My Chances into NECO?

[taghabab]

Hey everyone,

So I am currently a 4th year at UC Irvine, graduating a quarter early with a major in biological sciences. I have been actively involved in my university's optometry club and I am currently the social chair. I also have been involved with a non profit organization called Makapo, where we canoe with the visually impaired. In addition, I have interned at 3 different optometrist offices.

I am applying to optometry schools this cycle and my first choice is NECO because I love their program and my parents live nearby. However, I have about a 3.1 gpa and I am studying hard at the moment to do really well on my OAT. I get mostly Bs and my university does not give extra pts for my good performance in my honors ochem courses with honors lab. In addition, one of the classes I took this fall quarter (which I should not have!!) was a cell bio lab class and I put a lot of effort into it. My TA recently emailed me that i will be receiving a C+ which makes me very disappointed.

Despite my extracurriculars and ok gpa, what are my chances for NECO? I would appreciate it for your thoughts.
Thanks everyone!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Oligator]

Without a good OAT score, you wont be given an interview. Do well on your OAT. Plain and simple. They first look at OAT and GPA. Nothing else matters very much.

 

[Oligator]

I don't mean to come off rude or anything. I'm just speaking from experience. I have a 3.5 GPA and did okay on the OAT (300AA, 290TS), not terrible but not competitive at all. I have tons of volunteer work and everything in my favor. My brother is even an alumni from NECO. BUT I was still put on hold until I retake the OAT. BLEH!

 

[sya]

I got in with 3.1 and 300/310 OAT, which I thought was terrible stats. I am pretty sure one of my LOR really stood out. My interviewer also really liked how I had lots of optometry and non-optometry experience and I spent time exploring different fields. (They really read your essays, they kept referring to my supplementary app, so write things they don't see on your application and impress them there) I don't think it's impossible, just get your application in ASAP.

Good Luck!!

 

[Shnurek]

I got in with 3.1 and 300/310 OAT, which I thought was terrible stats.

For NECO its not really terrible. They are easier to get into for many reasons. (cheating scandal, lowest scope of practice for ODs in Massachusetts, and high tuition costs) For those of you who are heading there I think you will receive a great education (better than the pre-accred schools and IAUPR)

 

[Oligator]

I got in with 3.1 and 300/310 OAT, which I thought was terrible stats. I am pretty sure one of my LOR really stood out. My interviewer also really liked how I had lots of optometry and non-optometry experience and I spent time exploring different fields. (They really read your essays, they kept referring to my supplementary app, so write things they don't see on your application and impress them there) I don't think it's impossible, just get your application in ASAP.

Good Luck!!

SYA, when did you apply???

 

[sya]

SYA, when did you apply???

I applied in September but my supplemental fee didn't process until late October because of a mess up and I interviewed in late November. I rejected NECO though... Felt other programs were better.

 

[inflammablefish]

I had a 3.9 GPA with great LORs but I had OAT scores between 280-300. RC was a 400 though! but I received a rejection letter in the mail last week, not even put on hold to retake OATs. I guess it's just luck of the draw.

 

[q1we3]

I had a 3.9 GPA with great LORs but I had OAT scores between 280-300. RC was a 400 though! but I received a rejection letter in the mail last week, not even put on hold to retake OATs. I guess it's just luck of the draw.

I am sure you will get into other schools with no problem. I think NECO is overrated mainly because of its location, I turned them down even with $20000 scholarship. It is a good school but there are many better. Don't worry too much about being turned down by NECO.

 

[Shnurek]

In my opinion OAT>GPA because GPA can be inflated/deflated based on what college you went to while the OAT is standardized, everyone takes the same test.

 

[q1we3]

In my opinion OAT>GPA because GPA can be inflated/deflated based on what college you went to while the OAT is standardized, everyone takes the same test.

I agree with that. My OAT score is the main reason I got accepted everywhere I applied. If you get below 330 you should rewrite it.

