I came to Athens from Northern New Jersey (about 20 minutes fron NYC) in the 1970's.

I loved the time I spent in Athens and  try to get back there once a year.

I've met a number of O.U. students from, this area and we all feel the same way.(Once a Bobcat,always a Bobcat)

As far as drinking issue,I was there when the drinking age for 3.2. beer was 18.I wasn't much of a drinker and neither were most of my friends.We never seemed to have any problems finding fun things to do.

The only thing I really hated was when I had  to schedule early morning classes  winter quarter.

 

The UW schools are great too (my Dad is a graduate).  Can't go wrong with that choice, although you won't get D1 athletics in Lacrosse.

What a great thread.  Great question by Prospective Bobcat and great answers in response.  

There is plenty to do at Ohio University and Athens.  

I didn't see  O.U. before I enrolled.Back in the 1970's we didn't make visits to out of state colleges.

The first time I saw the campus was "pre college".
As soon as I saw the campus,I knew I made the right choice.

I did not apply to Ohio University... True Story...

As a young man, my family did not have the money to send me to college, so I was looking for a guaranteed way to get school paid for, and all I could come up with was the military.

So I applied to the USMA at West Point, and that was the only school I applied to... Talk about "all your eggs in one basket".

Well, I did fine; amazingly I received the nomination, and I was on my way. One of the things they do is I received regular telephone calls from a senior cadet. He'd tell me what was going on at the academy, what his week had been like, etc. Basically trying to ensure that I knew what I was getting into, and that I was excited and jazzed to go.

Well, as spring came around, I was less and less excited about joining the army... And I voiced my concerns. It wasn't but a few days later that I got a call from Major Corralles and he was concerned that I had waited too long to voice my reservations. We had a long conversation...

He said he really hated for the army to loose such a fine young candidate, and he said he'd check around to see if he could find me an ROTC scholarship to a state school.

He found two: one at Rio Grande Community College, and one at Ohio University.

Honestly, I had never heard of Ohio University, but there was no way I was going to go to a community college.

He arranged for Captain Erb at OU to call me and set up a visit.

I drove up and met with him, and once I had a walking tour of the campus I knew I had found my home.

I never second guessed my decision for one second, and I can not imagine having a finer college experience.

I proudly bleed Green and White.

And while I did spend my fair share of time uptown, my friends who made that their point of emphasis flunked out. So yes, there are those who party... A lot. But I think it's like a lot of schools, there are extremes either way.

-John

I'll play the other side of things real quickly.

If I did it all over again...I would NOT go to Ohio University. I had some unique circumstances as far as how I ended up there. Most of them will not effect you (had to do with a sports).

Anyway, what will effect you is the lack of urban setting. I came from a small town, and while I found stuff to do in Athens, there were times I was just like "seriously? the bars/party scene again?" I wanted a new experience, and too many times I saw the same people hanging out at the same places. I wish the two "big" cities within an hour drive wasn't Parkersburg and Lancaster. I felt sometimes as though OU was just in a little bubble away from the outside world. If I did it all over again, personally I would have picked a school with more things to do outside of the University. That certainly doesn't mean Ohio State though. That place is a dump.

We're usually very helpful. As long as you don't ask about that school up north's band.

If you're here Wednesday night, i would suggest going to the basketball game to get a feel on the school spirit and environment that the Convo brings to campus (plus, if you do decide to go here, students go to all sporting events (minus hockey) for free!)

If you're here any other day, I would take a visit to court street during the day to check out the shops and places to eat.  Your tour guide will take you to all of the important on-campus sites, so there isn't a whole lot that you won't see on campus.

Also, if you haven't already, try arranging a meeting with whoever is the head of your department that you are applying for.  You can ask a lot more specific questions about the major there and get a feeling on what you can do to get prepared to go to school.

Do you have a major in mind?

If not, visit Chubb Hall (on the west side of College Green) and go to the 2nd floor offices of University College.  Its mission is to guide students who aren't sure of a major.  Ask for the dean or an associate dean.

One of my sons enrolled in University College as a freshman, and a niece who enrolled there wound up creating her own major with guidance from UC. 

Allow yourself at least 15 minutes to stand in the middle of College Green by yourself to let the history sink in and note all the smiling faces that pass you by...

If you have time The Pub serves the best double cheeseburger in the world...

Definitely walk each Green again after your tour...You'll get a feel for the nuances of each dorm area pretty quickly so you'll know where you want to be when (not if) you enroll...

It's too bad the Hockey team won't be back in town until the 27th...One of those games will give you a real feel for the sense of unity on campus...

Enjoy your visit!

Re Ohio's history.

* Chartered in Boston in 1787 as part of the Northwest Ordinance.  To be named American Western University. 

* Established 1804 as The Ohio University.

* Cutler Hall, built in 1816, oldest college building west of the Allegheny Mountains.