Current Optometry Students - Sell Me Your School!

[jkain08]

...or recent graduates.

I'm currently in the process of deciding which schools to apply to this August for the 2012 cycle. If you would, let me know the things you like/dislike about the school you're attending. I'm obviously going to be doing more extensive research than this for my decision, but I feel that current students/recent graduates opinions have a great deal of value.

Thanks SDNers!

(reposted from the Pre-Optometry forum)

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[admiralbean]

It will be difficult for others to sell their school to you. It is super important for you to decide for yourself which schools are right. What part of the country would you be happy living in for the next 4 years? Do some research on national board passage rates for each school. Take tours of the schools before applying to try and get a vibe (although that could get expensive). Do some research on the cost of tuition at each school. There are so many aspects to consider so you have to decide which factors are most important to you.

As for me, I love SCO. I have never regretted my decision. The tuition and cost of living are relatively cheap and our board passage rates are high.

 

[jkain08]

I understand what you're saying. I was just looking for pros and cons from a student's perspective. Whether it be about the city itself, cost of living, atmosphere, faculty, weather, classes, school's willingness to help with transitioning into Optometry school, office financial assistance, etc... Even little things that are bothersome or make the experience as a whole more enjoyable are nice to hear about.

 

[admiralbean]

I understand what you're saying. I was just looking for pros and cons from a student's perspective. Whether it be about the city itself, cost of living, atmosphere, faculty, weather, classes, school's willingness to help with transitioning into Optometry school, office financial assistance, etc... Even little things that are bothersome or make the experience as a whole more enjoyable are nice to hear about.

Cost of living in Memphis is low. Most of the faculty and staff (including financial aid) are great! Most everyone is very willing to help with the optometry school transition. They work very hard to get each student through school. My class started with 124. We lost two after first year (one due to grades and the other to personal issues). We lost one after 2nd year (but he was able to drop back down to first year). We also gained a student who dropped down from the class above us. I have had a very positive experience at SCO.

 

[jkain08]

Thank you for your input.
I've never been to Memphis before, but I've heard it has a reputation for having quite a high crime rate. Any experience in that field while you've been there?

 

[Rinny]

I think that the reputation that Memphis has for crime is very exaggerated. Yes, it has crime but so do all large cities. I had also heard so many bad things about Memphis before I moved here and now I just feel ridiculous for being so scared. There are some really nice areas to live in that are pretty safe. Also, there are police everywhere. I am constantly seeing cop cars driving around. I think that Memphis is trying to improve its negative image.

 

[jkain08]

Good to hear. Memphis is definitely an option for me right now. Is the area immediately surrounding the school especially dense in crime? Or is that most of the rest of the city?

 

[Shnurek]

If you like driving don't come to SUNY. If you hate crowds don't come to SUNY. If you like nightlife, come to SUNY. We have great beaches too for the summer! - but you have to know which ones to go to.

 

[jkain08]

I believe I know the answer to this question before I ask, but how bad is the cost of living at SUNY?

 

[Shnurek]

Most expensive in the nation. Unless you want to live with a roommate in a studio, then it is comparable to anywhere else Also living in Queens is a bit cheaper, some students do that but its still like $1600 a month for a single bedroom for example.

Honestly I wish the school wasn't on 42nd st. I'd rather it be in the suburbs around the city, but eh what can you do.

 

[admiralbean]

Sco is in midtown. I wouldn't say that it is in a "high crime" area but midtown does has it's sketchy areas (other sections are very nice). I never worry about my safety at school. We have excellent security. Memphis has a bad reputation but it's not as bad as you hear. Like previous posts have said, it's just like any other large city.

 

[Rinny]

Good to hear. Memphis is definitely an option for me right now. Is the area immediately surrounding the school especially dense in crime? Or is that most of the rest of the city?

The school is in a bit of a sketchy area (not high crime, just kind of sketchy) but the school property itself is very safe. It's not like you are going to be walking around near the school. You pretty much drive to school and then drive home. And the security is excellent so you never have to worry. I'm a girl and I've never felt afraid.

