<p>My major was theater. I'm not trying to bad-mouth the program, because I know it works for some people, but my experience left me completely BROKEN- ugh. I wouldn't wish my experience on my worst enemy. Just be careful, please. I guarantee that there are better programs out there for everyone.
Mal :)</p>
<p>potemkin and transfermal--</p>
<p>I've been one of the promoters of HTC on these boards and it has worked out well for my son (so far). But he is a very independent type and this has allowed him to set his own path. Your posts were extremely informative and useful and point out the fact that no program is perfect, nor are all professors in each program perfect. I have also warned that HTC is not for everyone. </p>
<p>I would encourage everyone thinking about HTC to get as much information from current (and former) students as possible. Follow up with potemkin and transfermal's advice - to send them a private message to get more info. I can also get you in touch with my son, who can also give you an insider's view.</p>
<p>Thanks Dig... I will have my son do that if he is interested in OU after our visit. Right now it's near the bottom of his list, because of the rural location, but we'll know a lot more in a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>I was in the English Literature program.</p>
<p>I want to make to make it clear here that I don't aim to denigrate the students in HTC (though there were fairly many obnoxious ones) or the tutors who have worked so hard to educate them. (One frankly admitted to me that she didn't know what she was getting into.) However, I do think that the college's structure is deeply flawed, that the administrators (all two of them) are incompetent or overwhelmed or both, and that the university would serve its mission more faithfully not by trying to engineer an "old-boys' club" that compares itself to the Ivy Leagues but rather by making the resources it allocates to HTC students available to everyone at the university. Although it isn't in reality, education is supposed to be egalitarian; and it is the mission of a state university in particular to be accessible. If you know your aim may be grad school (and in some HTC programs it's assumed), you should remember that the vast majority of graduate programs don't know about HTC or its self-proclaimed exclusivity, nor do they care. The people in HTC who do great things probably didn't need HTC to do them.</p>
<p>In spite of the spate of bad publicity it has endured, Ohio University is an excellent school, and if you think you'd fit in there, go for it. Its telecommunications, visual communications, and journalism programs are second to none. (So it's no accident that digmedia's son is enjoying himself there.) I'd encourage you to look elsewhere for good humanities programs, though. I attend the University of Pittsburgh now and can vouch for its strength in those fields.</p>
<p>Note: I previously posted this under another discussion, but I feel as if it's relevant to what's being said here.</p>
<p>Hey all! Im an Honors Tutorial College senior that is gearing up for graduation. I was interested in reading what others had to say about HTC, and I stumbled upon this site. Im going to weigh in on my experiences at HTC.</p>
<p>To all prospective students and parents, I definitely understand the trepidation of applying to HTC. The application process is somewhat grueling. When I applied, I had to write several application essays (which is standard to most college admissions), then be invited down for an interview. The combination of my test scores, recommendation letters, application essays and personal interview determined my admission to HTC. Luckily, I made itand it was totally worth it.</p>
<p>For the posters who believe HTC sees itself as exclusive and elite, I have to disagree completely. Yes, HTC prides itself on its one-on-one tutorial education, and it accepts a rather small percentage of applicants. To maintain HTCs tutorial system, student numbers must be kept low, or the student-faculty ratio would be disproportionate and discourage the highly individualized style of education that HTC is known for.</p>
<p>I am a journalism major, and have received an even BETTER education than what I expected coming into HTC. I was told to expect one-on-one and very small group tutorials, as well as traditional undergraduate classes. All my tutorials were one-on-one with award-winning faculty. My academic experiences have been absolutely fantastic. I know that when I begin applying to jobs next quarter that I will have respected faculty members asking me if they can write recommendation letters, which sounds totally odd. But HTC has afforded me this fantastic privilege.</p>
<p>All HTC students are required to write a thesis to graduate. Its a daunting task no matter how organized and intelligent you are. HTC has really fostered an environment of academic exploration. I was given the opportunity to enroll in tutorials about topics that are not taught in traditional undergraduate classrooms. This exploratory learning method has allowed me to develop a thesis about public relations in technosocial environmentsa topic that has not yet been studied in an academic context. The Dean and Asst. Dean have given much time and money to make my project possible.</p>
<p>Speaking of money, Digmedia is totally correct about how much HTC encourages and funds nontraditional academic activities. In the past year, I know that the Dean has given money to students to pursue academic research around the world (Nicaragua, Europe, Africa) and to present papers at academic conferences (all around the U.S. and even Hawaii!). She even made possible for me a two-month internship at an AIDS nonprofit in Denver. This college is more generous that ANY other program Ive heard of.</p>
<p>I am eternally grateful to HTC, its amazing faculty and staff and its ability to foster such unique intellectual development. To the people that seem to have a sour taste in their mouths about HTC, perhaps the individualized attention and high level of responsibility werent meant for you, but I can only speak for myself and how great my undergraduate years have been. Adjustment to this highly unique tutorial system took a while, but I can say that I know of no one that adjusted to the program and is dissatisfied.
