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It was the first of its kind for the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University, but it will likely not be the last because of the interactive and informative atmosphere created for incoming Doctor of Optometry (OD) students at the inaugural PCO/Salus Accepted Students Day April 30.
It was students like Kevin Martinez from Miami, who attended the event and helped make the day special for all involved. He was accepted to PCO’s Doctor of Optometry Traditional program in February 2022, at a time when campus activities were either all virtual or a hybrid of in-person and virtual because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. That made it a difficult time for prospective students like him to see the University’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania campus or meet students and faculty from their program of interest.
But that is what inspired the idea for the University’s first ever Accepted Students Day, which gave OD students who are accepted or matriculated into the Fall 2022 cohort a chance to come to the Elkins Park campus at a time where most facilities are open and activities on campus are relatively normal.
Martinez, a graduate of Florida International University in Miami, took full advantage of the day’s activities, which included a continental breakfast; tours of both the Elkins Park campus and The Eye Institute (TEI), PCO’s main clinical facility; student, faculty, and financial aid panels; an information fair; and exclusive bookstore access. Students who attended also received a bag of Salus swag and some were randomly selected for more elaborate giveaways.
“I very much wanted to see the clinic, the classes, and the atmosphere,” he said. “I also wanted to see the faculty. The experience I got [April 30] from the faculty was very welcoming, very humble. I felt very welcomed here. I really enjoyed how the faculty came from different backgrounds and different specialties too. I find it very important to have an overall, general exposure to all of the different fields that optometry envelopes. I was very pleased with [Accepted Students Day].”
Martinez said he probably would have tried to make his way to Salus himself this spring or summer had there not been a designated Accepted Students Day, but he was thankful for the “advantageous” experience of getting to campus to meet more of the PCO/Salus faculty and most of the students that will be in his cohort.
Had it not been for this opportunity to explore Salus, who knows when Martinez would have eventually discovered all that TEI has to offer.
“[Seeing TEI] was actually very eye-opening,” he said. “I really enjoyed all of the different sections because I thought it was just one section, but no, they also have [pediatric care] and low-vision. It was a very good experience.”
Some traveled even further than Miami to come enjoy the day’s festivities. Jessica Hua, a resident of Los Angeles, made the long trek across the country to the University she will soon call home (at least for the next four years).
Hua, a graduate of the University of California - Riverside, will soon join her two siblings in the field of optometry. And she was happy to escape the hot Southern California sun and experience a beautiful, mild spring day in the Philadelphia area.
“I’m actually originally born in Norway so the environment is kind of similar,” she said. “When I saw the school here and I saw the weather, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s my type of vibe.’ I also really like the city too. It’s very calm and quiet. It’s really green here, too.”
Like Martinez, Hua was taken by TEI and impressed with the well-rounded faculty of PCO/Salus.
“I really liked The Eye Institute,” she said. “All the rooms they showed were really interesting. I liked how we all went into one room and got to talk about a case. And, we got to be with a doctor too, which I really liked.”
When it was all said and done, PCO/Salus ended up hosting nearly 70 incoming students and their guests. With the goals in mind of answering any lingering questions the accepted students had and showcasing all of the excellent people and facilities PCO/Salus has to offer, the early feedback from those who attended is that it was a great success.
“I think they showed everything that I needed to look for in an optometry school,” Hua said. “And, my financial aid questions were also answered.”
Because of the excellent turnout and feedback, PCO/Salus is hoping to hold an Accepted Students Day each spring for the incoming fall cohort. There are also plans in the works to provide the experience for all of the other health science programs across the University.
