Oregon State University Top Questions

I love this school, I have always wanted to go here since I was little. One of my favorites things is the campus, it's so quiet and beautiful. I think that the school is a perfect size with just around 22,000 students. The community of Corvallis is the perfect college town in my opinion, and there are tons of things to do in the area. The library and student union areas are great to study and rest in between classes. The dixon recreation center is a high quality gym that is one of the best places on campus. Sporting events are always fun to attend because win or lose the fans are always there.

Oregon State has a family-vibe that invites students in; you can go to Fred Meyer, get your hair done across the street, then walk to campus, running into half a dozen or so friends. What was meant to be an hour outing has turned into two because everyone's talking to everyone. OSU has over 20,000 students, but it still manages to feel tight-knit. The administration seems to be down-the-line. One thing I do hear pretty consistently, though, is the pricing of books. As I'm sure is with many other universities, book prices are high, and it's frustrating when professors change books every year. This means there is no way buy the books back, or sell them, or use them again for the next segment of the courses. Many of my science and math friends have a collection of textbooks, some hundreds of dollars worth, that are collecting dust on their shelves.

Oregon State was not my first choice. I was looking at possibly attending University of Arizona, University of Portland, or Air Force Academy, but I am glad I went with Oregon State. Over the last four years Oregon State has grown in attendance by about 4,000 students. Which has had an amazing affect on the funding for the university, but has also affected student life outside of the campus. Housing has been harder to find, and rent has been rising. Overall though Oregon State has a hometown feel to it, even if you are a student from another state. Sporting events showcase this feeling very well. When it's game day everyone wears their Beaver Orange. I work down on the football field as a camera operator during football games. Let me tell you that if you want to go to a school that has school spirit, Oregon State is the place to go.

Oregon State has a family-vibe that invites students in; you can go to Fred Meyer, get your hair done across the street, then walk to campus, running into half a dozen or so friends. What was meant to be an hour outing has turned into two because everyone's talking to everyone. OSU has over 20,000 students, but it still manages to feel tight-knit. The administration seems to be down-the-line. One thing I do hear pretty consistently, though, is the pricing of books. As I'm sure is with many other universities, book prices are high, and it's frustrating when professors change books every year. This means there is no way buy the books back, or sell them, or use them again for the next segment of the courses. Many of my science and math friends have a collection of textbooks, some hundreds of dollars worth, that are collecting dust on their shelves. OSU has become a home that will be difficult to leave. There was a recent event, a football player had a heart attack in the recreation center, that devastated the community. They've come together to support not only the team pride, but the young man, his family, his friends, and anyone that had the pleasure of meeting him. This is what I will take away from college - going to football games and forming a great group of friends that cheer together, every game, for four years now.

I have waited my entire life to go to college and experience life on my own. I absolutely love everything about Oregon State University. The campus itself is gorgeous and it is a very creative and innovative learning environment. The school is a perfect size. Each student can get involved in various activities, sports, and clubs, creating a smaller learning environment and a group of friends to instantly connect with. I did the marching band and was amazed to see the amount of school pride the Oregon State students have. Despite our football team having a struggle year, the student section was always filled at the games. By participating in the marching band, I created a strong circle of friends, and I bleed black and orange; meaning I am a true Beaver fan now. I spend most of my time in my dorm, Poling Hall, because it's my place of residence. Oregon State is located in Corvallis, Oregon. It's a perfect college town. The town sleeps at 9pm, except for the few bars, but is quaint. There are places to eat that differ from the dorm food and trails to run or bike on. It's interesting to see the different reactions people give when I tell them I attend OSU. It's a state school and for some reason that instantly categorizes categorizes it as being 'less' than a private school. I would disagree strongly with that viewpoint. Being a student at a large university, you learn how to interact with different people, time management skills, you learn how to focus in large lecture classes, and you get the experience of attending well-known athletic games. The biggest complaint I've heard since attending OSU is that the dorm food gets boring. That complaint is not related to the university at all; it's a matter of personal opinion. The administration is very welcoming to incoming freshmen, they seem to want to help all students achieve graduation, and they dedicate countless hours to keeping the school running smoothly. Oregon State is located in a beautiful state, welcoming town, and it offeres varieties of majors, minors and opportunities for every student.

Oregon State University is a great school, and I really enjoy being a part of it. The campus is beautiful and traditional, and there is a huge sense of community in Corvallis. Corvallis is very much so considered a college town, and that's another reason it is so much fun. There really aren't too many places to go that aren't accessible (on campus or off) by foot. Campus is in a compacted area and the streets are lined with beautiful trees which remind me each day how lucky I am to be attending O.S.U. The one thing so great about our school is the innovation surrounding it. Our school has a great environmental science program and is all about researching strategies to become more environmentally sustainable. Also, beginning in 2012, our school will be tobacco smoke free, which I think is great because encouraging something so harmful to our health isn't necessary. If you look back on famous alumni, we have crazy innovators such as the inventor of the computer mouse; Pulitzer Prize winners; NASA Astronauts; a Novel Peace Prize winner; Olympians; Politicians; and even Playboy Playmates (not sure if that gives us more street cred, or makes us look ridiculous, but hey, we'll claim on it).

My biggest concern while attending OSU was the way the school spent its money. There are several things for which I was charged while attending, things of which I will never see use. Some people feel that the school spends money it could use to fix older buildings to purchase frivolous things,such as the woven-willow-limb sculptures by Patrick Dougherty which, while very interesting to see, is designed to fall apart in the coming years. However, many other things make up for the money situation, such as the idea that OSU does want its students to succeed, showing that by offering "stress-free week" in the recreation center, complete with free massages. The campus is beautiful, and Corvallis is a reasonably nice city: there are many things to do that offer special student discounts, and there are a lot of very nice places to go for drinks and dinner

Oregon State has a family-vibe that invites students in; you can go to Fred Meyer, get your hair done across the street, then walk to campus, running into half a dozen or so friends. What was meant to be an hour outing has turned into two because everyone's talking to everyone. OSU has over 20,000 students, but it still manages to feel tight-knit. The administration seems to get a fairly positive review from what I hear. One thing I do hear pretty consistently, though, is the pricing of books. As I'm sure is with many other universities, book prices are high, and it's frustrating when professors change books every year. This means there is no way buy the books back, or sell them, or use them again for the next segment of the courses. Many of my science and math friends have a collection of textbooks, some hundreds of dollars worth, that are collecting dust on their shelves. But if that's the worst thing I hear, I'd say this school is a great choice. OSU has become a home that will be difficult to leave. There was a recent event, a football player had a heart attack in the recreation center, that devastated the community. They've come together to support not only the team pride, but the young man, his family, his friends, and anyone that had the pleasure of meeting him. This is what I will take away from college - going to football games and forming a great group of friends that cheer together, every game, for four years now.

It's a pretty small school, located in a college town that most people find very boring. The parties are all related to frats and sororities, so if you're not into that, you just do drugs and become a vegetable like everyone else. There's not much school pride, but it's a very laid back atmosphere which can be really nice. There are often a lot of frat boys running around in thongs, so that's nothing unusual on campus. Because of it being located in a college town, it's pretty far away from everything city-wise, so you will have to not mind being basically in the woods. The campus is small and most people walk or bike around.