Uhhhh....no.

You make new friends at Ohio.  We are as cultured or uncultured as you want to be.  Big cities are close.....rural isolation a stone throw away. Your success or failure at Ohio will depend upon your attitude.  Have fun...or not....the choice is yours.

I can tell you from personal experience that I went to OU from NE OH and had 5 close friends from HS go with me. By the end of my 4 years I can say only 1 of those is still what I would call a friend. By the end of my sophomore year I had a whole new group of friends and by senior year I had made a legitimate 20 friends who at any time I can call my best friend. 

I too graduated from the CoB from the sports admin undergrad program and can tell you the faculty and staff are fantastic but I'm sure you are viewing all schools with faculty that stand out. As mentioned above the experience is what you make it and there are plenty of clubs/organizations/intramurals/religious/volunteer opportunities that you have an opportunity to explore yourself and become the person you want to be. Alcohol and partying isn't everything at OU though that is what is portrayed the most to the country. I graduated with friends who enjoyed going out and drinking wasn't always involved. 

The best piece of advice I can give you is visit the campus, talk to the faculty in person, and try and leave without saying yes to that acceptance letter! I know I couldn't do it

I went to OU in the '70s -- when the legal drinking age for beer was 18 -- but I'm sure it's not changed much since then.

First, the "party school" moniker gives everyone the impression that everybody hits the bars every night or there's a party in every dorm every night.  I never found that to be the case.  Weekends got to be pretty wild, but that's probably the situation everywhere.  Fact is, there was (and probably still is) a fair amount of studying that goes on during the week.  About the only "partying" that happened during the week was one of the "teas" sponsored by one of the school organizations.  Those were usually pretty mild.

Second, don't worry about finding friends.  I had never been to the OU campus when I started there in the spring of '70.  I didn't know anybody there and I was pretty shy.  But I soon made friends, and not just from Ohio -- NY, Jersey, and elsewhere -- some of them were classmates and others were roommates and friends of roommates.  Some of them I still keep in touch with today, though not as much as I'd like. 

Third, OU is what you make of it.  I like to joke that there are only three things to do in Athens on a Saturday night: get drunk, get high or get laid.  But there are other things happening too, and some don't cost a lot of money.  OU has an excellent theater program (you may have seen one product on the OU commercial they show during the ESPN telecasts) that puts on several performances during the year.  The same holds true for the music school.  And there are concerts at Mem Aud and the Convo, all types of sporting events, intramural athletics, movies (although you'll need to drive for those) and lots of other stuff. 

I have a nephew who started at OU in August.  Haven't heard much about him, but what I've heard has been really good. 

OU is one of those rare places where you can get a great education AND have a good time.  But like I said, OU is what you make of it.  It's up to you -- not anybody else -- to make it a great experience.

I've never once been drunk in my life and I could always find something to do. There's something for everyone in Athens.

Graduated in 2006 and as long as you aren't a complete urban lifestyle person you can find a niche.  As a freshman more than likely you will end up in a freshman only dorm, in those cases you tend to almost gravitate completely as a whole floor; you'll have some cliques within it but it still is pretty funny to see a group of 15 guys deep going out to party.  Intramurals are really fun at OHIO if you are into that, can always get into Student Senate or many of the other student groups on campus.  Plus if you just visit OHIO in the spring the female scenery alone will convince you to attend. :)

I went to a small high school (153 kids grades 9-12) and 7 of my classmates went to OU.  I rarely saw any of the other six once we got to campus in the fall of my Freshamn year.  I was the only business major.  I purposely moved into a dorm where none of them were living.  I made a whole new batch of friends, many of which I am still close with.  I graduated in 1995 with a double major in Marketing and Finance. 

OU is whatever you make of it.  The College of Business is highly ranked for a reason and the party school is deserved, but does not consume life.  Athens embraces the work hard, play hard mantra.  Enjoy your time there.  I cherish mine.

I am a current Junior in the college of business, and I must say that I've had an amazing experience here at Ohio University. I do enjoy partying but in no way, shape, or form is my life centered around it. I am very active in multiple student organizations that occupy my time here. I have been afforded many opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise. This summer I have an internship in another country for one of the worlds largest companies because of my success here, you could very well do the same. The business program here is fantastic, you get a lot of respect from people when you tell them you are in the college of business. Hope to see you here next year. Go Bobcats!

Ha, I get paid to answer these sorts of questions.

