Boston, MA
Optometry Schools | Private For-Profit
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Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 23% of interviews, indicating it is highly regarded. They found the interview very impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
⭐ Overall Impressions ▼
SDN Interview Experience Score
8.3
Above Average
Higher scores indicate a smoother, more positive interview experience with professional staff, organized logistics, and a supportive environment.
Based on 269 responses
Score Reference:
9–10 Exceptional
8–8.9 Very Good
7–7.9 Good
6–6.9 Mixed
< 6 Needs Improvement
The SDN Interview Experience Score (SIES) is a composite metric that represents applicants overall impressions of their interview experience, based on multiple factors such as professionalism, facilities, responsiveness, and stress levels.
How do you rank the facilities?
Most respondents rank the facilities as above average.
How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?
Most respondents rank this school above all other schools.
How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?
Most respondents rank this school above other schools they applied to.
0 = Below, 10 = Above
What is your ranking of this school's location?
Most respondents rate the school location as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the friendliness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was friendly.
What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?
Most respondents rate the area’s cultural life as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?
Most respondents said the admissions office was responsive.
💬 Interview Questions ▼
What is one of the specific questions they asked you?
The most commonly asked interview questions at medical schools revolve around stress management, academic experiences, reasons for choosing the field of optometry, specific optometry program preferences, strengths and weaknesses, and past challenges and successes. While some responses allude to MMI format or nondisclosure agreements, the majority of questions focus on personal experiences, decision-making processes, and qualities relevant to pursuing a career in optometry.
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Tell me about a time you were stressed academically and what you did to destress.
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How do you manage stress?
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Tell me about yourself
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Tell me more about your high school experience (I graduated 2 years early)
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How do you handle different stressors in life and balance all of your responsibilities?
What was the most interesting question?
Students said most interesting question asked at New England College Of Optometry discussed a variety of topics including personal attributes, motivations for optometry, resilience, future goals, and unique scenarios. The interview format may have been an MMI (Multiple Mini Interview) based on responses mentioning nondisclosure agreements, while other questions focused on experiences, goals, and personal preferences.
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Do you think your grades reflect your intellectual abilities? When do you think they haven't?
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What were specific aspects of other optometry schools that you found to be beneficial in your mind?
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What about optometry excites you?
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How will I transition to a class size of 130?
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what motivates you?
What was the most difficult question?
Students said most difficult question asked at New England College Of Optometry discussed a wide range of topics including personal challenges, failures, compassion, empathy, academic performance, and future goals. Some respondents mentioned questions about explaining discrepancies in transcripts, handling failures, discussing personal challenges, and demonstrating empathy, while others highlighted the importance of preparation for various types of questions.
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What do you think you bring to the field of optometry?
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Tell me about a time where you showed compassion and empathy.
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Tell me about a time you had to be compassionate.
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Asked about a specific semester and why I had W's
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Tell me about a recent failure.
✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼
How long was the interview?
Most respondents had an interview of 20 - 30 minutes.
How did the interview impress you?
Most respondents felt positively about their interview.
How many people interviewed you?
Most respondents were interviewed by 1 person.
What was the stress level of the interview?
Most respondents rated their interview as average stress.
How you think you did?
Most respondents thought they performed well at the interview.
What was the style of the interview?
Most respondents had a one-on-one interview.
What type of interview was it?
Most respondents had an open file interview.
Was this interview in-person or virtual?
Most respondents had a virtual interview.
Data includes both pre- and post-COVID interviews.
Where did the interview take place?
Most respondents were interviewed at the school.
How did you prepare for the interview?
Applicants commonly prepared for the interview by utilizing resources such as Student Doctor Network (SDN), practicing with mock interviews, and researching the school's website and program details. They emphasized the importance of familiarizing themselves with potential interview questions, reviewing their application materials, and being prepared to discuss their experiences and personal statement.
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Sdn and practice
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SDN
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Read SDN questions.
