Oregon State University Top Questions

What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?

Melissa

There are a few stereotypes at Oregon State, I guess. I'm pretty sure you will find stereotypes at any school in the US. I think determining whether the stereotype is accurate just depends. You can't say if it's accurate or not unless you actually get to know the person. Some people live up to their stereotype and some don't.

Matt

There are farmers here and there are engineers here too.

Melissa

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Meaghan

The main two stereotypes of students at OSU are either party kids or nerds. Because OSU is a big engineering school, a lot of the students are perceived as nerdy or geeks. The other big category is the partying kids, mainly because OSU is also a big frat/sorority school. I think this stereotype isn't all that accurate. I'm not an engineer, but I do well in school. I also rushed during greek week, but didn't find the right sorority at that time. For the most part, it's impossible to categorize over 20,000 students into one or two categories. There are people here from all 50 states, and across the world. There are so many differentiating factors, and that makes broad, generalizing stereotypes very inaccurate in my opinion.

Jennifer

I've not heard too much about the stereotypes here, but I would say that the biggest one would be tree-hugger type people. Everyone told me I would become a tree hugger hippie once I went to school here. Although there are definitely those type of people here, they are not the only type of people here and definitely not the majority either. There are all types of people at OSU as well as any other college campus you go to.

Kelsey

Oregon State University has been stereotyped as engineering and agricultural school with the majority of students being future farmers. While we do cater to plenty of prospective farmers and engineers, we are also renown for our science, marine science and double degree program for future teachers. What you'll find here at OSU is a very eclectic gathering of various cultures and interesting characters. Not to mention a great party scene, or so they say: OSU has been known for being a big fan of Thirsty Thursdays by many of the fraternities and sororities.

Cassady

Derek

The majority of the students at Oregon State are typically college students that are here to study and learn. People work hard and succeed here. There are the people that party as well, but only a small amount. Fraternities and sororities are very popular here on campus and an accomplishment to get into a house. No matter what group you belong to there is a place for you here at Oregon State University!

Regan

Oregon State University has the reputation of being awesome. What makes us so awesome is that we were started as, and still are, an agricultural school. There are many varieties of studies available, but only at OSU will you find that camouflage, trucks, cowboys, sheep, and country western bars are acceptable and encouraged. We're not just limited to that, however. Those same people you see in cowboy hats, country swinging at the bars, may also be involved in the large Greek system here on campus. Are people wrong when they call OSU a farming school? Not at all, but they offer much more than just that!

Brendan

Oregon State University is very diverse when speaking in terms of the student population. Many find that our school is well known for our engineering programs, but what most don't know is that there are many more fantastic programs that Oregon State has to offer. Breaking away from the educational stereotypes, Oregon State is also known for our Greek system. I spent my freshman year in one of the best fraternities on campus. Overall if there was one stereotype that rang true about Oregon State is that we are located in a college town. Corvallis, Oregon is one of the most amazing places to live and go to school.

Katherine

Oregon State University is a large public university so of course you'll run into the typical stereotypes. The Greek system is very popular, but I do not participate in it. Several of my friends do, and they love it, but the party scene can definitely get out of hand. I think with every school there are the stereotypes, but the most important thing to do is get to know someone before categorizing them.

Cristina

Oregon State University is compiled of students from diverse backgrounds. We pride ourselves on having a tolerant school for all ethnicities, life styles, and backgrounds. Of course there are the frat students, the jocks, the geeks, and the stoners, but what school doesn't have those? If we had no jocks, there would be no sports teams for the school. If we had no frat students, then there wouldn't be any fraternities. These stereotypes are simply categories of schools. Oregon State University is a place where people of all cultures and backgrounds can come and find a niche for themselves.

Ashtyn

Oregon State University has a semi diverse student body overall. However, you probably wouldn't notice this at first glance. There are a few stereotypes at OSU. We're an engineering and agriculture school mostly, so the two biggest stereotypes would probably be that we have mass amounts of "rednecks" who drink heavily, and nerds. Do I find this to be true? Sort of, yes. We have nerds everywhere on campus, and thank the Lord we do, because they basically fund the entire university (while they attend and after they graduate). As for the drunken redneck stereotype, I think maybe it is true to some extent. OSU is a big drinking school and a lot of students that attend it are farmers or Ag business majors. To say that our school is entirely filled with nerds and farmers isn't true obviously, but sometimes stereotypes stem from the truth.

Josh

The two biggest stereotypes associated with Oregon State University would be farm kids (as it is an agricultural school traditionally) and science "nerds" (as it it a Land-, Sea-, and Space-Grant school). However, neither of these stereotypes are applicable in some of the larger on-campus locations, such as the Library and the Memorial Union. Each building has a general group of people within it who are devoted to a specific degree, but when those people leave the building, they are no easier to label than any other person.

Regan

Oregon State University has the reputation of being awesome. What makes us so awesome is that we were started as, and still are, an agricultural school. There are many varieties of studies available, but only at OSU will you find that camouflage, trucks, cowboys, sheep, and country western bars are acceptable and encouraged. We're not just limited to that, however. Those same people you see in cowboy hats, country swinging at the bars, may also be involved in the large Greek system here on campus. Are people wrong when they call OSU a farming school? Not at all, but we offer much more than just that!

Evan

There are many ways to answer this question. Being in the state of Oregon, many people from other states assume OSU is an extremely liberal school. While the school is very progressive and responds very quickly to social issues, there is tons of tradition here. Also, most of the school's resources go to the physical sciences, engineering, and agricultural sciences. This leads to another stereotype that often comes up; that OSU is full of hicks and hillbillies. OSU is the largest school in the state that has any emphasis on the agricultural sciences. This attracts many students from small communities or towns that you may not ever interact with otherwise. Every major at OSU puts a strong emphasis on pursuit of knowledge and professional development, so these hicks or hillbillies you may often hear about are not at OSU..