Indiana University

[pilotmatt]

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Are there any current or prospective IU opt students lurking around here? I was wondering what the general attitude is towards IU optometry. I live in Indiana and would very much prefer to attend IU. I was reading some of the other threads on this board and it seems that IU is really not mentioned all that much compared to the other schools. Is there a reason? Thanks everyone!

 

[iiiimonica]

hi Matt!

i spent 6 weeks at IU optometry for research. the faculty were all very nice and super welcoming. my lab mate was a 2nd year student and she was awesome - also i spent lots of time in the library and the students were all very welcoming. IU has some cutting edge reserach going on that is just amazing.
IU is considered one of the top schools (i heard this from UHCO admissions people) the facilities were nice and hey in state tution is always great. again the faculty is excellent- i did not plan to apply to IU but after spending the summer there, i did (i decdided on a different school -hey in state tution😉.

they only down side i saw was the small town atomosphere - Bloomington is basically a college town with IU the main attraction by far. the main highway is 40 minutes away and then another 1hr to Indianapolis. some of your clinics will be in a shady part of town - but those are little things when you consider the in state tution and excellent faculty.

 

[pilotmatt]

Thanks monica, I moved to Indiana when I was 15, now 12 years later I still don't know what a hoosier is!

 

[eyestrain]

IU's great. And getting in-state tuition should seal the deal for you.

 

[pippistrellodaq]

I'm also looking to apply to IU next year. I'm at a small college town right now and love it. My town has about 50,000 people in it and nearly 20,000 are students. How does Bloomington compare?
The research going on at IU is important, but does that equate to actual opportunities as an optometry student? For example, at my undergrad university, opportunities to work in a research lab abound, but I was lucky enough to land one of the rare positions that allows student to publish their own research (much like grad students working under a professor.) Is this the case at IU? (or any of the research opt-schools for that matter?) One further question for anybody involved with student research: Do any of the optometry schools weigh appicants research experience more importantly than other schools?
Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[eyestrain]

I'm also looking to apply to IU next year. I'm at a small college town right now and love it. My town has about 50,000 people in it and nearly 20,000 are students. How does Bloomington compare?
QUOTE]

I think around 60,000 residents with 30,000 additional students.

 

[in_translation]

One further question for anybody involved with student research: Do any of the optometry schools weigh appicants research experience more importantly than other schools?

I was very heavily involved with research both at my undergrad institution and outside institutions (summer programs, etc). I didn't feel like the opt schools I interviewed at (one of those being IU) were looking for students who specifically had done research, but it did give me a lot to talk about. In my interview, however, I didn't get to go into specifics of my projects, so it wasn't like what I would imagine a grad school interview to be. They were more focused on what I got out of doing research and how it helped/changed me.

 

[pippistrellodaq]

I was very heavily involved with research both at my undergrad institution and outside institutions (summer programs, etc). I didn't feel like the opt schools I interviewed at (one of those being IU) were looking for students who specifically had done research, but it did give me a lot to talk about. In my interview, however, I didn't get to go into specifics of my projects, so it wasn't like what I would imagine a grad school interview to be. They were more focused on what I got out of doing research and how it helped/changed me.

That's interesting. Was that the general feeling for the other schools you interviewed at too? Do you think that your research was a strong point in your application, or was it just, like you say, something more to talk about in the interview?

 

[pippistrellodaq]

I think around 60,000 residents with 30,000 additional students.

I see from your location that you are in Bloomington. What's the community like? If we end up going there I'll bring my wife and child with me. Is it pretty safe? What about housing? I know that I'll be able to check it out for myself in an interview, but I'd like to hear something about it before I spend application $ next year.

 

[eyestrain]

I see from your location that you are in Bloomington. What's the community like? If we end up going there I'll bring my wife and child with me. Is it pretty safe? What about housing? I know that I'll be able to check it out for myself in an interview, but I'd like to hear something about it before I spend application $ next year.

It's really safe. Since you have a wife and kid (I do too) it's probably best to steer clear of the living too close to the university, unless you like dealing with drunken frat boys. There's a lot of places to live off campus that are nice, safe and relatively inexpensive. If you want more advice about something, send me a PM.

 

[in_translation]

That's interesting. Was that the general feeling for the other schools you interviewed at too? Do you think that your research was a strong point in your application, or was it just, like you say, something more to talk about in the interview?

I think research was definitely one of my strong points - I had presented posters at national and local conferences and done research both at my home institution and at a nationally recognized hospital. The research actually helped me make my decision between going to opt school and going to grad school. I talked a lot also about how going away from my home state helped me mature and was a great experience.
As for the question about other schools, I only interviewed at ICO and IU, but I got the same feeling from both places. When I talked about research with the IU interviewers they made sure to mention the research program at IU, which was nice. As for other schools and their interest in applicants having research experience, I really can't comment. Keep in mind that volunteer experience can be important to, either in place of or in addition to research.