Ohio State - what are we missing?

[Anonymous]

It is interesting that so many on DCUM love Pitt but OSU isn’t on nearly the number of radar screens. Seems like there should be more crossover appeal.

[Anonymous]

I'm from Ohio OP and went to the University of Cincinnati. I have family who went to Miami and OSU. People really do love OSU and alums are quite active. It's a pretty quick drive from the DMV and Columbus is a growing city. Ignore the naysayers. We noticed a fair number of students there from NY, NJ, DMV and CA. They have a lot of good majors. I work with people who sent there kids there from the DMV.

A lot of people are knocking on Ohio and raving about Michigan. I never got the Michigan mystique. It is freezing in Michigan and not everyone wants to go there.

[Anonymous]

Buckeye currently in the DMV here. If your daughter loved it, there's a lot to be said for that. I actually hate sports and didn't care for the football culture, but there's a ton of other stuff going on at OSU and in Columbus. That said, a prior poster noted how one needs to be really self-directed there to get through. Seeking out an academic mentor/advisor is crucial since it's such a big place to navigate. The reputation isn't all it could be because so many people freaking love Columbus and just stay for their entire lives/careers, and don't serve as advocates. The cost of living is amazing.

[Anonymous]

It's huge and easy to get lost - if you're daughter can handle that kind of atmosphere, then it's probably a good fit.

As for Columbus, a few notes. It's a growing city. It's going to be the host for the next ASAE (association for associations) conference and typically, for cities of that size, it's a huge boon for the future. It's also very white -- which can be weird for people from more diverse areas. Not sure what the OSU demographic stats are though. Also, it's a quick flight from DCA to Columbus on Southwest.

Ohio is like anywhere else - it has good people, it has bad people. Good places and bad places. To those of you knocking Ohio and Midwest in general, shame on you for painting the area with such a broad brush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Ohio OP and went to the University of Cincinnati. I have family who went to Miami and OSU. People really do love OSU and alums are quite active. It's a pretty quick drive from the DMV and Columbus is a growing city. Ignore the naysayers. We noticed a fair number of students there from NY, NJ, DMV and CA. They have a lot of good majors. I work with people who sent there kids there from the DMV.

A lot of people are knocking on Ohio and raving about Michigan. I never got the Michigan mystique. It is freezing in Michigan and not everyone wants to go there.

Ann Arbor is lovely. Detroit is getting better. The UP is gorgeous. And that's about it for Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's huge and easy to get lost - if you're daughter can handle that kind of atmosphere, then it's probably a good fit.

As for Columbus, a few notes. It's a growing city. It's going to be the host for the next ASAE (association for associations) conference and typically, for cities of that size, it's a huge boon for the future. It's also very white -- which can be weird for people from more diverse areas. Not sure what the OSU demographic stats are though. Also, it's a quick flight from DCA to Columbus on Southwest.

Ohio is like anywhere else - it has good people, it has bad people. Good places and bad places. To those of you knocking Ohio and Midwest in general, shame on you for painting the area with such a broad brush.

C-bus native - and I've found it surprisingly diverse when I go back. Largest Japanese grocery store in the US, huge Somali refugee population, and over the past 30 years the University has indeed brought people from around the world to live and stay. But your daughter will indeed meet farm kids who've never met anyone who's not white and christian (who may or may not be surprisingly open minded). I think the biggest problem is lack of spending on public transportation infrastructure, but it's always been okay between the university and downtown.

[Anonymous]

Hey OP,

My daughter is interested in engineering so we have looked at many large schools as her specific engineering major is impossible to find at private schools.

We have been to Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa State, UMD, Virginia Tech, UF, UT, and ASU.

