Old Dominion University

ODU is NOT the most beautiful campus. There's a lot of construction and new buildings are popping up everywhere on campus. However, this isn't necessarily bad. All the new buildings are extremely nice, which in the long-term, will enhance ODU's beauty. So basically, it may not be good looking now, but it will be in the future.

As for safety, the school is fairly safe compared to national statistics. But the perception of most students is that school security is not very good. So a few kids live in a false sense of fear. There are incidents here and there, but only an extremely small portion (3-4/yr) can be deemed serious. There are the drug dealers, which comes from living in a city like Norfolk, but they're nice people and will leave you alone if you don't want their services. If you bring a bike to campus, especially if you live in the Rogers, Gresham, Powhattan, or Whitehurst dorms, your bike will be in jeapordy of being stolen by gangs of young kids. Bike thefts are a huge problem at ODU.

As for the student body, it's extremely diverse. Other than George Mason University, ODU has the most ethnically diverse population for Virginia universities. This is good in the sense that students really learn to appreciate other cultures, but bad in the sense that cliques are also created. The student body isn't very unified, and another reason for that is the fact that ODU is a commuter school. However, the future for commuters is not looking good. ODU is beginning to tear down many parking lots and replacing them with academic and residential buildings. It's now a fact that ODU wants to become a residential university. The ROTC program at the school is huge. In fact, the Navy ROTC

program is the largest in America and students from all over the US (as far as Alaska) come for ODU's NROTC. There are many military kids walking around everyday, but almost all of them are extremely nice and respectful. There is no sense of living in a military state at ODU, despite the large ROTC program.

One thing that does unify the student body, and only for a few months, is basketball. Men's and women's basketball is huge at ODU and games can be electrifying. The Ted (the basketball stadium) is a state of the art facility that tops every university basketball stadium in Virginia. Only UVA's stadium equals ODU's Ted Constant Convocation Center. Football is coming to ODU in 2009 which is expected to unify the community even more. However, Foreman Field (even though it is going through renovations), which is the football stadium, is one of the oldest stadiums in America, and looks completely unsafe for the expected crowds at football games (but I'm sure it's actually safe).

Student life at ODU is what you make of it. There's a ridiculous amount of student groups and sports, so there's something for everyone. Virginia Beach is a must for most students while fishing is another activity some people do. ODU is a big party school so if you like to drink, frats and house parties can be found everyday. A lot of people party in their dorms, but RA's are strict and the risks of being caught are high. Parties are frequently busted, but if it's Norfolk police that do the busting, then underage students are not usually turned in. ODU police are nice, but will turn students in for underage drinking.

Academics at the school vary. Most professors understand what they're talking about, but you will get a few professors who you don't understand. The faculty, like the student body, is ethnically diverse. Some professors are easy while others are extremely hard. Just go to ratemyproffesor.com and a good sense of what you may deal with is written down there. If you're an engineering major, then you're in luck because ODU has top rate facilities for your education. If you plan to attend ODU as any type of art major, go to Virginia Commonwealth University instead. The art college is the department the ODU administration least cares for. Nursing is big at ODU too, while business majors make up for most of the students at the university. However, ODU offers a whole variety of majors, so there's usually something for everyone. Overall the university does a good job with academics and the money put into a students education is worth it.Hopefully, that covers most of ODU. But if you truly want to have a sense of the school, just visit it. It's a great school that's trying to build an academic reputation, but it may not be the right school for everyone. If you need any more info, just email me and I'll be happy to answer as honestly as I can.