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Interview Feedback

All Questions & Responses

  • New England College Of Optometry
  • Optometry School
  • Boston, MA
Individual Feedback 3 49 Responses
Overall Experience

How did the interview impress you?

Response # Responders
Positively 43
Negatively 1
No change 4

What was the stress level of the interview?

Response Avg # Responders
3.20 46

0 = low, 10 = high

How you think you did?

Response Avg # Responders
8.37 49

0 = low, 10 = high

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

Response Avg # Responders
7.79 48

0 = low, 10 = high

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

Response # Responders
In Person 1
Virtual 2

Questions

How long was the interview?

Response # Responders
5 minutes 1
10 minutes 0
15 minutes 5
20 minutes 3
25 minutes 6
30 minutes 11
35 minutes 5
40 minutes 3
45 minutes 8
50 minutes 3
55 minutes 1
60+ minutes 3

Where did the interview take place?

Response # Responders
At the school 43
At a regional location 0
At another location 3

What was the style of the interview?

Response # Responders
One-on-one 46
In a group 1

What type of interview was it?

Response # Responders
Open file 23
Closed file 22

How many people interviewed you?

Response Average # Responders
1.30 47

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 1)?

"Tell me about a time you were stressed academically and what you did to destress." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you manage stress?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about yourself" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me more about your high school experience (I graduated 2 years early)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you handle different stressors in life and balance all of your responsibilities?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why did you choose the undergraduate school you did?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How did you prepare for the OAT?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you know about NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What made you decide optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was your most difficult undergraduate course?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was a time in your life that you failed?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why Optometry? Why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about yourself. (There was an interview with a faculty member that was one-on-one and another interview that was completely closed file, with a current student from the school) Also, Why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is the hardest class you took at your undergraduate university, and why was it hard?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why are you interested in optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If I had to speak to the admissions committee after this interview, what would you like me to tell them about you? How should I describe you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What about optometry school do you think will be most challenging for you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are strengths vs weaknesses?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why NECO/optometry" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why optometry and what lead you to this decision?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Strengths and weaknesses" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What research experience do you have" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"About my research experience" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why do you want to go into optometry? What do you hope to get out of optometry school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why Optometry and why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you consider your worst moment in the past 5 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Greatest success and failure in the past year?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What other optometry schools did you apply to?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How was your experience at Albany?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What did you learn from you previous work experiences that you can apply to optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about yourself." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How will you adapt to being an optometry student? How do you fit in with NECO? What are your strengths? ( Give examples to be more interesting. They do not usually ask you to elaborate.) How will you contribute to NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Describe your time management skills." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is a major challenge you have had and how did you deal with it (with either a good or bad outcome)?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why Optometry" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What important qualities do you think and Optometrist should have?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How did you get interested in optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was your least favorite course, and how did you manage to get through it?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 2)?

"Tell me about a time you showed compassion." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why optometry? What were you looking for in schools and why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about a time where you had to display leadership." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you think academic grades should be emphasized/taken into account as much as personality and other experiences?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about a time you failed." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What happened this semester when you...?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about a recent failure." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about optometry" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"explain your first year and second year?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What drew you to applying to Boston?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you think needs to be improved about the Optometry Field?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was your biggest achievement/failure? Talked about my leadership experience." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Work experience? Leadership experience?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses? If there is any portion of your application that you would like to discuss/explain, now is your chance. (ie. if you had a bad mark in something, tell me what happened)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is your greatest success/failure?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why are you applying to NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you feel your parents support your decision to pursue optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"An instance you have gone above and beyond?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Does your family feel ok if you moved to Boston?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Extracurricular activities?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Preparation" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"tell me about yourself and how you come to pursue optometry and what optometric experiences do you have?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why NECO? What is the hardest class you have taken, how did you deal with it?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Describe a success and failure you've had in the past 5 years." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you consider to be your biggest success and failure and why?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Hardest decision you've had to make in the past year?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Anything on your application, like a poor grade, that you want to explain?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"In three minutes, give me you? (so pretty much, a open forum to talk about myself)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What would you improve about yourself? Do your grades reflect your ability?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about yourself." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why Opt. Why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Would you like to specialize? What kind of setting do you see yourself practicing in? How does your strengths tie in to that? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you do for fun?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was a difficult time in your life and how did you get through it?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was your hardest class in school and how did you manage to get through it?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Anything you'd like to point out about your application?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was your most difficult class and how did you manage to overcome the challenge?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about a time when you had to overcome a challenge?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What qualities would you look for in an Optometrist?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What is one of the specific questions they asked you (question 3)?

