Optometry
I Chose Salus
Hello! My name is Scott Cogan, and I am a first-year optometry student here at Salus. I went to undergrad at The College of New Jersey and was a biology major and psychology minor. The Optometry program has a dynamic schedule that spans a variety of topics, through both lecture and lab. For this reason, our schedule looks a little different every week.
On a typical day, I will wake up around 6:45 a.m. to prepare for the day. During this time I will eat breakfast, shower, and take another look at my schedule for the day.
Morning classes typically start at 8 a.m. and run until noon. Each class will usually be two hours long. After every hour the class gets a 10-minute break, which is a nice rhythm and breaks up the busy mornings a bit.
I generally grab lunch at the University's new cafe. This is a great time to hang out with classmates, unwind a little bit, and have some great food. My favorite dish on the menu is the chicken cheese steak.
The schedule after lunch can vary on the day. Sometimes there may be one or two more classes. On other days, I may have clinical skills lab. This is where my classmates and I practice skills we learned about in lecture and will be using every day as optometrists.
After classes, I will either head to the library or back home to study for upcoming exams and quizzes.
When home I will make some dinner for myself, take a little break, and maybe study a bit more before looking at my schedule for the coming days and week before heading to bed.
One thing I like about the program is that every day can be unique when it comes to classes. Although today started at 8 a.m., other days may have a less busy morning and more classes in the afternoon. One class I find interesting is Ocular Physiology and Biochemistry with its associated lab. This is a class expanding upon what we learned in our Ocular Anatomy class in the previous semester and learning with great detail the developmental, physiological, and biochemical components of each structure within the eye. We also discuss abnormalities associated with each of these structures.
Overall, I enjoy the fluid schedule of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus and look forward to learning something new every day.
