Ohio University

Date: Aug 31 2011
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
When you enter into undergrad for the first time, you are still a teenager—not everyone knows exactly what they want to do at this point in their life. Some do, and that's why they start into their major Fall Quarter their freshman year. The majority choose to try a few different classes to see what sparks interest in them. This was me. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. I have both a creative side and an analytical side. I started out in one major that turned out to be a mistake. The professors were arrogant and offered very little mentoring until you officially were "accepted" into the program. (You could declare it as a major, but after a year, you have to submit a portfolio to be reviewed and then you are told whether or not you have been accepted and continue in the major). I would say 90% of the students that got in, were not just accepted due to ability or talent—it was mostly based on how good they were at sucking up to the professors. (Something I didn't feel comfortable with—why should I have to schmooze my way into a program?!)

I decided to major in psychology, which turned out to be the right choice for me. I will say that I was given a bogus advisor—one that usually only deals with graduate students, and because I had come from a previous major, he basically shut me down from the start. He thought he knew me and never gave me a shot- he believed I chose Psychology because I thought it would be "easy." Some of the psych professors are amazing and wonderful to work with…others are arrogant as ever or really really dense. I just didn't feel there was enough mentoring of undergrads.

My family relocated to Chicago before I finished my undergrad. I had enough coursework to still graduate from OU, but I had to finish my remaining classes in Illinois. I became a research assistant my first semester at NIU and ended up being blown away at how much encouragement, freedom, and mentoring. After my first semester I was invited to work in 3 other psychology labs. I had several professors meet with me at any time to discuss my future plans and I received a lot of encouragement and advice. None of these things were a part of my academic experience at OU. I spent two semesters at NIU as a student and a total of a year and a half there as a Research Assistant. In that time, I attended 3 professional conferences, two of which I presented my research at. I am also 3rd author on a manuscript, and currently working on a meta analysis project of which I will be one of the lead authors.

That all being said, I think OU has a lot to offer. You have to have a voice for yourself to get what you want out of it academically. A lot of the employees at the colleges don't do much to help you out, and if you get a bad advisor, you can get another one, but you aren't guaranteed they will be good as well. I think a lot of the professors are sub-par if that. It just depends on the department. The math department can use some work and some English speaking professors. How can you learn math if you don't understand your professor?

Socially and personally it is one of the greatest places to spend your late teenage years and early 20s. I miss it everyday and I made some of the best friends there. Greek life is pretty big at OU, but if you aren't in a frat or sorority, you can and will be fine. There are enough amazing people there to befriend. It isn't just a party school, I've had many great conversations with people there about academics, history, world issues, etc. But it is a great place to have fun, party on occasion, and just be around great people. Outside of Ohio, I think OU has very little credibility, unless you are among or meet fellow alumni. Most people outside of Ohio hear the words "Ohio" and "University" and automatically assume you mean Ohio State—which can get annoying after a while!

All in all I think the school has a lot to improve on academically, but every now and again you come across an amazing professor who makes it all seem worthwhile. My best advice is again advocate for yourself and push to get the most out of your experience. Nobody is invested in your education or your experience…you have to be!

Go Bobcats!!