Ask an OSU Senior

<p>Hey! Thanks so much for doing this, and i’m sorry if someone already asked this question. But how hard is it to get into the honors program? What unweighted high school gpa is required/preferred? And ACT/SAT scores? Is it a very competitive program to get into? Also, i’ve heard that it is harder to get into now than it was 3-4 years ago…is it true? Thanks once again!</p>

<p>This is such an old thread that the OP has now graduated, and is working. </p>

<p>I’m a senior, who was admitted to the honors program in 2009, when you were required to have a 30+ ACT and be in the top 10% of your graduating class (although this was a less strict requirement for those students from more competitive high schools). </p>

<p>Admission may be a little more competitive now, as the average ACT for admitted freshmen keeps rising each class. My younger brother is a current freshman at OSU, who applied and was admitted to the honors program with a 30 ACT and a 3.9-ish GPA, if that offers any indication as to how competitive it now is.</p>

<p>@maybell-it is an old thread but OSULolz still replies and has been very helpful so until he says “stop”, I am sure I will have more questions. :-)</p>

<p>Good that you can step in too being a current senior. Thank you…</p>

<p>Howdy everyone, hope the you’re surviving the snow if you’re from Ohio! Sorry I haven’t been answering the greatest as of recent, but I’ll do my best from now on</p>

<p>Thanks to Maybell too–very helpful having a current senior; good luck to you in your last semester or two!</p>

<p>@shasha101–When I got into the honors program, the strict criteria were 30 ACT and top 10% of your class (same as maybell said). However, here is the information as per their website ([Honors:</a> Visit/Apply](<a href=“http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/honors/visitapply.aspx]Honors:”>http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/honors/visitapply.aspx))</p>

<hr>

<p>There is no minimum set of requirements to be considered for the Honors Program. The profile for the class admitted to the Honors and Scholars Programs for Autumn 2012 is as follows:</p>

<p>Honors: ACT score range (middle 50%) - 30 to 33
Average high school class rank - top 8%</p>

<p>Hi, those in the know - </p>

<p>Can someone give me an idea if it’s possible to get from the Baker Systems building to Pomerene in the 15 minutes between classes?</p>

<p>I have a young neighbor who is a new student there and is panicking because she must do this and doesn’t have a choice about changing her schedule. I told her she may have to talk to the instructor to indicate she may be a little late if she gets out of the first class late and hope that he’s understanding, but she is so worried. Thanks!</p>

<p>@friedpasta-my S is a freshman there and I am almost sure she will have no problem. Probably 5 min. walk? I am including a link to a map that should show Baker Systems Bldg. and if she goes down Neil Ave. (south), she will get to Pomerene (right by Mirror Lake). You may have to guide the map down a little. Hopefully this works for you.</p>

<p>[Campus</a> Map - The Ohio State University](<a href=“Home | The Ohio State University”>Home | The Ohio State University)</p>

<p>Map doesn’t show Baker System Bldg. when I pulled it up, but you can do a building search. My S had no problems getting to classes across campus first semester.</p>

<p>@friedpasta</p>

<p>That’s a very close walk (relatively), they should have no problem. 5 minutes like Nellie said is about spot on…with 15 minutes, you can get almost anywhere on campus, especially with buses. If it’s ever an issue, students can talk to their professors and they are usually accommodating. </p>

<p>The worst walk I ever had was McPherson to the BioMed building. I left my previous class 5 minutes early and still got there 5 minutes late…luckily it was a hassle for everyone so he started class late.</p>

<p>Also, a bike can help for longer walks!</p>

<p>I tried reading through everything but I got lazy after page 8 so I’m not sure if you mentioned this!!</p>

<p>I’m really interested in the Honors Program at Ohio State so I was wondering when you find out about your acceptance to the Honors Program before your freshman year? Thank you!</p>

<p>@aliciaforsyth: Yes, you will know about this before your freshmen year. They will notify you well by early April 2013, as per their website’s FAQ: [Honors:</a> Visit/Apply](<a href=“http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/honors/VisitApply.aspx]Honors:”>http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/honors/VisitApply.aspx)</p>

