University of Tulsa Top Questions

What is your overall opinion of this school?

Fernanda

It's a nice small school. There is a decent amount of partying done by greeks and athletes. Football is big, classes are small, teachers are nice. There isn't much to do outside of campus and not much of a public transportation system to get to the few places that are worth going to. You will definitely get the college experience without having to deal with outrageously huge classes. Our financial aid office is pretty generous too. If I wasn't a Petroleum Engineering major, i probably wouldn't be here just because everyone is so conservative and this isn't the environment i'm used to as somefrom from a big and lively city like LA.

Jessica

TU is a great school which offers an amazing education with small classes, as well as a great social life. The professors are amazing and most of them allow you to get involved in research or their department somehow. The school is just right in terms of size. I wouldn't want my classes any smaller or any bigger. When I tell people I go to TU, they are usually very happy and know that I will get the best education there and have a great time. TU's administration is great. They are very available to the students and really don't just want the paycheck--they want to help you succeed and be happy. ACAC is a big hangout, as well as the dorms and the Greek houses. However, I wasn't involved in anything Greek and I always had a safe, fun place to hang out. It's not really a "college town" but it's a great beautiful city. There is tons of school pride. One of the biggest examples of this is at Football games. I never ever thought I would like going to the games, but it's great just because of the people.

Tiffany

TU is a great school because it gives you the best of both worlds: you have a small, close-knit community and inviting atmosphere with professors who know who you are and actually give a crap about you, but ... you still have DI sports and there are enough people on campus that you can make new friends daily. One thing that blew me away when I started school here was how much the professors care about the students. Classes are small and many of mine were only 10 or 11 students seated around a circular table, like some sort of meeting. Every professor I have had has known my name and been readily available if I needed help outside of class. When I tell people in OKC that I go to TU, they say "... what's that, Texas?" There are some Okies here, but a good percentage of the students come from out of state. Oklahoma has a stereotype of being really hick and weird and crappy, but it's actually a nice place to live. People here are really friendly. There is plenty of stuff to do in Tulsa, and most bands worth seeing come through here rather than OKC. One experience I will always remember about TU is the entire week of Orientation that the school provides for incoming students. It's free, it's fun, and you meet tooooons of new people. Starting out college with that Orientation definitely improved what would have already been a great experience.

Reese

the best thing about TU is the size. it's big enough that i meet new people all the time, but small enough that i can also recognize someone just about everywhere i go on campus. i spend most of my free time hanging out in my apartment/dorm, which is true for most students. it seems to me that TU's school pride is growing year by year, which is encouraging. the biggest student complaint is PARKING. the school boasts about all the new housing on campus, but not only did they not provide enough space to accommodate the new resident's cars, they also hiked the rate for a parking permit waaay up. the administration will listen to you if you literally walk over to the administration building (i once walked into the president's office to make a complaint, and wasn't turned away), but they remain blissfully ignorant when any kind of email correspondence is attempted.

Mike

The best thing about TU is the student body. We have a diverse group of people from areas of the country (and abroad) that you wouldn't expect. The school size is a little small, but I enjoy the community feel of the campus. Most people are surprised that I go to TU when I'm from Saint Louis because they don't know much about the school and they assume Oklahoma is in the middle-of-no-where. I spend most of my time in my apartment or my friends' apartments. Tulsa isn't a college town, it's a medium-sized city with all of the normal conveniences. TU's administration is by far the biggest problem, and it's very upsetting. They try to present themselves as open and caring to students' needs, when actually it's quite the opposite. There are a lot of little problems that add up; I'll name a few for example: 1. Parking lots were destroyed in order to create student commons (giant fields), which created a parking shortage. The solution was to increase the price for parking permit, restrict everyone to a particular lot based on where you live, and increase security and fines for non-compliance. This resulted in one of my friends receiving a $100 fine because there were literally no parking spots in the lot he was assigned to park in. 2. New apartments were just built prior to my junior year, so I naturally picked one during the residence lottery. They are almost identical to the current apartments on-campus except for one glaring problem: energy. While my normal electricity bill was around $40-50/month during the summer and early fall months, I saw it jump to over $170 in December, and part of the month I wasn't even there because I was home for winter break. The administration cut cost corners for themselves by installing the most inefficient heaters at the students' costs.