What she liked about OSU
They have great merit and scholarship packages.
The campus is relatively easy to walk around (no hills, pretty compact, food and exercise close to all dorms and class buildings.)
A lot of school spirit
In an urban setting. Not in the cornfields
Change of seasons, but not 25ft of snow each year
A lot of options for extra classes and double/triple major without going in summers
A lot of student activities, IM sports, and clubs
The dorms and dorm system seemed to be pretty nice
Greek life is only 15%

What she didn't like:
The school spirit was a little too centered around sports and there seemed to be a deep divide between studious and not studious.
Kids were content, none seemed overly happy unless they were talking about OSU football.
Our engineering tour was terrible. Both ambassadors that toured were 5 year students. Neither with co-ops. That was a huge red flag for us.
Most kids were sitting alone at lunch eating, in the student union, walking around etc... That was probably the only thing that really stand out that was so different from other schools. Maybe it was the day, but it felt strange.
It felt very in-state. Even more than others that have more in-state. The admissions tour started with the kids coming in chanting OH-IO. We were like WTF.

Anyway, I think a smart kid who can self-advocate could probably be extremely successful there and get in with professors for internships and research quickly. It is not a cut through atmosphere which can be a positive as long as you know your child won't slack. It is probably a much easier place to be at the top of the ladder.

But there was something about it, that my daughter didn't like. She wasn't sure what. She didn't like VT (too rural, too conservative.) but I would say out of the rest OSU was second to last.

We went into Iowa State thinking that was going to be a bust and was so thoroughly impressed with the people, the spirt, the campus, and the love they have for their program. Same with Purdue. That was one of our favorite campuses. More urban feel than I thought and the happiest and spirited kids there. Even the engineering nerds were social and wearing Purdue gear.

So I wouldn't say it was a midwest thing. It was something else for us. That said, my DD's friend is there on a full ride OOS and is having a great time. I wouldn't go on anyone else's perception, but your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All they care about is sports. Not graduation rates or integrity. Do you know how many rapes are committed by the athletes there? Look no further than their football program where they kept a known wife beater on staff for so long. Read what happened under Urban Meyer's tenure at Florida. Crazy. He kept a high powered law firm on speed dial. Maybe it's okay to send boys to Ohio State but certainly you should second guess sending a girl there. Not a school of quality people and the school absolutely will value sports and winning over academic integrity or integrity in general.

I agree that the rape culture you're referring to is abhorrent. However, most students are completely removed from the toxicity of the program. Sure, they might love to root for the team, but beyond that it doesn't impact their integrity or their studies. I didn't attend OSU, but I'm from Ohio so I know a ton of people who did, and none of them were into Greek life or obsessed with sports. The schools is large enough that you can certainly find your peer group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does not have the same reputation as Michigan - it is a step below in all of the programs. (other than Athletics - and that is up for discussion)

Example - I applied Ohio State and got a full ride + stipend and Michigan gave me 0. But - starting salaries coming out of Michigan were much higher - it takes a long time to make up a 15K difference per year in starting base.

There is also a cultural element around The OSU and their hatred for Michigan that turns many off. I know someone in law enforcement in Ohio. State police are encouraged to stop cars with plates from Michigan vs other states. I was driving in Ohio -7 miles over speed limit. Cars are flying past me on the left (with Ohio license plates). I was the car pulled over.

When I visited Columbus people would yell at me in the parking lot for the grocery store - and not in a funny manner - but really seriously that I should go back to Michigan.

It is a very low class feel for The flagship state school.

This is incorrect. Due to gender pay gaps, fewer and fewer interviews are asked about "current" salary and more about pay expectations for the job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP,

My daughter is interested in engineering so we have looked at many large schools as her specific engineering major is impossible to find at private schools.

We have been to Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa State, UMD, Virginia Tech, UF, UT, and ASU.

What she liked about OSU
They have great merit and scholarship packages.
The campus is relatively easy to walk around (no hills, pretty compact, food and exercise close to all dorms and class buildings.)
A lot of school spirit
In an urban setting. Not in the cornfields
Change of seasons, but not 25ft of snow each year
A lot of options for extra classes and double/triple major without going in summers
A lot of student activities, IM sports, and clubs
The dorms and dorm system seemed to be pretty nice
Greek life is only 15%

What she didn't like:
The school spirit was a little too centered around sports and there seemed to be a deep divide between studious and not studious.
Kids were content, none seemed overly happy unless they were talking about OSU football.
Our engineering tour was terrible. Both ambassadors that toured were 5 year students. Neither with co-ops. That was a huge red flag for us.
Most kids were sitting alone at lunch eating, in the student union, walking around etc... That was probably the only thing that really stand out that was so different from other schools. Maybe it was the day, but it felt strange.
It felt very in-state. Even more than others that have more in-state. The admissions tour started with the kids coming in chanting OH-IO. We were like WTF.