"Why optometry and why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you have any optometric experience? Tell me about a time you had to show compassion. Tell me about a time you worked in a team." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What would you do if you were leading a group and someone was not meeting expectations?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is a time from your experience shadowing at an optometry clinic where you had to show compassion?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see yourself in the field in the future?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about your journey of discovering the field of optometry" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Why did you choose your undergraduate school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about yourself" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"what do you like to do for fun?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was the most difficult course you took in college? Do you have any questions for me? Why did you decide to apply so late in the cycle?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Explain what was one of your most difficult courses in undergrad? and why?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How would you deal with an extremely difficult patient? (What steps would you take?)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about your community service experience." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about yourself." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was the most challenging class you took as an undergrad and why?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Name something that stresses you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How will you work with a patient that does not speak your language?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"why NECO?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Talk about your extra curriculars. What volunteer work have you done?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Talk about work experience." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Student Interview: What extracurricular activities did you participate in? What leadership roles did you have?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What organizations were you a part of on campus? What were your roles? Did you have any leadership roles?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What kind of volunteer activities do you participate in?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How does your family feel about you moving so far away?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Is there anything that you didnt feel comfortable to write on your application, or that has changed since your application came out?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you explain your below avg grades in some of your non-science classes?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Do you think you will have any problems adjusting to optometry school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you had 3 exams scheduled on the same day, how would you deal with that?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How have you dealt with a stressful situation in your life?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I wasn't asked very many questions, we just talked about a lot of things like working out/gyms." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How did you get through a difficult class?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Is there anything on your application that you would like to emphasize that may explain any weaknesses (or something like that)?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"First time in Boston? like the city?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What other activities/clubs are you in outside of school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What types of things do you do outside of school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What did you learn from your optometric experiences that you didn't know before?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most interesting question?

"Do you think your grades reflect your intellectual abilities? When do you think they haven't?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What were specific aspects of other optometry schools that you found to be beneficial in your mind?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What about optometry excites you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How will I transition to a class size of 130?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"what motivates you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What does your mom think about you meeting someone in Boston and staying here?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you feel that you have the resiliency for Optometry School? What was a time that you had to overcome?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Asked me about one of my job experiences and gave me a "What if" scenario and wanted to know my thoughts "out of curiosity"" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me why should we accept you? What can you bring to this school?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Which other schools are you applying to, and why? (The interviewer then went through each school and mentioned something negative about them)" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What are your future goals?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Was there a time that you got easily frustrated?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is your favorite kind of tea?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What frusterates you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"what is one thing you want me to remember from this interview?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Most were pretty standard" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"talk about a situation where you went above and beyond what was asked of you." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If I were to use one word to describe you in front of the panel, what would that word be?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"A question about my personal statement" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"none" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"In three minutes, give me .... you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What would you improve about yourself?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"The questions were all general interview questions. Nothing was particularily difficult or interesting." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"if you had to choose a super power, and your choice was either to fly or be invisible, what would you choose and why? And if you had a patient scheduled for 9, 9:15, 9:30.. and your 9 and 9:15 both showed up late at 9:30, and you 9:30 was on time, but you also had an emergency patient show up at 9:30.. what would you do? " More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you could have any superpower, would you like to fly or be invisible?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Most questions were typical. Why optometry, what's the scope of your experience, how did you get through your most difficult class?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Most of their questions are off a standard list and they won't ask things if you've already covered it in your application." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"All were basic/simple" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I was suprised to hear you crochet hats?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"I was asked about what I do to keep balanced. They noticed that I usually had taken a pilates or yoga class and said that it was important to exercise and remember to take care of myself. I thought that this was a great sign that each student is seen as an individual with unique needs to balance." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

What was the most difficult question?