<p>@OSULolz,</p>

<p>A few questions.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>first, did it bother you with all the construction on campus? My sister is currently a junior at OSU so I’m on campus a lot and I’m just wondering if it’s at all been a hindrance.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t recall</p></li>
</ul>

<p>@OSULolz,</p>

<p>A few questions.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>first, did it bother you with all the construction on campus? My sister is currently a junior at OSU so I’m on campus a lot and I’m just wondering if it’s at all been a hindrance.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t recall if you said this, but what did you major in? I know you we’re in fisher. How was your experience? I’m looking into business, most likely a finance major. And how was being an honors student in Fisher?</p></li>
<li><p>lastly, how are you doing now? What exactly are you doing in Dallas/LA or wherever you are? Do you feel attending OSU is helping with your career?</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Thanks!!</p>

<p>@efeens44</p>

<p>Campus construction can be a bit annoying, must mostly because you’ll have to take a longer way to get somewhere. When I was on south campus, the construction hadn’t migrated there yet, so it wasn’t an issue for us. However, I know that some people had issues with the noise, and I think OSU even gave them $50 for their troubles one year. But overall, no, the construction isn’t a big deal. </p>

<p>I was a business major in Fisher–officially BSBA with a specialization in Operations Management and a minor in Economics. Overall, it was a good experience–there are probably specific details throughout this thread, but here’s a few. 1) Career services was GREAT. Made it easy to apply for internships/jobs and had tons of on campus interviews. They even make you go through a mock interview process to prepare you. 2) My specialization classes were good–highly project based; 4/5 of my Ops classes had major group projects. 3) The honors program was good–again, project based. We worked with various companies (Goodyear, Babywill.org, and Northstar Cafe). It was interesting to work with the companies and that was definitely the best part about being in honors (along with priority scheduling, hooray!). </p>

<p>I’m doing well now–I actually got the job through Fisher’s career services. Had an initial on-campus interview in November before I graduated (along with several other interviews), then after going through the process of a few other interviews, was offered a job; I had 3 offers total by late January before graduation and I accepted the offer for the company I am with now and stopped signing up for interviews then. Specifically, I am in a rotational program for a logistics company. These means that we travel to various locations (Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, etc) over the course of 1.5-2 years and learn the various aspects of the business through observation, hands-on work, projects, computer courses, etc. It wasn’t the most high paying job, but with my travel, everything is expensed (gas, car, housing, airfare, food, etc), so it had a very high value and I think it will definitely pay off down the road. </p>

<p>In terms of OSU helping my career, I do believe that it is. Obviously, the career services there had a large hand in helping me find my job. Also, the prestige of Ohio State, along with the honors program, was a definite help in finding my job as well. Regarding actual coursework–there has been some application towards my job. However, business is a very broad subject. While I didn’t cover many logistics topics in school, I do think that Ohio State taught me things such as critical thinking, working well in groups, etc. in addition to business fundamentals.</p>

<p>Hope that helps, as always, feel free to post with more questions, Cheers!</p>

<p>Thanks immensely, OSULolz. Seriously, this thread alone has made me seriously consider applying to OSU (even though I’m a junior, I’ve often thought I don’t want to “just end up at OSU”). </p>

<p>Best wishes in your career and life. And go bucks.</p>

<p>@efeens44–OSU is no longer a safety school or just a football school. It’s a highly competitive university with top ranked programs in the country–especially in the business college. </p>

<p>Good luck to you :)</p>

<p>Ok so i’m a guy who wants to have a lot of fun(partying/sports/gym etc.) but i also want to find a lot of time to study. which dorm(s) would best fit my personality? also i’m a urm(black) and i’m not going to lie I’m a little worried about the diversity at OSU as I’m coming from a very diverse school and area (central MD). What is diversity like at OSU? What about diversity in terms of states?</p>

