Otterbein is similar to a large family. With classes and a campus that is challenging, innovative, and connective, students with any range of interests are able to feel right at home here, and find a niche in which they can explore and expand their minds and experiences. Otterbein has become the second home for many; it is an extremely nurturing environment.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Don't be nervous! That is probably the most useless advice to give an incoming freshman, because no matter what anybody says, nerves will always be around. Still, Otterbein requires all students to step outside of their comfort zone immediately upon moving in. In order to truly absorb all there is on campus, one must open their minds to all sorts of different things. Try everything, some things more than once, and don't be afraid to be different, regardless of what others think.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
Whether you're in the Honors Program, or you're an undeclared major, the classes that a student takes part in on campus are extremely challenging. Yes, there are lectures involved, as in any course of study at any college, but it's different at Otterbein. Lectures often blossom into small class discussions among students and professors. Because classes are small, conversations become personal and connective to whatever topic is being discussed. This allows students to better understand concepts in their own way, according to their own individual thought processes. The academia at Otterbein is superb, to say the least.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
Regardless of where you live on campus, you're guaranteed to be surrounded by good people. Incoming freshman, I encourage you to have a random roommate for your first year, because it forces you out of your comfort zone immediately. This allows one to meet new people right off the bat, as soon as they move in, and that is the gateway to having a thorough experience on campus as a whole. RAs are helpful and always available, and students can feel safe knowing that they have friends living around them all the time.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
Otterbein has several food options on campus. The Cardinal's Nest (cafeteria), The Otter Den (grill), The Otter Bean (coffee shop), and The Roost (cafe). All of these places have great food choices that are healthy and satisfying. The only downside would be that our method of payment differs between location. Otterbein provides Cardinal Dollars and Swipes to students. Swipes can be used everywhere except the Otter Bean and the Roost, and Dollars can be used everywhere except the Cardinal's Nest. I believe the downside is that most students use up their Dollars before their swipes, and so students who frequent the coffee shop or cafe don't always have the option to get their favorite things at the end of the semester, because they're out of Cardinal Dollars. Additionally, Swipes don't roll over from year to year, so using all of them sometimes becomes a challenge.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
Otterbein has several on campus organizations that anybody can become involved in. From athletic teams, to honorary societies, to fraternities, sororities, and religious groups, every student always finds something to be a part of. Additionally, since the university is in Westerville, students have access to the entire surrounding area, including Columbus, which makes finding entertainment easy.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
Tuition inevitably rises every year, but students find admirable ways to battle that. Otterbein offers thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants to students every single year, and the university is always fundraising in order to increase that number. The education received on campus is unparalleled, specifically because of how personal everyone is on campus. Professors care, students care, and everybody has a passion for something. You don't find that on every campus. But you find it at Otterbein, and it practically pays for itself.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
Outside of the fraternities and sororities doing their own things, Otterbein also has what students just call The Rock. The Rock sits in front of the Career Planning and Student Success building, and it is the rock that students paint over and over again all throughout the year. It is tradition that freshmen sign The Rock during New Student Week, when they first move in. As the year progresses, fraternities, sororities, and other groups on campus color The Rock in order to represent themselves.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
If you're an individual thinker, or someone who has a passion for something, Otterbein is perfect for you. Because of its small, friendly environment, and its personal, caring faculty and staff, individuals with a creative streak will have no problem fitting in and soaring with their goals. There is something here for everyone, and if there isn't, someone creates something new to make it so.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
Honoraries, fraternities, sororities, and religious groups are only some of the options of organizations to become involved in on campus. Students can take part in any or all of them, and if some students feel as though there isn't an organization out there that suits them, they can create one! Otterbein encourages creativity and innovation, and so students have no problem speaking their minds.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
As someone who is not personally pledge to a sorority or fraternity, I can still vouch for our Greek life in a positive way. Our Greek houses are very connected, very friendly even in rivalry, and they are extremely active on campus, both with their own organizations, as well as with community service. Greek life is popular of course, and it fosters community on campus and off.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
Otterbein has its own police force, as well as the Westerville Police Department right off campus. Students can feel safe and secure every day, both day and night, knowing that the campus is secure both from the inside and the outside.