Amy

TU puts students first. During multiple large scale construction projects, the university opened replacement computer labs and had a modified shuttle system to help students maneuver the construction. Tulsa is a great city with lots of live music venues, athletic teams (baseball, basketball, and hockey), festivals, and museums (two of which have partnerships with the university. There is a mall, an upscale shopping district, two movie theaters, and several other attractions close to campus. School pride is evident at campus athletic events, where students join together in the "Wear Blue" campaign. Athletic tickets, Springfest concert tickets, numerous t-shirts, and goodies ranging from lawn chairs to free plants are all free for students. TU offers an extremely high quality of life for students.

Megan

I love how TU is a community; you are never just a number to any teacher or student. Everyone seems to care about everyone. Even the greek system on TU's campus is involved without being exclusive to any one type of person or sterotype. TU is also not a college town, there are a lot of other things to do in Tulsa and you can get away when you need to, which you will. TU also just started the "wear blue" campaign and the turn out at many sporting events has improved 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} since I started there in 2003. It was the best years of my life, so far, and I would not change one bit of it!

Laura

I think TU is a good size, especially since Tulsa is not a very big city compared to Dallas. When I tell people I go to Tulsa, they either ask me why I chose that school or acted like they didn't know there was a University of Tulsa. Tulsa is not what I would call a college town, but it does have some minor league sports teams close to campus and good restaurants. All residents of Tulsa I have met like the school and have a positive opinion of its students. In my first year I didn't have a car and left campus less than twenty times through the course of the entire year. The campus had everything I needed and I only left five or so times for groceries, five or so times for restaurants, and the three times my family came to visit, plus the times I went to the airport to visit them. I spend most of my time in my dorm where a lot of my friends live. There is a lot of school pride. The biggest controversies included the stealing of bicycles and vandalism of cars and drug/alcohol-related sickness and death. It is a wet campus, which I think is better than dry because that way the fraternities can be on campus and no one drives home drunk from parties and no one smuggles booze onto campus since it is legal to have alcohol. I don't think a lot of drugs go on other than alcohol and cigarettes, but there is some, and one person died from an overdose this year. The cafeteria is by far the worst thing about TU. It is awful. Sodexho took over the dining services last year and the cafeteria did not improve and in some ways declined as I am told.

kyle

TU has a great small campus atmosphere. It is also really friendly. From the start at orientation week, freshmen are welcomed into the Tulsa community. One downside of Tulsa is it doesn't really knock anybody over when you tell them that you go there... mainly because our football and basketball teams aren't tier 1 (although they are making strides). However, Tulsa has some great programs, especially in Engineering and Business. Tulsa is definitely not a college town... and there's definitely not as much to do here as there are in a lot of other places. Every incoming group of freshmen brings in more school pride than the previous group... Tulsa is definitely on the rise, with major construction projects which should be completed by the end of the '08-'09 school year, an increasingly strong student body, and improving sports programs. We hang out on the "U" a lot, which is a grassy area surrounded by buildings. It's a great place to relax. Students complain about the cafeteria a lot, because it is a

Megan

I really appreciate the small class sizes at TU. The largest class I was ever in was a Geology lecture course, and that was about 50 people. All my other classes never exceeded 20 students, even the intro courses. I think our Greek system is pretty unique--it's very inclusive, and there's no alienation based on what house you're in or if you're not Greek.

