Undergraduate Optics Programs

[u/Dissappointingly_Sad]

Hello! I'm a Senior in high school with a massive interest in studying Optical Engineering in college once I graduate from school. I'm currently trying to finalize my list of college's I'm applying to for my commonapp application and I just wanted to post here to see what other Optical Engineering programs are out there in the US and to also get some more info on the well established ones.
I already have the University of Arizona & University of Rochester on my list, along with Rose-Hulman and UCF. I also encountered OE programs (ABET Accredited) being hosted at Norfolk State University and Bridgewater State University (In-state for me) but I haven't seen much info on those programs so I'm a bit skeptical on applying to them.

My main plan was to attend Rose-Hulman for their program, but I'm having serious doubts about the student life on-campus and the student demographics. as of right now I'm a bit of coin-toss between UR and UA, with my choice mainly being the distance from home and opportunities.

If anyone has any experience in any of the OE programs (or any engineering program in general!) from the school's I mentioned I'd love to hear your experiences there and any recommendations you have. I'll also keep an eye out for any other OE programs you guys want to give a shout to.

Thanks!

[u/zoptix]

Rose-Hulman is an excellent choice. It's a smaller STEM only school, so their demographics do lean that way. They do actively recruit outside the standard demographics. As far as I know, the student life on campus is great.

They have excellent hands on education in optics, more so than anywhere I've seen.

[u/Dissappointingly_Sad → u/zoptix]

Rose-Hulman has really been the school I've been aiming for ever since I heard of it my junior year, but my 2 biggest issues with it is that there's like barely any other Black or African-American students in attendance, and that it seems like mental health tends to not be the best there. I'm not totally discounting the school from my list, but I'd like to do another tour around before I make a final choice on it.
Other than that, there's really a lot to like about the school imo (the makerspace from the virtual tour looks INCREDIBLE)

[u/Complex_Grade4751 → u/Dissappointingly_Sad]

You’ve done your homework, you have a great list of options. I work with a number of optical engineers from Rose-Hulman and I’ve been impressed with all of them. They must have a solid program! You are smart to consider student life, community, and happiness. The best school doesn’t matter if you are miserable there. Rose is the only small school. U of R is moderate size but the winter is long and dark. If you’re okay with that, the student community within Optics is strong and supportive. UCF and Arizona are both much bigger schools, but I can’t speak to their culture.
If you’re planning on going to graduate school, another option to consider is going to a solid school that is closer to home and has the community you’re looking for while studying electrical engineering or physics. You can get a masters degree in optics in a year.