All in all, HTC is the best choice I could have made for an undergraduate education. I encourage all bright students to look into this program. Although not all majors are offered, the ones that are offer an amazing education for a very affordable price. The staff is VERY HELPFUL, so Id encourage anyone to call the office and inquire about specific programs.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading! :)</p>
<p>Wow... _____^</p>
<p>What a testimonial. I would also add that if you have the drive and stats for HTC, you would most certainly also qualify for the Gateway Tuition scholarship and (if from out of state), the Gateway Trustee scholarship. Where else could you get all that and have the school pick up all (or most) of the tuition bill?</p>
<p>I'll also add one more thing: When my son was first interested in OU and I mentioned it, OU alums seemed to come from the woodwork- friends, co-workers, acquaintances. And they all had one thing in common to say: They LOVED OU and said that the worst thing about it was leaving after graduation.</p>
<p>sorry if i’m bumping this thread out of nowhere, but i was reading through it and as it is admissions season, i’d like to contribute.</p>
<p>i’m currently a senior in the HTC philosophy program. as seems to often be the case on this type of website, the people who are talking here either love the program or hate it. i want to talk to you as someone who feels pretty good about it.</p>
<p>first off, as far as the administration goes, i absolutely love them. they know you, they chat with you, they support you in everything you do, including financially and with recommendation letters. there are quarterly open forums called Pizza with the Deans where they touch base with the students, sharing what’s going on in the office and asking for students’ input. and they buy you pizza. they are a dream come true. </p>
<p>of course, i’ve only gotten two Bs in college, and my GPA is well above the 3.5 requirement. but in my experience, they are very, very willing to work with you. Jan especially is a very understanding human being and a great advocate for students who are going through rough patches.</p>
<p>as for transferring between programs, i had absolutely zero trouble transferring from theater to philosophy my freshman year. i just talked to the philosophy director of studies, had him ok my transfer, signed a form, and that was it. so don’t be too scared about that. of course, if the new DoS doesn’t think you’re a good match for their program, they won’t accept your transfer, but i guarantee you that if that happens, they have a reason for thinking you aren’t a good match and aren’t just being difficult. </p>
<p>additionally, you aren’t bound to your major as the only thing you can do. relatively few students actually want to spend their whole lives in their major field, and despite what they may say at interview weekend, the administration seems to be fine with that. i know a journalism student who is pursuing international affairs and education, a history student who has been accepted to a medical program, and a classics student who is going into university administration, for a few examples. i’m probably not going to continue philosophy; i’m planning on taking at least a year off to teach and travel, but i’m looking at master’s programs in public administration or international law. so far, the faculty i’ve talked to at these programs love my educational background! on the other hand, if you do know what you love, this is a terrific place to explore it. i have a friend who is an English major and loves Dante; despite there being one course at OU on the Inferno (not even the whole Divine Comedy), he’s been studying the text in depth for several tutorials now. just one example.</p>
<p>to this point i’ve been quite pleased with the educational experience, though i will admit that that may be because the tutorial format is exceptionally well-suited to philosophy. OU’s main philosophy program isn’t very big, but having tutorials allowed me to study and write my thesis on topics that normal students don’t get to cover. not to mention that the professors appreciate having the chance to work on material they don’t usually get to teach! and in my experience thus far, being an HTC student reflects very highly on you, at least within OU - but that’s important because it can help you get on-campus research positions and jobs. someone earlier mentioned that the HTC students who do great things would probably do great things even without the college, and i’d agree with that - we tend to be passionate and self-motivated. however, the college provides a lot of room, freedom, and financial support for those pursuits.</p>
<p>it seems to me that students who leave the HTC tend to hate it with a passion; i’m not sure why, i suppose it’s not for everyone. i haven’t heard of many students actually leaving HTC, though, maybe 2 or 3 out of every 60-student class. not everybody is ecstatically happy over it, but even people who don’t particularly like it are usually okay enough with it to stay in it. i’m not ecstatic, but i definitely come down on the positive side; it’s way more fun than the other schools i considered seemed to be. also, although the tutorials and thesis are inevitable, if the HTC community irks you, it’s easy to avoid it by seeking friends from among the 20,000 other students, the majority of whom are interesting, friendly, fun people. on the other hand, the HTC community is there if it suits you. my best friends are in HTC, but i have many friends i love from outside of it, too!</p>
<p>i’ve written a lot here - just trying to provide a viewpoint between loving and hating HTC. it’s not for everyone, and there are some things i don’t like about it, but all in all, i think it’s a terrific investment and i’m very happy i decided to go here. feel free to email me with any questions - kg241306[at]ohio.edu</p>
<p>thanks 
Kate</p>
<p>Kate -</p>
<p>Thanks for the very thoughtful post above. Questions that might help other people considering HTC?
