<p>I am considering going to ohio state this coming year, but I am not familiar with how the quater term function. Does a new class start every quater term, with new students and everything? Also, I would like to go to ohio for the engineering program and ,perhaps, biology. However, I have been reading that ohio is mainly a party school and that, "if you don't like sports you shouldn't go there". Well, I despise football and am actually planning to get the highest GPA possible, and maybe transfer after two years. I decided to apply to ohio because it seems to be a good public school and because although I have been getting straight A's for j and s year, my math SAT and early years were not as great. So, I was thinking about going to ohio as a transition school intead of going to a SUNY(state) school in NY, which are sometimes lousy and devoid of school spirit. Do you guys think osu is a good place for an academic oriented person like me or should I look somewhere else? </p>
<p>like i said, osu seems to be have better programs and I did not like the universities that I visitted in NY. They have a good business school, which I may plan to attend for accounting. Slipper, can you elaborate a bit more?</p>
<p>Did your evaluation of the SUNY campuses include Genesseo, Oswego, Plattsburgh or the University at Buffalo? Each of those have quality academic departments. And since you're considering state schools....</p>
<p>I did consider those. But the fisher school of business at ohio state seems to be stronger than any SUNY. Like I said, I am consirering a major in accounting, so that seems like a good place to start.</p>
<p>If given a choice, I would rather go to school at another state. I don't like what I have been hearing about SUNY schools. I actually thought about geneseo, but i don't think I would get in to be completely honest with you.</p>
<p>OK, if SUNY is not your cup of tea, and you want a public school experience in Ohio, then consider the excellent Ohio University (Athens). A really fine school (including engineering and accounting programs) with a private college feel. Very competitive admissions selections. Also, lots of New Yorkers like Miami University, which you may not realize is also an Ohio public university.</p>
<p>Finally, Bowling Green State University also decent marks for its academics.</p>
<p>You will like Ohio State. It's big enough to have something for everyone to do. OU and Miami are literally in the middle of nowhere, you will be bored very quickly. BG is a decent school, but not on the level of OSU. You will learn to love the football. The whole state loves the football.</p>
<p>mark:
Do not be discouraged by things you hear about OSU on here. It's a huge school -- and I thnk it's hard to generalize about 40,000+ students. So, if you are looking for non-football kids, I'm sure they're there!</p>
<p>It seems to me that you rarely hear about kids (or adults) who regret going to the Big 10 schools. In fact, overall, I think they seem to have many of the happiest students (unlike SUNY). If I were making a choice between any of the SUNYs and OSU it would be OSU hands down. </p>
<p>OSU also gives even out-of-state kids scholarships. Additionally, it is very easy to become an Ohio resident and pay in-state tuition your second year. It's conceivable that you could spend almost the same money there as at a SUNY. Columbus is a nice city too and OSU is right in the middle of things.</p>
<p>To answer your first question: yes, you start a new class every quarter. which means new students and everything. I hear more people saying they like the quarter system than they do the semester system (it’s one of those things.. once you go quarter, you can’t go back).</p>
<p>The notion that Ohio State is a party school is not untrue, but a lot less true than it used to be. In the past four years OSU has done a number of things to bolster their programs (engineering is a good example). Admissions is slightly more selective (3.0 GPA, 26+ ACT) and rivals in-state, private school Miami in academics (US NEWS rankings). I don’t mean to come off as much of an advocate, though, since I’m a little confused about your situation. As a NY resident, out of state tuition for OSU would be $20,000. For a school that you just plan to transfer out of after two years, that seems like a fairly large chunk of change (especially since other more academic schools could be a better choice for the programs you are interested in).</p>
<p>As a person who is also academically orientated and plans on going to OSU, I can say that a college is what YOU make of it. If you are looking for a more selective school, look elsewhere. If you think you can’t get in to a more selective school, apply. </p>
<p>People love OSU football because it’s a tradition and it’s something that brings the entire state together, despite clashing differences. I’m not a huge football fan either, but the atmosphere of game day can be pretty exhilarating. I agree with the comment someone else said above: you will learn to love it. </p>
<p>Attending OSU is not going to change you, unless you let it.</p>
<p>saint_paul, I can see how I was a bit vague. I received financial aid from OSU and have family members there, so it would only cost about $4000 more than going to a SUNY, and in the end the tuition may even be the same considering that I would need dorm housing for a SUNY. I said ohio was sort of a transition school, but that would only be the case if I was unhappy there and felt that I could be in a better graduate school. I may pursue a major in accounting, in which case I will likely stay at ohiostate all four--or more--years. The thing is, I chose some schools that I think I had a good shot of getting accepted to. And looking back at my list, ohio is virtually the only one that is sort of guaranteed that I will get accepted. So, since this is my only certainty, I trying to find out early if it would be constructive for me to move there instead of just sticking around and attending a SUNY. </p>
<p>Thank you everyone that commented, it has really helped get an impression of osu.</p>
<p>saint_paul, when are you planning on applying to ohio? And why did you decide to consider the school--are you from OH?</p>
<p>"If you are looking for a more selective school, look elsewhere. If you think you can’t get in to a more selective school, apply. "</p>
<p>That was pretty much my rationale. I was just wondering if Ohio was worthy for my intentions if I end up with a few school choices. Although my senior year proves that I am capable of competing at the level of more selective schools, my overall credentials would place these schools as a reach for me. Ohio, among others, is one of my preferred matches, so I am serioulsy considering it.</p>
<p>As for Ohio University, It would be very expensive and its business school is less prestigious than OSU's. The input that you guys provided has been excellent. I am certaintly a lot more confident about OSU and where I should go to.</p>
<p>And isn't Ou actually less competitive than OSU. Acceptance rate for OU=85%</p>
<p>Woah, sorry about that weenie (I think I knew it was public but it slipped my mind).. thanks though.</p>
<p>I am in the application process right now for fall ‘07. I live in a suburb northwest of Columbus, and OSU is about a 15 minute drive on 315. Obviously as an Ohio resident, it is pretty much expected that you apply/attend OSU, but this isn’t really the case anymore (lower test scores/gpa are sending kids to BGSU, OU, etc). Before OSU, I was interested in LACs in the Midwest and the East Coast (Hampshire, Oberlin, Grinnell, for example). It took me about a year to realize that I could suck out of OSU just about everything that these places offered, if not more. Financially, it would cost thousands less.. and although I don’t come from a low income family, 40k/year is not my style. Socially, OSU has a great atmosphere -- but that’s something that could easily be turned into a heated discussion. A lot of people dislike OSU because it’s in the middle of Columbus, which is evidently rooted in rape and crime. Personally, I would rather spend my collegiate years in real life, dealing with real life issues, than a small, middle of nowhere college campus where the main attraction is a Walmart and a gas station. </p>
<p>I better understand where you are coming from now financially. Since you say OSU is a good match, definitely apply. If you are still worried about academics but enjoy the school, try getting into the honors or scholars program (benefits include priority scheduling, honors classes, prof connections, lectures, events, honors housing, so on), it’s worth a look at. I don’t think you’ll regret applying even if you decide not to go.</p>
<p>edit:
My older brother currently attends OSU as a junior in the biological sciences (I think you said you were interested in biology). I can definitely assure you that he is NOT a football fan (or any sport fan for that matter), but he still loves OSU.</p>