<p>There is not a lot of diversity at OSU compared to the DC area. (I have lived in both places.) I won’t lie–the lack of diversity can be very challenging if you’re not used to it. </p>

<p>The Lantern recently published a letter about it:
[Letter</a> to the editor: Lack of diversity at Ohio State doesn?t teach right lessons - Opinion - The Lantern - Ohio State University](<a href=“http://www.thelantern.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor-lack-of-diversity-at-ohio-state-doesn-t-teach-right-lessons-1.2962676]Letter”>http://www.thelantern.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor-lack-of-diversity-at-ohio-state-doesn-t-teach-right-lessons-1.2962676)</p>

<p>This article is very eye-opening:
[Some</a> Columbus youth don?t see Ohio State as option - Campus - The Lantern - Ohio State University](<a href=“http://www.thelantern.com/campus/some-columbus-youth-don-t-see-ohio-state-as-option-1.2904599]Some”>http://www.thelantern.com/campus/some-columbus-youth-don-t-see-ohio-state-as-option-1.2904599)</p>

<p>And this article is about the discrimination that many Asian students have faced:
[Anti-Asian</a> Twitter feeds prompt community discussion - Campus - The Lantern - Ohio State University](<a href=“http://www.thelantern.com/campus/anti-asian-twitter-feeds-prompt-community-discussion-1.2871074]Anti-Asian”>http://www.thelantern.com/campus/anti-asian-twitter-feeds-prompt-community-discussion-1.2871074)</p>

<p>However, on the bright side, Columbus itself is a fairly diverse place and the people are generally tolerant.</p>

<p>@coola426</p>

<p>South campus is typically known as the party side / louder side, while North campus is the quieter / studying side. I have lived on both and would say that’s generally true. I would live on South because it’s always easy to find a quiet place to study if you need (ex. libraries). There is also Hale Hall, the black cultural center, on South campus.</p>

<p>While the diversity may not be very strong, I would say there is high tolerance. State wise, you will find that a very high number of people are from Ohio, but I knew plenty of people from other states. </p>

<p>@malia56–While I’m sure there are some isolated incidents of discrimination, after reading The Lantern almost every day for 4 years, I would not consider it to be a strong or trusted source on most subject matters.</p>

<p>The Lantern indeed leaves a lot to be desired, but the numbers certainly don’t lie–OSU is having serious problems with sustaining a diverse student body. Diversity has actually dropped significantly in the last few years. I would advise any minority applicant to keep these issues in mind, as they are quite serious.</p>

<p>The good news is that many students at OSU are actually doing something about it, even though the administration has been EXTREMELY slow to respond:</p>

<p>[Website</a> shines spotlight on OSU students? racism | The Columbus Dispatch](<a href=“http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/08/31/website-shines-spotlight-on-osu-students-racism.html]Website”>http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/08/31/website-shines-spotlight-on-osu-students-racism.html)</p>

<p>I’m a current OSU senior, and while I would agree that there isn’t a high amount of diversity at OSU percentage-wise, the actual number of minority students is fairly high, since there are so many OSU students in general. There are multiple active student organizations meant to create something of a social community for different minority groups, for black students, asian students, latino students, and even international students from particular countries. The Hale Black Cultural Center is always pretty busy too, and there is an Afrikan American learning community (a floor in one of the dorms) option for those interested. </p>

<p>[Afrikan</a> American Learning Community : Learning Communities : University Residences and Dining Services](<a href=“http://urds.osu.edu/learningcommunities/afrikan-american-learning-community/]Afrikan”>Learning Communities : Housing and Residence Education)</p>

<p>My roommate is black, and while she occasionally laments the lack of other black students in her classes, she hasn’t otherwise commented on any issues of racism. There are actually some very good scholarships (Morrill) for students who demonstrate diversity.</p>

<p>You might not be able to answer this but here goes nothing. I have already been admitted and received a generous amount of scholarship money. Although unfortunately my grades are already dropping fast as a result of taking harder classes and having less motivation now that im already accepted. How bad can my grades get to keep the admission and the scholarships?</p>