Puerto Rico Optometry - cost of living?

[jalapeno123]

I was wondering, what is the cost of living in Puerto Rico?

Is rent, food, gas etc, are all these things substantially cheaper than what one would find in the mainland?

Is the tuition amount of $25,500, really that low compared to other private Optometry schools? Most private schools are between $30-$35k/yr, so you could save a lot over 4 years, but I am not sure if it is worth it.

Thanks all.

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[BeesKnees22]

I've read some unsavory things about the Puerto Rico school, so you might save a little money on paper, but if you don't learn what you need to know or can't find a job afterwards, then all of the money is pretty much wasted. Not trying to be rude--just trying to offer some perspective.

 

[arahnisarahn]

Yeah... No.

 

[Aacj1189]

I was wondering, what is the cost of living in Puerto Rico?

Is rent, food, gas etc, are all these things substantially cheaper than what one would find in the mainland?

Is the tuition amount of $25,500, really that low compared to other private Optometry schools? Most private schools are between $30-$35k/yr, so you could save a lot over 4 years, but I am not sure if it is worth it.

Thanks all.

Well as a current student there, I confirm that yes, the tuition is that low. That's one of the most awesome things about the school. Furthermore, the cost of living can be cheap, depending on where you live and whether you get roommates. For me, I live on campus and its 500 a month including electricity, air conditioning, water, and Internet, of course. You do however have a limit for water and electricity ( $25 in water and $150 for electricity) and if you go over it's extra, but honestly most people don't really go over that. There are some people who live off campus with roommates and pay just about the same as us living on campus, just that they have to drive to school every day and it can be inconvenient as Puerto Rico has a lot of traffic pretty much 24/7.

 

[Aacj1189]

I've read some unsavory things about the Puerto Rico school, so you might save a little money on paper, but if you don't learn what you need to know or can't find a job afterwards, then all of the money is pretty much wasted. Not trying to be rude--just trying to offer some perspective.

I used to read a lot of bad things about the school as well but once I got there, it was a completely different story. As far as finding a job after coming to this school, trust me we have a good hire rate. Just about every forth year student i have talked to has been offered multiple jobs. One of my roommates was a 4th year student and already had 5 job offers, with all of them being at least 120,000 a year. So don't let what people say fool you. Honestly as long as you can pass boards, you have a good as chance as anyone else to find a job. Plus being able to do exams in Spanish as well definitely gives people an advantage here over other people.

 

[Tippytoe]

. One of my roommates was a 4th year student and already had 5 job offers, with all of them being at least 120,000 a year. .

That's very funny.

 

[q1we3]

I used to read a lot of bad things about the school as well but once I got there, it was a completely different story. As far as finding a job after coming to this school, trust me we have a good hire rate. Just about every forth year student i have talked to has been offered multiple jobs. One of my roommates was a 4th year student and already had 5 job offers, with all of them being at least 120,000 a year. So don't let what people say fool you. Honestly as long as you can pass boards, you have a good as chance as anyone else to find a job. Plus being able to do exams in Spanish as well definitely gives people an advantage here over other people.

whatever makes you feel better

 

[Jason K]

I used to read a lot of bad things about the school as well but once I got there, it was a completely different story. As far as finding a job after coming to this school, trust me we have a good hire rate. Just about every forth year student i have talked to has been offered multiple jobs. One of my roommates was a 4th year student and already had 5 job offers, with all of them being at least 120,000 a year. So don't let what people say fool you. Honestly as long as you can pass boards, you have a good as chance as anyone else to find a job. Plus being able to do exams in Spanish as well definitely gives people an advantage here over other people.

I had several optometry job offers, right out of school as well. The highest was for $275K, car allowance, all my student loans paid, 6 weeks vacation, no weekends, and 25% bonus structure after my first $100K in revenue, and a personal masseuse who would follow me from room to room all day. Oh, and the hours were 10:00am to 4:00pm M-Th, and 12:00pm to 3:00pm on Friday. The coolest part about the practice was the "CashCab ceiling in each exam room. Whenever the doctor would walk into the room, the ceiling would go crazy and big band music would blaze for a second or two - awesome.

It was a pretty good deal, but there was just something I didn't like about the receptionist, so I passed.

 

[eye.believe]

Do you really get your money worth by going to IAUPR? I hear alot of things about the optometry job market going down, and that a degree is a degree no matter where you go. Patients don't care about which school you went, just as long as you know your stuff. IAUPR's tuition is cheaper compared to most schools, so it makes sense to go there right?ODs grauates do get jobs so I really don't see the problem with IAUPR. Or am I wrong?

 

[moonlightc93]

Hello! I recently got accepted into IAUPR and was wondering if anyone who has gone there would be willing to give any pros and cons about their time there before committing. Any and all feedback would be wonderful!