It would make sense for a private school kid to go to a private college, right? Well, this was the mindset for many of my peers, as well as myself. Going into the college transition, I wasn’t looking to stray too far from the comforts of my private school. What was I going to do if my teachers didn’t know my name in my college classes? Better yet, what was I going to do if I couldn’t find my place amongst the thousands of students at public university? I was afraid of drowning in a sea of students. All roads pointed away from public universities, but one fateful visit to OU would change my perspective completely.

Upon arriving on the Norman campus, I wasn’t exactly thrilled when my first glimpse at college life consisted of peering into a lecture hall that contained more students than were in my graduating class. “Here we go. Can’t wait to get this over with,” I thought to myself. However, after learning about OU and all of its many facets, I made an important realization that did away with my previous apprehensions about its public identity.

At the end of the day, I looked back and tried to soak it all in. Every time I tried to digest a certain aspect of the school, I kept coming back to the fact that there were just SO many students here, compared to my small private school. Then, however, I had my “aha” moment when I started to think about all the social clubs and organizations that existed on campus. In a similar fashion to the large student population, there seemed to be an overwhelming amount of opportunity available to anyone that was willing to pursue it. It was then and there that I realized that I didn’t have to worry about having a place on campus. My college experience could be whatever I wanted it to be, and at OU I found that there was nothing holding me back but the amount of hours in a day.

The college transition can be daunting to any incoming freshman, but for those coming to a public university from a smaller high school setting, it can be an especially rattling experience. The key thing to realize, however, is that all the comforts of private school exist at OU, you just have to seize them. They might not be apparent at first, but teachers love getting to know their students. Getting to know you is just as exciting for them (if not more) as it is for you, especially when they must teach hundreds of students at once. Scared of not being able to make friends? There are countless organizations and clubs that want you to join. Between Campus Activities Council, Greek life, and Student Government Association, the tight knit feel of a private school community can immediately be duplicated.

Overall, everything I wanted in a college was right there all along, I just had to look closer. I truly enjoyed my private school experience, and I was so excited when I realized that OU could offer all those comforts to me, on an even bigger and better scale. The question started off as, “will I be successful here?” but soon changed to “how much success do I want to experience?” I might’ve been afraid of drowning at such an immense college at first, but after truly learning about OU, I dove right in and was surprised at how well I could swim.

Adam Siddique

Tulsa, OK

Biology Junior