Dale

one thing I'd change is the housing rates and books costs...... I had to move off campus to save some money. This issue brought me a LOT of trouble. Although living on-campus is great, but the price is too much!! TU is a great place if they just drop the housing rates (and books rates that I found on eBay way a lot cheaper). Student have free fitness center and a lot of activities that come and go. The school is good (I'm majoring engineering)... (but of course nothing is perfect!) Another ridiculous thing TU does to its students (sorry about being rude, but I've kept that inside of me for a long time) is that you have to pay for the dining hall (cafeteria), that is located at the Twin Towers, whether you like it or not (few exceptions apply). Therefore, I had to go to that cafe every single day. I found 3 to 4 meals a week that were good, the rest of meals were ok to bad. I couldn't get my money back neither stop paying for that food because "these are the rules...as long as you still didn't finish 4 semesters, you'll have to pay for that damn cafe...sorry :)"....that what they keep telling me every time I go to the housing office hoping to get my dollars back ( I added the word "damn"). I'm sponsored by a company therefore I have no idea about administration.

Amy

The best thing about TU is the people. The students and faculty at TU are geniunely some of the nicest people you will ever get to know. When I came to TU as a freshman I literally knew not a single person, but as soon as I set foot on campus I met so many people! Older students were willing to show me around and introduce me to their friends. Other new students wanted to get to know me and hang out. I instantly felt like I was at home. Many people get excited about Football and Men's Basketball. During the seasons of those two sports, we have excellent turn outs at games. People wear blue, they paint themselves blue and gold, and chant and cheer for the entire game. These games are some of the best experiences I've had. But students don't support the other teams that much. If I could change one thing about TU, I would have the other sports get as much enthusiasm from our students as Football and Men's Basketball.

Laurel

The school is really small, and that's perfect. You see people walking around campus you know but sometimes you won't know anyone at a party. Tulsa is not a college town, but it's becoming college friendly. The administration is really corrupt, they don't spend money on education, but rather on building projects and athletics, leaving kids with huge fines for paying for departmental supplies, which should be provided by the school. Construction is everywhere on campus and it is nicknamed "TU Department of Holes" because there are deep holes just everywhere on campus. Some are wondering if they're searching for treasure under the U. The biggest problem at TU is the price of tuition. No one seems to know where it goes and in the art department you sometimes have to pay for hundreds of dollars worth of supplies, none payed for by the department, they usually come out of professor's paychecks. It seems to me that the administration is just getting a huge paycheck because professors don't get payed much and students don't get much. Its a real corrupt system, which has repeatedly stated it doesn't want to improve academics of departments if it means losing money.

Sophia

TU has a great number of students for someone who is looking for small but not minute. However, you do have to look closely for people who share the same interests as you. If you are uninvolved, it will be more difficult for you to find someone with whom you get along.

Katie

I like the campus a lot. All the buildings match and I think it looks very classy. I also loved the fact that almost everyone lives on campus. That way you are never far from the friends that you don't live with. The apartments are very nice and that is what keeps people on campus. The facilities are also some of the best in the nation. Playing a college sport I got to view a lot of campuses and very very few have facilities like ours. When I have said I went to TU I get nothing but great responses and most people say I have heard wonderful things about that school.

Megan

TU is a fantastic university. It's the perfect-size and we're like a big family. The worst part of it is that as the university tries to put itself on the map it feels like the administration is losing their focus on the students. Size-wise, we're just right. Your classes are fairly small which provides opportunities to ask questions and engage in discussions. The campus is easy to walk, you don't need to have another mode of transportation to get around campus (although a bike or a car is nice to have to get to the store). You can't walk around campus without running into people you know, but it's large enough to avoid that ex, at least most of the time. People in Tulsa think very highly of TU. Our students rarely get into trouble. People spend time, mostly on campus, especially when they live there. The residences are nice enough that they make a really good place to hang out. The school pride we have is amazing! It can rival that of the biggest schools in the nation. We love our athletics and go out to support our teams at every opportunity, even if it means painfully long bus-rides. The most frequent complaints are that the administration is forgetting about us. They forget that it is already expensive to go to TU and continue to charge us and raise the prices for everything.

Robin

Best thing about TU is the teachers. i would get better food in the cafeteria. School size is just right. I spend most of my time in my dorm.