Downtown is pretty safe and nice. It seems like there are pockets of crime in different areas of Memphis...it's not everywhere by any means. You just have to know which areas of town so stay away from.

 

[caitsiex]

Most expensive in the nation. Unless you want to live with a roommate in a studio, then it is comparable to anywhere else Also living in Queens is a bit cheaper, some students do that but its still like $1600 a month for a single bedroom for example.

Honestly I wish the school wasn't on 42nd st. I'd rather it be in the suburbs around the city, but eh what can you do.

If you're paying $1600 for a single bedroom in sections of queens around astoria, then you're being robbed and might as well move to midtown.

 

[Commando303]

If you're paying $1600 for a single bedroom in sections of queens around astoria, then you're being robbed and might as well move to midtown.

Even in mid-town Manhattan, you should be able to find an O.K. one-bedroom apartment for less than $1,600.00/month.

 

[Shnurek]

Even in mid-town Manhattan, you should be able to find an O.K. one-bedroom apartment for less than $1,600.00/month.

LOL the only place you'd find that in Manhattan is Washington Heights/Harlem. Or living above a strip club. My girlfriend lives in midtown east Manhattan (about 6 blocks away from SUNY) and she pays $2600 for a 1 bedroom. Of course she has a roommate and her parents help her out but still its way more than I'd pay.

 

[Shnurek]

If you're paying $1600 for a single bedroom in sections of queens around astoria, then you're being robbed and might as well move to midtown.

You might be right, I don't know Queens prices that well but Manhattan ones I am experienced in. Maybe they are more like $1200 for a 1 bedroom?

I just checked online and I was right they vary but they average around $1500 or so
http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...133,-73.84509,40.73208,-73.996667_rect/12_zm/

You can def get a roommate and live for around ~800-1000 a month at a comfortable distance to the school (<30min commute)

 

[Commando303]

LOL the only place you'd find that in Manhattan is Washington Heights/Harlem. Or living above a strip club. My girlfriend lives in midtown east Manhattan (about 6 blocks away from SUNY) and she pays $2600 for a 1 bedroom. Of course she has a roommate and her parents help her out but still its way more than I'd pay.

$2,600.00/month for a one-bedroom unit would usually be in a luxurious setting. It might take a little digging to find (I feel CraigsList.com is a good place at which to begin the hunt), but one certainly could track down a decent apartment in mid-town Manhattan (maybe not by Times Square, which may be where your girlfriend is, and which is just a couple of blocks west of S.U.N.Y. Optometry) for less than $1,600.00/month.

 

[Shnurek]

Yea she lives near Park Ave. but all the apartments around SUNY Optometry are mad expensive. You are correct about some apartments west of SUNY that are a bit cheaper. I have a friend that lives on 8th ave and 45th st. and it is $2000 a month for a 2 bedroom, BUT it is above a strip club so constant bass line all night lolz. The neighborhood west of SUNY turns bad at night so tourists beware. Hence the slightly lower than astronomical rent prices.

I would def recommend living in Queens and commuting, unless you have $$$ and want to live in the middle of the party.

 

[Commando303]

Yea she lives near Park Ave. but all the apartments around SUNY Optometry are mad expensive. You are correct about some apartments west of SUNY that are a bit cheaper. I have a friend that lives on 8th ave and 45th st. and it is $2000 a month for a 2 bedroom, BUT it is above a strip club so constant bass line all night lolz. The neighborhood west of SUNY turns bad at night so tourists beware. Hence the slightly lower than astronomical rent prices.

I would def recommend living in Queens and commuting, unless you have $$$ and want to live in the middle of the party.

No, I didn't suggest "west of S.U.N.Y." is cheaper; I said it would be expensive, too, as Times Square is west of the school.

Just wander ~.5–1.0 mile to any side of campus, and you'll find cheaper housing (far cheaper than $2,000.00/month). I'm not saying it'll be easy, but it certainly can be done. Of course, a more sensible, easier option for most students probably would be to live in Brooklyn or Queens (maybe even in the Bronx), and commute to and from school. After a year, having developed a sense of the City and had time in which to hunt around, one may be better equipped to find lodging within Manhattan, if one wishes to.

