NECO or UCBSO? Please Help!!!!!!

[mwilk82]

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I am having a lot of trouble deciding where to go for optometry school. I have narrowed my choices down to NECO & UCBSO. I am a California resident so it would be considerably cheaper to go to Berkeley, but I have also lived in California my entire life and am excited with the chance to go east to Boston, and experince a new way of life.

I really liked both schools when I went for interviews. NECO impressed me with the sense of home I felt walking through the doors and the seemingly relaxed atmosphere of the students. Berkeley has a lot to offer as well, especially their small class size, cost and name recognition. UCBSO would cost approx $30K/yr while NECO would be more like $40-45K/yr.


I have talked to several optometrist and all have differing opinions. The common theme seems to be that the younger ones who just recently graduated lean more towards UCBSO due to the cost factor. The tell me that opotmetrist do not really make that much money relative to the debt they take on, and paying off massive loans is daunting.

Any anvice would be appreciated.

 

[polkadot]

Hi mwilk82,

I know it may sound cliche'd, but have you tried the pros/cons list approach? I don't think you can decide solely by the length of these lists, but it might help you to highlight what's more important to you: the attention you feel you'll receive as a student at NECO v. the financial benefits of Berkeley, etc. I saw that you estimate your student budget for UCB at around $30k, but my financial aid packet from there estimates my annual budget at $39k+ (probably a high estimate), so I don't know if that makes a difference.

I personally think that going to Boston would be a great opportunity for you. I know leaving CA was a good choice for me when I left and made me appreciate being back in CA even more now (I was also gone for 9 yrs, so my case is a bit different). If you're having trouble deciding which you'd like better, maybe you should consider which decision would you regret more. In the end, go with your gut. There is no wrong choice in this case. PM me if you want to discuss further.

-p.dot