Getting into Optomery School Guide V 1.0b

[Hamtaro]

Apply to NECO. The easiest opt. school in the US (probably as easy as the P.R ones). Anyways, as long as you don't have a GPA that is "THAT" bad (like anything that is under 2.9), you will get accepted. If you can't get into NECO, then you better make plans for a career change.

V1.1b to come soon.

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[duracell]

Er......................they are all hard to get into.

 

[RLK]

Apply to NECO. The easy opt school in the US (probably as easy as the P.R ones). Anyways, as long as you don't have a GPA that is "THAT" bad (like anything that is under 2.9), you will get accepted. If you can't get into NECO, then you better make plans for a career change.

V1.1b to come soon.

what were you oat scores like? i think you could have a crappy gpa as long as you have good oat scores, but once again i could be wrong. i seem to be wrong a lot.

 

[ODDream]

I hope so I am about to send my app of to them..........wish me luck........

ODDream

 

[stompy]

I think it was rumors like that I didn't even following up on my application to NECO. It's a private school in a high-cost living area, which was a really big turn off for me (if you have been reading up a bit, you'll know that huge student loan debt is a major problem w/ current graduating ODs).

So, I thought if they are that expensive, then they better be good. BUt I heard people talking about how the interviews there are so chill and they just want to get you to attend their school and take your money once you get to that stage. So once I got to there, I made the decision of not even bothering (unless they offer me scholarship, but it'd have been a risky investment due to the the high traveling expenses). By the way, the lady that takes the calls at the school is very rude. She is only nicer and not annoyed at you when you call and you have all your stuff in.

So from my point of view, there is some truth with what Hamtaro said...I don't want to comment on P.R. however, because it's probably a sensitive issue around here already......

 

[Tony.]

Apply to NECO. The easiest opt. school in the US (probably as easy as the P.R ones). Anyways, as long as you don't have a GPA that is "THAT" bad (like anything that is under 2.9), you will get accepted. If you can't get into NECO, then you better make plans for a career change.

V1.1b to come soon.

i have to admit that NECO was my easiest interview for opt school. I interviewed at houston, PCO and NOVA. got accepted to all but I liked NECO b/c they throw you in w/ patient experience right away...I enjoy that. I think if you're a well rounded student, have some opt. experience and do well on the OAT, you'll get in here...
NECO gives everyone a chance, thats what I like about it here. I may not be the smartest student in my class, but i have passion for the profession and enjoy using my skills to help patients. plus the profs here are AMAZING! they have free tutoring for all students and help you in any way they can, i feel like they WANT me to succeed here....
sometimes i feel overwhelmed with the curriculum but since NECO is such a small school, you feel like you're in this boat and everyone helps one another,
cant wait to begin my 2nd yr.

T

 

[drbizzaro]

i have to admit that NECO was my easiest interview for opt school. I interviewed at houston, PCO and NOVA. got accepted to all but I liked NECO b/c they throw you in w/ patient experience right away...I enjoy that. I think if you're a well rounded student, have some opt. experience and do well on the OAT, you'll get in here...
NECO gives everyone a chance, thats what I like about it here. I may not be the smartest student in my class, but i have passion for the profession and enjoy using my skills to help patients. plus the profs here are AMAZING! they have free tutoring for all students and help you in any way they can, i feel like they WANT me to succeed here....
sometimes i feel overwhelmed with the curriculum but since NECO is such a small school, you feel like you're in this boat and everyone helps one another,
cant wait to begin my 2nd yr.

T

i know one thing for certain... having talked to friends from canada, and friends from the western states... that UW optometry school really drills you during interviews with a "good cop, bad cop" attitude until you nearly panic... US schools seem more reasonable...

 

[Tasteestuff]

Remember.. Easiest to get in = crappy NBEO pass rate.

Check out NECO pass rate. Not too impressive...

 

[rpames]

Remember.. Easiest to get in = crappy NBEO pass rate.

