We had a mini-visit today, just because. We missed the dorm tour last visit so we toured Walker today. I liked the room setup. Our guide was a graduating senior who is med-school bound; he said if he had his time to do over, he’d start out in Walker and then move to Boren for his junior and senior years.
We got to play with the 3D printers in the IT Lab. This was ridiculously fun.
We visited many of the engineering labs, and my daughter really dug the atmosphere in them.
Regarding scheduling classes before AP results are out: the National Scholars rep explained the advisors double-schedule the kids with both classes, and then drop the unnecessary one once AP scores are known. This was a relief to hear.
Connor, our guide, said the summer after freshman year is the golden window for study abroad.
I asked every student we passed about dehumidifiers. It was 50-50 on needed and not needed. This did not help at all.
We also explored the tunnel passages between buildings. These babies will come in handy on foul weather days or the entirety of August.
Anyway. We had fun goofing off, and plan to go back in a few weeks to scout out the closest Walgreens, Urgent Care clinic, and suchlike. I am thankful we are so close to Norman, which makes these trips so much easier. If anyone here would like us to look for a specific something, let me know.
@HeliMom74, glad to hear that you had a good visit. This is such a fun time and OU is very welcoming.There is a CVS on Campus Corner that is walking distance. Last time I checked the CVS website, that location did not show up. I think it is the closest pharmacy. Although there can be advantages to going to college out-of-state, we have enjoyed D being close, but not right in our neighborhood. I have enjoyed providing occasional delivery service of random items and having lunch with D as well as the ease of her coming home for holidays and a few weekends, but she is far enough to be “away” at school.
Thanks for the report @HeliMom74 . I think we will go ahead with the dehumidifier. My son will probably appreciate it coming from a much drier climate.
Our engineering tour guide was telling us how a professor had moved his class to the tunnels (and kept right on teaching) during a tornado warning just the week before we were there.
I never thought of requesting a tour guide from a field of interest to my daughter. Perhaps the National Scholars office did it on purpose? At any rate, it was a great matchup. The guide offered tidbits of special interest to my daughter, and talked about things to avoid.
We will also get the dehumidifier. And a big rug–that tile will be COLD!
Yes, I think the Scholars office intentionally does the match-up. Happened for us twice (D13 and S)
Good point about the floor. D’s college had carpet in the rooms so I forgot about the tile floors in Walker.
Connor is a great guy. Glad you got him as a tour guide.
There are two pharmacies within walking distance of OU. CVS, which as ohmmom said is on Campus Corner, and the one in Goddard Health Services (on campus). Personally I use the one in Goddard since they have my medical records.
According to Google Maps there are two urgent care clinics close to OU, Classen and East Norman Urgent Care. However, the two times I had serious medical issues, I was advised to go to the Norman Regional Hospital which is about 2 miles away from the university.
He was wonderful! So enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable about campus. He showed us neat out-of-the-way places and was very patient with all my mom-questions. Very good ambassador for the school!
Thanks, @whenhen!
@HeliMom74 -It is interesting that your tour guide would move to Boren for his junior/senior year if he could do it all over again. I wonder what his rationale is?
Does anyone know whether the majority of rooms in Boren/Cate are occupied by freshmen or upperclassmen/transferred students? Or it is more like 50/50?
@sunnydayfun when I lived in Cate a high percent of the students were upperclassmen. However I believe Cate is going to be repurposed so my experience may not matter for incoming students. Boren has a much higher percent of freshmen than upperclassmen.
However, the overwhelming majority of students elect to live off campus or in the technically on campus Traditions. When the residential college is built, more students will likely elect to live on campus, but the numbers will still be presumably low. Personally I live in a student apartment complex less than a mile from campus.