Student Profile
Betsy
- Class: Senior
- Major: Spanish
- Gender: F
- High School: Norman High School
- Transfer Student: Y
Big Picture
The best thing about OU, to me, are probably the teachers and the friends I have made. I feel OU is just right, not too big and not too small. Usually when I say I attend OU people are very positive about it and say they have known or know people that graduated from OU. When I am on campus it is usually in Kauffman Hall which is where a lot of the language majors are located. I grew up in Norman so I never looked at is as a "college town," it is home to me, and has turned into a home for a lot of students who are not from Norman. I have never had too big of a controversy with a teacher, but often I have found that people in charge of things do not like to be told they are wrong or anything they have done is wrong. I am sure there are a lot of controversies that are not openly talked about on campus, but one recent frustration with a lot of students was that a parking lot, a perfectly good parking lot was repaved. This would not be so frustrating if the parking lot had not been just for teachers, the parking lot did not need to be repaved in the first place, and the bathrooms in almost every building are in terrible shape. A few of them have shower curtains for doors. I do not believe, if the student's voices were actually listened to, that any student would vote to repave a perfectly good parking lot over fixing the bathrooms in any of the buildings. President Boren and other administrators pretty much do whatever they want to with our ever-increasing tuition and fees. There is school pride, but mostly just in football, which is extremely unfair to all the other atheletes and students. The most frequent student complaints are that fees each semester cost more than tuition; fees that a lot of the student's do not even use! For example, there will be fees for the buses, for using the medical center, computer fees, library fees, all sorts of fees that you cannot get taken off and is extremely unfair and ridiculous. When a student is not using the buses, or has their own insurance, they should not have to pay for it, yet there is no way to get around it. A lot of students feel like President Boren and the rest of his "crew" do not care about us and our achievements, they do not care if we succeed or fail, as long as, at the end of the day, they have their money in their pocket.
Academic Life
A lot of professors know my name, if you are in a class of 300 it helps to go to the office hours of your professor and let them get to know you. I do not think I can narrow it down to a favorite class; however, any of my Spanish classes have been so fun and I have learned more about myself and how much I can truly acheive than in any other classes. I do not have a least favorite. Students study quite a bit, depending on your teachers, how many hours you're taking, etc. Even with the "blow off" classes it is necessary to study at least an hour or two a day, for the upper division classes at least 2 hours a day. Class participation is common and often encouraged. I have made more friends in my classes than I have outside of class, we often meet for study groups or just get together on the weekend. The students are competitive but it is friendly most of the time. The most unique class I have taken was Spanish Literature. I could tell my teacher wanted me to learn and wanted me to expand my ideas and grow off of his lectures; it was an amazing class and it felt more like a family than a room full of strangers. I am majoring in Spanish which is part of the Arts and Sciences language department. I could not ask for better teachers. I know I could go to them, and have gone to them in the event of a crisis. They were more than just teachers, they were genuine and I cannot thank them enough for all the encouragement and knowledge they gave me. I have given my professors rides when I have seen them walking and we have had "end of the year" dinners at restaurants where teachers have come; it is great to know they really care about you and are going to miss you just as much as you are going to miss them. I feel OU's academic requirements are decent; there are a few electives that could be dismissed. The education I am receiving from OU, in my experience, has geared me toward living without regret and knowing that making mistakes is a part of life. Ultimately the goal after anyone graduates is get a job; however, a lot of my teachers have encouraged me to acheive my goals and experience life for all it's worth before getting a job. I have often been told not to settle for just any job, but to do something that will truly make me happy.
Student Body
There have often been debates in certain classes about race, religion, LGBT, and all those groups on campus, but I have never been attacked about any of my beliefs. I do not believe any kind of student would feel out of place at OU, it is a very diverse and welcoming campus and school. Most students wear whatever they want, some come dressed up in jeans and a nice shirt, while others (like myself) prefer sweats and a t-shirt, or gym shorts if it's hot. All types of students interact, it is all about having confidence and being yourself; if people are going to judge others, that gives an immediate sign to stay away from them because they obviously have other issues they need to deal with. If I were to see four tables in the dining hall I would say there would probably be a table of Asian students interacting, more than likely a group of athletes scrunched together, a few people would have their lap tops open and their ipods playing their favorite songs, and another table would probably be a group of friends (of all races) just talking and laughing. I do not believe any financial background is more prevalent than another, and if that is the case, there is really no way to tell. Some students are politically aware and are active when it comes to school and national politics, but for the most part politics is not brought up. Very few students talk about their income in the future.
The Best Things
Teachers that care
The Worst Things
David Boren
