Hi. We are from Massachusetts so trying to determine if we want to explore Ohio schools and OWU was recommended. Can anyone talk to their experience? Daughter likes a suburban or small town feel but definitely with cute shops/restaurants nearby that I am hoping she can walk to or if they have a shuttle bus. Is there transportation to Columbus for more of an outing? Can you get by without having a car on campus? And, is there good transportation to the airport? I saw on the website they are building new dorms, has anyone seen them? Daughter looking to major in Biology or Botany, looks like good programs. Any thing else about the vibe? Also considering Denison, Wooster and Miami if anyone has any thoughts. I realize so many questions here, sorry!!
We are also from MA and visited OWU over the summer. My D really liked it and was accepted with a great scholarship. She is starting to think she may want a bigger school, but at this point it is still on the list.
The people there were so nice. Our tour was very long but the other kids on the tour were super nice and our guide was so engaging. The new dorms were just getting started so didn’t see them but the dorms they had were pretty standard, not great, not bad. Campus is set up sort of like a dog bone. Dorms on one side, library and caf on a long narrow walkway and then the academic buildings. We thought the academic side of campus was really pretty. Town was literally right outside the gates. Lots of cute restaurants and a few shops and a movie theatre. It was cute. In the other direction there is a Walmart and fast food restaurants. Further out the town is a bit gritty but seemed safe. They do have shuttles to Columbus for the airport but not at other times. Seemed like they had a lot of on campus events. Tour guide also said there were lots of parties, she didn’t participate but still found plenty to do.
There are frats and sororities but the sororities are non-residential. They do have houses but they cannot live there, they just host events there.
Overall, we really liked the school. Our biggest concern is the retention rate and graduation rate which seems a little low. They are hoping with the new dorms, the retention rate will improve. Our guide also said it’s fairly easy to get in, but challenging once you are there so that might cause kids to leave.
We also looked at Denison. My D did not like the campus. She felt architecture was boring looking and too hilly. Town was adorable, looked like a small Chatham. Also take a look at College of Wooster. D now thinks the students were a bit too quirky but she liked the campus and they gave her generous aid.
A huge thank you for this, so helpful! Honestly I never really imagined us looking in Ohio but seems to have some great schools and great merit $. Question for you on Wooster – did it seem like a hassle to get to an airport? On the website Wooster offered a shuttle once a day during breaks at 4:30pm. Airport seems much further than it is at OWU. Not sure how feasible that makes Wooster? I am hoping not to have to drive to Ohio! : ) Good luck to your daughter in her college search!
I had never thought of Ohio either. I had never even been to the state until we visited! We flew in and out of Cleveland so it was actually very easy to get to Wooster. I think less than an hour drive. And the flights from Boston to Cleveland seem to be much cheaper than to Columbus. We did a loop…Cleveland to Wooster…Wooster to Denison…and Denison to OWU and then back to Cleveland. There was some sort of Ohio visit days where 6 or 7 LACs in OH had visits each day at 9 and 2. Each one was like an open house. We only did one per day as that’s about all my D can handle. There were a lot of people at each school. We did OWU on the third day and just did the normal tour and. a meeting with an admission rep. My D actually preferred that, she felt like the open houses were too long and too crowded. But it is a good way to see a lot of schools in a short period.
@MAmom111 we have also visited Wooster and Denison (as well as Kenyon), traveling from CT. As the above poster said, flying in and out of Cleveland was a breeze (especially compared to the East Coast) and it was a 55 minute drive to Wooster. Wooster is not as picturesque town as Granville, but it’s nice and there’s much more to it than Granville also — more of a real town. Both have the college basics. Both are lovely campuses (we didn’t do a formal visit to Denison, just walked around). We also visited Kenyon, which is MUCH more rural and remote.
I have a freshman daughter at Wooster. We’re from Toronto, Canada and she attended a New England boarding school (thanks to her sport and generous donors). I’d be happy to answer questions about Wooster. It’s been a wonderful experience for our daughter so far!
Our son is a first-year at Denison and likes it very much. The University is set on a hill above the village of Granville, about a ten-minute walk. Granville is a beautiful little town, with several good restaurants, a couple of stores (although I’m not sure any would qualify as “cute shops”) and two historic inns. The University does have regular shuttles to the local shopping areas, including the amazing Easton Mall, which is about a half hour away, as is Columbus. It’s very easy getting to the school from the airport in Columbus.
@Snowman66 and @tkoparent (or anyone else reading!) Both Wooster and Denison are on our list to visit (and OWU) Glad that your kids are both enjoying the schools! Wondering if your kids interviewed when they visited? We would be squeezing in the info session, tour and interview at 3 schools in 3 days and just wondering if that is too exhausting/stressful for daughter. Maybe better to request an alumni interview later? We are from the east coast so wouldn’t go back for a second visit. Thanks for any thoughts!! You all are so helpful!
@Peachpie9 , we didn’t visit Denison until after S19 was admitted, but he did meet with an admissions representative as part of our day. Before he was admitted, he did do an alumni interview with a recent graduate, and that was very helpful when it came to writing the “Why Denison” essay (Denison does not ask for this at the first stage but it comes as an optional follow-up). We did the info session, tour and meeting at Denison all in one morning without really pushing ourselves, so I think it would work - you’d have plenty of time to drive on to OWU (1 hour) or Wooster (1 1/2 hours) in the afternoon (or to drive in to Granville from one of those schools in the morning). We didn’t visit either OWU or Wooster, but they are in the same athletic conference and my son has visited both for track meets where they go in the afternoon and come back on the same day. I hope you get the chance to spend a night in Granville while you are there. The school owns the Granville Inn, which is right in the middle of town. Closer to the airport, we’ve also stayed at hotels in the “Short North” arts district of Columbus and at Easton Town Mall - both are 10-15 minutes from the airport. Granville is about 30 minutes.
Ohio Wesleyan has about 1,550 students and a retention rate of just 79%.
College of Wooster has about 2,000 students and a retention tate of 87%.
Denison University has about 2,256 students and a retention rate of 89%.
My daughter did an overnight visit and a sports camp at Wooster. The admissions office wasn’t open when we were there. My younger daughter has applied and been accepted to Wooster for fall 2020. She did an admissions interview and a visit with a coach and team.