ACOE_Self-Study

Prior to graduation, each student receives another training session known as the exit interview. This session is conducted at the https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action website and is used to meet the federal government’s requirement for exit interview counseling. This site is a free resource for career, college, financial aid, and money management information, is designed to help students and families understand their rights and responsibilities as borrowers and also achieve life-long financial stability. The service also provides budget and loan repayment calculators. Upon completion of this program, students are invited to meet with the director of financial aid for follow-up counseling sessions, as is deemed necessary. For the SUNY Class of 2017 the average debt across all students was $105,250, while the average debt for those students who took out loans was $156,982. (Figures refer to debt for optometry school only.) This compares favorably with an average national indebtedness of $174,165 for students who took out loans in 2017 (data from ASCO). SUNY State College of Optometry graduates have had a 0% federal default rate for last 5 years, pointing to the effectiveness of its debt counseling program. Academic Counseling and Learning Support Services Academic counseling services are available for optometry students through the Office of Student Affairs and the Academic Advising and Clinical Remediation programs conducted through the Office of Academic Affairs. The Office of Graduate Studies and Research provides these services for graduate students. Individual residency programs, as well as the Office of Residency education provide academic counseling and learning support services for residents. In 2016, the office of Student Affairs implemented the Academic, Clinical & Personal Excellence Initiative (ACPEI), a program designed to assist students in becoming the best doctors and community members that they can be. ACPEI is a partnership between the offices of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, as well as Beta Sigma Kappa (BSK), an international optometric honor society. Participation involves attendance at a T-Chat session, which is a workshop or informal conversation around a specific topic. Past discussions have covered topics such as stress management, test anxiety, debt management, study strategies, sleep hygiene and career planning and are led by faculty, outside speakers, Student Affairs staff and BSK members. Short-term personal advising can be obtained through the Office of Student Affairs, and is offered by the vice-president of student affairs, the registrar, and the director of career development. For professional psychological counseling, referrals are available. The College has a licensed clinical psychologist on retainer and bears the cost of the first three visits. A complete list of mental health resources offered by the College are available at https://www.sunyopt.edu/education/student-life/mental-health ( Appendix VI-11b ). Professional students who need assistance with coursework are encouraged to reach out, as a first step, to their instructor(s). Peer tutoring is available to students at no cost and can be arranged by contacting the VPSA.

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