University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Top Questions

OU is challenging, but not impossible. It depends on your major and who your professor is. Definitely take any internships that are offered by a company or professor.

My favorite class would have been Organic Chemistry with Professor Shakya. He was a great professor and tried his best to be there for his students and make sure that they understood him. He I went to his office hours a couple of times and he was very helpful and made sure I knew the material before I left.

Class sizes depend. If you are taking a gen ed course then chances are that you will be packed in with a lot of people in an auditorium somewhere. But oddly enough the profs. still seem to keep in touch with the students. They may not remember your name exactly but they know who you are and perhaps your work. Once out of gen ed courses class sizes are very reasonable and you have plenty of personal time with the prof. if needed.

When you first come to OU, take a few classes that sound interesting and fun. If you're into one of those hardcore majors such as Music Education and they tell you to focus only on your music classes...don't! Learn what you like or you may end up a junior without any gen eds and wanting to switch majors which will put you back 3 years. Experience life and fun first. You will have the rest of you college career to be serious. Another MAJOR point: Since you're taking classes you enjoy your first year, ace them. The way gpa is done in college is weird and flunking classes your first few years can sink you even if you make all As your senior year.

Most professors invite you to ask questions and learn as much as possible during your time at OU. Their enrollment system is excellent, classes and professors are easy to fine and learn more about. Rarely did a professor turn me down to enroll in a class that was already full. The academic requires may seem rigorous at first, but speaking personally as a post graduate, they are absolutely the requirements you need to remain competivitive with other colleges and post-grads.

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I have had an excellent experience with academics in the engineering department. All of the professors really care and are always willing to help if you ask. I could ask any one of them for a recommendation. Engineering has a mentoring program that is excellent. It's comprised of upperclassmen so they really know what you have been through and are a huge help. I have not had such a good experience with Gen Ed classes. Particularly in the Chemistry department. The classes are huge and the teachers don't seem to care as much. Most of the TA's don't speak English and are not particularly helpful.

I knew that I would probably be attending an in-state university, probably between OU and OSU. I mostly chose OU because of its reputation for better academics and all of the awards and honors OU has received. Professors are usually available outside of class. The Gaylord College of Mass Communications is an immaculate and amazing building and the professors have lots of experience and knowledge. OU is definitely a competitive place! From athletics, to academics and even the greek system!

Because the student body is so large, you can find serious students and you can find slackers. OU's full ride to national merit scholars ensures that you can find an intelligent crowd, if that's your thing. The most unique class I ever took was African drumming- it was so much fun!!

Look - I love Oklahoma and OU. But it's just not a top flight university. Most of the students at OU don't really belong at a top university. This is a problem that many state schools have: they have to serve the public, which inevitably leads to somewhat less stringent admissions standards. The difference is that there's a huge intellectual community at places like Berkeley, UCLA, UW-Madison, and Michigan, while this community is very small at OU. In any given class, there are maybe three people who can understand the reading and go beyond it. I only applied to OU, since it was completely free as a National Merit Scholar. I'm glad I went to OU in some ways, but I also feel that it was something of a waste, and if you've got the chance to go to a better school without crushing yourself in debt, you should probably do it.