First of all, congratulations on your admission into Ohio University. The College of Business is one of the more selective programs the university offers, so I assume you have a very good head on your shoulders.

When people ask about the party school reputation, I always ask what images come to mind when they hear those words. Everyone says something related to alcohol. Then, I ask if they think that is something that is unique to Ohio University.

I knew people at OU who would stay in on a Saturday night to get caught up on homework. I knew people at College of Wooster who did nothing but get blackout drunk. The point is college really is what you make of it. When you want a social atmosphere, it's safe to say you can easily find it here. If you want to separate yourself from that atmosphere, your friends probably aren't going to twist your arm about it, and if anyone does, you probably don't need them in your life anyway.

The point of attending college in the first place is to earn your degree and start your career. In spite of the party school reputation, 90% of our graduates are either employed or on an active path to a higher degree within six months of earning their bachelors' degree. Our students have taken home more than 70 national and international awards, so no one should feel any modicum of shame that their degree reads Ohio University. (And for the record, I have never been asked by a job interviewer about the party school reputation).

As for your question about being an out-of-stater, don't worry about it. All 50 states in the union are represented in the student body. As long as you are a good person and bring something to the table amongst your peers, no one is going to look at you like you're different.

In my experience, the folks you meet on your dorm floor freshmen year end up being very close friends throughout college.  The CoB also has a lot of group work within classes with familiar faces which also grow some tight relationships.

A Party school doesn't necessarily mean a drunken school.  I would say we are a social school that likes to have fun.  I echo JSF's sentiments that I never got drunk but was never bored.  I spent hundreds of nights up town just hanging out with my peeps.  Also, we have the best women (not just looks)...True story.

What a well spoken and grounded young man.  Enroll at Ohio, and if it is accounting you choose, contact me in 4 years for an interview at my CPA firm.

I've never looked at the "Party School" rep as a negative.   Wherever you go to school you will need to have discipline.  If you have discipline you will be successful.  The way I see it if you have the desire to party there is always going to be that opportunity.  If you want to stay sober and have fun there is plenty of opportunity to do that.  Nobody will force you to party if you don't want to but if your schedule is such that you want to party on a Tuesday you'll be able to do it. 

I came to Athens from out of state (Maryland) and didn't know a soul.  The first night there I met a guy who would be my best friend for the rest of my stay in Athens.  He was also from out of state.  Within the first few days I had met a large number of guys that would be my friends throughout my years at school and many are still my friends today, 30 years down the road.  Some of those guys were from Ohio, some not.  Some of those guys had been friends with each other for years, some not.  There are just too many people who have been thrust into the exact same situation as you for you not to make friends.

So, in short, you'll love Athens. 

And if the application deadline for it hasn't passed (and you've got the grades and sat scored for it), and I don't think it has, apply to the htc. I don't think the the course requirements are much different than standard COB, but it comes with several advantages (priority scheduling chief among them)

I just graduated in June and miss Athens tremendously.  It was the only school I visited -- it just felt like home (and indeed, after about two weeks of fall quarter, I noticed myself calling the dorm "home" more than my hometown).  I'm from a rural area in NE Ohio, and there were only a handful of students from my high school there -- only one I interacted with on a regular basis (my girlfriend).

I made a great bunch of friends, primarily through WOUB and the O Zone athletic student section (out of class activities), and found that virtually everyone on campus was friendly and helpful.  I think the number of helpful responses to this thread indicate the overall atmosphere pretty well.  The biggest difference between Ohio and many of the other schools in the state is the rural nature of the school, and the fact that, unlike Kent or Akron, for example, it doesn't lend itself well to commuting.  The remote location also keeps the vast majority of students on campus over the weekend.  I know friends at other schools where the dorms emptied out every Friday with students going home every weekend -- I didn't know anybody who did that at OU.  The vast majority of people stayed on campus every weekend, and helped to create that community feeling.

If you're looking for more urban, hang out at the mall kind of entertainment, you'll be dissapointed.  However, the number of things to do in Athens is immense: lots of local music, *free* student seats at all varsity sports that are literally the best in the house, events put on by student groups, MemAud brings in a handful of concerts and off-Broadway productions every year, intramurals galore, the list goes on and on.  And if you get bored, head out to Stroud's Run or drive up to the Hocking Hills.

Also, if you do choose Ohio, make sure to hit one of Dennis (gman)'s tailgates before a football game.  You won't leave hungry!  And, if you have any trouble navigating the bureaucracy of a large school, feel free to get in touch!