Anyway, I think a smart kid who can self-advocate could probably be extremely successful there and get in with professors for internships and research quickly. It is not a cut throat atmosphere which can be a positive as long as you know your child won't slack. It is probably a much easier place to be at the top of the ladder.

But there was something about it, that my daughter didn't like. She wasn't sure what. She didn't like VT (too rural, too conservative.) but I would say out of the rest OSU was second to last.

We went into Iowa State thinking that was going to be a bust and was so thoroughly impressed with the people, the spirt, the campus, and the love they have for their program. Same with Purdue. That was one of our favorite campuses. More urban feel than I thought and the happiest and spirited kids there. Even the engineering nerds were social and wearing Purdue gear.

So I wouldn't say it was a midwest thing. It was something else for us. That said, my DD's friend is there on a full ride OOS and is having a great time. I wouldn't go on anyone else's perception, but your own.

Oh yeah, one more thing I didn't like. The campus had so many roads cars were driving on. It is so similar to UMD in which it takes a car about 20min to get a mile because of the cross walks. There was the huge path and area (forget what it was called and it is all under construction - working on the tunnels underground) so maybe if that was open it would feel a bit different. But my biggest pet peeve with UMD is that it is a campus with too many roads and parking lots in the middle of the campus. Most other major schools have roads surrounding the outside of the main part of campus, giving it a more college campus vibe. OSU was very similar to UMD with tons of traffic and cross walks everywhere that seemed a tad dangerous.

[Anonymous]

I got my doctorate from there. I'd say that nationally, OSU's reputation is a little higher than UMCP's, but that might be less the case on the east coast. I was in/taught in the social sciences, and classes were surprisingly small (they were often taught by grad students, but grad students are frequently better teachers than faculty, so...). The upper level classes were taught by faculty and were also fairly small. I found the undergrads to be engaged, bright, and hard working. I got my undergrad at a SLAC and came in with a snobby attitude, but left thinking that it was a much nicer school than I expected, and you could get a solid education there. It's a gigantic school, but I actually didn't "feel" that as much as I thought I would. You kinda find your niche.

Columbus is an awesome city and a great place to spend 4 years. I was there during the recession and it managed to keep afloat due to a more diversified economy. It's also much more affordable than Ann Arbor, which I found a little small. OSU is, indeed, a driving school but it is NOT a commuter school. You have many opportunities for internships, CMH is a great and well connected airport.

TLDR you're not missing anything. People here have comparable/better in-state publics, and people who want to send their kids out of state are likely drawn to the "elite" schools like Berkeley or Michigan.

OSU, Wisconsin, Illinois, Penn State, Minnesota -- to me, they're all pretty similar. Michigan is better (I just threw up in my mouth a little typing that), as is Virginia.

Also, it's cloudy all winter long in MICHIGAN. Not Ohio. Columbus gets plenty of sun and has pleasant seasons.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the thoughtful posts. Look forward to sharing the perspective with my daughter.

[Anonymous]

Is there an honors college and/or honors residential community your DD might be eligible for?

[Anonymous]

Columbus is sunnier than, say, Cleveland. But it's cold in the winter. And there are often long walks from freshman dorms to classes on the huge campus (although there are campus buses). Columbus is all about OSU sports.

If it's just too big, take a look at Miami, about two hours farther south and west. It's still fairly big but not as overwhelming and far prettier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the thoughtful answer. Our in-state is Maryland which is comparable to OSU academically. But our daughter doesn’t love it and based on what we’ve heard from kids with comparable stats we think she might qualify for enough aid to make it similar in cost. Plus we really think she’d benefit from going away. College Park is quite close and we worry that she’d come home at the first sign of struggle.

Aid, or merit scholarships? Many state universities do not give much financial aid to nonresident students. Better check on that and run the Net Price Calculator. There do appear to be scholarships available to nonresidents.