Welcome Prospective OSU Optometry Students!
The following series of questions answered by members of the Class of 2021 provides some insight about what it is like to be a First Year Optometry Student:
- What is it like to live in Columbus, OH?
Living in Columbus is a lot of fun! There are people all around the city and it is full of plenty activities and events so there’s always something to do on the weekends and even during the week. At the start of the semester, it was extremely overwhelming to be here because my hometown is much smaller and slower in comparison to Columbus. But I have learned to appreciate the hustle-and-bustle of Columbus; simply embracing the busy moments. My friends have been fantastic as it relates to helping me acclimate into the city! Many of my classmates are open to traveling and exploring together. They definitely help make me feel like I’m not making this transition alone. And lastly, I love the immense diversity of the city and how wonderful the food is!
–Audree Davis-Bass
- Is professional school a lot different than you expected from undergraduate?
With Optometry school being more professional/clinical based material, it’s much more enjoyable than undergraduate school because we get to actually learn material that is directly meaningful to us. It’s also comforting and motivational to have all your classmates sharing similar desires and goals so I feel more connected with my classmates than I did during undergraduate school. After finishing up the first round of midterms, I realized that professional school requires a different approach to the material because the professor’s expectations are higher for us to master the material. All the material we learn in Optometry school has to be memorized and applied to real world clinical actions, while in undergraduate school the professors didn’t expect that much of us. So unfortunately, there is no brain dumping after the tests!
–Ethar Arkan
- What made you pick OSU for Optometry school?
I chose OSU because it was the best school for me! It has a very established program (over 100 years old) so they have been educating excellent optometrists for a long time and their board pass rates prove the success of the program. What comes with such an established program is a world renowned faculty! OSU professors have multiple advanced degrees in research, decades of experience, and are experts in the field of optometry. I knew choosing OSU would give me the best education and surround me with the best professors to help make me the best clinician I can be. In addition to OSU being a great school, Columbus is a cool city that has a true college town feel! So if you want to experience the Buckeye nation and be apart of a fantastic alumni network, then you should definitely choose OSU.
–Josh Curtisi
- What is it like to live in a house full of Optometry students (i.e Eye House)?
Being able to live at the EYE House (Epsilon Psi Epsilon) has been extremely rewarding! It has given me such a special opportunity to be able to look across the hall and ask any classmates or the upper class for help with questions about school or just to hang out and take a break from studying. We are a family at the OSU College of Optometry and, because I get to live in the EYE house, I have been able to learn more about not only my classmates but the upper class man too. Being able to live with other optometry students has definitely enhanced my experience at OSU and given me a unique perspective on how to conduct myself while being apart of the OSU Optometry family.
–Auston Hood
- What is like having family and balancing professional school?
This is a great question, and was something I was curious about prior to starting school. I graduated from undergrad a few years ago, and have since gotten married and had a baby – who is now a toddler. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect entering Optometry School, but I’ll share what I have experienced so far. Being an Optometry student is a lot of work – with or without a busy life outside of school. There is a lot of material coming quickly, and it takes time and work to keep up! Physically being in class takes up a majority of the day, so studying really has to happen “after hours,” which is where the school/family balance gets tricky.
For me, the end of the school day meant the start of the mom/wife evening. So far, I have tried little things like running necessary errands as a family, and finding ways to involve the whole family in chores at home to maximize my time spent away from studying. The other thing that has been an adjustment is the way that I study. Being a mom and a wife means I don’t get too much time on my own, so sometimes studying has to happen while my daughter is watching a cartoon or while we’re upstairs in the playroom. I’ve even started listening to audio flash cards while folding laundry and driving to school. There have been plenty of times that I’ve had to stay up after my husband and daughter have gone to bed for the night, or wake up a couple hours before they do in the morning to squeeze in some extra study time; and sometimes I fall asleep and miss out on the extra study time. The other aspect of having a family while being in school is I haven’t had the flexibility to be very involved in student organizations. There are many that meet after school, and some that meet over lunch, which hasn’t worked into my schedule very well right now, but will hopefully be an option in the future.
There is a great advantage, however, about having a family and balancing professional school. Whenever I’m feeling stressed about exams, or excited about something I’ve learned, my husband and daughter are there, cheering me on, every step of the way. Having a family and balancing professional school is an adjustment, and I’m still learning, but the rewards are so great I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is a journey for all of us, and I’m so grateful I can make my way through with my husband and daughter along side me!
–Lisa Reyes