Optometry School Decision

[bbbayinah]

Hey all,

So I'm having a hard time deciding between schools at the moment. Thankfully I have been accepted to Midwestern (Chicago), Western, NECO, NOVA and I have my last interview tomorrow at PCO. Right now I'm keeping my options open hoping PCO will really wow me, but I'm between 2 schools at the moment NOVA and NECO. I'm originally from Florida and have family in central and south florida so that plays a huge factor in me wanting to stay and go to NOVA. I loved that they're very apple friendly and that its part of a larger university and I would be taking classes with other medical professionals. I'm kind of annoyed because I really didn't want to like it haha but i'll be honest, NOVA def wowed me, especially after getting a personalized acceptance card from the dean (Did everyone get that? I assume so, but i'm asking for a friend lol)
I absolutely loved NECO I thought the vibe was perfect for me. They seemed very innovative, up to date on everything and when I got my letter I straight up felt like it was my acceptance to Hogwarts lol.
I got my acceptance to NECO first and have been comparing it to every school I've interviewed at and the only one that really held up was NOVA. I know I'm going to get a good education regardless of the school I decide to go to but I was wondering if any past/present/prospective students could give me their thoughts on the two schools to help me make my decision easier? Any and all info you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated!

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[2ndchanceopto]

NOVA really wowed me and also had higher board scores than NECO. Another thing is the cost, NOVA has a cheaper tuition rate and beautiful big campus. Boston is an expensive city to live in and the school is only one building. I was considering NECO and even looked into apartments near the school but the prices were too expensive on top of the 42k tuition. Since youre from Florida, NOVA seems like a really good choice for you.
I was between NECO, NOVA, and PCO. I chose PCO only because it was closer to me and a smaller class size which was more my style. NOVA was my second choice. Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[odfuturedoc]

I can definitely see why you hold NECO in high regard. The school and whole city are amazing. Especially considering that NECO has some of the highest first time Part 1 board passing test scores (higher than NOVA and PCO).
Personally, I was really impressed with NECO as a whole. And when talking to others on my interview, I've only heard positive things about PCO and how much people liked it, but I didn’t interview there myself. I worry about NOVA because the general feeling and things I’ve heard about NOVA is that it’s easy to get lost in the crowd and they’re not always so welcoming as a whole when compared to other schools.
I’m terms of pricing and tuition, it’s about the same when considering the whole picture (tuition, rent, and all living cost). Especially in South Florida where rent/housing is through the roof.
Keep all options open but PCO and NECO are the top two choices out of those three.