火爆社区

To some, Ohio Wesleyan University offers the best of both worlds: the 鈥渟maller school鈥� experience of a 鈥渓iberal arts education鈥� along with the 鈥渇antastic financial aid,鈥� 鈥渟cholarship money,鈥� and 鈥渙pportunity to play a collegiate sport鈥� available at a 鈥済lobal鈥� university. OWU offers pre-professional majors in areas like pre-medicine, pre-engineering, and prelaw, along with 鈥渆nriching鈥� programs called out by students in 鈥減sychology,鈥� 鈥渆conomics,鈥� 鈥淏lack World Studies,鈥� and others. In addition, the university facilitates special programs like 鈥渢he undergraduate research program, SSRP, which allows only Ohio Wesleyan students to work with a professor over the summer,鈥� and which entrusts undergrads with 鈥渁 rare opportunity to get paid to do research almost always one-on-one with a PhD, where at any other school you鈥檒l be working with lab techs and graduate students.鈥� Connection Grants challenge students to design their own project applications 鈥渇or grants through the school that allow you to do your own research [and] travel to gain new experience.鈥� Similarly, OWU鈥檚 鈥淭ravel-Learning Courses鈥� create 鈥渕any opportunities to go abroad鈥� for students with intellectual wanderlust, and with such a global focus, OWU also attracts 鈥渕any international students鈥� to its Ohio campus. The faculty participates in this global citizenship as well: 鈥淭he professors are very diverse, like the students here, bringing different perspectives and knowledge to campus.鈥� They鈥檙e also committed to their students, who find that professors are 鈥済ood at engaging the student in classroom discussions鈥� and 鈥渨ill go out of their way to help you. I have had numerous professors support me in applying for grants, applying for research experiences at other universities, as well as jobs.鈥� Students report that 鈥渁 major benefit of going to a smaller school is that I am on a first-name basis with multiple professors, and even text them if I need help with something,鈥� and that they鈥檝e 鈥渉ad professors stay until 6pm just to make sure I understood a concept.鈥� An OWU education also builds a foundation for the future: the university boasts 鈥渟trong career services,鈥� and 鈥淥WU alums are very dedicated to helping provide employment to students post-graduation.鈥�

OWU is populated by enthusiastic joiners of all different stripes, and students love the 鈥渧ery culturally diverse鈥� atmosphere of the school. 鈥淚鈥檝e never met so many people that are religiously and culturally different in a single place. It鈥檚 amazing!鈥� Because 鈥渟tudents and faculty alike push for acceptance of everyone,鈥� it鈥檚 鈥渧ery easy to make friends in this type of environment.鈥� Students extol each other as 鈥渇riendly and smart,鈥� as well as 鈥渙utgoing, overcommitted in student organizations, and driven,鈥� and love that 鈥渋t is impossible to judge or peg people鈥� because 鈥渆veryone here is from all over with different backgrounds.鈥� At OWU, 鈥渆veryone fits in somewhere.鈥�

OWU鈥檚 鈥渃lose knit community鈥� is forged through common-interest bonds: 鈥淢ost students are nerds/passionate about something. They usually fit in by finding people interested in the same things they are.鈥� The prototypical OWU student is 鈥渆xtremely involved in clubs/organizations,鈥� but has lots of choices of what to join: there鈥檚 an 鈥渁mazing club and Greek life,鈥� 鈥渧arsity sports,鈥� 鈥渏obs on campus,鈥� and 鈥淪LUs (small living units),鈥� described as 鈥渋ntentional communities centered around various mission statements.鈥� All of this adds up to a robust 鈥渙verall community鈥� and 鈥済reat campus culture鈥� that 鈥渕ake OWU an even better school to attend. The majority of students stay on campus because of the community and friendships that they have formed.鈥� That said, a lot of students 鈥済o to class and study during the week like its [their] job,鈥� 鈥渁nd every night do homework followed by Netflix.鈥� 鈥淚n general, everyone is in study groups during the week and watching movies with friends when free鈥�; then 鈥渨eekends are spent with friends at a frat, sorority, or sport house.鈥� 鈥淒rinking does occur, as does drug usage,鈥� but 鈥渋t鈥檚 not a huge party school,鈥� and 鈥渕any people are devoted strongly to their academics.鈥�

At Ohio Wesleyan University, careers aren鈥檛 seen simply as jobs but as experiences. Their Career Connection team utilizes the 鈥淒iscover-Design-Achieve" method to help students 鈥渂ecome a designer of [their] life.鈥� To begin with, students are encouraged to use 鈥渆xploratory resources鈥� like archived video interviews with professionals and self-assessments to identify their interests and strengths. They can also engage with self-paced programs that serve as virtual job simulations or match with best-fit internships. 鈥淚 got to travel to D.C. to work for a summer, and then to Santiago, Chile, to study political economy,鈥� explains one student, while another notes that they鈥檝e had 鈥渟o many opportunities to help me prepare for my future career.鈥� The school also features Career Catalysts鈥攕taff members who are experts across multiple "career communities" like STEM, education and communication, and entrepreneurship鈥攚ho 鈥渦nderstand the employment trends in their respective areas.鈥� Perhaps that鈥檚 why roughly 25 percent of graduates end up in STEM-related careers and are set with median mid-career earnings of about $125,000, according to PayScale.