At 59,500 students, Ohio State University–Columbus is the biggest school in the Big Ten Conference, and it has the fourth largest undergraduate enrollment — 45,800 — in the country.
That community is especially evident on Saturdays in the fall, when more than 100,000 students and spectators come out to Ohio Stadium — better known as the Shoe, for its horseshoe shape — to cheer on the Buckeye football team. With more than 200 undergraduate majors and 1,300-plus student clubs and organizations, OSU’s size and scope are a big draw for many.
Located in Columbus, a city of about 860,100, Ohio State’s campus creates a college town feel inside an urban environment. At the heart of the university’s 1,664-acre campus is the Ohio Union, a hub for student activities that features meeting and event spaces, the university’s Multicultural Center and several dining spots , including Sloopy’s Diner, a student favorite . Between the Union and Thompson Library is the Oval, a tree-ringed lawn that is a popular spot for studying, sunbathing and casual sports.
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Most first- and second-year students live on campus in one of about three dozen residence halls. Students can apply to join one of about 20 learning communities, where those with a common interest in the arts, say, or women in engineering can live together and share some academic experiences.
Nearly 80 percent of freshman classes have 50 or fewer students, and the overall student-faculty ratio is 19-to-1. Students say that even larger lecture classes break down into smaller lab sections or recitations of about 20 to 25 students, led by a teaching assistant.
For those who take the initiative to get to know faculty, “they’re willing to put that time into you as well,” says senior LeRoy Ricksy Jr., a criminology major from New York City.
From academic to career advising, OSU offers undergrads considerable support. In fact, “we have so many resources here, you can get lost looking,” says DaVonti’ Haynes, a 2016 public affairs grad from Cleveland who is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at OSU.
For instance, the Office of International Affairs offers services for international students and those who are interested in studying abroad, while the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry helps students connect with research and artistic projects. Students can also apply for the university honors program, which gives those who qualify access to select smaller classes, learning communities and the chance to pursue one-on-one research with faculty.
Once you find your niche, “then the breadth and depth of Ohio State becomes more of an opportunity and less of a burden,” says Aaron Kimson, a 2017 finance grad from Aurora, Ohio.
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The university is closely intertwined with Columbus and has active partnerships with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus City Schools and other local organizations.
“I’m extremely thankful for how much connectivity there is between the city and institution,” says Gerard Basalla, a 2017 political science and strategic communications grad from Parma, Ohio, who interned downtown for U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine during his time at OSU and nabbed a postgrad job at the Columbus Partnership, an economic development organization.
Another 2017 grad, social work major Maggie Griffin of Madeira, Ohio, developed a project with local organizations around Columbus to establish community refrigerators for people living in food deserts or facing food insecurity.
For fun, many students enjoy exploring the Short North Arts District, watching local professional soccer and hockey teams and visiting the restaurants, stores and bars along High Street on the east edge of campus. Roughly 12 percent of students join a fraternity or sorority.
Just over half of those who applied to join OSU’s class of 2020 were admitted, and roughly 4 in 5 domestic undergrads hail from the Buckeye State. School pride tends to run deep. The university boasts an alumni network of more than half a million people across the world.
In a nod to the school’s call-and-response tradition, “wherever you are,” says 2017 grad Anthony Stranges, an information systems major from Blacklick, Ohio, “if you yell O-H, someone will probably respond I-O.”
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This story is excerpted from the U.S. News “Best Colleges 2018” guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
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