Consider this, as well: in New York, even if you're out-of-state, you'll qualify for in-state tuition after a year. Also, you'll almost certainly need, and thus keep, no car — no car payments, no parking, no gas, no insurance. You might need to use public transportation (depending on where you live, and on your proclivity or aversion to jogging, skating, biking), but even that would come to just ~$1,000.00/year.

Everyone's quick to complain of the cost of living in New York City, but I believe, taking all things into consideration, it can be reasonably less than that of many other places. (Activates flame-shield. [Why isn't there a smiley for that...?])

 

[jkain08]

Very insightful.
I've had SUNY off of my application list simply because of cost of living. That rent is insane. Though, I do think living in NYC for four years would a great experience for a country boy such as me.

 

[Shnurek]

I agree, not having a car will make your cost of living closer to that of any other place. I just hate being limited like that so I am a pro-car city person hence my suggestion to live outside of midtown Manhattan where having a car is actually feasible.

And I'd like to see you find an apartment (not studio) for "(far cheaper than $2,000.00/month)" in midtown Manhattan that isn't a bait-and-switch on craigslist or has something severely compromising the quality of life in the apartment (constant music, drug dealer neighbors, etc etc.) Could you get lucky? Sure, but lets be realistic here.

Where are you from anyway? What part of NYC do you live in? I've lived in NYC my whole life and I have many friends that came from other states that have searched for apartments for months so I know what I am talking about.

 

[Shnurek]

Lol sorry if we hijacked this thread to debate about SUNY rents. I am interested what other people have to say about other schools as well

 

[Taven7755]

As a Nova student, I will try the best to sell you my school, but I will also give you the realities....

For starters, the school itself is very clean and modern. It is based on a large campus (not Ohio State, but not a single building like many other schools) that gives you a little more of the undergrad feel. There are intramurals, a ton of great activities, gym, etc. The clinic is very large, sees a fair amount of patients, and you will see MUCH more disease down here than most optometry students see in their clinics. (I.E. in my 2nd day I saw a Pakistani man that was HIV positive, followed by a retinal vein occlusion, followed by a pellet in someone's eye)

With this said, there is a problem overall here that I believe may not be all that isolated in op schools; that being that I feel it is overly difficult. By this I do NOT mean that I believe it should be easy, but I know for a fact that we work harder here than many others do for the same degree. (by 2 best friends go to NECO and SCO) There are several profs here that are completely fine with seeing mid-70's averages year after year, and the constant fear of failing out hovers over people. I have never personally dealt with it, but I know that many of my classmates have and do.

Back on the upside....the weather is amazing, and there are a few profs here that are incredibly helpful and effective. We have very strong board pass rates (the last class, a year ago, saw 4 of 103 not pass on the first try. Anyone that tells you anything different is lying. I know this figure with certainty). It is a good school that will make you a good doctor, and you will have a ton of fun doing it....if you are a little stressed along the way. Hope this helps!

 

[Commando303]

I agree, not having a car will make your cost of living closer to that of any other place. I just hate being limited like that so I am a pro-car city person hence my suggestion to live outside of midtown Manhattan where having a car is actually feasible.

And I'd like to see you find an apartment (not studio) for "(far cheaper than $2,000.00/month)" in midtown Manhattan that isn't a bait-and-switch on craigslist or has something severely compromising the quality of life in the apartment (constant music, drug dealer neighbors, etc etc.) Could you get lucky? Sure, but lets be realistic here.

Where are you from anyway? What part of NYC do you live in? I've lived in NYC my whole life and I have many friends that came from other states that have searched for apartments for months so I know what I am talking about.

I've always been pretty anti-car, myself, and the way New York City is set up, it facilitates that attitude.