- [<em>] Were most of your friends from within HTC or do you have lots from outside the program as well? Just how integrated into the general OU community are you?
[</em>] Is there a feeling of elitism among fellow HTCers?
[<em>] With all of the perks given to HTCers, are there any feelings of resentment from other OU students?
[</em>] Do you feel intensely pressured to perform, or are the students there just naturally high performers anyway?
[<em>] Did you have classes with mega-numbers of students, like over 100?
[</em>] Let’s face it - OU is known as a party school. How was it being in that environment?
[<em>] Are HTC students nerds and prudes? Or can they party as well?
[</em>] Does Athens feel isolated? It is in a rural environment and Athens <em>is</em> a fairly small town.
My son’s (Wes) experience with the HTC (Media Arts '09) was extremely positive and he loved the environment. I can’t think of a better place that he could have chosen for school, or maybe he’s just one of those people who would have done fine anywhere. But I do think it gave him tools for success.</p>
<p>Thanks,
–dig</p>
<p>Thanks for bumping this thread. I’d be very interested to the responses to Digmedia’s questions as well.</p>
<p>Hi Digimedia and gdad, I’ll give these questions my best shot!</p>
<ul>
<li>Were most of your friends from within HTC or do you have lots from outside the program as well? Just how integrated into the general OU community are you?</li>
</ul>
<p>It’s a mix, honestly. My closest friends and my boyfriend I met in HTC, but I also have some very close friends from outside of HTC. I feel pretty well integrated into the general OU community. It’s very, very easy to meet non-HTC friends, seeing as there will be non-HTC kids in almost all of your classes and extracurricular activities. All my good HTC friends I mainly got to be friends with while living in Read/Johnson my first two years, since most HTC kids live there. I honestly think it would be harder to not meet people from outside HTC; you’d really have to put up an effort to close yourself off!</p>
<ul>
<li>Is there a feeling of elitism among fellow HTCers?</li>
</ul>
<p>Naturally, not all HTCers are the same. We come in all stripes. So some may be elitist jerks, but the vast majority are not, and Jan has no taste for elitist jerks - I know she kicked a kid out once who failed a class because he never went to it because he thought it was “below” him. This is not say that we’re unaware of the “Cs get degrees” mentality that some OU students espouse, but hey, regular OU students come in all stripes too! - some are slackers, many are bright, interesting people, and I think most HTC kids are aware of the difference.</p>
<ul>
<li>With all of the perks given to HTCers, are there any feelings of resentment from other OU students?</li>
</ul>
<p>Honestly, most OU students don’t know what HTC is. Among those who do, I haven’t experienced a lot of resentment. You’d be surprised how many students actually aren’t all that interested in keeping their library books the whole quarter! 
