First off, Oglethorpe is simply beautiful -- the whole campus, from Lupton Keyhole to Turner Lynch Campus Center, is one of my favorite places. The professors are very good, and you really have to work hard -- which is good! Finally, even though the school is small, you will always be able to find people and activities which fit your interests.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Study hard and don't party too much! Go to study hours and SI sessions. Get to know your professors, but, that said, remember that they ARE your professors -- don't get too chummy. Be friendly, but respectful of their positions and their time constraints. Get to know the staff, Campus Life, Res Life, Campus Safety, etc. This will save you lots of time and trouble if you need their help -- which I assure you you will, more often than you think! All other benefit aside, you'll also be friends with some of the nicest people in Atlanta!
Some tips with regard to schoolwork, and Core classes in particular. Do the reading, even if you feel bored. I recommend buying the books ahead of time and reading them over vacation. Then, if you have other homework or a paper due, you can just skim what you have already read and you're good to go. Not doing the reading will put you in sticky situations, and often very embarrassing ones, in class. If the professor allows you to submit a draft of your paper before the final draft is due, submit and get his feedback, then follow it to finish the paper. This will sky-rocket your grade -- in my experience, making for a guaranteed A -- and it actually makes writing the paper much faster. Submit any homework on time and do not ask for extensions unless the syllabus encourages it (some professors do). Being know as an extension requester is seen as being manipulative. Do not be the person that always has an emergency before a test; that is also obvious. Once, it's probably genuine, but if it happens with every test, or even half of them, your professor is going to get suspicious. Don't ask for makeups if the syllabus says they are not offered. If you have a question about homework or about general class-related problems, look in the syllabus for the answer before you email the professor. It's usually there.
With regard to your fellow Petrels: be friendly to all the students -- smile at them and say Hey, even if they're not the people you...
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
It's hard here, but great. The professors are in general really good, though I only have first hand knowledge of the science and history departments. If they are a representative sample, though, and I think they are, Oglethorpe's professors are as good as those at any college in the nation. It is not easy to get A's in the classes I have taken. If you slack off, you will be penalized. You really have to keep up with your work, and you especially have to go to EVERY class period, unless you are literally too sick to stand. Skipping classes will be reflected in a lower grade. That said, it is quite possible to get a perfect 4.0 GPA if you are serious about your work. One thing a lot of students hate is the Core curriculum, but I really like being able to have a common class that all my friends, both from the sciences and the humanities, are taking with me. Don't grumble about it -- you will not regret taking these Core classes later in life, and will probably even be glad you did. Just be careful about who you choose for freshman level Core -- the few mediocre professors are adjuncts hired to take up the slack of the inrush of freshmen, and whose only job here is to teach Core 101 and 102. Make sure you take a professor who teaches a number of classes in his discipline also, be it English, philosophy or another topic. I recommend Bill Brightman and Devon Belcher for 100 level Cores.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
As a commuter student, I do not know first-hand about dorm life. But from what my friends say and from what I've seen, I'd say it is fine but not amazing. The dorms are pretty decent except for Traer, which really needs to go. It's a byword on campus. I've heard stories about strange happenings in the dorms (a war dance around a bonfire with an actual boar's head at midnight in Traer is one of them -- and no, that is NOT our famous boar's head ceremony). The other dorms are nice though not palatial, and the staff, including student RA's and PAL's, are especially nice. Many of the staff that work with the students also live on campus, so they are available after hours in an emergency.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The food is quite good, and has a wide variety. It is institutional quality food -- if you want restaurant level, go down the street to Town Brookhaven -- but it is fresh and usually has a good selection. Their alfredo at the pasta bar is truly delicious, but the bar only serves it occasionally. I also love their tuna melts and grilled cheese sandwiches. Their cookies are also good, if they haven't been over baked, which they sometimes are. Once the cookies were missing, and I asked for them. The staff brought me a pile of hot, fresh-out-of-the-oven ones! However, be warned -- if you are a commuter and have a car, you can eat much more cheaply off campus. The normal rate for lunch at the caf is 8.25 a meal (all you can eat) and even with a commuter meal plan it only goes down to 5.50 or so a meal. It is officially illegal but not at all unheard-of for commuters to get their on-campus friends to sneak them pizza . . . but don't get caught! I have never heard of anyone getting food poisoning at Oglethorpe -- a common matter at some other college cafeterias I'm familiar with. The cafeteria eating area is very attractive and has a beautiful view, especially in fall.
There is also Starbuck's, which is widely patronized. The staff will figure out what your go-to drink is in a short time, and will get to know your likes and dislikes, even to the extent of recommending things based on what they know you like! The recommendations are always good, too. If you do not like your drink, they will make you another. If they make your drink wrong, do not let them throw out the drink! You can get brownie points with your classmates by handing out free drinks -- either to a friend or a random person. Waiting for your drink is also a good time to make friends with other people, also waiting. These polite exchanges can turn into hour-long conversations -- always good after a hard day!
