Ranking Optometry Schools

[JAB1215]

Hi,

I am applying to SUNY, NECO, PCO, MCPHS, and Nova this summer and was wondering if anyone had any opinions on the rankings of these schools. I've read a lot about how ASCO does not advise that students make their admissions decisions based on rankings, since there is not really an "official ranking" of optometry schools. However, I was wondering if anyone had any opinions as to which schools are better than the others.
I know that SUNY is a great school, and is my #1 choice, if I get accepted.
However, what about NECO, PCO, MCPHS, and Nova? After SUNY, my next choices would be either NECO or PCO; does anyone have any opinions as to which one of these two schools is better than the other??
Also, is MCPHS one of the newer optometry schools? I haven't been able to find any concrete information as to if it has been accredited yet.
Thanks!!

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[shicani9795]

I'm not much help in rankings but I was able to find that of August 2016 MCPHS is accredited with conditions according to this pdf
https://www.aoa.org/Documents/students/od_program_directory_08_01_2016.pdf . I hope this helps!

 

[JAB1215]

I'm not much help in rankings but I was able to find that of August 2016 MCPHS is accredited with conditions according to this pdf
https://www.aoa.org/Documents/students/od_program_directory_08_01_2016.pdf . I hope this helps!

Thanks so much!!

 

[AcademicEyes]

MCPHS would be my last choice.

Where do you plan to practice after graduating? The location of a school will influence your ability to attend local society meetings if you're interested in private practice. That might be another factor to consider.

It's difficult to rank schools because, as a student, you're limited to your experiences at the school you attend. I would compare the cost, clinical experiences, and fourth-year externship locations among the schools and go with one that will give you a variety of experiences and has the best overall value in terms of cost. Sorry if this isn't much help. Good luck!

 

[JAB1215]

MCPHS would be my last choice.

Where do you plan to practice after graduating? The location of a school will influence your ability to attend local society meetings if you're interested in private practice. That might be another factor to consider.

It's difficult to rank schools because, as a student, you're limited to your experiences at the school you attend. I would compare the cost, clinical experiences, and fourth-year externship locations among the schools and go with one that will give you a variety of experiences and has the best overall value in terms of cost. Sorry if this isn't much help. Good luck!

Thank you for your response!
I plan to practice in NY after graduating; I am also a NY state resident, so the in-state tuition of SUNY is also a factor. Combined with this, and the fact that SUNY is a great school, it is definitely my top choice. However, I am worried about not being accepted, so NECO and PCO are my second and third choices. I visited NECO last week and I really enjoyed my visit. Everyone was really nice and super helpful, and it seemed like a great school. However, the one clinic that they showed on the tour looked small and a little out-dated; they did mention having another off-site clinic though. I plan to also visit PCO one day this summer as well. However, I have read some posts on here by PCO students who do not seem to be very happy there.

Also, I would assume that NECO has more externship opportunities as compared to PCO, as they are located in Boston. However, I have never met any NECO grads, but maybe they don't tend to practice in NY.
As I said before, if I attend optometry school outside of NY, I plan to return to NY after graduating to practice. So, in comparison between NECO and PCO, you wouldn't really say that either one is better than the other in terms of gaining employment after graduation?

 

[percyeye]

Go to whatever school is cheapest.

 

[AcademicEyes]

Thank you for your response!
I plan to practice in NY after graduating; I am also a NY state resident, so the in-state tuition of SUNY is also a factor. Combined with this, and the fact that SUNY is a great school, it is definitely my top choice. However, I am worried about not being accepted, so NECO and PCO are my second and third choices. I visited NECO last week and I really enjoyed my visit. Everyone was really nice and super helpful, and it seemed like a great school. However, the one clinic that they showed on the tour looked small and a little out-dated; they did mention having another off-site clinic though. I plan to also visit PCO one day this summer as well. However, I have read some posts on here by PCO students who do not seem to be very happy there.

Also, I would assume that NECO has more externship opportunities as compared to PCO, as they are located in Boston. However, I have never met any NECO grads, but maybe they don't tend to practice in NY.
As I said before, if I attend optometry school outside of NY, I plan to return to NY after graduating to practice. So, in comparison between NECO and PCO, you wouldn't really say that either one is better than the other in terms of gaining employment after graduation?

Fingers crossed you get into SUNY!

In terms of gaining employment, I think schools are pretty equal. Before entering optometry school I thought differently, but pretty much every practicing optometrist I have spoken to says they typically don't care about where people went to school (unless they are biased toward their own). Choose whichever school you feel will challenge you more or provide more opportunities! I don't know much about NECO other than what some of my classmates thought.
Based on other interactions I've had, I think clinical experience is a big factor. I spoke to one recent grad who said she pursued a residency because she didn't feel she had gained enough experience in school to be able to work somewhere.
Hope this helps!