University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Top Questions

when i tell people that i went to OU, the first thing that comes to their mind is football. OU has a great football tradition, and that is very well known. i would consider norman to be a big college town. think of it this way, if OU were to suddenly not exist in norman, it would not survive as it does. a good portion of the town is built around the university, it would be a different place without it. one experience i will always remember is when mitch hedberg and zach galifinakis(sp?) performed on the south oval. excellent.

I think that OU needs to work to get more financial aid to its students and make it easier to access it. OU is alright not the best but definately not the worst...

There is a ton of school pride here. I never got excited about my high school but OU football games have made me a Sooner fan. The enthusiasm is infectious, especially at football games which have been a surprisingly fun experience. I think the enthusiasm also carries over to a sense of campus camaraderie that is definitely a positive aspect.

The school is very well rounded. If you like sports, the Big XII championship for football has to come through Norman every year. If you are into arts, we have a huge museum, major concerts of all kinds, etc. If you like the outdoors, the campus is beautiful and numerous state parks are close by. I feel like most of the people that I knew had school pride. The one major complaint that I had was how conservative many of the people are (mostly politically and religiously). I thought college was supposed to be a time of liberal thought and experimentation, but not everyone feels the same.

Upon reflection, one of the best things about OU is that its in an actual "college town". Norman is far enough away from OKC to not feel like its a suburb, or part of one big mass, but close enough that its not inconvenient to drive up there for shopping, or events, or Bricktown (the club district). I think that Norman generates a sense of community, a sense that the town belongs to the students, and its their home. I don't think you get that in a city campus, and that sense gives everyone something in common. And norman does pretty well for itself as a fun place. The bar scene is good (and getting better), and there are good, affordable restaurants for off campus eating. Like a lot of schools it's size, OU has a fairly greek heavy social scene. Since OU went dry a few years ago, that influence has decreased, but it is still there. For students inclined to go the greek route, that's great, but it can be a downside for those who are hesitant to join a house, but who want that same communal experience. That isn't to say it's not there, because it is, and there are plenty of extracurricular activities both on and off campus to join, but you have to look a bit harder for it. School pride is a must. If you don't love OU when you get there, you will get sucked in eventually, or you will likely be kinda outcast. In fact, OU has Camp Crimson, a pre-frosh summer camp with the express purpose of introducing new students to OU traditions and spirit. This is good, this way you don't look like a tool at the first home football game. Also, you get to meet many of the other incoming freshmen and pick out a few attractive girls or guys to flirt with during the year. good times. If i had to list a complaint, i'd actually go with parking. Parking at OU flat out sucks. If you live on campus, or a greek house, you can walk to campus, and that works pretty well. But if you don't live within comfortable walking distance (and many don't, there are a lot of very student friendly apartment complexes around town) you have to drive, and that means dealing with parking. If you want to actually park on campus, you need to spend a lot of money, and frankly, you need to have a lot of luck. A lot of people park at Lloyd Noble Arena and ride a shuttle bus to class, but at peak times, you have to wait in line, and it can take awhile.

I love how everybody rallies together to show school pride, especially in football. By Oklahoma standards it is probably second to Stillwater when it comes to a party town but compared to out of state it is nowhere near. I would say that the most frequent student complaint I have heard is about the dry campus policy by the administration.

I came to OU looking to get an education, and that is what I'm getting from them. But that is not why I'm staying, sure OU is a wonderful place we are surrounded by beauty and we get a first class education, but I stay for the Baptist Student Union, the BSU has a long legacy of not only teaching students how to walk with God, but also teaching them how to teach others how to walk with God. probably more than half of the nation's Baptist collegiate ministers came straight out of the OU BSU. If you are a Christian you will not find a better training opportunity than at the BSU and it doesn't matter what denomination you are, you are welcomed, infact probably half of the students involved with the BSU are not baptist.

The best thing about OU is the campus. Of all the college campuses I've seen, ranging from all over the US, OU has one of the best. The size is just right, not huge, and not so small that it feels cramped. People generally mention the musical "Oklahoma" or something about cowboys or southern belles when I tell them I'm attending OU. I spend most of my time on campus in the Union, or in classes. I try not to spend too much time on campus. OU's administration is alright, I suppose. President Boren is extremely considerate and helpful, and thinks very highly of the students attending the university. There was something mentioned today about a cult thinking that Boren is impotent, and the controversy seems to be over if they meant he is stupid, or unable to procreate. There is a lot of school pride, and like most other places, sometimes too much. An unusual thing about OU is that the more money I spend on tuition, the more flat-panel widescreen televisions I see hanging about in places like the cafeteria, the bursar's office, and other places where people don't need to be watching high definition programming. There are several experiences that I will remember, mostly from freshman year and exploring the campus. Students seem to complain about tuition prices, textbook prices, and the fact that none of their classes seem to teach them anything useful, even though they are paying for it.

There is a lot of school pride, though I don't have it. I like the size of OU and the fact that it's a totally walkable campus for the most part. Sometimes our administration is ineffective and too bureaucratic. Nor does it always look out for the best interests of the students. For example, during the ice storm in December, finals were still scheduled even though many people had no electricity or could get to campus. They could make up those finals later, but the decision made everything somewhat hectic. The school size is just right---a tad too large, but not overly large. I think that the English building (Gittinger) needs big time renovation. Norman is a nice college town---a bit small, but not a bad place. I spend most of my time on campus either in Gittinger, in the Union, or on the South Oval. I love the benches in the South Oval. The Union always has a weird smell---I think that should be fixed. People in Louisiana get excited about OU football when I tell them that's where I go---that's why I described that as one of the stereotypes about OU. They always ask me about football, too, but I don't really care about it. OU has some weird things---like that horse with the demon eyes, but it's still great. I'm not sure if there's an experience that I will remember. Stuff with English Club, maybe---boxing books, helping with the bake sale. And during the fall semester of my junior year, I had some great classes. People frequently complain about the weird bike lane/pedestrian division and the quality of the college newspaper.

The best thing about OU is its size. Because it is a big university it has more options for study and majors. Most people don't react to me attending OU, just because lots of people in Norman are attending OU. It's a state school.