But of course, the best way to avoid resentment is to not boast about your perks and to be a nice, humble person when you meet new people, which has been my approach, and I think it’s worked great.</p>
<ul>
<li>Do you feel intensely pressured to perform, or are the students there just naturally high performers anyway?</li>
</ul>
<p>I’d say more the latter, for my own personal experience. Then again, philosophy doesn’t seem to be one of the higher-pressure fields, but then, I’ve never experienced another major (though my two quarters in theater were also fine). To be honest, I think a lot of HTC kids are the type of high-achieving young students who put a lot of pressure and guilt on themSELVES, which is where it may come from. I’ve never experienced pressure from the administration or my tutors, though.</p>
<ul>
<li>Did you have classes with mega-numbers of students, like over 100?</li>
</ul>
<p>Yup! Depends on the class, but I’ve had several large lecture classes - Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Intro Ethics were all gigantic. Not to toot my own horn, but I managed to get to know the professors well anyway (probably from being one of those obnoxious talky kids in class and doing well on the tests - okay, i’m tooting my own horn), and really, getting to disappear a little can be kind of a nice break from teeny tutorials and upper-level classes. You can also avoid huge classes pretty easily if you want to - I know there was another Ethics section that had fewer people. But OU is a Big State University, so yeah, it happens.</p>
<ul>
<li>Let’s face it - OU is known as a party school. How was it being in that environment?</li>
</ul>
<p>Oh geez, maybe I’m not the best person to answer this question. Because I hear, let’s have a big party with everyone we know, and I say, that sounds like a great time! I feel like any college would be a “party school,” though, because young kids like to party. It’s also very easy not to go to parties - in three years I have never been to Palmerfest, yet I still have an active social life! There’s plenty of outlets and things to do and people who aren’t interested in the party scene, so if students aren’t into that, they can definitely have a great social experience anyway. And if you are into that, I personally haven’t had any trouble achieving balance. Some of these events, especially Halloween, can really be a great time.</p>
<ul>
<li>Are HTC students nerds and prudes? Or can they party as well?</li>
</ul>
<p>As I said, we come in all stripes. So some are nerds, some are prudes, and some know how to have a good time. And some can have too much of a good time! And some are nerdy and like to party, and some are are prudish but cut loose, and some and some …</p>
<ul>
<li>Does Athens feel isolated? It is in a rural environment and Athens <em>is</em> a fairly small town.</li>
</ul>
<p>Confession: I grew up in Athens, so this has been my life for 22 years, minus 9ish total months of traveling/living abroad. However, one thing that Athens has that other small towns lack (or so I’ve heard from people at Wooster, Miami U, etc) is some night life - not just bars (though we have lots of those), but also dancing and cinema and all kinds of things. We kids think of some cool stuff to do, too - I went to a party last quarter called PotterFest that was all-out HP themed, with Common Rooms and Quidditch Pong and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Jello Shots, etc. Athens also has a great local culture, for those who care enough to try to access it. </p>
<p>I hope these answers help, and I hope no one is upset by my admissions that I, a 22 year old, do drink in college as I said, it’s not a requirement for a great college experience! I think HTC is a great place to be and to grow into who you are. Let me know if you have more questions!</p>
<p>Thanks Kate for your very thoughtful answers - you sound like a great combination of a scholar and a fun student! I have one more question. You no doubt had the option to gain admission to schools at which the typical students were similar to your HTC colleagues. Do you feel that there was either something forfeited or gained in choosing a special program within a larger university? Would you make the same choice again? (OK, I guess that’s two questions. )</p>
<p>Thoughts on HTC vs. “the competition:”</p>
<p>It’s true that HTC can have some highbrow competitors - I know another kid in the philosophy program who chose between us and Columbia, for instance. That might be an outlier, but people often end up choosing between us and good schools like Oberlin or Kenyon, and one of my best friends transferred in from Wellesley. So that’s some idea of the “competition” from off the top of my personal head; I’m sure Kathy in the office could give you some more data. To be brutally honest, sometimes HTC almost feels like a catch-all for bright students who couldn’t afford their first choice school. That is one major benefit of OU - the Gateway Scholarship program covers I think all of your tuition if you have a certain SAT or ACT score. I’m not sure exactly what the required score is, but if you’re a serious applicant for HTC, you probably have it. I’m sure someone in the financial aid office would be happy to tell you more, haha.</p>
<p>So that’s one beauty of the OU/HTC route (and OU and HTC do go together, you’re getting both): probably a heck of a lot less debt than if you go to a more traditionally “good” school.</p>
<p>Now, I’ve never gone to an Ivy or to a school of that caliber, so this is all hearsay and you should take it as such, but I get the impression that another nice thing about OU/HTC is that it’s not intensely competitive. Not that there’s not a place for motivated, hardworking students, there certainly is! But I’ve also found a mindset of balance in my time here - you should work hard, but you should also relax and do things you enjoy. I get the impression that traditional “good” schools are a bit more intense; for example, I know Princeton professors are only allowed to give out a few As, so people scramble for them. In HTC there is the 3.5 requirement, but the type of kid HTC accepts probably won’t have a lot of trouble keeping a B+ average (especially since your tutors usually grade you pretty nicely if it’s clear that you’re trying your best).</p>
