Doctor of Optometry Program
2009 Admission Application Instructions
Who May Apply
Applicants to the College of Optometry must meet the minimum pre-professional course requirements with above-average standing and submit Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) scores. All candidates are selected on a competitive basis considering scholarship, motivation, interest, background, test scores, general qualifications for the profession, and a personal interview.
How and When to Apply
Please complete the online application, pay the required application fee using a credit or debit card, and submit all requested supplemental information by March 31st. Additionally, evaluation forms and OAT scores must be submitted directly to the OSU College of Optometry by the March 31st deadline. One official transcript for each institution attended must be sent directly to The Ohio State
University Professional Admissions Office, PO Box 182003, Columbus, OH 43218-2003. Additional or updated transcripts and evaluations are the only items accepted after the March 31st deadline.
Prerequisites for Admission
The College of Optometry requires completion of the prerequisite courses listed below or their equivalent from any accredited college or university. At least 45 hours of this preparatory work should be taken at a baccalaureate degree-granting institution. Most students admitted to the college have
bachelor’s degrees. It is required that applicants complete at least three years of undergraduate education.
Pre-Optometry Requirements Quarter Hours Semester Hours
English Composition 5 3-4
Chemistry
Inorganic, with laboratory Organic
Biochemistry
15 6-8
5
8-10 3-4 3-4*
Physics, with laboratory 15 8-10
Biology, with laboratory 10 6-8
Intermediate Physiology 10 6-8
Microbiology, with laboratory 5 3-4
Introductory Psychology 5 3-4
Humanities 10 6-8
Social Sciences 10 6-8
Note: At some institutions, appropriate prerequisite coursework in biochemistry and physiology may be two quarters/semesters in length.
Prerequisite Course 10 Year Rule
Due to continuous advances in the scientific field, the College of Optometry Admissions Committee requires applicants to demonstrate recent competence in science prerequisites. This is automatically demonstrated if all science prerequisites have been satisfactorily completed within 10 calendar years immediately preceding the year of application. If any science prerequisites are older than 10 years, the applicant must either repeat course work in that specific area or submit convincing evidence of current mastery in the appropriate science to the College of Optometry Admissions Committee.
Online/Distance Learning Course Policy
Taking online or distance learning (DL) courses to meet prerequisites is not encouraged, and DL course work will not be accepted for biochemistry and microbiology requirements. Please contact Optometry Admissions with any questions about this policy.
Application Materials
The following application materials constitute a complete application for admission to the College of Optometry.
Application for Admission: Use your correct legal name at the time you apply to the university. Please be sure to include any variations of your name (i.e., maiden name) on the application so that transcripts can be connected to your file. If your name or address changes prior to enrollment in the university, please email the Professional Admissions Office at [email protected]and the College of Optometry at [email protected] after the change occurs. Also, please provide a valid email address which will be used for most admissions communications. Please note you will receive periodic application updates via email from both Professional Admissions and the College of Optometry.
Application Fee: Applicants to the College are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of $40 ($50 for international applicants). This application fee must be paid by credit or debit card at the time of online application submission. Applicants with questions regarding online payment should contact the Professional Admissions Office at (614) 292-1431 or email [email protected] .
Transcripts: At the time of application, one official transcript of all courses attempted thus far, from each college and/or university attended, must be sent to the Professional Admissions Office. Upon completion of each subsequent term of courses, an updated official transcript must be sent to
Professional Admissions. For a transcript to be official, it must be sent directly from the institution attended to The Ohio State University Professional Admissions Office, PO Box 182003, Columbus, OH 43218-2003. Applicants who have attended Ohio State are not required to furnish OSU transcripts, but must present official transcripts for any courses taken elsewhere.
Prerequisite Course Summary
To assist us in assessing your eligibility, you must complete the Prerequisite Course Summary form (which is part of the application). To be eligible for admission, you must complete all course
prerequisites prior to your anticipated enrollment in the College. Please report any changes that occur in your planned prerequisite course list to the College of Optometry.
Syllabi. Please send syllabi for physiology course(s) directly to the College of Optometry. Physiology prerequisite course work must be a comprehensive, intermediate systems physiology course or series.
Additional Courses. Additional courses in human physiology and anatomy are highly recommended. Other beneficial electives may include: introductory statistics, ethics, histology, psychology, sociology, scientific terminology, and small business management.
