On April 2nd, Kristin Tobin from the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts. We were able to learn more about being a student at the New England College of Optometry and the opportunities that come with being a student there! Thank you to Kristin for speaking with us about the New England College of Optometry!
Kristin discussed the New England College of Optometry and how it is the oldest continuously operating school of optometry. It is also a private, independent optometry school. As it is close to a large city, there are also many opportunities for clinical work throughout Boston. As for being a student there, living arrangements are typically apartments and there are 2 housing fairs to find housing. There is also a great pediatrics concentration program which students apply to in the first year. They also offer duel OD/MS and OD/PhD programs to students.
There are many opportunities for growth at NECO. This includes research at the New England College of Optometry. This is in areas such as vision science, biomedical science, clinical research, and optometric education research. The school itself is also growing as they are building a new clinic which will include traditional and new technology. The school itself has a great presence in the community as well as they have strong public health connections. NECO also has a large number of ways for students to get involved outside of the classroom with their 15+ student organizations.
In order to get into the New England College of Optometry, there is a list of prerequisite courses, a shadowing requirement (at least 20 hours), as well as the OAT and letters of recommendation. Tuition is about $42,000 per year, and they offer various financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
We really enjoyed having Kristin to talk with us and wanted to thank her for taking the time to come to Ohio State and talk with us!