Ohio State University Admission
Ohio State University Undergraduate Program
Ohio State University Application

The Facts

Ohio State University is a very large, public state school located in the city of Columbus, Ohio, and is home to over 33,400 undergraduate students and approximately 13,125 graduate and part-time professional students. The university is divided up into undergraduate colleges including schools of arts, biological sciences, business, dentistry, engineering, human ecology, nursing, optometry, veterinary medicine, journalism, music, and architecture. The university offers its students more than 180 degrees in a wide range of mostly preprofessional areas; some of the most popular choices include psychology, biology, English, political science, and marketing.

Admission to Ohio State University is somewhat competitive, though not as competitive as other large state schools. Last year, over 20,200 students applied for admission to the school and approximately 14,500 of those students were accepted; of those, about 6,400 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1080 to 1290, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 23 to 28. Additionally, over 69% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.6.

Ohio State University has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 14:1, which is excellent considering the school’s massive size. In general, professors get high marks from students in terms of accessibility and willingness to help; however, there are the occasional teachers who seem more interested in their own research and careers. Students at OSU take their academics seriously, and spend most of their time in the library doing research for upcoming papers and studying. The workload at OSU is heavy, and students say it is not the place to coast.

The Social Scene

The city of Columbus, Ohio, offers students many entertainment and social options, including great bars, clubs, shops, restaurants, cafes, theaters, and museums. The city is very easy to get around, and the bus system is extremely cheap and efficient. For the students who do own cars, weekend camping trips and treks to Chicago are popular options.

There are a fair amount of fraternities and sororities at OSU; however, they are not terrifically popular among students, and the Greeks don’t really govern the on-campus social life. Instead, most students choose to be associated with one of the many student-run clubs and organizations that run the gamut from Habitat for Humanity to the Men’s Glee Club. Drinking is definitely a popular mode of social interaction at the university; however, most of the drinking takes place at the Greek houses as Columbus bars are strict when it comes to carding.

The dating scene definitely offers something for everyone, as the student body is remarkably diverse. Just do some digging and you’ll eventually bump into the date of your dreams...

What’s Good

“Even though the school is huge, the classes are really quite small, and you don’t end up feeling lost in the crowd.”

“There are a ton of majors to choose from, and you can be sure that whatever you’re interested in will be catered to here.”

“The city of Columbus is awesome, and it’s really difficult to get bored on the weekends.”

What’s Bad

“There is a ridiculous amount of drinking here, and if you aren’t into the whole party scene, your options are kind of limited.”

“The freshman classes are gargantuan, and I usually just sit in the back and get some much-needed shuteye.”

“There isn’t enough student housing available. After freshman year, you can pretty much be sure that you won’t get on-campus housing.”

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