 

[janedoe88]

For NECO its not really terrible. They are easier to get into for many reasons. (cheating scandal, lowest scope of practice for ODs in Massachusetts, and high tuition costs) For those of you who are heading there I think you will receive a great education (better than the pre-accred schools and IAUPR)

I know someone that chose Western over NECO- what a ******* haha

 

[Shnurek]

I know someone that chose Western over NECO- what a ******* haha

Lol, only way I'd chose that is if I lived by it and/or they gave me a significantly higher scholarship.

 

[janedoe88]

Lol, only way I'd chose that is if I lived by it and/or they gave me a significantly higher scholarship.

i think she wanted to stay close to her boyfriend lol...

 

[q1we3]

i think she wanted to stay close to her boyfriend lol...

some women are just so.......well never mind

 

[Shnurek]

some women are just so.......well never mind

lol watch out 2/3 incoming OD students are female...xept for states where ODs can actually do more like at SCO its pretty 50/50 ratio.

 

[janedoe88]

some women are just so.......well never mind

hey, SOME of us are intelligent

 

[optoapp2012]

hey, SOME of us are intelligent

LOTS of us. None of the schools dominated by males have super high entrance stats...just sayin... Not to bash the males - just to point out that they don't get to one up us on intelligence in the optometric field! =)

 

[Shnurek]

Girls study more on average, I'll give ya that

 

[q1we3]

lol watch out 2/3 incoming OD students are female..

That is why I didn't finish the sentence. As a guy I know I am in minority. But, I rather be in a class with 70% females then guys. No complaints here.

 

[Frostmoon]

I think all u gotta do is to ace OAT...The interview was really laid back and easy...I just have a quick question for everyone considering NECO...do u guys think neco is really one of the top optometry schools? I heard a lot of arguments on both sides...I just got my offer, hesitating on whether or not I should take it...any suggestions?

 

[optoapp2012]

I think all u gotta do is to ace OAT...The interview was really laid back and easy...I just have a quick question for everyone considering NECO...do u guys think neco is really one of the top optometry schools? I heard a lot of arguments on both sides...I just got my offer, hesitating on whether or not I should take it...any suggestions?

What are your other options or schools that you applied to? Have you been accepted elsewhere?

I think every school and their students are going to tell you that they have the best program. Everywhere I've interviewed, I've heard students talk at length about why their program is #1 in the country (best board passage rates, recognized clinical program, etc.). And each of them genuinely believed it - it wasn't just a sales pitch to the interviewees. So I honestly think most of the programs are high-caliber and you'll get a good education if you put the work into it. That said, I think there are a few schools that are not solid programs, however NECO doesn't make that list . So really I think that all the schools are competing for a title that is pretty equally shared...it really comes down to specifics in a program that appeal to you. What differentiates each school for each person are what focuses the clinical programs have, how the externships work at the school, large university vs small private college, the city it's located in, the cost of living and its availability close to the school, the relationship between the professors and students, the size of the class, etc.

For example, I am really interested in UCBSO. Someone told me not to go there because the clinical program wasn't good. I asked why, and they said "Because there's so much eye disease in the clinic there and I hate that." Which was precisely the reason I would want to go there - I love working with eye disease! (I think most schools' clinics see lots of eye disease...but whatever). In any case, what's good or bad for one person isn't going to necessarily be good or bad for you.

I also think it depends on where you want to practice. Schools will have reputations within a given area. If you go to NECO, but want to practice in Oregon, they aren't going to know your school as well there. The Cali schools and Pacific will have a stronger reputation there just because more people are familiar with their programs. Likewise, someone who studied at the Cali schools or Pacific will not seem as familiar to someone if s/he wanted to practice in Mass or NY.

When it came to choosing between schools for me, I felt like several programs were essentially tied in how much I liked them and how strong I thought they were. So I ended up picking based on where I wanted to live.

 

[Shnurek]

What are your other options or schools that you applied to? Have you been accepted elsewhere?

