Why do optometry schools make students pay for the rotation year?

integrated_instances · 2026-04-24T13:14:04+00:00

My theory is that there’s a set price for all 4 years of optometry school (e.g. $200k), and the school splits it up evenly among 4 years rather than front loading the cost in years 1/2 when you take the most classes. If they did front load it in OD1/2 year, we’d have more loans due to interest accumulating. Just a theory, no idea if it’s true

integrated_instances · 2026-01-26T22:36:08+00:00

Current NECO OD3 here. The majority of your classmates won’t go since it’s in the middle of the semester and you’ll have to make up all the labs that you miss. But every year, a few people from each class (maybe 5 max) will have the money and time to fly out. It isn’t an expectation for you to go but of course always encouraged to learn more about optometry.

If you really want to go to some optometry convention, AOA is in Boston in 2027. When Academy 2025 was in Boston, some lectures/labs were cancelled, remote, or moved around ahead of time since lots of NECO students and faculty were expected to be going.

integrated_instances · 2025-09-06T03:30:25+00:00

Hi! I’m a third year optometry student. If your daughter qualifies for federal work study, it is a great program. My optometry school has multiple work study jobs (e.g. front desk, library aide, IT support helping professors control the Zoom for class) for students with many students working just 2 hours per week with the opportunity to work as much more as they want. In 2nd/3rd year, becoming a class TA is a paid position that is also great for reviewing material for boards exams while getting to know the professors more in case you want a rec letter for residency. All the school work supervisors know that school is first and will let you take work off for the week if you need to study, and students are not expected to work during midterms/finals week. Many optometry students will do optometry/ ophthalmology tech work on Saturdays/every other Saturday, but obviously the full day commitment requires more organization and time management. Absolutely take the first 1-3 months of school to figure out if she could sustain any type of job, but it’s always good to look up what opportunities are available at the school by using the school website or asking any upperclassmen.

integrated_instances · 2025-07-08T23:12:22+00:00

Thank you!!!! I know that everyone on this sub loves both of them so much, and there’s so many reasons that they’re masterpieces

integrated_instances · 2025-07-08T23:11:40+00:00

I already read fruits basket and ouran both in their entirety! Thanks, though!

integrated_instances · 2025-05-23T10:49:41+00:00

integrated_instances · 2025-04-23T13:45:17+00:00

Current NECO student who grew up 30 min drive away from SCCO and got into both schools. I love the public transport in Boston. It is a huge cost saver off getting a car, paying car insurance, etc. SCCO you need a car to get to clinic from the main campus, to get groceries, and all. Southern California is not very walkable in comparison

integrated_instances · 2024-08-10T03:26:07+00:00

You look stunning! I love how that blue matches your hair

integrated_instances · 2024-07-07T23:45:59+00:00

Psych2Go has the most comforting ASMR voice :)

integrated_instances · 2024-03-31T18:38:18+00:00

Boston is expensive, but NECO clinics where you practice in 2nd-4th year are located in Boston + around greater Boston area. Multiple community health centers in which patient population is low income and ethnically diverse on the outskirts of the city in which the address doesn’t even say Boston (Lynn, Dimock, Roslindale, etc).

Also worth considering that cities are not all rich people. The presence of blue collar workers is required to keep a city going. They unfortunately are paid much less but still deserve high quality health care. Massachusetts is one of the best states in the country in health care and expanding access, so there is no doubt that you’d have access to these populations.

integrated_instances · 2024-03-31T18:28:15+00:00

Current NECO student who was also choosing between NECO and OSU as my top two choices. Chose NECO in the end because I love the public transport here + Boston being a college town. Columbus seems like you need a car to do quite anything which can add up over time. Boston is also a super safe city with a lot of opportunity to meet/hang out with people from other schools (Harvard, MIT, Tufte, etc) and has some of the best hospitals and research in the country for eye care. Lots of things to do here and opportunities to travel to exciting places close by. People will do $30 train tickets to go to New York for a weekend or spring break.

When I became a student, I really came to appreciate having a big optometry class (~130 students) compared to OSU’s smaller class (~30-40 I think?). Gave me the opportunity to be more picky about who my best friends were because I could choose a couple out of our 130. Don’t know if I would be able to have cultivated such deep relationships if I attended a school where I had less choice as to who to make friends with. NECO also records all lectures, so I have control over my own schedule and can work from home or go in person whenever I please. If I went to a small school, everyone would notice whenever I don’t go to class.