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
The Boar's Head Celebration and Party, at the end of the Fall semester, is a must! It is the best party on campus, and everyone -- faculty, staff, and students -- goes to it! There are a wide variety of other activities available throughout the year, from Greek parties to lectures and Museum receptions. Go to the plays and concerts -- they're well worth it. If you are not from Atlanta, you have many places to explore in the city, some of which are offered as free trips through the Center for Civic Engagement. I especially recommend the Botanical Gardens, especially if you want a relaxing place to walk or read. The freshmen are given a huge party every fall at the World of Coke, which is quite popular. I personally remember the old World of Coke, and have never been very happy with the new one, but it is definitely an option. If you like history, you definitely need to go to the Atlanta History Center (their main exhibit, Turning Point, is excellent, as are most of their traveling exhibits) and you should try the Atlanta Cyclorama.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
If you have a decent scholarship, Oglethorpe is well worth your money. I wouldn't go anywhere else! Very few people pay the designated price tag, what with one thing and another -- most pay around 20 thousand dollars a semester, excluding housing costs, and the better students pay much less than that. If you take a full course load (i.e. 15 hours or more) every semester, you will have nothing to complain about in terms of value for the money spent. Further, as the professors are glad to assure you, a degree from Oglethorpe is not worth less than one from a better known school -- in fact, science majors from Oglethorpe are often preferred, even over Georgia Tech graduates! You are not wasting your money if you do well in your classes and major in a field that will give you good opportunities.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
The elephant buried somewhere on campus is our favorite legend and the Petrels of Fire race on Oglethorpe day our favorite event. Here is a link to descriptions of these many others of OUr beloved traditions!
http://oglethorpe.edu/about_us/oglethorpe_glossary.asp
One of my favorite locations is the woody stretch between the soccer fields and the Goslin/Robinson parking lot -- there you will find Dr. Donnelly's bluebird watching station and Dr. Schadler's worm stumps, for Gen Bio 102 animal behavior lab. I also love to read on the bench outside Lupton Belltower when the weather is balmy -- the bell rings overhead, with quite a different tone than when heard elsewhere on campus.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Nerds! We are all nerds at OU -- embrace it!
Oglethorpe is a great place for premeds (our biology department is tops) and liberal arts students. The history department is quite strong, languages not quite so much. It is good for a language minor, though. The music department is really good. I hear that the English department is good too; at least there are lots of English majors and they seem happy! The chemistry and physics departments are not so large, but the professors are excellent. Do not shy away from these majors on the basis of the small department sizes.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
There are a wide variety of clubs for such a small school, and many are top notch. From the Thalian Society, founded for philosophical discussion, to the new student chemistry society, there are clubs for all interests, social, political and academic. If there isn't a club that you want to join, you can make your own! There is no good listing of clubs -- you really have to play it by ear, which means if you want to find out about the lesser-known clubs, you have to make friends with some of the active upperclassmen, or ask faculty. The Activities fair in fall and spring is a start, but the best clubs are too small to table there.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
Not being into Greek life, I can't judge it, but the Director of Greek Affairs is really nice. Many students belong to a fraternity, many to two -- one academic and one social. There are occasionally ruckuses over fraternities -- one got shut down this semester, but I was too busy to find out why -- but there is rarely anything serious. There are a large number of fraternities and sororities available, and every student, even those who don't belong to one, has a decided opinion as to which are cool and which are not. Usually it has to do with which ones your friends (and occasionally foes!) belong to.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
Oglethorpe is an extremely safe campus. I have no qualms, as a woman, about walking around campus late at night. We have almost no violence -- for instance, I have never heard of an assault by a student -- and since everyone knows everyone else, there is almost always someone you know around if you feel uncomfortable. The Campus is so small that running for thirty seconds will bring you to some inhabited area -- from the quad, the library is easily reached, at least the twenty-four hour room, and from anywhere else, you will be within a short distance of a dorm, the gym, or the student center. These places have people in them in all but the dead of night -- long past midnight. (If you are out that late, whatever you are doing is risky enough that you should know better anyway!)
The Campus Safety staff is awesome! From escorts to cleaning up lab spills and opening car doors, they're always on hand. They will keep tabs on you if you go out (by your request) and will call you if you have not returned by the time you said you would. They will take you to the train station, though there are some limits on how extensively they will ferry you around (no pick-up at Hartsfield-Jackson, people). They are very quick to come and open your door if you lock your keys in your car, though less prompt in lighting bonfires outside the Campus Center (yes, fun fact -- we have a fire pit shaped like a globe). All in all, Oglethorpe is not a place you need to worry about violence. It feels very safe, and has multiple levels of protection, from peers to actual security officers.
