CM's Guide to Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma State University—Stillwater, OK

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The Vibe

Full of fun and friends

What it Feels Like to Go Here

Looking for one of the friendliest and most supportive college campuses around? Oklahoma State University will make you feel right at home. “I’ve never seen someone go out of their way to hold the door for you as you walk in/out of a building, but here at OK State that is normal,” said freshman Emily Warmath. Every day students fill the pathways to classes in gorgeous buildings. The Georgian architecture makes for Instagram worthy pictures on a daily basis, making leaving the warmth of your dorm room a little less dreadful.

Although the town of Stillwater is small, the university spices up the daily life in the town. Two hours before football games, you’ll see the marching band and cheerleaders walking amongst the football players on a walk headed straight for the football stadium. Nothing like a march of the football stars to rally up some Cowboy spirit. With sporting events, bars and especially the chaos of homecoming week, you will never feel bored here.

Awesome Alumni

Everyone comes to universities with dreams of graduating and living successful lives, and at OSU they’ll join the ranks of the many talented alumni who did just that in all sorts of fields. Garth Brooks graduated from OSU in 1984 and from there he found success in country music, selling more than 100 million albums. OSU also has some sports greats from its campus, including golf professional Rickie Fowler, who played in the PGA tour after graduating. In 2007 he claimed a spot as the number one ranked amateur golfer in the world for 37 weeks. The Seattle SuperSonics drafted OSU alum Desmond Mason in 2000 in the first round. In 2001 he received the All Rookie Second Team award. But OSU doesn’t just turn out successful athletes. T. Boone Pickens graduated in with a degree in geology and now manages many corporations, including chairing the hedge fund BF Capital Management. He’s even included in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Where We Hang

Oklahoma State loves sports, so if you’ve stopped in Stillwater on a football Saturday you’ll see swarms of Cowboy fans dressed in orange heading toward the stadium. If you don’t want to sit on the sidelines, the university has an amazing recreation center where you can play yourself and also gives you an excuse to push off that English paper. “Sports is a big thing on our campus. Our recreational center I packed all day with people playing basketball, volleyball, football, ping pong, racket ball, tennis and soccer along with a rock climbing wall. If students aren’t studying or in class they’re all found in the Colvin Recreational Center,” said freshmen Brennon Turner.

Outside of sports, the bars form the weekend hot spot for students. Some of the downtown bars include Eskimo Joe’s and JR Murphy’s. Eskimo Joe’s sits only a block away from campus, so you and your friends won’t need a DD to get home. JR Murphy’s has much more than drinks, too, including a dance floor, pool tables, TVs and dart boards. But for those who choose to live a booze free life, there are still plenty of activities to make your college years enjoyable. Students can head out to a night at a White Barn Estates to go minigolfing, Frontier Lanes to play bowling and even visit an ice skating rink. On campus, you can catch most students grabbing a cup of coffee at the Campus Daily Grind or a bite to eat at Bennet Hall.

Q&A

1. How much are students partying?

“I would say that OSU has a pretty responsible student population that usually only parties Thursday night through Saturday night. Parties are not usually ever planned during the middle of the week because everyone here does what to achieve the future they assigned themselves to complete when they got here,” said sophomore Adam Glover.

2. What will you get in trouble for at your school?

“I’m not sure what people get in trouble for on a university scale but I can say Greek life things are taken very seriously. Sororities are very harsh about what you can and can’t post on social media and what you can do. Fraternities take hazing very seriously as some have had issues with it so I know plenty of guys who have been kicked out for irresponsible situations with drugs or alcohol,” said junior Amanda Cardinal.

3. How much sex are students having?

“I think more students are sexually active than they admit. Though no one wants to admit it, many students at Oklahoma state are having sex with other students they meet, whether they are a significant other or not,” said freshman Jenna Canady.