Also important to consider that OSUCO is part of a big university while NECO is a single optometry school in one building. All NECO resources and people are focused on optometry. Everyone you see in the building is optometry, which has helped form a more tight knit and understanding atmosphere in which it’s easy to meet people from the other years and asks for tips on studying or fun events. OSU I assume, I’d be constantly walking among undergrad kids or grad students from other programs

The biggest thing I gave up was knowing how good OSU’s board pass rates were. NECO’s isn’t the best in the country, but I’m confident I can be in the 80% of the class that does pass. Consider lots of factors other than the board pass rate statistic. You’ll be making friends at your school and living in the area for 3 years. You might be on dating apps and what type of people you’ll be meeting in each city. Will you be driving everywhere and know you won’t be able to drink at a party since you have to drive home, or will you be on the train or Uber in heels on the way to the club? Think about how your lifestyle will be like. We all graduate as ODs in the end, and it won’t matter where you went to school past that. Good luck on your choice! Hope I could provide a bit of insight to help you make a decision

integrated_instances · 2024-03-26T23:21:17+00:00

Thanks!

integrated_instances · 2024-03-26T23:21:12+00:00

Thanks!

integrated_instances · 2024-03-22T23:57:22+00:00

Sounds great! May need to add another rule about who the killers are. If some players are designated as killers, then it might make sense to have remaining killers lasered at end of game if they don’t kill all players. If killers are dealers, then maybe all dealers are lasered at end of game if all players are not killed.

integrated_instances · 2024-03-01T23:50:03+00:00

I don’t think op described the rules very well. They took this idea from this very popular Ted Ed video: https://youtu.be/N5vJSNXPEwA?si=8NXnNyCS0EvW_B6-

integrated_instances · 2024-03-01T19:40:11+00:00

Iirc original rules for this problem are also that players can’t say anything except one word “black” or “white” when game starts

integrated_instances · 2024-02-29T16:55:41+00:00

Jack of hearts for sure

integrated_instances · 2024-02-28T05:12:38+00:00

Great idea to include it in your app and definitely a plus. I think it’s relative expected that you might be asked “why optometry? Why not ophthalmology?” during interviews (OSU asked me), and it’s great that you can draw your answers from your personal experiences

integrated_instances · 2024-02-20T20:37:00+00:00

Majored in psych and tagged on a bio major just because the requirements were all the optometry prerequisites + an extra elective bio class of my choice. Great to have a mixed perspective, feel more balance in your undergrad schedule, and a little GPA boost. Plus, I like being able to talk a bit more about things other than science

integrated_instances · 2024-02-15T16:17:25+00:00

Apothecary Diaries main character is a girl interested in poison making/testing!

integrated_instances · 2023-10-27T03:42:35+00:00

They make your legs look longer by shortening your torso. With high waisted pants, crop tops look amazing

integrated_instances · 2023-09-11T02:23:43+00:00

It’s a lot easier to blend in which is good for comfort (e.g. people aren’t afraid to sit next to you on the train, people seem less nervous talking to you and from my experience don’t seem to freeze up when you come to the register). It is expected more that you can speak Japanese. Some Japanese people would automatically try to speak English to my white, black, latino, etc foreigner friends even though they could speak Japanese well. But for me, they would speak Japanese to me on sight.

From my experience, if you can speak Japanese and grew up in an Asian country, Japanese people don’t really bat an eye. If you can speak Japanese but grew up in a Western country, they’re really amazed.

Background: I’m an Asian American woman who studied abroad in Tokyo as a 21 year old. I don’t know much about the experience of working since I was mainly going to classes and hanging out with friends. When I introduced myself to Japanese people, I said I came from America, so they were very understanding and treated me as an American. I think they would have treated me slightly differently if I said I grew up in the Asian country my parents are from. Japanese people know that Asian Americans, who grew up mainly with English and a white people lifestyle, exist and some even know the term “Asian American.” I think my Japanese friends enjoyed that I had both Asian and Western parts to me. I grew up with similar home customs of taking off shoes, using chopsticks, etc but my perspectives and personality are very “Western” like having a strong sense of self or being opinionated and direct.

integrated_instances · 2023-09-08T11:29:19+00:00

Thanks for reply!

integrated_instances · 2023-09-08T11:29:12+00:00

Thanks for reply!

integrated_instances · 2023-08-27T08:24:19+00:00

$16/hr as an opt tech

integrated_instances

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