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Reading over SDN questions and preparing answers
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Practice questions.
What impressed you positively?
Applicants were overwhelmingly impressed by the friendliness of the faculty, staff, and students, as well as the welcoming and organized atmosphere of the school. They also appreciated the beautiful campus, the strong sense of community, the emphasis on hands-on clinical experience, and the school's affiliation with multiple clinics for diverse patient exposure. Many applicants also highlighted the school's historic building, the location in Boston, and the focus on optometry as key positive aspects.
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faculty, friendly students, clinical program structure, the campus is beautiful, location, ammenities
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The interviewer's response to my questions, he was very detailed & offered great advice. It was overall casual and felt welcoming.
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The interest that the faculty showed in getting to learn more about me.
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How casual the interviewer was speaking to me.
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Everything
What impressed you negatively?
Applicants commonly expressed concerns about disinterested interviewers, outdated facilities, a feeling of being oversold on the school, high cost of living, and unorganized experiences during the interview day. Suggestions included more engaging interactions during interviews, updating facilities, providing transparent information without overselling, and improving the organization of interview days.
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Interviewer seemed pretty disinterested and was just reading off a paper. Was not super conversational and seemed very formulaic.
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A little awkward in the sequence of questioning.
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Nothing
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Haha it wasn't longer.
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Attitude of faculty/students, location of clinic, bus breaking down multiple times while we were driving to the clinic.
What did you wish you had known ahead of time?
Applicants commonly wished they had known ahead of time that the interviews would be more conversational and less stressful than anticipated. They also suggested preparing more questions for the lunch with a current student and being aware of the two different interview formats with faculty and students.
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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.
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It is very conversational, and not nearly as stressful as I thought it would be.
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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
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Prepare more questions for lunch with a current student
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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!
What are your general comments?
Applicants generally provided positive feedback about the schools' programs, location, and the friendliness of the staff and students. Some highlighted concerns included interview experiences, cost of attendance, and the distance of clinics from campus, while emphasizing the importance of being genuine and prepared during the application process.
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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.
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Wonderful campus, wonderful environment.
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Fantastic program, great location, friendly atmosphere
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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!
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overall good experience
What are your suggestions for the admissions office?
Applicants generally appreciated the friendliness and organization of the admissions office but suggested improvements such as sending email confirmations for scheduled interviews, ensuring enthusiastic student tour guides, and avoiding unnecessary lectures during the application process.
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None. They were super friendly and made me feel more confident in the process.
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Keep doing what you're doing!
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Get more enthusiastic student tour guides! My tour guides were drinking coffees, leaning against walls, and half-heartedly answering questions. They seemed bored!
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An e-mail confirmation after the interview was scheduled would have been nice.
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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.
📍 On-Site Experience ▼
Who was the tour given by?
Tours were most commonly given by a Student
How did the tour guide seem?
Most tour guides were enthusiastic about the school.
What is your in-state status?
Most respondents are out of state students.
What were your total hours spent traveling?
Most respondents spent 7+ hours traveling to the interview.
What was your primary mode of travel?
Most respondents traveled by airplane to the interview.
About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?
Most respondents spent more than $500.
What airport did you fly into?
Respondents who flew to the interview generally used Logan International Airport (BOS)
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BOS
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Boston
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Boston Logan
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Boston Logan Aiport
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Boston Logan International Airport
Where did you stay?
Most respondents stayed either Hotel or at a hotel.
What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?
The most commonly mentioned hotel is the **Westin Copley Marriott**.
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463 Beacon
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463 Beacon St. Guest House
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Beacon Guesthouse, it's right across the street from the school
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Best Western New Englander
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Boston Park Plaza
How would you rate the hotel?
Most respondents rated their hotel as good.
0 = Bad, 10 = Great
Would you recommend the hotel?
Most respondents would recommend their hotel.
What are your comments on where you stayed?
No responses
All Responses
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