"What do you think you bring to the field of optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about a time where you showed compassion and empathy." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about a time you had to be compassionate." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Asked about a specific semester and why I had W's" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Tell me about a recent failure." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"explain the discrepancies in your transcript" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"When was the last time you failed?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Anything you would like to add to your file that you want me to let the committee know that has changed since you've submitted your application?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What don't you like about optometry?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Where do you see yourself in the future?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you think would be the most difficult part of optometry school? Also, my interviewer asked me to describe my previous research experiences and results in detail (some from summer labs I did four years ago), and I didn't prepare the result section as well as I should have." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Are there any negative aspects of your application that you would like to explain?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What annoys you?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"It was a personal question and was emotionally difficult for me." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"It was straight forward questions" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What frustrates you? Talk about a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Discuss a success and failure you've had in the past 5 years..." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"None are hard as long as you prepare!" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you consider your worst moment in the past 5 years?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Probably the three minute question." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How do you explain your below avg grades in some of your non-science classes?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What is your favorite book and why." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

" none" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"If you had a turkey but you didn't know how much it weighed, and your scale was broken, what would you do?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was a challenge in your life and how did you deal with it?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"Explain your time management skills." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What do you feel balances out any negative aspects of your application?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"None" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"How will you handle the challenges that face you during your transition from student to optometrist?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"By the time I got to the interview I felt that they already knew I was accepted. The questions were very standard. I was well prepared by the interview I received from the pre-medical committee at the University of Hartford for the interview experience at NECO." More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

"What was a difficult time in your life academically, personally, etc. and how did you deal with it?" More from this Member | Report Response | I was asked this question too

How did you prepare for the interview?

"Sdn and practice" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read SDN questions." More from this Member | Report Response

"Reading over SDN questions and preparing answers" More from this Member | Report Response

"Practice questions." More from this Member | Report Response

"IMPORTANT!!! When they give you your folder at the beginning of interview day, inside the folder is a short bio on the person who will be interviewing you. Make sure to read that thoroughly to help shape the questions and things you want to talk about with them." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, school website" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN resources, practicing questions, etc." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, interview feedback, other students" More from this Member | Report Response

"I looked up questions on SDN and read up on the school's program on their website i.e. their elective courses, their new clinical facility, etc." More from this Member | Report Response

"University interview prep" More from this Member | Report Response

"Researched the school, via website and materials sent to me" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, and researching the school" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN. If you study these questions, you're good to go. 90% of the questions I got came from here. The ones I mentioned, you're probably going to get asked. Also, know your personal statement and extra curricular activities that you put on your application well. My interviewer seemed to know EVERYTHING about my extra curricular and leadership roles, so know them well because they will probably ask you questions relating to your application/experiences. Otherwise, it's CLOSED interview in terms of your grades - mine didn't seem to know anything about my GPA/grades/OAT scores. But he did seem to have my experiences other details from my application memorized." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN!! And read over my application materials." More from this Member | Report Response

"Student doctor network, mock interviewers, researched the school online, looked over by optomcas application and secondary essays." More from this Member | Report Response

"Writing answers to Student Doctor Network's sample questions, Medical school interview questions. Having mock-interview with my roommates, parents, and other adults. Attending interview workshops from my college." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, practice interview with undergrad health committee advisor" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN!" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, practiced outloud to myself, re-read my application." More from this Member | Report Response

"student doctor interview feedback, mock interview. " More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, read the school's brochure and read your personal statement because they have it." More from this Member | Report Response

"Looked at interview feedback on SDN" More from this Member | Report Response

"Researched questions on SDN and optstudent.com" More from this Member | Report Response

"sdn, mock interviews" More from this Member | Report Response

"Review over SDN questions, and walking in my heels in the airport." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN, thought up some questions" More from this Member | Report Response

"Read school materials. Thought about questions I wanted to ask the interviewer." More from this Member | Report Response

"looked over SDN for questions" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN forum, admissions counsellor at undergrad, checked out NECO website and familiarized self with current issues" More from this Member | Report Response

"This site and practicing." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN feedback, college's website, practice questions" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN interview feedback. " More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN" More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN mostly " More from this Member | Report Response

"Researched student doctor and came up a list of questions I thought I may be asked." More from this Member | Report Response

"I thoroughly researched the school, made sure my recommendations were stellar, wore a great suit, comfortable shoes and smiled." More from this Member | Report Response

"SDN forums, school website, optstudent.com" More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you positively?

