Owens Community College

Date: Aug 20 2010
Major: Nursing (This Major's Salary over time)
Well, I love the teachers here. I went to OSU on a scholarship and I disliked the attitude there and Owens has a lot better attitude with the teachers. I also used a site to look up and make sure I had excellent professors though and I recommend any student in college using professor-rating sites before selecting a professor. This can be a difference between an A and a D. There were only a few instructors I have disliked.

I dislike the online classroom format and I find it ridiculous. I don't recommend taking any classes online and very few do use Blackboard, the online version. Usually the online classes are 90% harder than the same classroom versions. I strongly recommend taking the in-class version as the forced discussion board lengths and lack of learning about the professors can be frustrating.

Some of the classes are obviously weed-out classes, but the instructors are fair. Many will allow you to tape record them so you can go over the lectures at home. Show up and answer questions and you'll usually do fine.

Now, this is where my review becomes negative. The instructors are lovely, but I do have regrets about this school. One is the lack of clubs. There are a few clubs here and there, but then it is a commuter school and so social life isn't really to be expected. Usually social clubs are created because kids live in the dorms.

Parking is horrible here, but I never drove here. There are shuttles though and the Toledo Area Transport Agency does operate here.

The course reserves were kind of frustrating when the library did not have the books in the reserves. The computer would say it was there but they couldn't find it more than one occasion and no, it wasn't checked out. It may have been stolen.

I also don't recommend the staff in the O-serve or Bursar's office. Sallie Mae did not help when they wanted Owens to contact them but didn't contact Owens. Then Owens kept on telling me they didn't certify loans when I called them, but finally when I emailed someone, they reset the loan process or certified or something? Not really sure who dropped the ball, but it was frustrating and Owens eventually had to do something to fix it so I think Owens screwed up.

Then the loan disbursed and they used the first (summer) payment to pay for Fall Tuition as I had already paid Summer's with a credit card. I received the remaining about in a refund, but then there was another horror story with them not sending me a debit card but claiming they did. (They are the only school I know of that uses a special debit card service to get a check. University of Toledo and Ohio State has their own services and issue checks directly from them.) Then over 30 days later and 2 days after Fall semester started, Owens decided that they would refund me the entire summer tuition payment meaning I technically haven't paid Fall's tuition which was due the 9th of August. Why did they break up the payments instead of refunding me at once or keep the funds for fall tuition like they initially did? I have no idea. I really wish this school could get their act together.

These whole situations have tainted my experience and I would NOT recommend anyone to attend this college unless this was the only school with the program they wanted. It would be better to spend a little bit more and go to a college that knew what they were doing.