<p>Alright.
So I am making my decision freaking friday about where i will be spending the next 4+ years of my life (hopefully just 4, but you never know. and also, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHM SO STRESSED SO STRESSED SO STRESSED SO STRESSED)
Majoring in Spanish and International Relations wherever I go. In-state in Maryland, but money is not an issue. In my mind, I had narrowed my choices down to Maryland or Ohio State, but my parents keep pushing Univ of South Carolina, so I figure I’ll just throw it back in there…entertain the option…
so what are the pros and cons for each school, as you see it? my brother is a junior at Maryland right now, and we’re pretty close so if nothing else, that gives maryland an emotional appeal.</p>
<p>sooo yeah. Maryland Scholars Program, South Carolina Capstone Scholars, Ohio State Honors. Ready…GO (please)</p>
<p>weird, I was in the same situation (minus SC). I chose OSU honors over UMD scholars because:
A) I was given the money at OSU to make it the same cost.
B) Honors at OSU is a 4 year thing
C) UMD is ugly, OSU is beautiful and everything’s new
D) UMD is turning into a social <strong><em>hole, with people getting stabbed and the bars closing down
E) OSU Honors gets you out of lecture halls and into discussion classes
F) UMD Scholars is </em></strong>**. All it is is a living-learning community which you could get at any school. In fact, anyone can join a living-learning at OSU!
G) I don’t know if you went to Honors Day at OSU or Accepted Students day at UMD, but at OSU you seemed more like a person and less like a number. At UMD it was so impersonal and it didn’t seem like they were asking you to go there. Weird, because UMD is 25,000 students and OSU is 42,000.</p>
<p>That was pretty much my reasoning and I probably forgot some more statements. Hope it helped a little!</p>
<p>“Majoring in Spanish and International Relations wherever I go.”</p>
<p>Ohio State’s political science department is ranked 13th in the country by US News & World Report, with the American politics section fifth, international politics 12th and political methodology 10th. A study by Simon Hix of The London School of Economics ranked it as the fourth best political science department in the world, based on publications. Foreign Policy Magazine recently ranked it as the 15th best Ph.D. program in the world for the study of international relations while noting Professor Alexander Wendt as the third most influential scholar of international relations in the world.</p>
<p>I enjoyed reading this thread because our student is in the same exact position - deciding between OSU honors, UMD honors, and SC honors. (and waiting to see if Notre Dame gives us any financial aid, which doesn’t look promising at this point). So it’s between SC (full scholarship), OSU (buckeye and provost), and UMD (presidential). I think the final choice is looking like OSU, but I’m concerned because it is so big. How can you make friends and find your niche at such a huge school? And we’re from the mid-atlantic, so it’s pretty far away. Tough decision… and the clock is ticking…</p>
<p>In response to your post Candycane11, it’s very easy to make friends at OSU. I’ve made more friends at OSU in my time there than anywhere else and in a shorter time. If you go to OSU and are lookj g for friends, you will make them. There are close to 1000 student clubs, so all it takes is to move into a dorm, get involved in something, anything, and you would literally have to try to not make any friends to succeed in it.</p>
<p>@candycane im not sure where youre from exactly, but the drive from my house really isnt awful…my aunt lives about 40 min from campus, and my bro and i have roadtripped out there for weekends several times, and its about 6 1/2 hours to her house. absolutely doable for a weekend. one thing that my mom said yesterday while we were talking that really hit home for me was something along the lines of “if the distance doesnt work, you can always transfer closer to home, but if you dont start farther away, then you arent going to transfer away later” or something like that, and that really makes sense to me.</p>
<p>bottom line, im soooooo happy with my decision and sept 14 can’t come any sooner</p>
<p>oh and about the larger size of osu, i think the honors college will help with that a lot…since its a 4 year program, instead of a 2 like scholars, you will see more of the same kids in some of your classes throughout the 4 years, plus there are 950 dif organizations on campus…when we did an admitted students tour a few weeks ago, my parents and i were wandering around campus and stopped a group of 3 students to ask them about the school and everything, and they were all out of state from dif areas of the country and all met eachother through a religious group on campus and now are best friends and what not. i dont think meeting people and getting your group would be an issue.</p>
<p>I-O! Thanks for the information. We’re from just south of DC. It’s a little over 8 hours according to mapquest. I think my son will be making his decision later this week. I’m fine with OSU if that’s what he chooses. As you mentioned, the honors college should make it feel a little smaller. Thanks again, and good luck!</p>