Jordan

The best thing about TU is the community. The week before class at orientation, not only do you have one of the best weeks of college, but you meet an insane amount of nice people that are ready to move above the drama that was once called high school. Once classes start, you will see all of your awesome friends you made at orientation and you will feel at home. That one place you used to stay at with your parents becomes less and less relevant by the day! The relationships you make will carry you through any trying times and will also create some of the best memories of your life, while also making you very passionate for your love for TU. The one thing I would change at the moment is parking. We have quickly built several new buildings and have lost parking due to contruction and building placement. It would be nice to not have to fight for a parking spot around campus! Some would say TU is a little small, but I think it's just right. Any bigger and you wouldn't really have the close relationships with most people you see. The campus is roughly a square mile and has around 5000 undergrad and grad students combined. If I'm out of state, some people have never heard of TU or they don't know much about it. If I'm in state, they immediately assume I'm really smart. I spend most of my time on campus in my apartment. They are currently building a new entrance right next to my apartment so it should be pretty nice when they finish it. I also spend a lot of time at the KA house, my fraternity. My favorite place to hit up for food is ACAC because they have the best selection on campus. TU's administration is fanatastic. Any professor, employee, or administrator will bend over backwards for you. Nearly every employee of the university that I have met is extremely social and personal. I have even had some of my professors over for dinner at my apartment! Our president, Steadman Upham, is revered around campus. We even say things like, "Steadman Upham could kill Chuck Norris with a simple wink." The guy really is a beast though. He is TALL.

Melissa

The good things: There are some really good things about TU. For one, it is easy to make friends. They have a dormitory that is only for Freshman. If you live there you are guaranteed to make friends. Most people on campus are also friendly. Pretty much the entire administration will do whatever they can to help you. There are many campus organizations that will allow you to diversify your experiences at TU. The bad things: There are many inept professors, and many programs are forced to rely on adjunct professors, sometimes unqualified, because they do not have enough to fund their programs adequately. This is because much of TU's funds currently are going to sports. TU does not treat their faculty very well. There are many professors who have left the University since I have been here because they have received offers from other schools and TU does not offer counter offers. With the new President (who has been president since 2008) there have been many negative changes. It seems that the university is much more concerned with appearances and reputation, which they encourage by undertaking too many construction projects at once (campus is impossible to drive in) and too much money to sports. The new President has also brought in stricter conduct policies. More people get in trouble for drugs and alcohol, whereas students could get away with it before as long as it wasn't blatantly ridiculous.

Jay

TU is full of character. You can go to a big state school and have a great college experience. But go to TU and you will have the great college experience, but that is also unique and unlike any state school. It has the pride and spirit of a large school but all the benefits of a small school. The people here are spirited, grounded, and a lot of fun. They truely care about you.

Michelle

One of the things that I cannot wait for TU to finish is the construction. The renovations that the campus is undergoing right now is a bit annoying to the students, but after they are completed, which the administration suspect will be by the start of the fall semester, the campus will look more beautiful than it already is. Tulsa is a beautiful city and isn't really a college town. Everything does not revolve around the university although the college is supported very well by its citizens. I was born and raised in Tulsa. I came from a high school that was just about the size of TU. When I looked for a university, I wanted a small one so it worked out for me. I get to know everyone. Everyone is so friendly here. My parents are very happy that I didn't go far from home. I live on campus this year and I love it. I'm away from home but if I ever need anything my parents are 20 minutes away. When I tell people I go to TU, they are extremely impressed. TU is ranked among the top 100 colleges in the nation.

Caroline

I grew up about twenty minutes outside of Tulsa, and I decided to come to TU because everyone I graduated with went to either the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, or Tulsa Community College. Attending TU would make me different and force me to make new friends. I could not have asked for a better school. Though excruciatingly small at times (only 4,000 students currently enrolled!), TU has always had everything I needed. I love the fact that my biggest class has only had about fifty students. My professors know me by name and say hi to me when I see them outside of class. The people here are incredibly nice for the most part, and groups of friends intermingle. I have made some of the best friends I have ever had, and hope to have them for life. I will never forget sledding out on the intramural field on a construction sign at one in the morning! TU is an exemplary place for someone to have the "college experience" without being overwhelmed.