"faculty, friendly students, clinical program structure, the campus is beautiful, location, ammenities" More from this Member | Report Response

"The interviewer's response to my questions, he was very detailed & offered great advice. It was overall casual and felt welcoming." More from this Member | Report Response

"The interest that the faculty showed in getting to learn more about me." More from this Member | Report Response

"How casual the interviewer was speaking to me." More from this Member | Report Response

"Everything" More from this Member | Report Response

"People were genuinely friendly, it felt like they were actually happy we were there instead of being a burden. The campus is in a beautiful part of Boston and most of the students live right next to the school. You need an ID to enter the school so it's very safe/chill. I asked the students if they felt comfortable leaving all their stuff for a second and they all said they do it all the time. The clinic isn't huge, but it's very nice and the lab for the students is brand-spanking new. It seems like a very tight-knit community and all the money/resources they have go towards you and not other programs." More from this Member | Report Response

"Brand new clinic, how welcoming the staff was, tour of facility" More from this Member | Report Response

"The fact that we got to practice hands-on with the slit lamps in their new clinic" More from this Member | Report Response

"The clinic" More from this Member | Report Response

"facility and equipment" More from this Member | Report Response

"Beautiful building, very nice and respectful staff. Easy going interview." More from this Member | Report Response

"The students and faculty were all super friendly, they are expanding their clinic and pre-clinic, they have such a large network of clinics. Also that they let you borrow the textbooks rather than having to buy them all" More from this Member | Report Response

"I interviewed at SALUS a few days before and NECO blew me away. When I came to NECO and saw the other candidates..... For the first time, I said to myself, holy **** I'm interviewing to become a Doctor. The school is historically beautiful and the whole interview day is very organized. This school is the real deal. The students that you meet are confident and really look and act "like a Doctor"" More from this Member | Report Response

"Everyone was extremely friendly. The interview was very laid back and not intimidating at all. He sometimes answered my questions for me. For example he would start by saying "Do you have any leadership skill... oh yes, yes you do obviously you do" and then before I could speak, he would start to list all of the things I put on my application.. LOL. I liked that he already knew who I was - like I said it was like he memorized my application, it shows me that he was interested in who I am on a personal level. It was a beautiful building and city. I felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie (I'm from California and it was the first time I'd seen such historic buildings and architecture)." More from this Member | Report Response

"How precisely planned the whole interview process was. The amount of food available for all the interviewees and guests for breakfast and lunch, and a great variety as well. The ability to mingle with the other applicants and students that currently go to the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"How friendly the interviewers were with me and with other interviewers.. I felt a really strong sense of community" More from this Member | Report Response

"The school is absolutely gorgeous. But most importantly, I loved the fact that it's affiliated with 41 separate clinics around Boston, so I'm guaranteed a different patient base when I rotate to a different clinic. Also, all the students were very friendly there." More from this Member | Report Response

"The beautiful area of Back Bay, and their concept of dispersing their students throughout the city rather than waiting for patients to go to their clinic." More from this Member | Report Response

"Friendliness of faculty and students." More from this Member | Report Response

"Friendliness of the staff" More from this Member | Report Response

"The campus felt homey and hogwarts like. I love seeing patients first semester and the many clinic locations. Research is huge here and they pay for your mission trip the 3rd year if you're in VOSH." More from this Member | Report Response

"friendliness of interviewer, knowledge of research, beautiful school!" More from this Member | Report Response

"friendly faculty members" More from this Member | Report Response

"Everyone was really nice, the administration really seems to want to push NECO forward and improve the curriculum. Plus the location in Boston is excellent." More from this Member | Report Response

"staff was friendly" More from this Member | Report Response

"Enthusiasm from the staff and students." More from this Member | Report Response

"The friendliness of the students and staff" More from this Member | Report Response

"The welcoming atmosphere of the day. They REALLY went out of their way to make us all feel welcome, and it was awesome. The whole day was structured in a sense to make us feel as though they recognize what a difficult choice this is for us, and to make us want to be there." More from this Member | Report Response