Personal Evaluations
You must arrange to have at least three evaluations submitted to the College of Optometry. The forms can be printed from the Professional Admissions website: http://professional.osu.edu/opt.asp and should be given to persons of your choice who know you well enough to assess all areas identified on the evaluation. One evaluation must be completed by an optometrist who knows you, and a second
evaluation should be completed by one of your professors. Completed forms should be mailed directly to the Student Affairs Office, College of Optometry, A-424 Starling-Loving Hall, 338 West 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210. No application will be considered complete until three evaluations have been received. On the Evaluator Information section of the application, please list the names, titles, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, if available, of those persons who you have asked to submit an evaluation for you.
Optometry Admission Test
Each applicant is required to complete the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) before entry. This is a computerized test which is offered throughout the year at Prometric Testing Centers. The deadline to take the OAT is March 31 of the year for which you are applying for admission. You must register for the OAT online at www.opted.org/info_oat/cfm. Please note: Scores from any other pre-professional test (such as MCAT, DAT, etc.)
Personal Statement
As part of the online application, please provide a statement which relates experiences that have most noticeably helped you formulate your optometry career objectives. Please limit the length of the personal statement to 300 words.
Resume/Honors/Activities
You must complete a resume form on the application that includes a current list of honors, campus and community activities, and job or volunteer experience (please include number of hours per week at jobs).
Knowledge of the Profession
Please familiarize yourself with the optometry profession by visiting/observing several optometrists, in a variety of practice settings such as solo, group, or hospital, as well as other health professionals. Contact the College of Optometry at (614) 292-2647 for information on optometrists in your local area. You must complete a minimum of 10 hours of observation, in at least two different optometric settings.
Interview
Those applicants with the strongest credentials will be invited to Ohio State for an interview. No applicant is admitted without an interview.
Is English Your Native Language?
For domestic applicants whose native language is not English, or if English was not the primary language used in your home or the school you attended, we strongly recommend that you take one of the following tests to determine whether your English proficiency is sufficient to enable you to achieve your academic goals at Ohio State. To be successful at Ohio State, students should possess a level of English proficiency represented by a score of at least 577 paper-based, 233 computer-based, or 90-91 internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); a score of 84 on the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB); or a score of 7.5 on the International English Language System (IELTS). If your test results are below these minimum scores, we recommend that you improve your English skills before beginning your academic coursework. Information and registration materials for the tests can be obtained by contacting TOEFL, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-615, www.toefl.org; MELAB, University of Michigan English Language Institute, 3020 North University Bldg., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, www.lsa.umich.edu/eli; or IELTS, www.ielts.org.
International Applicants
All international applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete an English proficiency exam. Information about the TOEFL, MELAB, or IELTS is listed in the "Is English Your Native Language?" section above. International applicants who have completed their prerequisite work at institutions in the United States or Canada may be considered for admission. Additional
admission information will be emailed to all international applicants once the completed application form is received by the Professional Admissions Office.
Valuing Diversity
The policy of The Ohio State University, both traditionally and currently, is that discrimination against any individual for reasons of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran or other veteran status is specifically prohibited. Accordingly, equal access to employment opportunities, admissions, educational programs, and all other university activities is extended to all persons. The university promotes equal opportunity through a positive and continuing affirmative action program that complements and supports the University’s aspirations for diversity.
Mr. Larry Lewellen, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, is responsible for the coordination of matters relating to equal opportunity and affirmative action. The Associate Vice President can be reached at the Office of Human Resources, 1590 North High Street, Suite 300, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1175, and (614) 292-4164. The University adheres to federal and state law prohibiting
discrimination, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and O.R.C. Section 4112. United States Department of Defense regulations prohibit gay men, lesbians and bisexuals from serving in the armed forces, including Reserve Officers Training Corps. As a result of this prohibition, ROTC programs at Ohio State are inconsistent with University Policy Number 1.10. (Issued 10/1/73 and revised 2/2/04).
Office for Disability Services
Applicants with any documented disability who may require special assistance are urged to contact the Office for Disability Services, 150 Pomerene Hall, 1760 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1297, Phone (614) 292-3307, Fax (614) 292-4190. This office coordinates academic support services and accommodations for individuals who have special needs as a result of a permanent or temporary
disability. Individuals eligible for services include, but are not limited to those with attention deficit disorder, mobility, hearing, visual, speech, psychiatric, or learning disabilities. If you want more information about these support services and accommodations, please contact the Office for Disability Services at their website: www.ods.ohio-state.edu . Your self-referral is the only indication of your interest and need of these services.
Retention/Reapplication Information
The application and all supporting documents become the property of The Ohio State University and may not be returned to the applicant, forwarded to another institution, or duplicated. If you wish to reapply for next year’s class, you must submit an updated online application form and fee, and transcripts for all academic work taken since the previous application.