Otterbein is similar to a large family. With classes and a campus that is challenging, innovative, and connective, students with any range of interests are able to feel right at home here, and find a niche in which they can explore and expand their minds and experiences. Otterbein has become the second home for many; it is an extremely nurturing environment.
Don't be nervous! That is probably the most useless advice to give an incoming freshman, because no matter what anybody says, nerves will always be around. Still, Otterbein requires all students to step outside of their comfort zone immediately upon moving in. In order to truly absorb all there is on campus, one must open their minds to all sorts of different things. Try everything, some things more than once, and don't be afraid to be different, regardless of what others think.
Whether you're in the Honors Program, or you're an undeclared major, the classes that a student takes part in on campus are extremely challenging. Yes, there are lectures involved, as in any course of study at any college, but it's different at Otterbein. Lectures often blossom into small class discussions among students and professors. Because classes are small, conversations become personal and connective to whatever topic is being discussed. This allows students to better understand concepts in their own way, according to their own individual thought processes. The academia at Otterbein is superb, to say the least.
Regardless of where you live on campus, you're guaranteed to be surrounded by good people. Incoming freshman, I encourage you to have a random roommate for your first year, because it forces you out of your comfort zone immediately. This allows one to meet new people right off the bat, as soon as they move in, and that is the gateway to having a thorough experience on campus as a whole. RAs are helpful and always available, and students can feel safe knowing that they have friends living around them all the time.
Otterbein has several food options on campus. The Cardinal's Nest (cafeteria), The Otter Den (grill), The Otter Bean (coffee shop), and The Roost (cafe). All of these places have great food choices that are healthy and satisfying. The only downside would be that our method of payment differs between location. Otterbein provides Cardinal Dollars and Swipes to students. Swipes can be used everywhere except the Otter Bean and the Roost, and Dollars can be used everywhere except the Cardinal's Nest. I believe the downside is that most students use up their Dollars before their swipes, and so students who frequent the coffee shop or cafe don't always have the option to get their favorite things at the end of the semester, because they're out of Cardinal Dollars. Additionally, Swipes don't roll over from year to year, so using all of them sometimes becomes a challenge.
Otterbein has several on campus organizations that anybody can become involved in. From athletic teams, to honorary societies, to fraternities, sororities, and religious groups, every student always finds something to be a part of. Additionally, since the university is in Westerville, students have access to the entire surrounding area, including Columbus, which makes finding entertainment easy.
Tuition inevitably rises every year, but students find admirable ways to battle that. Otterbein offers thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants to students every single year, and the university is always fundraising in order to increase that number. The education received on campus is unparalleled, specifically because of how personal everyone is on campus. Professors care, students care, and everybody has a passion for something. You don't find that on every campus. But you find it at Otterbein, and it practically pays for itself.
Outside of the fraternities and sororities doing their own things, Otterbein also has what students just call The Rock. The Rock sits in front of the Career Planning and Student Success building, and it is the rock that students paint over and over again all throughout the year. It is tradition that freshmen sign The Rock during New Student Week, when they first move in. As the year progresses, fraternities, sororities, and other groups on campus color The Rock in order to represent themselves.
If you're an individual thinker, or someone who has a passion for something, Otterbein is perfect for you. Because of its small, friendly environment, and its personal, caring faculty and staff, individuals with a creative streak will have no problem fitting in and soaring with their goals. There is something here for everyone, and if there isn't, someone creates something new to make it so.
Honoraries, fraternities, sororities, and religious groups are only some of the options of organizations to become involved in on campus. Students can take part in any or all of them, and if some students feel as though there isn't an organization out there that suits them, they can create one! Otterbein encourages creativity and innovation, and so students have no problem speaking their minds.
As someone who is not personally pledge to a sorority or fraternity, I can still vouch for our Greek life in a positive way. Our Greek houses are very connected, very friendly even in rivalry, and they are extremely active on campus, both with their own organizations, as well as with community service. Greek life is popular of course, and it fosters community on campus and off.
Otterbein has its own police force, as well as the Westerville Police Department right off campus. Students can feel safe and secure every day, both day and night, knowing that the campus is secure both from the inside and the outside.