Winterpowder-I was a rotator at Kellogg and didn't get the interview, so I'm happy to chime in early:
Facilities-Incredible facilities, maybe only better at Utah or Wills. Two towers of dedicated eye institute, efficiently run and gorgeous ORs, clinics very nice and logically oriented. The auditorium where grand rounds are was under construction when I was there, but they let us peak in and it was fantastic. Same size and quality as Bascom's.
Faculty-Fantastic! Heavy-hitters in all fields. Some were more interested in teaching than others, but that's OK. The Chair is fabulous, the PD is brilliant but somewhat more aloof. I liked both of them. Dr. Trobe is brilliant, extremely well-known, and one of the most enthusiastic teachers I've had in medical school. I also really liked their comprehensive faculty. Very bright, enjoy teaching, and nice. The program coordinator, Kathy, is awesome!
Training-Very good. Certainly in the upper quartile. Surgical numbers were ~180 cataracts, but they are very well-covered in all of the other areas. I am not one to harp too much on cataract numbers as I'd rather have a great spread of experience through the specialties rather than just doing cataracts all day (assuming you still get an average number of cataracts). They are exposed to a ton of pathology, the U Mich main hospital is extremely busy and a massive tertiary center, top level children's hospital, etc. Overall I got the feeling that it was in the top tier training, and you didn't have to sacrifice clinical/surgical training for the brand name.
Research-One of the few places that give you dedicated time (maybe only others are Casey and Utah?), which I thought was great. Residents can do anything from top level basic science, translational, to clinical trials. They are doing all the latest, including Argus II implants, in-vivo confocal microscopy, telescopes for MD, etc. Essentially as good as you'll find anywhere.
Overall impression: I loved the program. I thought it was the perfect balance of clinical and academic training. They definitely want you to go into academics but are proud that they can train competent comprehensive ophthalmologists. I personally think that you should pick a place like Kellogg if you're more interested in academics/research than comprehensive or private practice (i.e. not just for the prestige), but I still think a wide range of goals can be met by training here. Ann Arbor is a great place to live. It's got a cute downtown with tons of shops/restaurants, very nice and safe neighborhoods, and a very educated population of families and young professionals. There are plenty of things do to outside of the city and it's close to Detroit as well. Reminded me a bit of Charlottesville, but obviously less Southern/historic. I was disappointed to not get the interview there as I loved it and felt that I fit in, but there were no hard feelings. I've seen a lot of people complain, particularly about places like Utah and Bascom, about not getting interviews after rotating. I feel this is the wrong attitude. Many of us are qualified, and though I understand the disappointment, another point of a rotation is also to experience a different culture, learn old things in new ways or new things entirely, and maybe get involved in something unique that is not offered at your home institution (big one for me as I have no home program). Places like that have 30+ people rotating/year. If they interviewed them all, they'd literally have no spots left! And if all programs just interviewed who rotated we'd essentially have to choose where we wanted to go from the get-go. I'm happy I rotated here, and I'll definitely look at Kellogg for future training. I highly recommend the program. Good luck guys!
