Director of Publications

Southern College of Optometry Welcomes

123 First-Year Students

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (September 18, 2007) – Optometry entrance examination scores were the highest of any entering class in the history of Southern College of Optometry, according to numbers compiled by SCO’s Student Services department.

The 123 first-year students who will comprise the Class of 2011 had an overall mean score of 335 on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). The entering class enjoyed a mean overall grade point average of 3.44.

“Our new students represent the best of the best,” said Mike Robertson, Director of Records and Admissions. “We are so proud and so fortunate to field what will be an outstanding new class of optometrists in four years.”

This year’s first-year student body represents 33 different states and two foreign countries, with 62 females and 61 males in the class. Fall semester courses began in September for an academic year marking the first under the leadership of Dr. Richard W. Phillips, SCO’s new president.

Dr. Phillips will preside at the college’s 2007 Convocation ceremony at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 5 at Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis. The 123 first-year students formally will take the optometric oath for the first time and receive their white coats during the ceremony that commemorates their entry into the optometric profession. A reception for the students and their families will immediately follow.

Celebrating its 75^th anniversary in 2007, Southern College of Optometry was established in Memphis, Tennessee in 1932. SCO is an independent, not-for-profit institution of higher education with a mission to educate men and women in the art and science of optometry.

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