Surrounding areas?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Ohio State University
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<p>Hi All! I apologize in advance if this information can be found somewhere… I have looked a bit, but haven’t had any luck.</p>

<p>I am wondering what the areas surround the campus are like. We have a tour scheduled soon, but if the areas around the campus are not safe, then I am not even sure we need to visit. We recently visited the University of Maryland and I was shocked… I would not feel comfortable with my daughter going off campus there. Other schools that we have visited had nice college town atmospheres surrounding them… Penn State, Alabama, UNC… </p>

<p>Has anyone visited both Maryland and OSU and could compare the surrounding areas of the two? I would hate to make the 7+ hour drive to OSU for nothing if the surrounding areas are similar to Maryland’s. (Don’t get me wrong - Maryland is a great school! It is jsut not in the type of area we prefer.)</p>

<p>Thanks for any input you can give me.</p>

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<p>ProudBamaMama-</p>

<p>I’ve never been to Maryland so I can’t compare the schools, but I figured I could at least help you out with OSU and compare it to some other schools that you mentioned since I’ve been there. In my opinion, PSU has one of the best “college town” atmospheres in the country. It’s a very nice area and almost has a neighborhood feel to the town right outside of campus. Ohio State on the other hand is a little more urban and doesn’t feel as much like a neighborhood if you know what I mean. I dont mean this in a bad way but its personal preference to your type of setting. I would say Alabama is between OSU and PSU. They dont have as much of the neighborhood feeling as PSU but instead have the “small town” feel like OSU. Their main off campus hangout is a street called the strip that has bars, food, stores etc. This is like High Street at Ohio State except that it is farther away from campus. </p>

<p>Out of these 3 schools I would say Ohio State is the most urbanized and city like. The campus is a good 10 minutes from downtown and actually does a fantastic job of creating the “college” atmosphere which makes you forget that you’re right next to the city. With that said, OSU has a great and SAFE campus/surrounding areas as long as you dont go past a certain street. I like to say that OSU has 2 campuses. The first one is obviously the real one. But the second is the area across High Street from the main OSU campus. This area is all of the off campus housing for students. It consists of hundreds of houses and apartments that are only there for college students to rent. This is nice because the only places that you need to go as a student that are considered “off campus” are high street and this housing area. All of your necessities are on high street and almost all hangouts/parties are at the off campus houses. This makes for an easy walk and also allows your daughter to be safe since she really never leaves the campus area. </p>

<p>I hope this helps and goodluck!</p>

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<p>TexasBuckeye7, thanks so much! This does help. I didn’t realize that the campus is ten minutes from downtown…So there is a little buffer. We visit PSU often and have a son that attends Bama, so we are familiar with these two areas. Love them both.</p>

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<p>What shocked you about UMD’s area? </p>

<p>No, College Park is not a nice town, but it’s close to DC, which is exciting. The worst thing about College Park is the exorbitant cost. It’s a cruddy place, but the rent is still very high–almost as high as it is in DC. There really aren’t any benefits to living in College Park, but the campus is indeed beautiful.</p>

<p>Columbus is much cheaper and the area is a bit nicer-looking and has more character, but it’s still “urban.” In other words, the things that turned you off about College Park may apply to campus-area Columbus as well. There is crime. There are slum lords. It’s not a “big city,” but it seems so if you’re from the farm.</p>

<p>If your “D” is overly sensitive and uncomfortable with city living, then no, OSU is not the place. However, I will say that many farm kids come to Columbus each year and adjust just fine.</p>

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<p>Thanks, Malia56… I get what you are saying. I guess we are just used to “college towns” (at PSU and Bama) where students are able to walk a block or two off campus to eat out or shop. At Maryland, it seemed that right off campus there were vacant buildings, windows were boarded up, graffiti, etc… It didn’t seem as if students could comfortably spend time right off campus. I, myself, would not be comfortable there, but maybe my daughter would? She has never lived in an area like that. She has lived her whole life in the suburbs. :slight_smile: She is very interested in OSU, so I guess we will just have to visit and see for ourselves. Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Okay, that explains things. You will definitely be able to walk off campus at OSU and go to restaurants, eateries, etc. The strip on High Street adjacent to campus isn’t the <em>nicest</em> in the world (restaurants are more fast food and bars; many are run down), but just south of campus is the Short North area, which is very developed and bustling, and much nicer than anything College Park has to offer. The campus area of Columbus is also better kept and has more “character” than College Park.</p>

<p>And I can’t emphasize how cheap Columbus is in comparison to a place like College Park. Personally, that would be a big factor for me, but I didn’t have a lot of money as a college kid. I think DC is a great city and a great place to live if one wants to expand one’s horizons. In the DC area you will make better connections and have more access to internships and jobs–but you will go broke living there. Friends in College Park often paid well over $1,000 a month in rent–and for terrible, roach-infested apartments that weren’t particularly convenient to anything.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much, Malia56! Your insight is truly appreciated!</p>

