For several years now, the college has hosted an annual Graduate Applicant Visitation Day, for applicants who have applied to graduate programs in the divisions of Pharmacology, Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy. Each year, the College of Pharmacy reviews the applicants to the graduate program and invites between 12 and 22 of the best and brightest applicants for a weekend visit to Ohio State.  This is a unique opportunity for the applicant to see what Columbus and Ohio State have to offer. This event serves a dual purpose: it gives the college a chance to interview and recruit top candidates, and it gives applicants (and the college) an opportunity to determine if Ohio State is the right fit. Graduate school is a large commitment of time and resources for the college as well as for the applicant.

Ohio State competes for top graduate program candidates with other colleges of pharmacy throughout the country. Past applicants have cited the focus or strength of a program, personal fit, reputation of a program, and program faculty as important factors influencing their choice of graduate programs. While the selection process is unique for each individual, Ohio State consistently competes with the University of North Carolina, University of Michigan and the University of California at San Francisco for top candidates.

Most applicants apply to multiple colleges, so this weekend will be one of many such events these applicants will attend. The event this year will take place from Thursday, February 26 through Saturday, February 28.  The weekend begins with a dinner with current graduate students at the Eddie George Grille on Thursday evening, followed by a formal visitation day on Friday, February 27.  Applicants will be separated by division and will meet with various faculty and graduate students throughout the day.

Applicants will have the opportunity to tour labs and meet with its members to get a better sense of the work that goes on in each lab.  Applicants from all divisions come back together Friday afternoon for a graduate student poster session, which allows prospective students to see the variety of research conducted at the college and interact with current graduate students. At the end of the day, applicants attend dinner with current faculty at the Hubbard Grille, then have Saturday to explore Columbus or to return home.  Many applicants are surprised by all of the things Columbus has to offer!

Graduate Applicant Visitation Day is an opportunity to showcase the benefits of attending Ohio State. One advantage that Ohio State offers is the strong collaboration throughout campus with other colleges and research labs. This collaboration, aided by the close proximity of the College of Pharmacy to other Ohio State colleges and researchers, is something that is not always available at other universities with multiple campuses. Our current graduate students are able to routinely collaborate with the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Center for Retrovirus Research, the Department of Chemistry, the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Ohio State’s University Wexner Medical Center. Collaboration helps each graduate student gain a broader understanding of pharmaceutical science from bench to bedside.

While final numbers are not yet in for this year’s visitation weekend, we anticipate having 15 applicants tour Columbus and Ohio State next month. We are looking forward to getting to know this year’s applicants better, and to setting the stage for continued excellence in the College of Pharmacy’s graduate program.

Thank you to Dr. Carnes, Mary Kivel and all of our graduate program faculty and staff for putting together this event for prospective students. We are looking forward to having this year’s applicants on campus next month, and again next autumn as new graduate students.

Best Regards,

Katherine Kelley