I think every school and their students are going to tell you that they have the best program. Everywhere I've interviewed, I've heard students talk at length about why their program is #1 in the country (best board passage rates, recognized clinical program, etc.). And each of them genuinely believed it - it wasn't just a sales pitch to the interviewees. So I honestly think most of the programs are high-caliber and you'll get a good education if you put the work into it. That said, I think there are a few schools that are not solid programs, however NECO doesn't make that list . So really I think that all the schools are competing for a title that is pretty equally shared...it really comes down to specifics in a program that appeal to you. What differentiates each school for each person are what focuses the clinical programs have, how the externships work at the school, large university vs small private college, the city it's located in, the cost of living and its availability close to the school, the relationship between the professors and students, the size of the class, etc.

For example, I am really interested in UCBSO. Someone told me not to go there because the clinical program wasn't good. I asked why, and they said "Because there's so much eye disease in the clinic there and I hate that." Which was precisely the reason I would want to go there - I love working with eye disease! (I think most schools' clinics see lots of eye disease...but whatever). In any case, what's good or bad for one person isn't going to necessarily be good or bad for you.

I also think it depends on where you want to practice. Schools will have reputations within a given area. If you go to NECO, but want to practice in Oregon, they aren't going to know your school as well there. The Cali schools and Pacific will have a stronger reputation there just because more people are familiar with their programs. Likewise, someone who studied at the Cali schools or Pacific will not seem as familiar to someone if s/he wanted to practice in Mass or NY.

When it came to choosing between schools for me, I felt like several programs were essentially tied in how much I liked them and how strong I thought they were. So I ended up picking based on where I wanted to live.

Great answer! It really depends on which school is right for you.

That person that said that the clinic was bad at Berkeley because there is a lot of eye disease there is *****ic. That's what you WANT in the clinic. I saw a graph in an optometric magazine where 40% of the lawsuits against optometrists were because of missed diagnoses. If you hate diseases then don't become a Doctor lol...

 

[Frostmoon]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful input...NECO was my first interview and they responded to me in 2 days after that...I also applied to PCO, SUNY and SCO...I'm an Canadian citizen, so location doesn't really matter to me...I don't wanna choose waterloo coz i have been informed that optometry in Canada is at least 10 years behind US...I have a fairly good academic standing. 3.94 cGPA, 360 OAT score...I know NECO is more clinical based, which is what I like the most about the school...Also, speaking of tuition fee, do you guys know which school has a lower rate?

 

[Getonit]

i would think suny does, since its public. Neco I think comes out to be more expensive because of the high living cost than pco. Don't know about sco.

-taghabab, just retake your oat, if you went to a good undergrad, they will take that into consideration. I had similar gpa like you, but I graduated from johns hopkins so they kind of looked passed it. Anyway, best of luck!

 

[april77]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful input...NECO was my first interview and they responded to me in 2 days after that...I also applied to PCO, SUNY and SCO...I'm an Canadian citizen, so location doesn't really matter to me...I don't wanna choose waterloo coz i have been informed that optometry in Canada is at least 10 years behind US...I have a fairly good academic standing. 3.94 cGPA, 360 OAT score...I know NECO is more clinical based, which is what I like the most about the school...Also, speaking of tuition fee, do you guys know which school has a lower rate?

I would say SCO is the cheapest. Their tuition is about 26000/yr. SUNY does in-state tuition after first year, but I'm pretty sure that only works for U.S.citizens though.

 

[Breen]

I don't mean to come off rude or anything. I'm just speaking from experience. I have a 3.5 GPA and did okay on the OAT (300AA, 290TS), not terrible but not competitive at all. I have tons of volunteer work and everything in my favor. My brother is even an alumni from NECO. BUT I was still put on hold until I retake the OAT. BLEH!

Oligator, I also was recently put on hold, but NECO didn't mention that I should retake the OAT. Did they specifically tell you to retake it? I'm trying to figure out what to do.

Thanks!

 

[Oligator]

Oligator, I also was recently put on hold, but NECO didn't mention that I should retake the OAT. Did they specifically tell you to retake it? I'm trying to figure out what to do.

Thanks!

When I didn't hear from them after sending in my application, I called. They said I was put on hold because of my OAT score and would like me to retake it. You should call them and ask why you are on hold and if there is anything you can do!