First off, Oglethorpe is simply beautiful -- the whole campus, from Lupton Keyhole to Turner Lynch Campus Center, is one of my favorite places. The professors are very good, and you really have to work hard -- which is good! Finally, even though the school is small, you will always be able to find people and activities which fit your interests.
Study hard and don't party too much! Go to study hours and SI sessions. Get to know your professors, but, that said, remember that they ARE your professors -- don't get too chummy. Be friendly, but respectful of their positions and their time constraints. Get to know the staff, Campus Life, Res Life, Campus Safety, etc. This will save you lots of time and trouble if you need their help -- which I assure you you will, more often than you think! All other benefit aside, you'll also be friends with some of the nicest people in Atlanta! Some tips with regard to schoolwork, and Core classes in particular. Do the reading, even if you feel bored. I recommend buying the books ahead of time and reading them over vacation. Then, if you have other homework or a paper due, you can just skim what you have already read and you're good to go. Not doing the reading will put you in sticky situations, and often very embarrassing ones, in class. If the professor allows you to submit a draft of your paper before the final draft is due, submit and get his feedback, then follow it to finish the paper. This will sky-rocket your grade -- in my experience, making for a guaranteed A -- and it actually makes writing the paper much faster. Submit any homework on time and do not ask for extensions unless the syllabus encourages it (some professors do). Being know as an extension requester is seen as being manipulative. Do not be the person that always has an emergency before a test; that is also obvious. Once, it's probably genuine, but if it happens with every test, or even half of them, your professor is going to get suspicious. Don't ask for makeups if the syllabus says they are not offered. If you have a question about homework or about general class-related problems, look in the syllabus for the answer before you email the professor. It's usually there. With regard to your fellow Petrels: be friendly to all the students -- smile at them and say Hey, even if they're not the people you...
It's hard here, but great. The professors are in general really good, though I only have first hand knowledge of the science and history departments. If they are a representative sample, though, and I think they are, Oglethorpe's professors are as good as those at any college in the nation. It is not easy to get A's in the classes I have taken. If you slack off, you will be penalized. You really have to keep up with your work, and you especially have to go to EVERY class period, unless you are literally too sick to stand. Skipping classes will be reflected in a lower grade. That said, it is quite possible to get a perfect 4.0 GPA if you are serious about your work. One thing a lot of students hate is the Core curriculum, but I really like being able to have a common class that all my friends, both from the sciences and the humanities, are taking with me. Don't grumble about it -- you will not regret taking these Core classes later in life, and will probably even be glad you did. Just be careful about who you choose for freshman level Core -- the few mediocre professors are adjuncts hired to take up the slack of the inrush of freshmen, and whose only job here is to teach Core 101 and 102. Make sure you take a professor who teaches a number of classes in his discipline also, be it English, philosophy or another topic. I recommend Bill Brightman and Devon Belcher for 100 level Cores.
As a commuter student, I do not know first-hand about dorm life. But from what my friends say and from what I've seen, I'd say it is fine but not amazing. The dorms are pretty decent except for Traer, which really needs to go. It's a byword on campus. I've heard stories about strange happenings in the dorms (a war dance around a bonfire with an actual boar's head at midnight in Traer is one of them -- and no, that is NOT our famous boar's head ceremony). The other dorms are nice though not palatial, and the staff, including student RA's and PAL's, are especially nice. Many of the staff that work with the students also live on campus, so they are available after hours in an emergency.
The food is quite good, and has a wide variety. It is institutional quality food -- if you want restaurant level, go down the street to Town Brookhaven -- but it is fresh and usually has a good selection. Their alfredo at the pasta bar is truly delicious, but the bar only serves it occasionally. I also love their tuna melts and grilled cheese sandwiches. Their cookies are also good, if they haven't been over baked, which they sometimes are. Once the cookies were missing, and I asked for them. The staff brought me a pile of hot, fresh-out-of-the-oven ones! However, be warned -- if you are a commuter and have a car, you can eat much more cheaply off campus. The normal rate for lunch at the caf is 8.25 a meal (all you can eat) and even with a commuter meal plan it only goes down to 5.50 or so a meal. It is officially illegal but not at all unheard-of for commuters to get their on-campus friends to sneak them pizza . . . but don't get caught! I have never heard of anyone getting food poisoning at Oglethorpe -- a common matter at some other college cafeterias I'm familiar with. The cafeteria eating area is very attractive and has a beautiful view, especially in fall. There is also Starbuck's, which is widely patronized. The staff will figure out what your go-to drink is in a short time, and will get to know your likes and dislikes, even to the extent of recommending things based on what they know you like! The recommendations are always good, too. If you do not like your drink, they will make you another. If they make your drink wrong, do not let them throw out the drink! You can get brownie points with your classmates by handing out free drinks -- either to a friend or a random person. Waiting for your drink is also a good time to make friends with other people, also waiting. These polite exchanges can turn into hour-long conversations -- always good after a hard day!