Realistically, yes, you can find a decent apartment in midtown Manhattan for far less than $2,000.00/month (to be fair, one cannot limit one's definition of "midtown" to the two-block radius immediately around 42nd Street and Broadway); it would take luck, but not an obscene amount of it. Will I look for one, now? Of course not: it takes time and effort, and I'm not currently in need; but, this isn't a pie-in-the-sky fantasy.

I, too, am from New York City (Manhattan; not very far from S.U.N.Y. Optometry), and I'd like to think (you may disagree) I also "know what I'm talking about."

Lol sorry if we hijacked this thread to debate about SUNY rents. I am interested what other people have to say about other schools as well

Yes, sorry — . I shall stop, here.

 

[jkain08]

As a Nova student, I will try the best to sell you my school, but I will also give you the realities....

For starters, the school itself is very clean and modern. It is based on a large campus (not Ohio State, but not a single building like many other schools) that gives you a little more of the undergrad feel. There are intramurals, a ton of great activities, gym, etc. The clinic is very large, sees a fair amount of patients, and you will see MUCH more disease down here than most optometry students see in their clinics. (I.E. in my 2nd day I saw a Pakistani man that was HIV positive, followed by a retinal vein occlusion, followed by a pellet in someone's eye)

With this said, there is a problem overall here that I believe may not be all that isolated in op schools; that being that I feel it is overly difficult. By this I do NOT mean that I believe it should be easy, but I know for a fact that we work harder here than many others do for the same degree. (by 2 best friends go to NECO and SCO) There are several profs here that are completely fine with seeing mid-70's averages year after year, and the constant fear of failing out hovers over people. I have never personally dealt with it, but I know that many of my classmates have and do.

Back on the upside....the weather is amazing, and there are a few profs here that are incredibly helpful and effective. We have very strong board pass rates (the last class, a year ago, saw 4 of 103 not pass on the first try. Anyone that tells you anything different is lying. I know this figure with certainty). It is a good school that will make you a good doctor, and you will have a ton of fun doing it....if you are a little stressed along the way. Hope this helps!

Thank you for the info!
I've heard that the weather down there is unbearable - that the humidity is so intense that it makes one miserable. Any truth to that?
How's the cost of living? I know Florida has a reputation for being quite pricey. Maybe not on NYC's level, but still bad.
Really cool to hear about 99 out of 103 passing the boards on there first try.

 

[jkain08]

Anyone else?

 

[YokYee]

Since you're a self-proclaimed country boy, you might enjoy NSUOCO in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It's a very small town where our main hobbies are golfing, hunting, and floating down the river. We are only about an 1 hr away from bigger cities for shopping and nightlife so you're not completely isolated.

Our school only accepts 28 students a year and has a unique education completely different from the other schools. In addition to seeing patients at our school and the local hospital, we also drive to rural eye clinics in surrounding cities (within 30-60min driving distance) to see patients. Our residents, who come from around the nation, and the University of Houston kids (they do a rotation at our school) all say they see more pathology at our school than anywhere else. I've talked to other students from different schools and they say their patients are mainly of lower income so they have a high no-show rate. Our school works with the Cherokee Nation to provide free healthcare to their people, so we have a constant, never-ending supply of patients for all clinics. In addition, the patient population is notorious for not taking care of themselves so there is a HIGH incidence of diabetes and hypertension resulting in great pathology everyday.

Another big advantage is that with a class size of 28, you never have to tag-team to see patients and you see patients several times a week. The professors really care about you and want you to do well. Coming from a big undergraduate university, I was very shocked initially when EVERYONE knew my name on the first day of school. The school passes your picture to all faculty, staff and students so it seems like a big family. Part I Boards passing rate was 25 out of 26 last year (class size was always 26 until recently).

It's been a great choice for me and my one bedroom rent is only $400.

 

[hurricaneuro]

^ But I'm pretty sure you have to be a resident of the nine states they list to apply...therefore, 75% of the people on this board are not eligible.

• Oklahoma
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• New Mexico
• Texas

 

[YokYee]

Nope! Not anymore! For the upcoming school year, anyone in the 50 states can apply!