"friendliness, many different clinics, area." More from this Member | Report Response

"tour, presentation, how nice and welcoming the school was. " More from this Member | Report Response

"clinic was mobbed with patients, students seemed to be very friendly with each other, 4th years rotations at 4 or 5 different hospitals" More from this Member | Report Response

"The students and faculty were very friendly. Even though there was a big group interviewing, they took the time to talk to everyone." More from this Member | Report Response

"the clinical experience is great, and the offsite clinic was impressive.. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The beautiful mansion it is in and I loved Boston! I like the T... it is so cute. The staff were all very friendly and approachable." More from this Member | Report Response

"BEAUTIFUL city! It's a college town so lots of places to go to study!" More from this Member | Report Response

"The current students seem to be happy with their choice" More from this Member | Report Response

"Campus building's historic character and somewhat modernized labs and lecture halls. It didn't seem dingy and crowded the way you'd expect a century old building to be. It seems like they really care about their students. Oh yeah, and FREE PRINTING in the library!" More from this Member | Report Response

"courteous staff, everyone there was really nice and welcoming" More from this Member | Report Response

"The school is very pretty. I like how they have 8 different clinics where you usually go to instead of just one. Also, you get to do small clinicals starting your first year!" More from this Member | Report Response

"The schools location. Close to many other colleges so the area is lively with students. " More from this Member | Report Response

"This school is amazing. It is solely focused on Optometry and their decentralized clinic is sure to hold lots of unique opportunities." More from this Member | Report Response

"The city of Boston, the architechture of the building (huge fireplaces everywhere!), the comfortable environment conducive to learning." More from this Member | Report Response

What impressed you negatively?

"Interviewer seemed pretty disinterested and was just reading off a paper. Was not super conversational and seemed very formulaic." More from this Member | Report Response

"A little awkward in the sequence of questioning." More from this Member | Report Response

"Haha it wasn't longer." More from this Member | Report Response

"Attitude of faculty/students, location of clinic, bus breaking down multiple times while we were driving to the clinic." More from this Member | Report Response

"The class rooms are outdated, you don't get a full diagnostic kit" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing" More from this Member | Report Response

"Mostly just the hours that the library was open, but they use a network of libraries through Boston" More from this Member | Report Response

"I sometimes thought I wasn't able to speak as much as I wanted - he'd ask me a question and I'd want to fully express who I am, but he'd cut me off, and then start talking about the school and what they have to offer for me, according to half of my response. I almost felt like he did more talking than I did! He was really nice though, and I did enjoy the interview. The location was a bit small, and I felt like the lab area and classrooms were small and in such a small area. Also, before the interview began, I felt like the information presented about the school was a bit overload - all I could think about was the interview! It made it hard to really absorb any information that was given. After each powerpoint slide on the paper given to us, I kept thinking "Is it over yet? How many more pages are there? When is the interview?" and I'd start reciting interview answers in my head, and nodded my head as if I were listening to information about the school..." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing in particular. The classrooms seem a bit old but perhaps since the building is historic they didn't want to change too much of it to preserve the heritage." More from this Member | Report Response

"The admissions office messed up my chemistry pre-requisite classes. They told me I need to take another chemistry class, but my classmates from the same school don't have to.. even though we took all the same classes. Seemed a little unorganized.." More from this Member | Report Response

"It was a wonderful day overall. They scheduled the day very nicely." More from this Member | Report Response

"How expensive it is to live there." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing I can remember." More from this Member | Report Response

"Facilities are old and small, they try very hard to sell the school, expensive city to live in," More from this Member | Report Response

"Seemed like they were really trying to sell the school, so sometimes it was hard to tell how genuine people were being." More from this Member | Report Response

"nothing really. its a nice school in a great area of boston. Clinic was nice and new. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The expensive area and the weather seems a bit rough." More from this Member | Report Response

"The cost of attending the school, and the feeling that they kept trying to "sell" it" More from this Member | Report Response

"The feeling that they were trying to "sell" the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"the school is beautiful, but it just didn't feel like I was in a school. It seemed kind of cult-ish. there's a church of Scientology next door! also, boston is a more expensive city than i thought!" More from this Member | Report Response