<p>HTC programs also tend to be quite flexible and have few requirements and zero, if any, gen eds. Of course, this varies from program to program! But generally speaking, there’s lots of time and flexibility to pursue cool projects or research or other fields. I was able to basically take a quarter off to study Buddhism in Japan (great program - Antioch Education Abroad Buddhist Studies in Japan), which contributed zip to my graduation requirements but was sooooo worth doing. Now, I’m sure the traditionally good schools offer that kind of opportunity and flexibility too! What I’m saying is, so does HTC. That’s one of the things they always use as a selling point - small college feel within big university. OU has a ton of great programs and resources that you are free to explore. Smaller schools may have a more limited array of options, though I’m sure it varies widely from school to school.</p>
<p>Sometimes I do wonder if I should have held out for more of a “name-brand” school. Lots of people haven’t heard of OU, and people often mistake it for OSU! And of course, it’s different for everyone. I certainly don’t think that coming here hurt me - I feel that employers/admissions departments look mostly at transcripts and accomplishments, and mine are good. Plus we have a decent alumni network. I guess I really can’t speak to what it would be like to have gone to a more well-known university, but I imagine that having the respected reputation and doubtless excellent alumni network would only work in one’s favor in that event.</p>
<p>So should you choose HTC over a more well-known good school? I guess it would come down to two things: money, and how the student in question feels. If you can’t afford Harvard, then HTC is probably worth going to over your safety school! If you are between Harvard and HTC and either is feasible, I suggest campus visits so the student can just see which one she likes better. Can you have a great educational experience here? Absolutely.</p>
<p>This may have gone off-topic. Quick answers: I feel that having the broad OU resources have only worked to my benefit, and I’m happy with my college experience. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thanks again for the answers… Extremely helpful. OU was for me a place I suggested to my son for two reasons: It was a financial safety for us; It had exactly the right program he was looking for. We didn’t find out about HTC until we visited. But my son fell in love with the place during our visit and in-depth tour/interview with the department. They wanted him and really recruited him. He felt wanted there. Kate, you must have felt the same. The automatic merit scholarships were icing on the cupcake for old Pop here.</p>
<p>btw gadad, you should do a bit of research on OU’s “Marching 110,” the pride of the school!!!</p>
<p><a href=“Spring 2023 - Ohio Today”>Spring 2023 - Ohio Today;
<p>Thanks Digmedia - Actually, I began researching Ohio U. because of the intersection of the band and the Gateway Scholarship (though I hadn’t seen this band article - it’s a good one!). Finding the HTC was a total surprise. Our 11th-grade son is very committed to playing snare in a marching band. He could probably be competitive for Ivies, Stanford, Rice, Williams, Amherst, Chicago - all colleges that appeal to me, but there isn’t a marching band among them. With the Gateway program, Ohio U. tuition, room, and board for OOS students would be around $13,500 this year. It’s definitely worth considering.</p>
<p>gadad - We are not supposed to post links to YouTube videos, but go there and search for “Marching 110” drumline cadences</p>
<p>@kathyg23: Thanks for all the helpful information.</p>
<p>I recently interviewed at the HTC for the biological sciences program and loved it. I just hope that I got in. DOes anyone know how many of the interviewees are accepted?</p>
<p>Stats may be a little out-of-date, but I don’t think they are too far off today’s values:</p>
<p>Numbers (approximate): They have approx 280 applicants, they interview 180, and they send acceptances to 80 (of which 60 will accept). So odds-wise, it’s not easy (80 out of 280 is only a 28% acceptance rate). But their “yield” is fantastic (60 out of 80 is a 75% yield in accepted students).</p>
<p>Also, less than half of those interviewed are accepted.</p>
<p>@gadad - I would bet that getting into the marching band there is even more selective than getting into an Ivy. Also your estimate of your total cost exactly corresponds with my experience for the first two years. It got cut almost in half the last two years because my son moved out of the dorm and pretty much supported himself for food and all other expenses (although we did give him some help with rent).</p>
<p>D got in HTC for Fall 2011. PolSci. She also received full-tuition through the Gateway Excellence Scholarship. Not sure she wants to take advantage of the offer as she thinks Athens is in the middle of nowhere. I went to school there in the 80s and loved it! Hard to consider when you are waiting for American and Georgetown offers. Anyone have a D or S who is in the college and has an experiece to share? My D is also concerned that it is all work and no play. She wants a normal college experience. Every time she meets with an HTC studnet all they talk about it how much work it is.</p>
<p>Sorry I didn’t see this earlier. My son graduated in 2009. It was a fantastic experience and he really enjoyed his time in the HTC. He did not perceive of it as a grind in any way. But I would think it would depend on the major. I was also worried about Athens being such a small town in the middle of nowhere, and I asked my son about that. He didn’t have that feeling at all when he was there. But honestly, Athens is small.</p>