Ohio University-Main Campus Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Marie

I love the classes for my Athletic Training major. They are very hands on and we learn a ton! They are strongly geared towards getting a good job right out of school. I know my professors by name. The students in the program are competitive. We get along amazingly. I always hear Ohio students having intellectual conversations outside of class.

Brittany

the people really take the time to know you

Emmy

Sometimes I feel that professors abuse the power of the internet. To post an assignment with less than 24 hours to complete, or on a day class is not in session is a little unfair. I remember for one paper, I got instructions for my essay 18 hours before it was due! I sometimes feel that e-mail, blackboard, and Aplia are sometimes hinder rather than help and the professors are not exempt from this.

Ben

The choices you have as far as picking a major are practically endless, and OU even offers a design your own major program in case you can't find something you like. The only large lecture classes are the typical 101 intro courses consisting of 200 or fewer people. As you progress in your studies courses will be trimmed down to around 25 people a class allowing you for one on one interaction with professors. Professors at OU encourage students to visit them during their office hours to discuss material or seek outside help, there is also a wide array of tutoring services available. You can even visit the institutional equity house and be tested for a learning disability. I would suggest you pick something you're passionate about. If you pick something you're moderately interested in then you're not going to get anything out of your coursework. Find your passion, and then seek out ways to involve this passion with your student life. OU has many opportunities for you to accomplish this, it's all a matter of wether or not you will seize these opportunites for your own gain.

Sara

Professors know my name because I'm a grad student. Graduate studies at OU is very different from undergrad.

Sarah

If you're in a smaller class they tend to know your name. My favorite classes where History classes. One was about Nazi Germany and the other was about the history of the Jewish Holocaust. My least favorite classes where pretty much all my Tier II and my Tier III classes because some of them I felt were too detailed in their subject matter for classes that are supposed to be general classes. I think students study about as much as students from other universities. Some study all the time, some not at all. I hate class participation because I always feel like I'm going to answer wrong but it's a big part of the university. Students don't spend time outside of class with professors. I personally hate the Tier requirements. I fee like it's a waste of time that we could be taking classes that we actually want to take. I feel like the university thinks that as long as we take these classes we will become more knowledgeable in these different subject areas, when in truth we pretty much forget a lot of the crap we learn in those useless classes.

Brittany

Yes, professors know my name. I think this stems from my time outside the classroom spent with them. Favorite class- anatomy. I loved learning about the body. Least favorite class- probably math. I'm not such a fan. Studying: students really do need to study. Working now as a grad student with students on academic probation, this area could not be any more clear. In high school students are able to breeze by with a quick glance at notes prior to an exam. In college, you need to study. You need to look at the material at once a day. The more frequently you review, the less cramming you'll need to do before a test. Students are competitive if they know where they're going. Students who are undecided often struggle with finding the motivation to compete academically with their peers. I was competitive. I had to get to grad school. In undergrad, I spent a lot of time outside the class with my professors. Much of my time was spent in the lab with faculty doing research or spending a morning with one of them talking about the program to prospective students. I even babysit for one of them. An Ohio University education is geared toward getting a job. Yes, there is a liberal arts component, but many majors and programs of study include the classes in the Tier II component. Students do not have to go out of their way to find this liberal arts education, but at the same time, no one is striving to find it either.

Steve

Professors in my smaller classes certainly try to get to know the names of their students. Being that I am a Creative Writing major, many of my classes only have about twenty students, so the professor gets to know everyone closely, or as close as the students will allow. My favorite classes are the workshops, where students bring in work they've written and everyone else in the class critiques it. It has helped my writing evolve to a point I did not think it would and I am excited to see where it goes next.

David

Professors tend to vary a lot. Some are really involved and some are very distant. Math classes don't tend to get too "touchy feely", while english classes can get really invovled. Any class in Morton 201 and your professor won't know you... that's one of our large lecture halls of over 500 seats. Students study a lot. OU works hard and plays hard, and we're proud of it. Probably more than we should be. Student will often be found engaging in debates about random stuff (i.e. how many melted paperclips would equal the weight of a car). Happens all the time. The College of Business has a really good repuation, but could use a new building. Copeland hall is a little outdated and could use renovations. The different departments tend to work pretty well togehter and stuff gets done. The College of Business is known for it's cluster. The primary objective of this "cluster" is to integrate different subjects and concepts of four courses so students get a sense of the overlapping issues and learn how to work in real-world situations. So, you're in 4 courses that work together to coordinate on HUGE projects in addition to daily homework assignments. You get a group of 5 or so peers (mostly sophomores and juniors and typically report on a hotbutton issue in the business world. Some recent ones have been the coffee industry and the toy industry. OHIO has a bad rap when it comes to being able to register for classes. Almost everyone I know has had at least one classes they needed to take to graduate not be offered when they needed it.

Laura

I can speak on behalf of Ohio's art department and say, confidently, that the learning environment of the School of Art harbors great comradery. The classes are small, which gives the professor time to work with all students in the class(a necessity for art school). After class, you might go uptown to get a coffee or a bite to eat and end up sitting one table away from your prof... and that's cool. The professors live right down the street from you. You go to the same barbecues, the same gallery openings, and a lot of the time share friends.

Claire

There are some really great professors here that will get to know your name even in a 75 person class and will help you. no questions asked. There are ofcouirse horrible ones who couldn't care less, but they are pretty rare. Students arent very competitive here, unless it's in a Journalism or Engineering class. The classes aren't too tough for the most part.

Bryson

I am always aware of my professors names, I study 1-2 times per week and class participation is slow at first, but as the comfortability level increases, their is also an increase in student participation.