Ada, OH
Ohio Northern University

It's a great college with amazing people. It's small which is a good thing when it comes to knowing everyone and getting more one on one time with your professors. We like to have fun here and next to academics ,sports is what we live for.

Open up to those around you, because the world is an inviting place if you give it a chance. Don’t make excuses for yourself for why you can’t attempt to socialize and find the kinds of friends that your parents and their friends always have stories about from their “glory days”, because you could miss out on the chance to meet some of the best people you will ever encounter in this world. They enjoy watching the Game Show Network just as much as you do, and appreciate all your poorly made puns, because these people who started out as just your classmates understand you and you understand them. These are the friends you will remember for the rest of your life, so open your door and find them. You don’t want to be the woman years from now who can’t recall a single good story from college that doesn’t involve environmental research. Make those hypothetical stories a reality when you enter the halls of Ohio Northern University next year, because it is possible, even for an awkward sapling such as yourself. You are capable of anything, even socializing.

When I applied to Ohio Northern, I was lucky enough to be accepted into their Honors Program. Since then, I have met so many wonderful people because all of the freshmen in the program live in the same hall. We do so much together and have a great time, but still respect that everyone is at ONU to receive an education. Therefore, I know I can always get my work done while still knowing I have a friend to talk to and play Euchre with. This community is the reason that I am so proud to be a polar bear.

The most frustrating thing about my school is that it is four hours away from my hometown, where so much of my family and friends live. While it is not impossible to get home for a weekend, it makes it much more difficult. It requires much more planning than my friends whom are mostly native Ohioans, which means I can’t see everyone as much as I would like. I love being at ONU, but after being in Lexington for my entire life before college, it is so frustrating to have part of my life so far away.

We are known for our amazing Pharmacy program. In addition to that lesser known is our Forensic Biology program, which will have an accredited forensic labratory by 2016.

Personally, Ohio Northern University is a great place to recieve an ungergraduate degree. It is located in a small village, so it lack the amenities of a big city, but one never feels bored. This is because there are constantly things going on on campus and off campus. The staff at the school are very understanding and friendly people who care about their students and enjoy teaching.

The worst thing aboutt the school has to be the food. The food has always been amongst the worst in the country. Every other night there's boiled chicken, or barbeque boiled chicken, or cajun boiled chicken, or, well you get the point. You better have a strong stomach to eat the food or you may get a case of "mac attack".

Anybody that can't stand the cold should not consider Ohio Northern. The wind here is a blistering cold and there is a reason that our mascot is a Polar Bear. It got so cold here that our school even coined its own twitter tag #PolarBearUp. Also, any person looking to go to parties every weekend should not consider Ohio Northern. The campus is a dry campus and parties are hard to find. That's not to say there aren't parties, but if you're looking to get blackout drunk, Northern isn't for you.

It's October 9th 2013 and I'm alive. Senior year I reeked of failure and social awakwardness. I had no plans and goals for after high school. Instead I found myself tangled up in my own madness. I became that nervous villian lurking behind my fellow classmates who were destined for greatness. Me? I was destined for being alone because; nobody wants a weed inside their garden. I treated every senior acitvity like it was waiting at the doctor's office. It's uncomfortable, long, and dreadful. I wished my senior self knew that you didn't need to already have your life planned out by 17. I'm turning 20 in 26 days and I'm still working out the kinks in my career and education path. Depression yanked away the good parts of me and left me broken for two years. I wished I tooked a deep breath and looked at the joyful things in my life. I was editor on literary magazine and I had created wonderful friendships with teachers over the past four years. I now reek of hope and good memories.

Although they can be friendly, at times they do act small-minded.

I would tell myself, "Go big, or go home." There I was, with the ability to apply to any school I wanted, but I limited myself to staying in Ohio because I was afraid to drift away from my comfort zone. Now I am at a school, that I fit into academically but not always when it comes to other ares, such as finances. Ohio Northern is definitely full of many kids who don't have to work for anything. They can simply call their mom, dad, or grandma and ask for whatever their heart desires. As an independent student, I don't have this luxury. I knew college would be difficult with the lack of a support system in place, but I would tell myself, to not only get a summer job, but 'Save, save, save.' Emergencies happen all of the time and we never know when one may occur. And I'll just say, I have had more than my fair share. I would tell myself that, "A lot of people you depend on now, won't be there 3 years from now... and at first, it WILL hurt. But tomorrow is a new day."

It's in the middle of nowhere.

To say the least, I loathed high school. Not knowing where to start with my future; college was something I couldn’t even grasp. I took the SAT once, ACT once, and I applied to one college. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and got differed, because my SAT score was too low. If I could go back I would probably smack myself in the face and yell “WAKE UP! This is your entire life, take this seriously! No one else is going to do this for you!” Sebastian from the Little Mermaid puts it best, “if you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself.” Instead of just waiting around to see if my parents would help or if someone else was going to magically put me into their University. I know now that if you want to achieve anything it comes with small steps that turn into huge accomplishments. For example, I have now lived on my own in a one bedroom apartment working and going to school full time. Therefore, every task I do puts in motion a goal, from taking out the trash to reading a chapter for school, and creates a dream.

The most unique thing is the quality. Out of the colleges thatI had looked at, Ohio Northern had the friendliest people. Even now that I am enrolled as a full-time student here, the people are still incredibly friendly and nice. Walking around campus you can always expect at least five people to say hello to you, and most of the time, those people are complete strangers. The people here truely care about you and treat you as another friendly individual.

I would tell myself to not stress over the transition. It's not nearly as lonely as I thought it would be, and it is very easy to stay in contact with loved ones back home through phone calls and Skype. Do not be afraid to talk to the people in your classes and/or orientation group; they are just as scared and unsure as you are. Those people will be your first friends at college, and they help ease the feelings of homesickness. Another piece of advice is to try to move in early. I did move in early, and it really helped cut stress on my first official day as a college student. Orientation runs smoother knowing that you are already moved in and can just go back to your room and relax. The last piece of advice that I would have is to tour the campus as many times as possible. It helps to know where all the buildings are even if you do not have classes in them. You never know what building a group's meeting will be in. Lastly, walk through your schedule before the first day; it is a big time saver.

The most frustrating thing about Ohio Northern is wifi connectablity. In the freshmen dorms, wifi is very spotty. An ethernet cord is a must for dorm life. Even in some of the buildings I have not been able to pick up wifi. I only use my laptop in my dorm, and it is always connected to the Internet through an ethernet cord. There is only one corner of my dorm room that has wifi, and I can only pick it up if I sit very still in that one spot.

My classmates are some of the best people I have ever met. They are willing to help with whatever they can, whether it be in or out of the classroom. They are not only classmates, but they are best friends; some are even family. They are there for you when you need them to be, and even when you think you dont need them.

If I could go back in time to when I was a senior in high school, I would talk to myself about time management. Going into college, I expected to have less free time than I do. Sometimes I even have so much that I put off my work for a few days. I would tell myself to work on time management in high school so that it wasn't so hard to manage things in college. Make a list of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done, but make sure to schedule breaks in between. Being self-disciplined in time management would make life so much easier.

The kind of person who should attend this school is one who is focused. The students at this school know what they want to do, and they know how to get there. While they are concerned with their education, they are also concerned with helping others. The students are caring, and give much of their time in community service and assistance on campus. Most of the students come from Christian backgrounds, and have high moral standards.

Small town, small school.

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to get more involved and have more fun.

The best thing about Ohio Northern is the small class size.