I’m planning on applying to Oklahoma State next month, as it is my number one school. My mom took my twin sister and I to visit in April, and I absolutely fell in love with the campus. I have my heart set on attending the school, but my dad has been discouraging me. We live in Dallas, and he said that Stillwater is a horrible place to live due to high frequency of tornadoes. When I went on the tour, I’d asked my tour guide about tornadoes and the weather down there, and he said he’s never encountered one in all the years he’s been at the university. My friend also told me that Stillwater doesn’t really get hit as much as the Norman/OKC/and Moore areas, which is where he lives (in Moore). I have family in Stillwater as well, and I really want them to talk my dad and maybe give him more insight. So, can anyone who lives in or is familiar with Stillwater share any experiences they’ve had while there?? Have y’all encountered any tornadoes??
If you google “tornadoes in Stillwater OK” there is a ton of information including a list of tornadoes there since 1875.
I attended OSU many years ago and there weren’t any tornados during the three years I was there, but it IS in tornado alley, just like Dallas. I looked up the tornado activity (http://www.city-data.com/city/Stillwater-Oklahoma.html - this website gives lots of stats on cities in the US) and Stillwater’s incidence of tornadoes is 210% higher than the national average and Dallas’s is 155% higher than the national average. So not that much different IMO. I also looked up the crime rates between the two cities and Stillwater definitely has much lower crime statistics. The murder rate in Dallas is MUCH higher than the tornado fatality rate in Stillwater (the last fatalities were 2 in 1999 as opposed to about 150 murders EVERY year in Dallas), so maybe you can sway him with those statistics, lol. Do you think maybe his reasoning might actually be the cost of attending an out of state college? Maybe you can ask it that is a concern or possibly he really just might want you to go to a school a little closer to home?
well the tornadoes hit the far outskirts of town, which is like a good 40 minutes from north Dallas, which is where we live. So maybe I think that’s one reason. I do remember seeing several signs at the airport and around town about Stillwater being America’s friendliness or safest college town, so yes I completely agree. Especially because while on the visit I walked to chick fil a at 10 o’clock at night with my sister and mom and didn’t feel unsafe at all, which is something I can’t say about Dallas. But as far as cost goes, no. My parents aren’t paying for my college. I’ve got two older siblings in college, and with my twin sister and I to add onto it, the only way I’m going to school is through scholarships. And I know it’s not a concern about wanting me to stay nearby. My brother’s school in Houston is further away from home than OSU. My parents have been saying for years how ready they are for me to get out of their house. They want me gone. So idk. Admissions opens July 1st and on sunday my dad said at this point he could care less about where I go to school, and that if I choose to go to OSU, I’d better not put his name on the application or anything pertaining to the school because he wants absolutely nothing to do with it. So I looks like i’m on my own, because my mom doesn’t seem to care too much either. She hated the campus and stayed on her phone the whole tour while we were there. Sorry for the novel lol
I did yesterday! I was very pleased with what I saw! Although unfortunately I’m not the one who needs convincing
As an out of state student, how do you plan to pay for OSU? You mentioned scholarships, but I don’t know too many people that get full ride scholarships. There still may be some out of pocket cost so have you investigated that aspect of applying to OSU? Do you think your stats are good enough to get scholarships? We noticed with my D this year with a big increase in applications it hurt her for a scholarship at the schools she will be attending. She did get some money but not what we would have expected based on prior years.
You might need to investigate the financial situation more so you can have a better target of schools when applications open up this summer. If you parents don’t seem to care, and aren’t willing to co-sign for a loan you may have a hard time with coming up with the funds.
@reginaphalange what dcolosi said. How are you going to pay for an out of state school? Who pays for your siblings college costs? Are they on scholarships? What are your grades/test scores? What is your parent’s income and how much are they willing to contribute? You need to have those questions answered before you can start applying to college. Those answers would also help us give you better advice. I didn’t realize that cost might be a concern when I responded earlier, so the issue here is not really about the weather, it’s about the cost.
Have you checked the OOS merit aid at OSU lately. Very generous scholarships, even better than OU and Alabama! My son has a full ride at OSU if he chooses to attend.
OSU has a very generous OOS scholarship program.