University of Oklahoma | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Lindsey

Class: Junior
Major: Journalism
Gender: F

High School: Norman High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

I'll make it simple. Best thing about OU: what you make it. One thing I'd change: more coffee local shops around campus Size: 300-student intro classes are RIDICULOUS. You feel like a cog in the giant machine, or a tiny, useless mouse. Otherwise, you generally run into the same people during your daily routines and through activities. "Yeah, I go to OU." Oklahoman response: "Boomer Sooner!" or "Sick. OSU all the way, man." Non-Oklahoma response: "Oh." I spend the majority of my time on benches under beautiful trees, at Cafe Plaid, a three minute bike ride from the Journalism building (which is completely Appled-out--Macs everywhere, best building on campus by far. If not for the campus, Norman wouldn't be on the map in your glove compartment. You should see game days--population doubles and the streets are so deserted I swear tumbleweeds blow by. Administration: I've chatted with President David Boren and his wife on occasion. Both very cool. Mrs. Boren hugs trees as tight as I do and President Boren does cool stuff for his kiddos--in my time here, he's brought Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Joe Klein, and the guy who the movie Hotel Rwanda is based on. Most recent controversy: Some of the dorms lost hot water for a day or two. Something Unusual: We used to have a mascot at basketball games called Top Dawg--this brown dog with a jersey on who'd let little kids pull on his ears. He mysteriously disappeared. I miss that pup. School Pride: OU may define the phrase. Frequent complaints: Ironically, the architecture building needs serious renovation. Dorms are a bit cramped--but what do you expect when you're housing thousands? Personally, I hate the mornings after a football game--the place looks like it sprouted a field of Budweiser cans overnight. :

Academic Life

I got credit for talking to weeks straight about drugs, sex, movies and rock 'n roll--my Honors Capstone during Intersession called 'Hollywood and the '70s.' The Honors College offers the best classes--small with superbly cool profs. Discussions practically blow your brain to bits. By the end of the class, the professors know your name and whether you're registered Democrat or Republican, and you know whether they smoked grass in college--or still do. Outside of Honors classes, I've sometimes felt like a robot going through the motions--take notes, memorize, spit out info on test, forget it. If you go to office hours and ask questions--professors across the board are more than willing to help and talk to you. I think in several cases, my talking in class has bumped a B to an A. Kids cram around finals. The library's like a 24-hour caffeinated camp out. But it' s not un-hip to study, students hole up all over campus and campus corner to study 24/7. Everyone's on their own schedule and too busy to notice anyone else's habits. There's an extremely competitive co-culture on campus--I'll call them 'campus-climbers.' These kids join every club, apply for every leadership position and scholarship--and get them. These are generally the kids who took all A.P. classes and will end up in D.C. or being a rich housewife. But you have to have both ends of the spectrum, right? I won't give names, but yes, I've had a glass of wine or two with some professors. Many leave around campus so it's easy to meet up and have coffee. I meet with one professor regularly at the BookMark coffee shop to talk about a research project--that's my 'class time' with her. Once again, you get what you give. I think OU's academic requirements are fine, because whether a person comes straight out of high school with a 4.0 or took ten years off to have kids before coming to college, everyone's paths are carved differently. The journalism college has been a great networking tool for the real world. The professors span the board-from Harlequin Romance writers to ex-editors of big name papers and journals. I'm part of the Gaylord Ambassadors Program, which has landed me on first-name basis with many higher-ups. We regularly meet with professionals in various journalistic fields and have opportunities to chat, get business cards, and find out about internships. Recently, the college started a Facebook group that keeps me posted on available jobs, internships, happenings, etc. I have complete access to the best equipment from computers to green screens. Basically, it rocks.

Student Body

Walk down the South Oval and you will see every skin color, race, sexual orientation, and socio-economic class that exists. Not everyone's a small-town hick--on the contrary, the kids who wear cowboy boots stick out like sore thumbs (that said, I sport a 25 buck pair of Wal-mart boots myself on the occasion). I think it's easy for shy people to feel alienated and not cared about. On a campus this size, you have to jump out there. Greeks generally hang with Greeks. Most kids, I"d guess, are from middle-class Texas or Tulsa families. Many are second-generation. Politics aren't huge, but definitely are a growing trend. Take a poll and I'd say one-third would know what side of the fence Romney's on. Party-wise, the student population is split-the whole tossed salad metaphor applies. Kids talk about money, but it's not like the Ivy League stereotype "Well, MY dad makes more than YOUR dad." Scholarships are readily available. I have friends from a broad array of backgrounds--rich Dallas kids, small-town, single-parent kids, and even immigrants.