Feb
28
So far, my college experience has been more than anything I have ever expected. With my tight knit group of friends going their separate ways for college, I thought I was going to be a loner. However, EVERYONE at OU is in a similar position and is more than willing to be your friend. The students at OU are so friendly that everyone wants you to feel like OU is their home away from home. If you want to make the most of your college experience, you must get involved! In high school, everyone was involved in the same four clubs, but at OU there are so many different organizations that each one has different personalities and goals to help shape you and your career. I get different skills and values out of each organization I am in. In President’s Community Scholars (PCS), I have learned so many skills, whether it is how to prepare for interviews, what my strengths are and how to use them in a group setting, or just how to be active in community service. In Energy Management Student Association (EMSA), I am exposed to multiple opportunities that will help me with my career in the future. With my sorority, I have been able to excel in school and be surrounded by a very supportive group of girls. Each organization has allowed me to network with different people that are my age and older. I have a mentor in EMSA, three student advisors in PCS, and a Big from my sorority. Someday these people might be my boss or know someone that could get me my dream job. OU has provided me with multiple opportunities to succeed and network so that my craziest dreams could possibly come true.
Avery Marczewski
Edmond, OK
Energy Management,
Class of 2016
Feb
27
The spoils after some much appreciated free time.
Destination OU was an event where prospective students from all across the country spent a weekend in Norman, OK to experience what it might feel like to be a Sooner. On February 17, these students took part in activities, informational sessions and were immersed in the traditional college atmosphere of the University of Oklahoma. Below a future Sooner and an OU grad give their accounts and experiences of Destination OU 2013.
The Future Sooner:
My experience at Destination OU was absolutely fantastic. I was already pretty confident about attending The University of Oklahoma, but this weekend was one of the best decisions I have made and afterwards I knew which school I would be attending in the fall of 2013! I met so many new friends and found it super easy to just be myself. Everyone running the event was very informative and friendly; they helped us learn about the history of the campus as well as what opportunities we are going to have as students. I ended up meeting some kids that I would love to have as long time friends throughout college and even after, but I am especially looking forward to now know some kids that will be attending with me in the fall. I know that I won’t be walking in completely alone, but instead with a few people I will have to get support and friendship from!
The representatives that were all there to help us out were so much fun as well! We got to know them personally and learned a little bit about their journey at OU and how much they loved it. One thing I loved about all of them was that they all had graduated from OU and loved it so much they decided to stay and work with the school as much as they could — that said a lot to me. It made me really think how tightly knit the student body is at the university and it made me so glad to know that was something I could expect. The support for students transitioning into the college setting seems immaculate as well. The University College is where students can go to make sure they are on track and get as much help, as they may need in any subject or area. This made me feel much more confident knowing that I will have all the support academically needed for those scary moments of being somewhere new and different. Overall, I think attending the University of Oklahoma is going to be a life choice that I won’t regret and I can’t wait to meet up with my new found friends, get involved and reach my goal of graduating from OU! Boomer Sooner!
Preston Court
Future Sooner
A group of excited prospective students inbound to Destination OU.
The Graduated Sooner:
Imagine five o’clock on a Sunday afternoon here at University of Oklahoma. Not much going on, right? Well, on February 17, it was anything but quiet in and around Jacobson Hall as the first ever Prospective Student Services sponsored Destination OU event was just getting underway. This event was designed with the nonresident prospective student in mind as over 50 students from all across the United States were treated to 2 days chock-full of Sooner programming. The crimson carpet was rolled out for each student as many guests were picked up by their own OU representative and transported to complimentary lodging at Sooner Legends Inn and Suites. Some of the special events highlighted during the experience included an official welcome by Vice President Matt Hamilton, an official campus tour, a faculty lecture by Dean Campbell, and various presentations made by several helpful campus departments including a well-received financial aid seminar administered with parents in mind. Amanda Baker, a regional recruiter in California, commented that it is always a struggle to connect with far flung regional prospects, but this event allowed some much needed face-to-face contact. She also remarked that it was important for these students to get a spatial representation of campus, so the tour helped to orient her recruits in a way not possible with just postcards. Before the event concluded, prospective student Andrew Tweedy shared that this event was unique from those at other institutions because itineraries were tailored specifically to academic interests. As an aspiring broadcast journalist, Andrew was ecstatic about Gaylord Hall’s beauty and the resources inside. It seemed that a chance meeting with President Boren while on Van Vleet Oval also helped cement a great experience! Nonresident students bring a fresh perspective to our campus and the enrich diversity in and out of the classroom. With well executed events like Destination OU, we can be sure that a steady stream of new perspectives will be a key part of the incoming freshman class.
Shane Pruitt
University of Oklahoma ’10
Feb
26
As an incoming freshman, I was worried about getting lost on a campus with so many people and not being able to make an impact. One of the things I learned last semester is that the University of Oklahoma becomes a small campus very quickly. You meet so many new people, and you have mutual friends with those people, and so on. I feel comfortable now because I know so many students, and it is so easy to get involved on campus! Campus involvement is key to success here at OU, and there are so many options that it is almost impossible to pick just a few!
Boomer Sooner,
Emily Cole
Lexington, OK
Class of 2016
Letters/Pre-med
Feb
25
I always heard the idea that OU is one big family, but I never really believed that…until now. This past weekend I spent my Sunday talking to prospective students about what I loved about OU. Then it all hit me. My freshman year was a build-up to this moment.
It all came together for me. I found my mentor, who has been able to show me the ropes of campus life; I have made friends that I never would have thought I’d be able to make; but most importantly I have found my Sooner Family.
Now, by no means am I saying that it was an easy road to get here. I came to OU from Spring, TX. I came to OU knowing no one, not even knowing an upperclassman. My first semester wasn’t stellar, it was barely even good. That didn’t stop me. I kept pushing on, with support from my Sooner Family. Sure, there were times that I wasn’t sure OU was the place for me, but here I am, four semesters in. I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything (yes, even that one bad semester).
To explain the people of OU to outsiders is nearly impossible. They are incredible. They accept you for what you are, and love you just the same. The professors care and genuinely want you to succeed. The Sooner Family incorporates all of yOU, and never lets go.
Dalton Brasington
Political Science
Class of 2015
Spring, TX
Feb
22
When it came time for me to start applying to colleges and I began to think about what I wanted in a college, all the roads continued to lead me to OU. Born in Norman and having grown up here all of my life, I felt like choosing to go to OU might just be the easy option that didn’t require me to get out of my comfort zone and grow up like I was supposed to in college. However, after my first actual tour of the campus, I knew that this was where I was supposed to be.
To those of you who may want to overlook OU simply because it is in your own backyard and you think that it will feel like you “never really got out of high school,” I must tell you that if I had stuck to this mentality, I would have missed out on the perfect fit for me in a university. Full of students from all over the world, you will be able to branch out and meet all new friends. Never once have I felt as though I am surrounded by all of the same students I’ve been with all through high school. Also, by living in the dorms, I feel like I am in a completely different city and not the one I grew up in. It never seems as though I can drive 15 minutes and be home, but rather that I am having the same college experience that everyone else has.
Feb
19
As you’re gearing up to rise from high school into college, you may be completely overwhelmed with decisions on which classes to take, what major to declare and where you will live. Or maybe you’re really excited to finally get out of high school and be on your own. Are you experiencing a bit of senioritis?
Well, whether you fall into one of the above categories or not, you should realize that no matter who you are and how you’re feeling right now, college will be the most challenging experience and yet the greatest experience of your life. It is those very challenges that will make your collegiate experience the most worthwhile. Therefore, before you arrive at college, you should realize several key principles. Read more
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