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<p>My D graduated from Ohio State this past May. We are from OOS (suburban NY). Ohio State was the very last school she visited. Up to that point Penn State was her first choice. At the point in the tour where you walk across the red enclosed bridge at the RPAC and look at The Shoe, she turned to me and said “Ohio State is my first choice school.” The above posts are incredibly accurate when describing OSU and its surrounding area. The area has so much to offer the students, from the High Street eateries and shops, to the trendy Short North, to downtown Columbus, to the nearby Target, Polaris and Easton malls, the list goes on. Everything is at their fingertips. I have never visited Maryland, however I have heard that the area surrounding the campus is not very desirable. When at OSU, don’t let the off campus housing sway you. It is blocks and blocks of garden apartments and homes for rent. They offer decent rent and the opportunity for the students to gain a bit of independence. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to PM me. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>Editor’s comments are right on. My son is going to be a soph this Fall and we are from the suburbs/farms around us area of NJ. Like editor, Ohio State was the last school we looked at. The day we toured it was pouring rain and windy, even so my son fell in love with the vibe if the school. He was struck by the friendly people, the way the large campus “felt smaller” and the Short North area of eateries, shops is awesome. Downtown is a short ride away and malls are all accessible by bus. My son is moving off campus this year, when I say off campus I mean one block off main campus and closer to some classes than he was on campus last year. My son also visited Maryland, however he didn’t care for the surrounding area immediately around campus either. We much preferred OSU, it is an urban area, but when on campus it doesnt feel urban. My son has many female friends from small towns or rural areas who love OSU. The do a great job of educating the kids during orientation about the campus and surrounding area and OSU has it’s own police, plus a good relationship with the city. </p>

<p>I would encourage you to visit OSU and see how you all feel when you are there. When we toured over 20 schools with our son we were often surprised by our reaction once on campus–some we thought we’d love, we hated, and vice versa. You just can’t be sure until you are there. If you do visit, make sure to see Short North area. Feel free to PM me with any questions.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Thanks, Editor and Nova88! I really appreciate the information you have provided. We will just have to visit and see for ourselves. :slight_smile: I may PM you down the road with more specific questions. Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Hi ProudBamaMama! I’m a rising sophomore girl at OSU and I grew up in Columbus. Yes, like with any urban area it is important to not go out alone after dark and always be alert. However, I have never felt unsafe at OSU or in the surrounding areas. The Short North and German Village are only a short bus ride away and are some of the most up and coming areas in the country. There is always something going on downtown and OSU students get free bus passes with their student ID so visiting surrounding areas is easy and safe. Easton is an outdoor mall nearby and I would highly recommend checking it out if you have time to kill before or after your tour. It is a misconception that OSU has an ugly, urban campus. The oval is beautiful and the dorms and classroom buildings are always being updated and look awesome. RPAC and other facilities are very highly ranked. I couldn’t imagine myself at another university. Hope this helps you make a decision! Go bucks</p>

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<p>Thanks, Buckeyegirl! We are excited to see the campus. I will let everyone know how our tour goes. We were scheduled to visit tomorrow, but are having to postpone it. It might be around Thanksgiving when we end up visiting.</p>

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<p>ProudBamaMama, please keep us posted. Make sure you visit when the campus is active, in session. The students have classes through the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, but are off Wed-Sunday. Most who are leaving for the holiday leave Tuesday or Wednesday morning. The annual Ohio State-Michigan football game is always that weekend, this year it’s away in Ann Arbor, so many students will make that trip for the weekend too. If you do visit that week you may see many signs and references to beating “that school up north”. :)</p>

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<p>OSU was one of the schools we visited DD’s senior year. She was there for a scholarship recognition event. While it was a little too large for her tastes, the surroundings were fine. Not a problem. The only Ohio public university that has an unfavorable environment the moment you step off campus is the University of Cincinnati. It’s very similar to the way you describe Maryland and UC went off DD’s list after an in-person visit for that reason only. They continue to work on that issue by buying up property around campus, I’ve since heard.</p>

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<p>I’ll add my opinion to everybody else’s, with directions being relative to main campus (I consulted with neighborhood cops about best places to live around campus and they confirmed my beliefs):</p>

<p>Areas not to live in:
South
Southeast
East but South of Lane Avenue.
Avoid these three areas at night, this is where the campus area neighborhood bleeds into “the bad neighborhood” and where almost every crime, mugging, beating, etc. has happened.
Weirdly enough this is where all of the newest shopping centers are. That particular part, where the Barnes and Nobles and the movie theater and such are, is pretty safe because of all the people.</p>

<p>Areas that are just fine:
West of main campus
Northwest of main campus (North of Lane Avenue and west of the river)
These places are all on the other side of the river that marks the western boundary of main campus, they are far from the bad neighborhoods.</p>

<p>Areas that are kind of average:
North of main campus (North of Lane but between the river and High St.)
Northeast of main campus (North of Lane and East of High St.)
I’ve lived in these areas for several years and never had a problem, and I’ve gone jogging at night. The northern edge of campus area bleeds into Clintonville which is an upper-middle/upper-class neighborhood. It <em>looks</em> rougher than it actually is.</p>

<p>There was kind of a crime wave a few years ago near and even on campus, towards the end of the crime wave (due in part to a warm winter they say) we were getting near-daily alerts of muggings/beatings/attempted muggings/attempted rapes, including an armed robbery in a campus building in the middle of the day. At the time I was ready to tell anybody who asked that they shouldn’t send their kids to OSU, but to my amazement the cops actually stepped up their patrols and crime went down. Just look at this:</p>

<p>[Ohio</a> State University Public Safety: Police, Security and Fire Prevention](<a href=“http://dps.osu.edu/police/psn/]Ohio”>Public Safety Notices | Department of Public Safety)</p>

<p>Look at how many alerts were for 2011, and look how few were for 2012, or 2013 (and some of these alerts in 2012 were for graffiti!). I think the Cbus police and campus police realized that they couldn’t let OSU, Central Ohio’s golden goose, get a reputation for being a dangerous place, so they let political correctness be darned and actually cracked down on crime. I see cops on patrol all the time now, all over campus and campus neighborhoods.</p>

<p>Now I would say OSU is fine as long as you avoid the troubled neighborhoods I mentioned earlier.</p>

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<p>I have been to Maryland and my son just finished at OSU. OSU has more nice/safe off-campus destinations within walking distance than Maryland in my opinion. Both schools have sketchy areas to be avoided. Mainly, my son stayed clear of areas east of Summit and avoided being out late and alone off-campus.</p>