The Ohio State University -- Columbus
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Marketing. I am in the Fisher College of Business.
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
Autism Speaks, Buckeye Coastal Connections, Sorority, and Intramural sports.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Long Island, NY with a graduating class of about 500 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: Marketing. I am in the Fisher College of Business.
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: Autism Speaks, Buckeye Coastal Connections, Sorority, and Intramural sports.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
Greek life did.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It depended on the class. Sophomore and junior year I had some case studies. It’s kind of a weekly rotation for work each class. For each class you have a quiz, a reading, and a case study, and it resets the week after. It keeps you on track and it’s easier to organize yourself because you know every Monday you have a case study due, or whatever it is. We didn’t have any essays, it was mostly exams or case studies. We also had online homework and quizzes that add up to a percentage of your grade.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
At Ohio State, you take all your core business classes before you can take any of your actual specialization classes, so I actually haven’t taken any of my specific Marketing classes yet. I’m actually a little unfamiliar with the Marketing department because I’ll take all of my Marketing classes senior year.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s definitely collaborative. They encourage group work. For all the case studies you’re paired with random people in your class who you may not know and you have to try to meet outside of class.
What has been your favorite class in your major?
I don’t know. Some have been more enjoyable than others.
What has been your least favorite class in your major?
Business Law, definitely.
How accessible have your professors been?
They are accessible but you have to make the effort because it’s a big school and the business school’s also huge. Your lectures are like 500 people, so you’re not going to get one on one time with that professor. You have recitation which is about 50-40 people in the class, or less, and that is the time to talk to your T.A. There is a lot of responsibility on the student to go the extra step if you need help. The resources are there for you, but you have to go use them.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your major choice?
I came into school undecided and I still really don’t know what I want to do after I graduate, but I feel like business gives you a lot of options, especially Marketing is not that restrictive. There are so many options in the business school, so I’m hoping to figure out more of what I want to do this year.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s a very diverse campus and you’re going to experience all different types of things.
2) There’s an amazing nightlife mixed with an amazing academic life. The school is hard, but it allows you to learn how to balance and learn time management skills.
3) The social scene is great.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you’re not prepared to work hard.
2) If you are coming from a place far outside of Ohio, know that it might be difficult to go home. Depending on who you are, it may be hard for you to be that much of an independent person.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Smith-Steeb with one roommate. I loved it because it was so social. It’s different now because they just redid North Campus, but my freshman year South Campus was where you wanted to be.
Sophomore: I lived in my sorority house.
Junior & Senior: Apartment off campus.
What was your favorite living situation?
Definitely living in the dorms was a lot of fun. Living in an apartment is also nice.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I usually feel very safe. There are people you want to avoid off campus, like homeless people on the streets or whatever. You wouldn’t want to walk alone at night, but I think that’s anywhere you are. I’ve never felt in danger there at all.
How was transitioning from living outside of New York City in Long Island to Ohio?
I think people think of Ohio as just cornfields, but it’s really not. I don’t feel like I’m so far away from home even though I am. My transition was actually really easy. Columbus is such an amazing city and there’s so much to do and explore, so I didn’t have much trouble transitioning.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Condado Taco’s
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
I love the Short North. It’s relatively close to campus, you can walk there. There are lots of cool bars, restaurants, shops, and stuff to do down there. It’s a really nice area.
How was transitioning from living outside New York City to Columbus, OH?
It’s not the same New York City feeling, but you do get the feeling of being in a city that’s on the rise. There is so much that Columbus has to offer and so much potential.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
There’s a lot to do with Greek life. We have events, like parties or different pairings with frats. There are a lot of bars on the main strip off campus, so there’s always plenty to do. You can go out whenever you want and you can be guaranteed that other people will be out too.
What nights of the week do you regularly go out? Are there certain things you do on certain nights?
Thursdays are the biggest night. That’s when you go downtown to go out. Girls will dress up and wear heels and guys will dress a little nicer. It depends on the semester because when football season is happening, Saturday is dedicated to that and Friday won’t be huge because you want to save yourself up for Saturday. If you can make it out on Saturday night, there will be people out. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are also fun. Wednesdays there’s a bar where people will go do karaoke. Tuesdays are a fun, more casual night that people go out on.
What have been some of your favorite times at Ohio State?
In the beginning of the semester, there are outdoor parties at the frats. The weather is always nice so everybody’s out doing stuff. That’s a really fun time. Karaoke is also really fun if you go with all your friends.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It’s a lot of fun and it gives you something to do all the time. Everyone is doing their own thing because every sorority and frat is paired with a different sorority and frat, then at the end of the night then you can meet up and see other people after. At the beginning of the night everyone’s doing their own thing and then you’ll meet up and see everyone else later.
How happy are you with the nightlife at Ohio State? Is there anything you would change if you could?
No, I love it. It’s perfect. You can go out any night you want. People care a lot about their schoolwork too so it’s OK to miss a night out to figure yourself out or figure out your schoolwork. There are more than enough nights you can go out.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them freshman year and we were all individually close. Once we went through recruitment we all ended up in the same sorority, which was really nice. From being in the sorority we got to maintain that friendship from first semester freshman year. I met some others from being in the dorm and a few in class. A lot of them live close to me so it’s easier to see each other and keep that friendship going.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Ohio State?
There’s so much to do. People are very social. Everyone’s always doing something. When it’s nice out people are running around campus or doing stuff off campus. It’s very easy to hang out with people and do what you want.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
They definitely do, but anywhere you go there’s going to be a little bit of a divide. I know with sororities it seems like all the Jewish girls are together and all the Ohio girls from a certain area are together in one house, so that’s kind of the way it ends up. It’s a more diverse campus. It’s separated in some ways, but I think you’re going to get that wherever you go.
Do you think people are happy with their choice of Ohio State by the time they graduate?
Yes, I don’t think anybody is ready to graduate senior year. It’s really hard to leave Columbus and Ohio State.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
I am working for someone who went to Ohio State, so yes. There are lots of career fairs and job fairs where you can connect with other Ohio State alumni, so there is a huge network when you graduate.
To what extent have you used the career office?
I go to the career office for help with my resume. In the business school you’re very connected with the career office because the part of what the business school does is help you prepare for interviews, set up your LinkedIn account, and help you prepare for the real world. For example, I went there and did a mock interview because I had to pass it in order to attend job fairs.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful to you professionally?
In the business school everyone has to take a class that focuses on Excel, and that’s huge because it’s kind of necessary to know how to use Excel in the business world. Excel is definitely a huge focus in the business school and aside from that one class you use it in your other classes too.