Application Checklist & Reminders
Please use this checklist to ensure you have completed all necessary steps to apply for admission to the College of Optometry at The Ohio State University.
The following items must be submitted to The Ohio State University Professional Admissions Office, PO Box 182003, Columbus, OH 43218-2003.
□ Submit the online application, which includes the prerequisite summary, evaluator information, personal statement, and resume form listing honors and activities. Online payment of the application fee is required to submit this application.
□ Have one official and complete transcript of all courses attempted thus far, from each college or university attended, sent directly to the Professional Admissions Office, P.O. Box 182003, Columbus, OH 43218-2003 (not required for students who have attended The Ohio State University).
□ Arrange to take the TOEFL, MELAB or IELTS test, if required, and have the score sent directly to Ohio State.
The following items must be submitted directly to the College of Optometry, Students Affairs Office, A-424 Starling-Loving, 338 West 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210.
□ Print one copy of the optometrist evaluation form and give it to an optometrist who has agreed to complete it.
□ Print one copy of the professor evaluation form and give it to a professor who has agreed to complete it.
□ Print one copy of the personal evaluation form and give it to a person who has agreed to complete it.
□ Send Physiology course(s) syllabi to the College of Optometry.
All applicants must:
□ Complete a minimum of 10 hours of observation, in at least two different optometric settings.
□ Arrange to take the Optometry Admission Test and submit scores to the College of Optometry.
□ Email any name and/or address changes to both the Professional Admissions Office at
[email protected], and the College of Optometry at [email protected]
For More Information
Application questions and all transcripts should be directed to:
The Ohio State University Professional Admissions Office P.O. Box 182003
Columbus, OH 43218-2003 Phone: (614) 292-9444 Email: [email protected]
Web: www.professional.osu.edu
Location: Third Floor, Lincoln Tower 1800 Cannon Drive
Evaluation letters and OAT scores, as well as admissions questions, should be directed to: The Ohio State University
College of Optometry Student Affairs Office A-424 Starling-Loving 338 West 10th Avenue Columbus, OH 43210 Phone: (614) 292-2647 Email: [email protected]
OPTOMETRY PREREQUISITE COURSE WORK INSTRUCTIONS
STUDENTS MUST EARN C- OR BETTER IN EACH PREREQUISITE COURSE. COURSE GRADES BELOW C- MUST BE REPEATED.
Please note: Ohio State course numbers are indicated in parentheses. • English (110 at OSU), 5 quarter hours of expository writing.
• Biology (113 and 114), 10 quarter hours of general biology. Biological principles, including cell structure and function, reproduction and development, bioenergetics, genetics and evolution. • Mathematics (150 and 151), 10 quarter hours. Inverse functions, logarithmic, exponential and
trigonometric functions and their graphs; complex numbers. Calculus and analytic geometry. • General Chemistry (121, 122, 123), 15 quarter hours with labs. Fundamental chemical principles;
chemistry of the most important non-metals and of chemical reactions in solutions; introductory quantitative analysis.
• Organic Chemistry (251, 252), 6 quarter hours of lecture. Structure, nomenclature, physical properties, preparation and reaction of hydrocarbons, alcohols and ethers, etc.
• Biochemistry (511), 5 quarter hours. Molecular basis of structure and metabolism of living things. • Physics (111, 112, 113), 15 quarter hours with labs. Mechanics and heat; electricity, magnetism
and light, and modern physics.
• Physiology (311 and 312), 10 quarter hours. Comprehensive intermediate systems physiology series.
• Microbiology (509), 5 quarter hours. Introductory microbiology with lab. Characteristics of microorganisms in relation to man.
• Psychology (100), 5 quarter hours. Introductory psychology.
• Humanities/Social Science, 10 quarter hours of humanities (basic courses in literature, music or art appreciation, history of art, theatre, philosophy, etc.), 10 of social sciences (psychology, sociology, economics, history, etc.)
Additional courses in human physiology and/or anatomy are highly recommended.
Example of How to Complete Prerequisite Course Summary
Course Title
Course No.
Qtr (Q) or Sem (S) Hours
Name of College/University
Grade or When Earned Scheduled (term/yr)
English English 110 5 Q Ohio State Wi/06
Biology Biology 204 3 S Bowling Green A-
Biology 205 3 S Bowling Green B+
In order to convert semester hours to quarter hours, multiply the number of semester hours of a course by 1.5 to give you quarter hours (e.g., 4 sem hrs x 1.5 = 6 qtr hrs)
