been a year since my world turned upside down when I made the big move to Chicago. Starting optometry school has brought with it a...

When I began touring optometry schools, I was adamant that I did NOT want to live on campus through professional school. I lived in the...

I cannot believe that ICO Orientation week is over and that school has already started! It feels like it was just yesterday that I had...

As I start my first week of optometry school, I can’t explain the range of mixed emotions I am feeling. As excited as I am to begin this...

This exact time last year was extremely stressful and challenging. Alongside working a full-time job and studying for the OAT, I was also...

Once you decide on optometry as your future career, you may start to wonder, “What are my next steps? How can I prepare myself to become...

As I prepare for my first year at ICO, I’ve been reflecting a lot on how I got here. About a year before I began applying to optometry...

I’m two months into my summer break, and it still has yet to hit me: I actually finished my first year of optometry school. At times, it...

I knew wherever I was going to optometry school, my dogs Zeb(3) and Tulip(2) were coming along for the ride. So, I took them into...

One of the reasons I chose optometry, among many, is something my mom told me when I was in elementary school. She said to me, “I want...

A graduate school dorm is an interesting concept. Anytime I tell someone about my living situation, they usually have a long list of...

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,...

During optometry school, I mostly have had to live off of my student loans. This money allows me to eat, pay rent, and get to ICO- you...

It is my final year of optometry school and I’m a few short weeks away from graduation- pretty exciting! Many of my classmates are now...

In this perplexing journey that we call life, it’s easy to get wrapped up in our own endeavors, sometimes to a point of detriment. When...

“And now, here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to...

Does this sound familiar? You have to get good grades in high school so you can go to a good college. Then, you have to get good grades...

Thinking about applying to optometry school? Already applied and trying to make your final decision about where to go? It can definitely...

Do you like good burgers? Do you also like a small distance separating you from said burgers? Well, then do I have good news for you,...

What I have learned during my fourth year, while rotating with students from other optometry schools, is that ICO is one of the few...

When I began my applications to optometry school, I had concerns about the gap years I took between my undergraduate education and what...

I love being an ICO blogger for many reasons. One of the biggest privileges has been the unexpected recognition and ice breaking ability...

Optometry school isn’t always just learning about eyeballs. It’s about learning how to deal with the ups and downs life gives you along...

Before I moved to Chicago, I made lists and lists of things I would need to survive my move to a new city. My lists were varied and, to...

I’ve returned with another venue review for all my music lovers! This time, I’m taking a trip over to Bottom Lounge, a smaller locale...

The first quarter of optometry school is definitely an experience I don’t think I will ever forget. It was a mix of every emotion you can...

At ICO, externship selection occurs early during third year. This means that students have essentially their entire third year to plan...

With the conclusion of the holiday season and the new year upon us, I’ve been engaged in my usual end-of-year musings. There’s one thing,...