Check out NECO pass rate. Not too impressive...

Where do you find the pass rates for each school?

 

[stompy]

What is NECO's first time passing rate anywho?

 

[drbizzaro]

Where do you find the pass rates for each school?

all i was able to find was the overall stats for last years aug2004 boards #1:

range = 28->92%
passing cutoff percentage = 61.11%

passing: 67.37% (1084 students)
failing: 32.63% (525 students)

 

[drbizzaro]

What is NECO's first time passing rate anywho?

i think it's around 70

 

[ODisme]

Apply to NECO. The easiest opt. school in the US (probably as easy as the P.R ones). Anyways, as long as you don't have a GPA that is "THAT" bad (like anything that is under 2.9), you will get accepted. If you can't get into NECO, then you better make plans for a career change.

V1.1b to come soon.

Really? I had no idea NECO was considered the easiest school in the U.S. How did you know that? I thought they were all hard and more or less the same level of difficulty. Do you go to NECO? I applied only to PCO...I wonder how tough their program is...from what I have been able to gather, there is no real way to tell which school is easy or hard.

 

[ODisme]

Oh yeah,

I also forgot to add that the NECO woman was so rude to me also when I called to ask for information. Although I do not think you should attend or not attend a school based on the friendliness of its receptionist, it sure does help and make you feel more welcome when the people you are dealing with and talking to are at least polite if not nice.

 

[IndianaOD]

Its intersting that some of the schools don't seem to care about their admissions standards, while others are going out of their way to make their program more prestigeous. There is a rumor going around that SCO is offering scholarships of up to $10,000 for high GPA applicants (3.7+). There is also the rumor that this has cost IU several qualified candidates.

 

[eyestrain]

Its intersting that some of the schools don't seem to care about their admissions standards, while others are going out of their way to make their program more prestigeous. There is a rumor going around that SCO is offering scholarships of up to $10,000 for high GPA applicants (3.7+). There is also the rumor that this has cost IU several qualified candidates.

What? No scholarships for the 2.6 students with great "motivation" and "determination"? How dare they set any kind of GPA limit. After all, grades don't matter. All those kids with good grades either have rich parents or have no social skills.

 

[iproblem]

What? No scholarships for the 2.6 students with great "motivation" and "determination"? How dare they set any kind of GPA limit. After all, grades don't matter. All those kids with good grades either have rich parents or have no social skills.

finally someone talking in my kind of language

 

[soupey]

i think it's around 70

ive heard that the passing rate was low (or maybe i should say lower, not sure if 70% pass rate is terrible or not) last time because they moved from a trimester to semester system and the change didnt go too smoothly, which was reflected in how well the students did...

 

[IndianaOD]

What? No scholarships for the 2.6 students with great "motivation" and "determination"? How dare they set any kind of GPA limit. After all, grades don't matter. All those kids with good grades either have rich parents or have no social skills.

Must have slipped by. No rich parents (public school teachers), and most patients tell me I have a good personality.

Hypothetical: Do you think it would make any difference if doctors were required to post their GPAs on the wall? I know its a ridiculous question, but would it make you work harder? If so why? I know people downplay GPA all the time, but what other way is there to assess mastery of class material? If you knew that one doctor scraped by med school with a C average and the other had all As would that make a difference?

 

[daysend85]

Must have slipped by. No rich parents (public school teachers), and most patients tell me I have a good personality.

Hypothetical: Do you think it would make any difference if doctors were required to post their GPAs on the wall? I know its a ridiculous question, but would it make you work harder? If so why? I know people downplay GPA all the time, but what other way is there to assess mastery of class material? If you knew that one doctor scraped by med school with a C average and the other had all As would that make a difference?

I don't know about anyone else, but posting a number on my wall wouldn't make me work any harder. I wouldn't need a number to work harder. I'd work hard for all my patients without a number on my wall. Hmm, I think I caught ya there.