4. What would you tell incoming freshman about your school?

“I would say to quote the wizard of Oz, ‘there’s no place like home’, and that’s exactly what Oklahoma state became to me; home. I would tell them that they will never even begin to get used to the amount of support that they find between their new friends, their professors, their organizations and simply the Stillwater community,” said freshman Abby Payne.

5. What attracts students to the University?

“What attracted me was the architecture of the buildings and the athletic facilities. The community played a huge role in what attracted me to go to OSU too, very nice and down to earth people. I’m from California so that was way different from what I was used to,” said alumni Tiffany Mikkelson.

Student Reviews

“One thing that surprised me about Okstate was the atmosphere. The second I stepped onto the campus for the first time for a tour, I just immediately knew it was where I was supposed to go. I’ve never been in a town where the people are so genuine and want to help out. It feels like the whole town of Stillwater is one big cowboy family. Loyal and true.” – Emily Warmath, class of 2021

“OSU is like no other campus. The staff here is for us. Although this is a division 1 university, and we have a lot of people. They some how manage to make all the students feel important. They care about us here. They want us to succeed.” – Briana Blackwell, class of 2021

“I love how welcoming the campus is. The campus itself is beautiful. The fact that the people here are so kind makes it even more beautiful.” – Lauryl Bennington, class of 2021

“I have absolutely loved my experience so far. I have found a family and have met so many new people. Everyone here is extremely helpful and there is always something fun going on. Football games are the most amazing things I have ever experienced, definitely one of my favorite experiences at Okstate.” – Catalina Perez, class of 2021

“This semester I took on a very large course load with many outside activities so I found it very difficult to juggle my homework. Time management was a huge problem for me this semester. It was very difficult for me to go to review sessions for my classes because they overlapped with my other activities,”– Derika Fink, class of 2021

Top 3 Majors

1. Business Management

2. Engineering

3. Agriculture

Top 3 Most Popular Student Organizations

1. CowboyThon

CowboyThon—OSU’s version of Dance Marathon—makes up one of the biggest student organizations at Oklahoma State University. The Cowboy family turns out all year long to raise money for children that need it the most. “CowboyThon is the year long Philanthropic effort devoted to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals that ends with a 12 hour dance marathon in February” said Glover. In the past 6 years this foundation, with the help of some dedicated cowboys, were able to raise $400,000 for the children.

2. Cowboy Cousins

oklahoma state cowboy cousins — facebook.com

Cowboy Cousins helps international students learn the ropes of the US and college. “I became interested in Cowboy Cousins because I was an exchange student myself in Turkey. While I was there I kind of realized how helpful and important it was to have loval friends, and I really wanted to be that person for someone at OSU,” said sophomore Jacob Burch-Konda. The program pairs an international student with an OSU student for either just one semester or the entire year. During this, the American student helps their “cousin” learn about the US culture, and maybe learn more about another country in the process too.

3. Into the Streets

At Oklahoma State, Greek Life isn’t the only place for philanthropy. Tons of organizations on campus dedicate themselves to helping others. Into The Streets is a popular student organization at OSU that allows the entire student body to get out there and help the community of Stillwater. “Into the streets is OSU’s campus wide volunteer opportunity that places teams of students directly into the Stillwater community to help out those in need on one weekend,” said Glover. They volunteer efforts take many forms, from raking community members’ yards to raising money at local pizza shops that they can give back to the community.

Getting In

With an acceptance rate of 75 percent, getting accepted isn’t impossible. But Cowboy status is far from guaranteed. High school GPA and test scores form a major role in determining who gets accepted into OSU. However, you’ll want to pay special attention to your application essay for Oklahoma State University. Place some extra emphasis on individuality. “The most important part of the OSU application in my opinion is the essay in which you give the admissions officers an idea of who you are as a person. This is where you have the opportunity to show yourself and shine by just being you, which is something that OSU prides more than anything else,” said Payne. Showcasing your individuality will prove why Oklahoma State University would want you.