ICO or NECO?

[aaaod]

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I was wondering if any students or applicants could give some insight on which one they would pick and why.

ICO has the residential complex, clinic, and school in the same location which is really convenient. They've also got excellent board pass rates. The only thing is the area around the school is a little sketchier and Chicago is further for me.

NECO has the brand new preclinic/clinic, also really good board rates, and the school is in a super nice part of Boston. It's a little closer to home for me as well. However commuting between school and clinic would be more annoying and I'd have to find a place and roommates for first year.

Having a really tough time deciding, so any input is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[anik19]

Looking for an answer on this too!

 

[mil123]

I agree for the same reasons but one thing to look into is cost of living in Boston. Apartments/houses are super pricey if not double of chicago, if you are living in the area around the school (and this is where majority of students live).

 

[MedSynapse]

I interviewed at both places so heres my two cents on it:

In my opinion, ICO is much more established as an optometry school and places much more emphasis on clinical experience and training students for a career after school. Comparing the two clinics, ICO's eye institute has a much higher volume of patients with various specialities such as pediatrics, post-op surgery, and contact lenses. NECO has a new clinic, which may be a good and bad thing; although the equipment may be newer, they have a very limited patient basis with fewer cases and specialties in comparison to ICO.

In regards to teaching, ICO has a rigorous curriculum with professors that are well established in research and publications, which is why their boards pass rates have been historically higher than NECO. NECO has a good pre-clinic and strong residencies, but its classrooms and overall structure of it's school building looked very outdated to me.

In terms of student life, I felt that NECO was better due to being in an area with lots of colleges and other students. However, i'd imagine that there are fun things to do near Chicago and around ICO as well.

Overall, I feel that given the amount of tuition you're paying, ICO would be a better place to get the best value on your education and to become a successful optometrist. Hope this helps.

 

[optompotato]

I was wondering if any students or applicants could give some insight on which one they would pick and why.

ICO has the residential complex, clinic, and school in the same location which is really convenient. They've also got excellent board pass rates. The only thing is the area around the school is a little sketchier and Chicago is further for me.

NECO has the brand new preclinic/clinic, also really good board rates, and the school is in a super nice part of Boston. It's a little closer to home for me as well. However commuting between school and clinic would be more annoying and I'd have to find a place and roommates for first year.

Having a really tough time deciding, so any input is appreciated. Thanks!

NECO may have a newer preclinic, but you can't use it very often. It all depends on if the school can get a resident or professor out their to supervise. Otherwise you're stuck unable to practice with the equipment. NECO doesn't prepare you for the clinical part of the boards exam. They have clinical skills exams that aren't worth anything for your overall grade, and if you fail you just keep making it up until you pass. They keep students who fail clinical skills but not students who need extra help outside of class for lecture materials. Overall, ICO will work to help you while NECO is just trying to navigate a sinking ship.