Does the student body seem cooperative or competitive?
3 out of 10
Does the environment seem supportive for underrepresented minorities?
9 out of 10
Does the environment seem supportive for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual students?
8 out of 10
Does the environment seem supportive for married students?
8 out of 10
Does the environment seem supportive for students with disabilities?
10 out of 10
Does the environment seem supportive for older/non-traditional students?
10 out of 10
Do you/did you feel well prepared for your board exams?
10 out of 10
How approachable are faculty members?
10 out of 10
What are the facilities and clinics like (old/new, well maintained, etc.)?
The facilities were well-maintained, but some of the clinic buildings themselves were older.
How do students from this program do after graduation - are they adequately prepared for practice?
The students are absolutely well-prepared to practice after graduation. Ohio State really pushes leadership and excellence in the field post-graduation. As a result, ~40% of students continue to residency, fellowships, MBA's, or PhDs.
What are rotations like?
When I completed my doctorate at OSU, we were required to do rotations in four sections: VA Hospital, federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs), OD/MD practices, and private practices. You are required to do rotations in advanced contact lenses, low vision, binocular vision, pediatrics, and advanced ocular disease clinics in addition to your primary care clinics.
Students could choose to go out-of-state or in-state for their rotations, and many students chose to explore the US by traveling to Vermont, Arizona, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, and Georgia.
How do students from this program do in the Match?
See Ohio State's match statistics on the Admissions site: https://optometry.osu.edu/welcome-future-students
Any other information you want to share?
I believe Ohio State is one of the best if not THE best program for optometry. They have a diverse student body with over 40% of the students being from out-of-state. The undergraduate institutions represented include Butler University, University of Wisconsin, UCLA, Clemson, UAB, Brigham Young University, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Ohio State and many others. The students are intelligent and are the products of preeminent academic institutions. They are the future leaders of not only optometry but the healthcare system in general. Ohio State offers in-state tuition after the first year for all out-of-state students, is well-connected with both the state and national optometric associations, and is held to a higher standard of education (like Berkeley, UAB, Indiana, etc) because it is associated with an undergraduate, public, research institution.
