<p>My S & I visited OSU yesterday; but, weren’t on an official tour. He liked the school quite a bit. </p>
<p>While we saw alot; there was much we couldn’t see. Any observations/info that anyone learned from a tour or because you go there (or, just happen to know!) ? </p>
<p>I guess the dorm situation is a biggie. Any insight to pass on re: which dorms freshmen typically end up in…what is the room/bathroom setup…what amenities are included (bathroom cleaning, furniture, TV cable channels, etc.). </p>
<p>Cafeterias/food/meal plans?</p>
<p>And, the size of the campus & student body. Was there any discussion, pro/con, about that, in terms of both getting around, not getting lost in the system, etc.?</p>
<p>The dorms are crowded but it seems like one or more dorms are constantly being renovated. You get to rank the housing aspects most important to you on the housing application so usually you can find something that meets your needs. Just my impression but it seems like lots of the College of Arts & Science kids are on South and West campus dorms while many of the College of Engineering and College of Business kids are in West and North Campus dorms. In the dorms, you typically get a desk, dresser, closet, bed, and refrigerator, and microwave. If you go online to the housing website you can get specifics: [University</a> Residences and Dining Services](<a href=“http://www.urds.osu.edu%5DUniversity”>http://www.urds.osu.edu). Look under residence hall and room search. </p>
<p>My son thinks the food is great but he got a minimal plan when he lived in the dorms and he supplemented his diet off-campus because there are a ton of great places to eat. You can get into an upperclassmen dorm later and some have kitchens and other amenities that the freshmen dorms don’t have.</p>
<p>As far as getting around, my son has had no problem. However, he’s an engineering student so the bulk of his classes are typically close together. This year he is running between North and South more but it still has not been a problem. </p>
<p>Getting lost in the crowd is easy if you don’t make an effort to know and contact people and especially if you are in a major where most of the classes are big. That said, my kid seems to be in contact with each of his instructors via email/text/office hours on a weekly basis simply because he always seems to have questions. Also, there are a ridiculous number of organizations to join, opportunities for research, etc. There is no reason to be lost in the crown unless you want to be.</p>
<p>It’s too bad you and your son didn’t take part in an official visit. Admissions does a nice job in the info session discussing admissions statistics, important dates, tuition, etc. The tours are very well done as well (visiting a dorm, library, RPAC, etc).</p>
<p>My D is a third year and currently living off campus. She’s OOS. Freshman year she lived in Smith (south campus). She liked the location very much because it’s close to High Street and all it has to offer. Each floor is co-ed with a male and female wing. Bathrooms/showers are off the hallways. It’s a typical dorm room. It included a micro-fridge. She also was able to get cable tv. She walked to all her classes and never found it taxing or too far. </p>
<p>She did not care for the food on campus. She ate at Kennedy Commons once. She got most of her meals at Marketplace or used her BuckID to purchase food on High Street. If she felt like walking, she’d trek over to the RPAC for a healthy meal there.</p>
<p>Ohio State is a big school, but she has never felt “lost in the crowd.” Lectures can be large, but it is not difficult to connent with your professor or TA. It really is up to the student to make those connections. There are tons of clubs and there is Greek life (she’s in a sorority). As a student, you have to put yourself out there and get involved. </p>
<p>She truly loves OSU. Her younger sister has visited oficially and unoffically (family visits) and was quite taken with the school. She’ll be applying next year.</p>
<p>As a student there, the tours they gave were alright, but nothing really exciting. Of all the college tours I went on, it was definitely the least helpful. That being said, a mediocre tour is better than nothing.
As for “being lost in the system” it works the same way high school did, only more people are “lost in the system” because they were already lost in their high school system. If you make an effort to talk with the professors and see them during their office hours and attend all your classes you’ll be fine. I have a Math class of 200-300 people and both my professor and TA know me by name. It’s all about the effort you as a student put into it. No one is going to come to you and say “are you understanding everything?” just like most teachers in high school didn’t ask you. It’s on you, but it’s honestly not difficult to do at all. The major issue is people skipping classes and blaming it on the system, which I think is where big schools get a bad rep. We’re lucky if 1/3 of the students attend class, so make sure your kid attends class.</p>