 

[Subiedubie]

Oh yeah,

I also forgot to add that the NECO woman was so rude to me also when I called to ask for information. Although I do not think you should attend or not attend a school based on the friendliness of its receptionist, it sure does help and make you feel more welcome when the people you are dealing with and talking to are at least polite if not nice.

I think that anyone who has called NECO to check on their application status in the past know about the infamous rude NECO woman. It's funny to know that a lot of other people also think she's rude cause I thought she was only being rude to me.

I agree. I think it gives people a bad overall impression of the school if the first encounter that you have with the school is with someone who isn't all too friendly.

 

[odforme]

If you turn down NECO's offer they send you a questionaire about your interview experience. I think it's a good idea to let them know that was a turn-off for you. For me, it was the endless number of application materials that they "never received" (read: lost). I had to send a letter of rec 3 times!!!!!! I found that extremely annoying (so did my prof). My interview there was great, I liked everyone I met but I thought it was important to let them know what I found annoying.

 

[IndianaOD]

I don't know about anyone else, but posting a number on my wall wouldn't make me work any harder. I wouldn't need a number to work harder. I'd work hard for all my patients without a number on my wall. Hmm, I think I caught ya there.

I like your line of thought. However, isn't a consequence of hard work good grades? For example, if you got an A on an ocular theraputics exam I would think you had a better understanding of the topic than if you got a C. Don't your patient's deserve this dedication? Maybe a number wouldn't affect your work ethic, but what would patients think?

 

[EyeBaller]

I like your line of thought. However, isn't a consequence of hard work good grades? For example, if you got an A on an ocular theraputics exam I would think you had a better understanding of the topic than if you got a C. Don't your patient's deserve this dedication? Maybe a number wouldn't affect your work ethic, but what would patients think?

But at the same time.. just because you do well in Histology or Biochem etc etc and have a higher GPA than someone else who aced everything but those courses doesn't mean you are a better doctor.

It's pretty well known that a higher GPA doesn't always translate to a better doctor. Clinical thinking is something that is very hard to test, and that's what determines if someone is a better doctor, as well as experience of course.

If I have a 3.0 GPA and do a great residency but someone else has a 4.0 GPA and works in WalMart, are they a better doctor? Who knows?

 

[iproblem]

But at the same time.. just because you do well in Histology or Biochem etc etc and have a higher GPA than someone else who aced everything but those courses doesn't mean you are a better doctor.

It's pretty well known that a higher GPA doesn't always translate to a better doctor. Clinical thinking is something that is very hard to test, and that's what determines if someone is a better doctor, as well as experience of course.

If I have a 3.0 GPA and do a great residency but someone else has a 4.0 GPA and works in WalMart, are they a better doctor? Who knows?

omg!! can you haters stop bashing walmart? why is walmart the subject of degradation and defamation all the time? it's another form of optometric practice and it puts food on starving ODs table@@ have some respect you haters

 

[IndianaOD]

But at the same time.. just because you do well in Histology or Biochem etc etc and have a higher GPA than someone else who aced everything but those courses doesn't mean you are a better doctor.

It's pretty well known that a higher GPA doesn't always translate to a better doctor. Clinical thinking is something that is very hard to test, and that's what determines if someone is a better doctor, as well as experience of course.

If I have a 3.0 GPA and do a great residency but someone else has a 4.0 GPA and works in WalMart, are they a better doctor? Who knows?

I agree completely. Its only one of many aspects that could make a great doctor. Understanding and applying the knowlege is the important thing, this is not always represented by GPA but many times is. I think residencies are a great idea. I think it would be great if they were required, but that's just me. To me there is a big difference between a 2.0 GPA and a 3.0. Much larger than 3.0 and 4.0.

 

[EyeBaller]

omg!! can you haters stop bashing walmart? why is walmart the subject of degradation and defamation all the time? it's another form of optometric practice and it puts food on starving ODs table@@ have some respect you haters

Sorry, my intention wasn't to "bash" WalMart, it was just to make the point between a residency trained OD and non-residency OD. The WalMart could have been anything.

