Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University

"In Your Light We Shall See the Light"

Background Information: Chartered in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan is a highly selective, coeducational, residential, privately supported liberal arts college located 20 minutes north of Columbus in Delaware, Ohio, a vibrant community of 31,000 and seat of one of the fastest-growing counties in the country. OWU's charter provides that “the University is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principles, accessible to all religious denominations, and designed for the benefit of our citizens in general.” In the spirit of its heritage, the University defines itself as a community of teachers and students devoted to the free pursuit of truth. It develops, in its students, qualities of intellect and character that will be useful no matter what they choose to do in later life. (OWU website)

Initial thoughts: According to the school's website, OWU is a place where you will get a rigorous liberal arts education, develop personal relationships with your professors, and be apart that of a community that is both small in size but still large enough to offer a lot of opportunities. Given that these statements are accurate, I would expect OWU's campus to be a place that is able to foster a passion for learning, comfortable enough to let students interact with one another, and perhaps good relations with the surrounding town so that its students can reap the benefits of what Delaware has to offer.

Notable website features: A where to? section (suggestions on where to eat and what to do), photo gallery, and an interactive tour map, 360 degree campus tour, and other virtual tour options!

The Campus

• Layout: OWU’s campus is very interesting because it is basically divided up into 3 sections, and each section is separated by crossing a major street. My tour started on the Academic/Administrative end of campus, a section composed of the academic buildings, office of admissions, and other administrative offices. This end was, without a doubt, the prettiest section of campus for me. The next section of campus is what I would call the Student Services/other half of the Academic Section since it is composed of the Beeghly Library, Student Center, and various academic department buildings/performing arts hall. The last section of campus is specifically for student housing, featuring various residence halls and SLUs (Small Living Units) -- the most interesting living arrangment at OWU.
  
  
• Architecture: Unlike the schools that I have visited thus far, OWU is not all red-bricked; rather, it is an assortment of styles. The first third of campus has both classic (Gray Chapel) and modern themes (the Science building), and the second third of campus is the same way. I don't know how I feel about such an assortment since I'm used to/prefer the singular theme, but it does allow OWU to stick out a bit in my mind. My only complaint with OWU is the fact that the student housing/SLUs could have been better kept. The aesthetic quality of some of the SLUs leave a little something to be desired -- no matter how interesting the concept behind their existence is.
  
  
• Scale: As a school that caters to just over 2000 undergraduates , OWU is definitely not what I would call "big" -- but it's not incredibly tiny either. Everything (including downtown Delaware) is within walking distance, and my tour guide even told me that a car is a bit unnecessary. Instead of cars, OWU students perfer bikes to help them get around campus. Honestly, though, you really can walk to whatever service you might be looking for at OWU -- I think it's safe to estimate a 10-15 minute walk to get from one end of the campus to the other.
  
  
• The Student Center: The Hamilton-Williams Campus Center at OWU offers the following services to its students -- a chapel, mail room, the campus bookstore, a food court, several lounges, offices for student activities, the career center, and also the office of residential life. From the description gathered from OWU's website, it appears as if there is no convenience mart at OWU; however, since downtown Delaware is but a 5 minute walk away, this shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience.
  
  
• Student Living: In terms of housing, OWU students have quite a few options. They can either live off-campus in Delaware (a rare choice since most students choose to reside on campus), in a sorority/fraternity house, in a residence hall, or in a Small Living Unit (SLU). All students are required to live on campus in a residence hall during their first year, and all of the halls are co-ed by floor with the exception of Hayes Hall, which only houses women. One of the most convenient features of OWU’s residence halls is that it does stay open during breaks for those students who might not be able to travel home.
  
  There’s not much else to say about the residence halls at OWU – they looked pretty standard and definitely not note worthy. The most interesting part of my tour of OWU’s housing options occurred at the Small Living Units (SLU). Although the outside of some of the SLUs left a little something to be desired (I thought they could have been better maintained by the university), the idea behind SLUs is very interesting. SLUs are basically themed houses on campus, and depending on which house you choose to apply for, you are required to adhere to the interesting rules behind each house. For an example, if you were to live in the Modern Foreign Language House, you would be asked not to speak English while in the house. Other current SLUs include the House of Black Culture, Creative Arts House, Inter-Faith House, International House, Modern Foreign Language House, Peace and Justice House, House of Thought, Tree House, and the Women’s House (all women).
  
  
• Notable Attractions: My favorite building at OWU is the Admissions Building; I think it's so lovely and the Admissions counselor were also very helpful while I was conducting my tour. The best part of the Admissions building has to be the upstairs Reading Room. Slocum Hall's Reading Room is a memorable sight with its stained glass ceilings and many windows. My only complaint with the room is that there was no air conditioning in it, and the day that I visited proved to be a very muggy one!
  
  

Final Conclusions: Well, I must admit that I have had some experience with OWU; I attended a science camp that OWU hosted during the summer of my Junior year in high school. I wish that I could say that it was a pleasant experience, but it really wasn't and I was left with a figurative "bad taste in my mouth." Since then, I have not looked too kindly on anything associated with OWU -- which I realize is quite unfair because I was not looking at OWU from an undergraduate point of view. Now that I have had time to reevaulate, I can truthfully say that OWU isn't the horror that I used to associate it with. On the contrary, I think it has a lot to offer its strictly undergraduate population in terms of opportunities and also in diversity --- OWU is actually the most diverse bachelor seeking university in the state of Ohio, a fact that surprised me a great deal. Would I say that OWU was a memorable visit? No, not in terms of aesthetics --- I thought the campus was very practical in its set up, but as a fan of a uniformed looking campus, I wasn't that impressed by it. However, I think it's worthwhile to note that I am merely nit-picking. I think that OWU does have a lot to offer, and I ask that you give it a chance.

Photostream of OWU: See the campus in pictures!

Still not convinced? Experience it for yourself! Schedule a visit today!