"nothing, really. If your a girl, make sure to wear comfortable/reliable heels, there are A LOT of stairs, most girls felt the pain by the end of the day!" More from this Member | Report Response

"dorms are off-campus, interview was a little unorganized(they took us to a restaurant for lunch..it was closed, hahah)" More from this Member | Report Response

"The school facilities seem a little cramped." More from this Member | Report Response

"I did not feel like I was in a school setting (because it is basically a mansion).. " More from this Member | Report Response

"That the clinics are so spread out but this does give you a broader range of exposure to optometry in different settings." More from this Member | Report Response

"Clinic is off campus and very small." More from this Member | Report Response

"The location of the clinics, cost of living" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing at all." More from this Member | Report Response

"off campus clinics" More from this Member | Report Response

"The school can use some newer equipment and bigger labs." More from this Member | Report Response

"Tuition is very expensive as well as the cost of living near the school." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing I can think of." More from this Member | Report Response

"The traffic, the fact that you stay in one lecture hall for ALL the lectures, while the profs rotate" More from this Member | Report Response

What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

"Nothing in particular, knew the questions but wish I had maybe practiced more to answer about a challenging course and how I overcame it. I essentially already answered the question briefly earlier in the interview then wasn't sure if I should use the same example." More from this Member | Report Response

"It is very conversational, and not nearly as stressful as I thought it would be." More from this Member | Report Response

"I didn't feel like that. I asked plenty of questions and talked to most everyone there. I feel like I made the most out of it" More from this Member | Report Response

"Prepare more questions for lunch with a current student" More from this Member | Report Response

"That we got unofficially but officially "interviewed" by students at lunch! This was a bad surprise and it is very difficult to eat a messy veggie wrap while trying to stay poised and answer questions eloquently that are being fired at you by a student!" More from this Member | Report Response

"who my interviewer would be" More from this Member | Report Response

"How casual the interview would have been" More from this Member | Report Response

"That it wouldn't be that stressful! I would have spent a lot less time worrying. It was nice. If anything, they try to sell the school more to YOU instead of you trying to sell yourself to them (regardless if you're there for an interview to get accepted). But don't be TOO relaxed. Make sure you just go over the questions on here/the questions I mentioned, and you'll be fine." More from this Member | Report Response

"That the clinics are actually very thorough and informative.. Or so the students claim. I heard rumors that NECO has a weak clinical program." More from this Member | Report Response

"I didn't know that there would be two interviews. One is closed-file with a student, and another is open-file with a faculty. Also, you take a shuttle bus to one of their clinics and have a tour there. I wish my shoes were more comfortable for the walking part." More from this Member | Report Response

"There are two sets of interviews: one with admissions faculty member, one with a student. Both are closed file, although the admissions member already read through your file before meeting you." More from this Member | Report Response

"Lots of walking/stairs- avoid heels." More from this Member | Report Response

"How low stress the interviews were" More from this Member | Report Response

"There were 2 different interviews. You'll be in there till 2:30." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing" More from this Member | Report Response

"That there were 2 interviews. I didn't really mind because the are laid back. There are so many colleges around Back Bay Boston with a large amount of college students roaming around the streets." More from this Member | Report Response

"how cold it really was with wind chill factor (I'm from SoCal so I'm not used to such cold weather!)" More from this Member | Report Response

"How much I'd end up loving it." More from this Member | Report Response

"that boston is a pretty expensive city! " More from this Member | Report Response

"they like questions..alot of them" More from this Member | Report Response

"I should have bought a Boston guide book and planned things to do in my free time." More from this Member | Report Response

"cabs are expensive (and they are crazy drivers!) you can take the T-line pretty much everywhere.. " More from this Member | Report Response

"That there would be two interviews- one with a faculty and another with a student." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing." More from this Member | Report Response

"How expensive it is to park in Boston" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing. I did realize that you can just take the subway everywhere though. I didn't take a taxi once the whole time I was there (and I stayed in Chestnut Hill, far away from campus). Just take the subway to Hynes station and walk from there. It's a nice walk. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The interview was more laidback than expected!" More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing really." More from this Member | Report Response

"I had already visited once, so I didn't have any surprises." More from this Member | Report Response

"That it was going to be so relaxed and conversational, that i would be stuck in traffic for over an hour" More from this Member | Report Response

What are your general comments?