I agree completely. Its only one of many aspects that could make a great doctor. Understanding and applying the knowlege is the important thing, this is not always represented by GPA but many times is. I think residencies are a great idea. I think it would be great if they were required, but that's just me. To me there is a big difference between a 2.0 GPA and a 3.0. Much larger than 3.0 and 4.0.

Thanks for appreciating the discussion and not starting a flame war. It's nice to be able to post and not worry about starting an argument!

Anyway... I do agree 2.0 to 3.0 is a big jump, but I dare say there aren't many 4.0 ODs out there.. Required residencies may be something in the future especially if optometry wants to mold more into a medical model. I know that the number of graduates wanting to do a residency is on the increase each year.. it's just if there's enough places to fill the demand..

 

[drbizzaro]

Er......................they are all hard to get into.

not true... scco is way harder to get into with low marks... NEWENCO is much easier

 

[cpw]

keep in mind folks, unless you've applied to EVERY OD school... better/easier/harder to get into is subjective. Take someone making a blanket statement like "XY school is the EASIEST one to get into" with a grain of salt.

 

[Elfego Baca]

At least there's no question that Berkeley is the hardest optometry school to get into. The class size is small, and last year they didn't even go into the waiting list.

 

[Optomoman]

At least there's no question that Berkeley is the hardest optometry school to get into. The class size is small, and last year they didn't even go into the waiting list.

I have a friend who got into Berkeley (class of 2011) who graduated with a 2.8 GPA, and got TS 320... Hardest? All the schools are competetive, you can't back up a statement like, "my school is the hardest".

 

[Spearmint1]

Just because someone got into berkeley with a 2.8 doesn't mean they're going to survive it. In case you didn't know, you have to maintain a 3.0 to stay in. Oh one more thing, the csu system is a joke.

 

[Optomoman]

Just because someone got into berkeley with a 2.8 doesn't mean they're going to survive it. In case you didn't know, you have to maintain a 3.0 to stay in. Oh one more thing, the csu system is a joke.

Wow!... Someone here has some personal issues... Good luck with that.

 

[Spearmint1]

personal issues? Where did you learn to read?

 

[Optomoman]

personal issues? Where did you learn to read?

The CSU System

 

[Elfego Baca]

You can be sure that if someone got into UCBSO with less that a 3.0 and relatively low OAT scores, there were extraordinary factors such as research work, non-academic activities, and/or personal extenuating circumstances that indicated that the person had the ability to succeed. Looking at the lowest GPA or OAT in a given acceptance pool doesn't indicate the overall level of quality. Berkeley's *median* GPA and OAT scores are significantly higher than those of other schools, indicating that it is the most difficult one to get into. The fact that they're willing to accept someone with lower academic scores indicates that they will look beyond those scores under some circumstances. The fact remains that your chance of getting into UCBSO with poor academic numbers is less than it would be at other schools.

Someone who was near the bottom of Berkeley's waitlist posted a message that they were accepting an offer from SCCO. That should tell you something.

 

[daysend85]

I'm not sure what the big deal is about which school is the hardest to get in to, other than creating a headache for people wishing to get accepted. It should go without mention that just because the school is hard to get into doesn't mean that it educates the best future doctors.

 

[Optomoman]

. I was simply pointing out that stating, “This school is the hardest to get into” is just ignorant… That’s all..

 

[jc812]

Must have slipped by. No rich parents (public school teachers), and most patients tell me I have a good personality.

Hypothetical: Do you think it would make any difference if doctors were required to post their GPAs on the wall? I know its a ridiculous question, but would it make you work harder? If so why? I know people downplay GPA all the time, but what other way is there to assess mastery of class material? If you knew that one doctor scraped by med school with a C average and the other had all As would that make a difference?

If you don't mind me asking, what was your undergrad GPA, OAT scores, etc?

 

[mtrlOATgal]

waterloo is hardest to get in..... for out of province canadians at least