Karl

TU's administration is far more concerned with "keeping up with the Joneses" (trying to come off as the "Harvard of the Midwest" or some other such nonsense) than actually serving its student community. Right now they are entrenched in a huge "Front Door" campaign that has made campus a veritable war zone for the past few years, with no end really in sight. Construction projects are started and untouched for months, and then there is a giant flurry of activity and they are done. Construction also begins at 7am or earlier, waking up those of us who are living in the brand new apartments. The good news of it all, though, is that the University of Tulsa Performing Arts Center is on the verge of breaking ground. When approached about ridiculous fees, students are told by those in charge that it's "not as bad as some other schools", when the truth is, rates should not be made in comparison with other colleges, but what is best for the students and the community here. Parking is a major problem on campus, and students should expect to pay as much or more than the flat parking rate ($50) in fines if they need to drive their cars anywhere else on campus than their assigned lots. Tulsa, Oklahoma is not only one of the most racially segregated cities in the country, it is also one of the most religiously fundamental (ORU is in the same town, remember). One can expect to find bastions of Health & Wealth Gospel all over the city, from Guts Church to The Wisdom Center to the very existence of Rhema Bible College and Oral Roberts U. Somehow, TU ranks in the Top 10 for Student Happiness, according to the U.S. News & World Report. The truth is that students frequently feel betrayed and manipulated by an administration that operates far more like a corporation than a university.

Wendy

I do wish that the TU students were more active and responsive to social events. I love TU and the overall campus and just everything about it is pretty great. The size is just perfect because it's not too large and the class sizes are normal. We get better interaction with other students and the professors as well. It really is a "home away from home". The administration could change their communication skills. I find myself going to one building with one question and they tell me to go to another building to get the answer. Although there isn't a lot of places to go on campus, it is nice to just sit out on the grassy area in the front of campus on a nice day and just read a book or relax. The most frequent complaints I think I hear about are the cafeteria food choices and the shuttles. They need more healthier foods to put in the cafeteria. And the shuttles should drive around all the time instead of having students wait on them not knowing when they will come when we have a class soon that we need to get to. Overall though, I feel that TU is one the greatest universities around!

Alex

TU is a great school. I don't ever want to leave! Greek life is awesome as well. TU is a top tier school, and it feels like it. There are a ton of great people here, but it is small enough that I see people I know no matter where I go.

Sarah

I definitely love the people here. Everyone is so nice and friendly. You know pretty much everyone on campus its great! I like the size of our school but many people may think its a little small. I love the small atmosphere though, its great because you really get to know everyone and I always see my friends I know on my way to classes. Most of my friends back home think I'm crazy for going so far away but they really do not have an opinion either way.

Emily

TU is a small Division 1 school with a big feel. The community on campus is incredible. Some may say that TU is too small, but really it is just right, you always will know someone, but there will always be people you don't know too. Majority of my time is spent in my dorm, friends apartments, in the business hall, and our union. Tulsa is not really a 'college town' but I love the city. Our biggest controversy has been the new campus wide wireless internet, still working out some bugs, but its getting faster and better. People are proud to go to the University of Tulsa. We were conference champions in Mens and Womens Tennis, womens golf, mens soccer, womens volleyball, College Basketball Invitational Champions, and GMAC Bowl winners. So we have a lot of good things going for us. One thing that is unique to TU is the amount of diversity we have. There are many students from different countries and places across the US. The thing I will always remember is my first week on campus. Probably one of the most fun weeks, I met so many people and laughed more than ever.