 

[Shnurek]

Nope! Not anymore! For the upcoming school year, anyone in the 50 states can apply!

You guys ready for the flood of apps? lol Your next class will have higher GPA's/OAT's though so that's good.

 

[YokYee]

Oh, we've always have had a really good applicant pool to choose from so the GPA/OAT won't actually be that much different. One guy in my class came in with 400 OAT and 3.95gpa. It's going to be super, SUPER competitive though b/c there are only 28 seats.

 

[Shnurek]

That is impressive. How do residencies work at Oklahoma? If I wanted to do one there how competitive are they to get in? I'd only go there if I could do a residency in something that I cannot do elsewhere (surgery) if that is what I choose to pursue in a few years. Thanks.

 

[YokYee]

There's no exact residency for surgery. However, if you do a family practice at NSU, you will have weekly experience using the laser along with the other clinical rotations. I believe they accept 3 residency spots every year...the best way to see is to come down for a visit even before you interview to see if you like the environment.

 

[mclem222]

SUNY in NYC was awesome. Location Location Location. Don't have one complaint about it. I enjoyed being in the city and overall atmosphere. Good clinicals.

 

[Commando303]

SUNY in NYC was awesome. Location Location Location. Don't have one complaint about it. I enjoyed being in the city and overall atmosphere. Good clinicals.

In what year were you graduated? Also, where did you go to work immediately upon receiving your degree, and, where are you working, currently?

Thanks.

 

[Shnurek]

 

[Shaky Jake]

To the original poster, jkain08, and anyone else comparing cost of living at schools, here's a tip I'm using (I'm also applying this summer); it's mildly complicated but you get worthwhile quantitative data, so bear with me:

If you ask people at any school or do a craigslist search for apartments, you'll get simply anecdotal evidence based on "a friend paying $X rent for X BRs in X part of town." Case in point: the SUNY folks who can't seem to agree on NYC rents. Same for CL ads: you can get an idea of rents, but it may be skewed depending on which ads you've chosen in your research. And we all know how poorly online pics portray the actual apartment.

Fortunately, the gov't has already done the work for you. The bean counters in D.C. calculate cost of living in every zip code in America (and overseas locality, too) because that cost is tied to how much they pay to military members and federal employees who live there. This money is meant to cover rent/mortgage and utilities (so don't use this value simply as a gauge of rent alone). Being in the Navy, I get more monthly Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) if I'm stationed in an expensive urban area (NYC, Chicago) than if I were stationed in rural South Dakota.

So how do you get this data?
1) Go to http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm and use what is called the BAH Calculator.
2) Use Year "2012" (you can check past years since these change annually to see if an area has become more or less expensive, but that's probably not too important for you).
3) Type in the zip code of the school(s) you're interested in.
4) For paygrade, this is where it gets tricky if you're not familiar with military ranks. (Quick version: E stands for Enlisted, O stands for Officer; Officers outrank Enlisted.) Whatever you do, use the same paygrade when querying every zip code's BAH. Doing so will give you an "apples to apples" comparison. For someone just finished with college (presumably like yourself), I recommend using the paygrade "E-4."
5) The results will give you two values: "E-4 with Dependents" (what you would get if married) and "E-4 without Dependents" (BAH rate if Single). Why the difference? If you're married then you need bigger apt/house, and thus need more BAH. Use the appropriate value.

Example: Here are some values I quickly checked.
Indiana (zip 47405)---BAH rate for E-4 who is Single: $762.
Boston (zip 02115)---BAH rate for E-4 who is Single: $1680.
So while everybody knows Boston is A LOT more expensive than Indiana, this method gives you a quantitative comparison. How much more expensive is Boston than Indiana? Roughly 2.2x more expensive (or 1680/762).

I hope this helps you in your research. You may find that some places are cheaper to live than you would have guessed, and vice versa. I also still recommend canvassing CL for rental ads to see what kind of place you could get in the range of these BAH rates.

 

[Shnurek]

thanks for this jake