"Seems like a great school especially if you are interested in community health and research. I liked how they have research seminars in the first year so you are able to get a better sense if this is something for you or how to get involved exactly." More from this Member | Report Response

"Wonderful campus, wonderful environment." More from this Member | Report Response

"Fantastic program, great location, friendly atmosphere" More from this Member | Report Response

"I was not impressed with the interview day at NECO. My interviewed talked about himself more than I felt like I got the opportunity to talk about myself (it was MY interview after all!), and the general 'vibe' of the school was rather pretentious. Sure, it's a good school, but it's almost like NECO is trying to fit in with the big shots in Boston (Harvard, MIT, Tufts, etc.) but just isn't on the same level. I really thought I was going to love NECO until this interview day so make sure you go in to any interviews with an open mind and be open to changing your mind!" More from this Member | Report Response

"overall good experience" More from this Member | Report Response

"Most laid-back interview I've had" More from this Member | Report Response

"Be yourself, be ready to answer about any bad grades and be honest. You want them to accept the real you, not the one that you think is going to get you into the school because they will know you aren't being real." More from this Member | Report Response

"Loved the people there. Staff and students were so, so nice. I'll def. be considering this school, it seems like a nice place to be. Lots of stairs! Ladies - wear flats. They also serve you some breakfast and lunch - no worries about being hungry" More from this Member | Report Response

"The area that the school is in is absolutely beautiful! Very lively, full of young professionals, a lot of places to eat and things to do. The area is wealthy and you feel very safe walking around even at night time. The clinical externships that are available to the students really early on is very impressive." More from this Member | Report Response

"Amazing location, friendly staff/faculty, questionable preparation for clinics, expensive housing, expensive tuition.." More from this Member | Report Response

"I enjoyed it!" More from this Member | Report Response

"They seem very interested in developing a relationship with their students. The education itself appears to be clinically superior to other schools, in part due to its availability of numerous clinical locations throughout Boston and by their eye clinic van." More from this Member | Report Response

"Great school, great people, fantastic location." More from this Member | Report Response

"Very nice college but concern about their reputation." More from this Member | Report Response

"It was my first interview so I was nervous but SDN was very helpful" More from this Member | Report Response

"The staff is pretty friendly and so are the interviews. It wasn't that stressful. They seem to have a great clinical program!" More from this Member | Report Response

"I got accepted to NECO and they are looking for humanitarians and people with passion/commitment to optometry. Feel free to PM me with any questions and I'll respond asap." More from this Member | Report Response

"I was really nervous before the interview, but the interviewers made me feel relaxed. They made it feel like they were just trying to get to know me as opposed to interrogating me. The long list of questions the interviewers had in front of them was a bit intimidating, though." More from this Member | Report Response

"The interview day was amazing and so much fun. My specific interviewer really just made me feel right at home. There was an interview with a faculty member and one with a student, but both were extremely relaxed and they just wanted to "get to know" me. The faculty only had access to my personal statement, and the student didn't have access to anything." More from this Member | Report Response

"the interview went well, the food was really good! but the place kind of creeped me out a little... maybe because it was halloween?" More from this Member | Report Response

"Great time, all the other applicants were super nice. Ask your questions, cause everyone was extremely truthful. PS. the students are super nice, ask them whatever, they will answer!" More from this Member | Report Response

"good, clinic appealed to me the most. you can definitely get a wide range of experience" More from this Member | Report Response

"The interview experience was great. I was very impressed with the clinic that we visited. I stayed at the Beacon St. Guest House and it was a great location. I left 10 minutes before the interview and got there in plenty of time." More from this Member | Report Response

"It was a really long day, and an unnecessarily long tour at the off campus clinic... overall, the interviews themselves were pretty laid back, some interesting questions.. the interview with the student was repetitive of the interview with the doctor" More from this Member | Report Response

"It was a good interview and we almost ran out of time because I was asking a lot of questions at the end. The faculty member relaxed alot more at the end when I was asking about her residency in pediatrics. It was the same questions with the student interviewer but a lot more relaxed and informal." More from this Member | Report Response