Katie

One great thing is the majority of students are on some sort of scholarship. This means they have minimum GPA they need to maintain: while majority of students are all about having fun and being relaxed, most are here primarily to study and take school seriously. Also, everyone is very down to earth and friendly--you don't have too many country bumpkins but you also don't have too many rich snobs. The school size is excellent: small enough that teachers all know your names and can help rearrange things (including courses) for you but large enough that you are always meeting new people and have plenty of activities. Most of the time I stay on campus, especially since I am under 21. There are parties every weekend and plenty of events on campus during the week that you don't need to leave. Everyone on campus is a huge supporter of TU, but most support other schools as well: I, for instance, have my university of texas longhorn sticker on my truck next to my TU sticker. It's fun because when UT plays everyone wears their longhorn gear so you have more rivalry than just TU and non. There have been a lot of construction on campus recently and more to come: I am most excited about the two new engineering buildings that are to come! I will also be living in some of the brand new appartments next year.

Melissa

The best thing about TU is the people! No matter where I go on campus everyone is welcoming--staff, students, teachers. It was really great, especially as a freshman, because I didn't feel completely abandoned like I had to figure everything out on my own. Also I love that there was not a huge pressure to party and to drink as an incoming student, and even now. While you can always find a party if you want to, no one will ever make fun of you if you don't drink or say you can't go out because you have to study---it is VERY different from high school in the sense that everyone understands that academics come first. It is the people that party all the time, don't study, and fail classes that are the uncool ones now! I have lived on campus every semester and so I have spent a lot of time on campus since I didnt'always have a car. Some of my best memories have been made just hanging out with my friends in the dorms or apartments. Tulsa is smaller than my high school but I still find it is definitely big enough for me. I knew that I didn't want to go to a huge university because I wanted smaller class sizes and i really like walking on campus and always seeing people I know. The actual city of Tulsa is smaller than the city I am from but I like it because it is not overwhelming.

Alex

TU is a small, private university, and I think that's the biggest thing you need to know. The student body is pretty small and there are people here from all over the place. I lived with girls from Vietnam and had some friends from Ireland. Class sizes are very small compared to your typical state schools, which is nice because your professors always know you, but it also means most classes have attendance requirements. I don't think there's much of a "campus life", not even close to what I've seen at other schools. If you're looking for a school with an active social scene, I'd skip this one. People are very serious about their studies and that usually takes priority. I spend most of my time off campus. Tulsa is far from a college town, but it's not a bad place to live. There's plenty to do and it really is a city, not the small farm town out-of-staters like to imagine.

Harper

The best thing about TU is that since it's a small school, everyone is really close to you and everything is easily accessible to the students living on campus. The only thing I'd like to change is that the transport service within TU is kinda slow and I'd like to see a major change in this system. TU is just the right size that any student would want. People are impressed when I say to them that I go to TU because TU being a small sized school ranks 91st all over the nation and for a school like TU's size being in the top 100 schools list is really something to feel proud about. Since I'm a Petroleum Engineering student, I usually spend my time at Keplinger Hall (Engineering and Science building) and at times I catch up with friends at restaurants located on campus or just any place where we can get together easily. TU's administration is very strong, updated, accurate and very precise. The latest controversy of misery is what I should say was when TU lost a student who died due to an overdose of drugs and he was a freshman student, class of 2011. But, keeping all the controversies aside, students at TU have a lot of school pride. During football and basketball matches, the students just go wild to support TU its players. Students mostly wear TU t-shirts and other accessories that bear the school's pride. Since I am only a freshman student, I haven't come across any unusual things in and around TU. One experience that I'll always remember would be the geology field trip that I had in a near by location in Tulsa where hiking was a bit risky but a whole lot of fun. Students most frequently complain about the cafeteria's food and the transport service on campus.

Jordan

When I tell people I am going to TU, they generally have to think about where Tulsa is. The next comment I hear is that I should watch out for tornadoes. In reality there is much to do in Tulsa besides hide from tornadoes that gives TU students a lot of options. I believe the most frequent complaint is that there are cliques on campus that resemble high school, specifically among those involved in greek life. Another big complaint is that the athletes are seperated from the rest of the student body.