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What do you guys know about this school? Academics, social, and overall reputation are all important to me.

Subjective responses encouraged...

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Thursday, July 08, 2004 - 08:39 pm: Edit

Good solid school. Compare with Denison, Wooster, Wittenburg and the smaller state schools in Ohio.

By Chauncey (Chauncey) on Friday, July 09, 2004 - 01:09 pm: Edit

It is, indeed, solid, and I think under-rated. They're in the midst of a lot of remodeling, building, etc. that is an asset to the campus.

MERIT AID IS VERY GOOD THERE.

My son came very close to attending, then chose another one for his own reasons, but Ohio Wesleyan made a strong impression. I think it iw trying very hard to raise its image.

Town is kind of sleepy, but it's a fairly easy trip to columbus.

We met a couple of very strong strudents there and people who were very friendly and obliging. But we also had a tour guide who seemed to have descended on Delaware from Mars. If he had been our only contact there, we would have walked away immediately. (Tour guides might be a good topic for another thread, because in our marathon of college tours, we found them to run the gamut from stellar to pathetic.)

Anyway -- Ohio Wesleyan seems to get some sneers from its Ohio brethren, particularly Kenyon. But I find Kenyon to be a barely disguised snob school, anyway.

Also check out Denison. It's superb and somewhat underappreciated.

By Wesleyanstudent (Wesleyanstudent) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 10:30 am: Edit

I am finishing my senior year and have loved every minute, and my brother is going to be a freshman in the Fall.

Most of the people I know at Ohio Wesleyan come from New England. You ask anyone where they're from, and chances are you'll get the number of minutes outside of Boston they live, CT, NY, but it's not as bad as it seems. Despite the huge numbers of Boston, CT, and NY suburbians we have at OWU, we also have people from all over the country (my roommates freshman year were from Hawaii and West Virginia) and all over the world. Not to mention the fact that no matter where they are all from, the people at OWU are overwhelmingly fun and relaxed, and a big part of the reason the school is as great as it is.

The biggest incentives to come to OWU over other similar schools are our academics, great selection of class and our diversity and location.
The SLU system is unique to OWU and becoming more and more of a plus as the fraternity scene is diminishing. The major benefit of the houses are their parties, which give students a chance to have a good social time (and, of course, drink beer, let's be honest) in a larger atmosphere. The parties are consistently packed and mean that you can meet new people every weekend if you want. And if you love dancing, as I do, then it gives you the dancing scene that many other small schools lack.

The SLUs also organize all kinds of other events, like lectures, professor dinners, and fairs. If you have ideas, you can usually get them implemented through your Small living Unit house.

Ohio Wesleyan is a lot like many other small New England liberal arts colleges, but the several things I listed earlier are what really make it different, and better in my opinion. You might think being in Ohio for four years is awful, but Columbus is so close that you can have a lot of fun here.

You might not have heard of Ohio Wesleyan before, but that doesn't mean that it isn't for you or your kid. My dad keeps saying how he wishes he could go back to college so that he could go to Ohio Wesleyan; it's just that nice. I've had a great time, but that obviously doesn't mean everyone will. If you feel the need to be in the middle of a city, then OWU is not for you. But if you want to be able to walk around campus and know most of the people you see, have a great time, get personal attention from professors, and live and eat great, then you should take a closer look at Ohio Wesleyan. Come visit us!