The Boar's Head Celebration and Party, at the end of the Fall semester, is a must! It is the best party on campus, and everyone -- faculty, staff, and students -- goes to it! There are a wide variety of other activities available throughout the year, from Greek parties to lectures and Museum receptions. Go to the plays and concerts -- they're well worth it. If you are not from Atlanta, you have many places to explore in the city, some of which are offered as free trips through the Center for Civic Engagement. I especially recommend the Botanical Gardens, especially if you want a relaxing place to walk or read. The freshmen are given a huge party every fall at the World of Coke, which is quite popular. I personally remember the old World of Coke, and have never been very happy with the new one, but it is definitely an option. If you like history, you definitely need to go to the Atlanta History Center (their main exhibit, Turning Point, is excellent, as are most of their traveling exhibits) and you should try the Atlanta Cyclorama.
If you have a decent scholarship, Oglethorpe is well worth your money. I wouldn't go anywhere else! Very few people pay the designated price tag, what with one thing and another -- most pay around 20 thousand dollars a semester, excluding housing costs, and the better students pay much less than that. If you take a full course load (i.e. 15 hours or more) every semester, you will have nothing to complain about in terms of value for the money spent. Further, as the professors are glad to assure you, a degree from Oglethorpe is not worth less than one from a better known school -- in fact, science majors from Oglethorpe are often preferred, even over Georgia Tech graduates! You are not wasting your money if you do well in your classes and major in a field that will give you good opportunities.
The elephant buried somewhere on campus is our favorite legend and the Petrels of Fire race on Oglethorpe day our favorite event. Here is a link to descriptions of these many others of OUr beloved traditions! http://oglethorpe.edu/about_us/oglethorpe_glossary.asp One of my favorite locations is the woody stretch between the soccer fields and the Goslin/Robinson parking lot -- there you will find Dr. Donnelly's bluebird watching station and Dr. Schadler's worm stumps, for Gen Bio 102 animal behavior lab. I also love to read on the bench outside Lupton Belltower when the weather is balmy -- the bell rings overhead, with quite a different tone than when heard elsewhere on campus.
Nerds! We are all nerds at OU -- embrace it! Oglethorpe is a great place for premeds (our biology department is tops) and liberal arts students. The history department is quite strong, languages not quite so much. It is good for a language minor, though. The music department is really good. I hear that the English department is good too; at least there are lots of English majors and they seem happy! The chemistry and physics departments are not so large, but the professors are excellent. Do not shy away from these majors on the basis of the small department sizes.
There are a wide variety of clubs for such a small school, and many are top notch. From the Thalian Society, founded for philosophical discussion, to the new student chemistry society, there are clubs for all interests, social, political and academic. If there isn't a club that you want to join, you can make your own! There is no good listing of clubs -- you really have to play it by ear, which means if you want to find out about the lesser-known clubs, you have to make friends with some of the active upperclassmen, or ask faculty. The Activities fair in fall and spring is a start, but the best clubs are too small to table there.
Not being into Greek life, I can't judge it, but the Director of Greek Affairs is really nice. Many students belong to a fraternity, many to two -- one academic and one social. There are occasionally ruckuses over fraternities -- one got shut down this semester, but I was too busy to find out why -- but there is rarely anything serious. There are a large number of fraternities and sororities available, and every student, even those who don't belong to one, has a decided opinion as to which are cool and which are not. Usually it has to do with which ones your friends (and occasionally foes!) belong to.
Oglethorpe is an extremely safe campus. I have no qualms, as a woman, about walking around campus late at night. We have almost no violence -- for instance, I have never heard of an assault by a student -- and since everyone knows everyone else, there is almost always someone you know around if you feel uncomfortable. The Campus is so small that running for thirty seconds will bring you to some inhabited area -- from the quad, the library is easily reached, at least the twenty-four hour room, and from anywhere else, you will be within a short distance of a dorm, the gym, or the student center. These places have people in them in all but the dead of night -- long past midnight. (If you are out that late, whatever you are doing is risky enough that you should know better anyway!) The Campus Safety staff is awesome! From escorts to cleaning up lab spills and opening car doors, they're always on hand. They will keep tabs on you if you go out (by your request) and will call you if you have not returned by the time you said you would. They will take you to the train station, though there are some limits on how extensively they will ferry you around (no pick-up at Hartsfield-Jackson, people). They are very quick to come and open your door if you lock your keys in your car, though less prompt in lighting bonfires outside the Campus Center (yes, fun fact -- we have a fire pit shaped like a globe). All in all, Oglethorpe is not a place you need to worry about violence. It feels very safe, and has multiple levels of protection, from peers to actual security officers.