Mel’s Top 10 Reasons to Attend OU:

#1     Top Academic Programs –

OU provides all the perks of a top division one research university in a private college atmosphere with lush gardens, stunning architecture and the personal attention you need. From the top ranked entrepreneurship program in the Price College of Business to OU’s 271-acre Research Campus and one of the largest honors programs among public universities in the United States, there is a clear reason why The Princeton Review ranks OU among the best in the nation in terms of academic excellence and cost for students. Check out your academic interest and see for yourself: http://www.ou.edu/content/go2/home/academics.html.

#2       Family Atmospshere  –

There is a true sense of family on campus. OU is one of the only institutions to be awarded the prestigious Templeton Foundation award as a “Character Building College,” not once, but twice. OU purposefully creates programs so you will have a place to fit in from the moment you set foot on campus your freshman year. You will feel connected and at home through campus programs such as the Faculty-In-Residence program which places faculty members and their families in each of our residence halls, the Cousins program that matches U.S. and international students and Student Life which offers numerous opportunities to get involved.

 #3       Exposure to International Leaders and Scholars  –

You will have the opportunity to hear and meet national and international scholars and policymakers during major national conferences and symposia on campus. Over the past few years, guests have included former President George Bush; former U. S. Secretary of State Colin Powell; U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy; former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu; award-winning broadcast journalist Katie Couric; International Political Analyst Fareed Zakaria; and award-winning historian and author David McCullough.

 #4       OU Strives to be Affordable  –

OU is next to the lowest in the Big 12 in tuition and mandatory fees and offers significant scholarship support to students. OU’s $250 million Campaign for Scholarships has passed $190 million. The success of the campaign has allowed OU to more than double its private scholarships in the last five years.

This allowed the university to award hundreds of new scholarships and ensures that OU will continue to strive to stay affordable and keep open the door of opportunity for all qualified students.

 #5       Your Peers Rock –

Attracting top students from across the nation, OU is number one among all public universities in the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled and is in the top five of public universities in the graduation of Rhodes Scholars. Why is that important? Besides raising the prestige of the university, it always helps to have plenty of friends who can help you study for that next calculus test. Who knows, your future roommate could be someone like OU student Sarah Swenson who was recently named OU’s 28th Rhodes Scholar or Eddie Shimp who was named this year’s Goldwater Scholar for excellence in mathematics and science, bringing to 31 the number of OU students named to that honor since 1995. OR you could be OU’s next acclaimed scholar.

 #6       Opportunities to Develop and Grow  –

OU has an array of resources to help you develop outside the classroom.  Leadership Development and Volunteerism prepares students for leadership responsibilities and roles through educational leadership programming, weekly leadership skill seminars and student volunteer opportunities.  The Student Life department is the “hub” of student life at OU as a central resource for more than 400 registered student organizations, including Campus Activities Council. Student Life is home to Camp Crimson, OU’s summer orientation camp for new-to-OU students and Sooner Orientation Weekend. Career Services provides career assistance to all OU students from freshman year through graduate school.

#7       Study Abroad  –

When President David L. Boren arrived at OU 16 years ago, he said one of his top priorities was “to provide our students with new opportunities to prepare for the international environment in which we live and work.” The entire OU community remains dedicated to this commitment today, which is why the Education Abroad office provides students with over 200 study abroad program options across 50 countries and 120 cities, including the flagship study abroad program at OU’s exclusive satellite campus in Arezzo, Italy, where you can take OU coursework in a beautiful, safe and culturally rich environment.

 #8       President David L. Boren  –

David L. Boren, who has served Oklahoma as governor and U.S. senator, is widely respected for his academic credentials and his longtime support of education. Under Boren’s leadership, the University of Oklahoma has developed and emerged as a “pacesetter university in American public higher education.” The number of new facilities started or completed on the campus during the Boren years has matched the explosion in new programs. Since 1995, almost $2 billion in construction projects have been completed or are under way on OU’s three campuses. During the first 10 years of Boren’s tenure, over $1 billion in private gifts were donated to the university. Above all, the Boren years have been marked by an emphasis on putting students first. There is not a university president in the country that is more committed to students as his number one priority. He teaches a freshman-level course in political science each semester and is one of the few presidents of a major university to teach a class every semester.

 #9       Beautiful Campus  –

University of Oklahoma is home to magnificent architecture and beautiful gardens that treat you to lush landscaping, fountains, sculptures, and benches at every turn.  Since 1995, nearly $2 billion in construction projects have been completed or are under way, which makes for a remarkable campus experience.

 #10    Because We’re #1  –

OU has the academically highest ranked student body at a public university in Oklahoma history. An OU Debate Team from the Shannon Self Debate Program has won the national championship in debate three of the last five years. Last year, OU Drama students won the largest number of awards of any university in America in the national Kennedy Center American College Theatre Competition. OU won the “PetroBowl” Championship in petroleum engineering this year, making OU the only school to win the competition three times. OU is the only public university in Oklahoma to be included in the Fiske Guide to Colleges, which lists the top 10 percent of all U.S. universities. And we’re pretty good in athletics too – the OU Sooners have won 26 national championships in NCAA men’s and women’s sports.