"It was a very enjoyable day. There were about 11 other applicants there for interviews!! My mom came with me and they treating all the parents very well. Everything was very well organized." More from this Member | Report Response

"I liked the school but I found my interviewer to be somewhat dry. It was difficult to gauge his impression of me. I thought the school was beautiful and the clinics were modern, but not close enough to campus. " More from this Member | Report Response

"The interview was one on one in some vacant room in the school (mine happened to be in a library study room). All the interviewees sit through some presentations, they get split up and see their respective interviewers and then spend the rest of the day touring the campus and the new clinic. I enjoyed my day there and did not find anything negative about the interview, school, location, or people." More from this Member | Report Response

"came in as a group, then everyone was interviewed by different faculty members, my interviewer was really nice, the questions were relatively straight forward" More from this Member | Report Response

"Boston is a beautiful city so it makes the school more appealing." More from this Member | Report Response

"My experience was excellent." More from this Member | Report Response

"Overall, it was a great experience. We were all welcomed with open arms; the current students were VERY informative and honest. They really just wanted to ask a few questions to make sure you are personable and are genuinely interested in the profession. They do not grill you with questions by any means. There is so much to see and do in Boston and I can really see myself living and studying there!" More from this Member | Report Response

Tour and Travel

Who was the tour given by?

Response # Responders
Student 37
Faculty member 2
Admissions staff 5
Other 0

How did the tourguide seem?

Response # Responders
Enthusiastic 40
Neutral 3
Discouraging 1

How do you rank the facilities?

Response Avg # Responders
7.52 46

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your in-state status?

Response # Responders
In state 3
Out of state 42

What was your total time spent traveling?

Response # Responders
0-1 hour 8
2-3 hours 8
4-6 hours 10
7+ hours 17

What was your primary mode of travel?

Response # Responders
Airplane 29
Automobile 9
Train or subway 3
Other 2

What airport did you use?

Boston

Logan International Airport

Boston Logan Aiport

Boston Logan International Airport

Ohare to Logan

Logan Boston

international airport

Boston Logan

LGA

logan

LGA/Logan

BOS

Where did you stay?

Response # Responders
At school facility 0
With students at the school 0
Friends or family 8
Hotel 27
Home 3
Other 1

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

Response # Responders
< $100 2
$101-$200 2
$201-$300 10
$301-$400 7
$401-$500 4
$501+ 12

Comments on where you stayed

No responses

General Info

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

Response Avg # Responders
7.88 48

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your ranking of this school's location?

Response Avg # Responders
8.65 49

0 = low, 10 = high

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

Response Avg # Responders
9.39 49

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

Response Avg # Responders
8.62 37

0 = low, 10 = high

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

Response Avg # Responders
9.30 37

0 = low, 10 = high

How eco-friendly are the school's application materials and interview process?

Response Avg # Responders
6.56 36

0 = low, 10 = high

What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

"None. They were super friendly and made me feel more confident in the process." More from this Member | Report Response

"Keep doing what you're doing!" More from this Member | Report Response

"Get more enthusiastic student tour guides! My tour guides were drinking coffees, leaning against walls, and half-heartedly answering questions. They seemed bored!" More from this Member | Report Response

"An e-mail confirmation after the interview was scheduled would have been nice." More from this Member | Report Response

"1. Email confirmations for scheduled interview. 2. PLEASE take out the lecture given before the clinic tour. At that point I had already been at the school for over 5 hours. Going through a slideshow of optometric equipment was unproductive and not fun at all." More from this Member | Report Response

"None! They promptly notify you what portions are missing from your application and are more than happy to assist any one that has concerns with the application at the end of the interview day." More from this Member | Report Response

"The admissions office made alot of mistakes when figuring out which documents/classes were still required. They could be a little more careful with this, but otherwise everything else was great! Overall it was a very organized interview process with super friendly faculty/staff" More from this Member | Report Response

"Email confirmations for the interview date after scheduling over phone." More from this Member | Report Response

"Nothing. The interview was very well-organized!" More from this Member | Report Response

"... they did a great job overall. The Admission's staff did a great job for their 1st interview sess" More from this Member | Report Response

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