Universities in OH? Any information would be helpful! (Columbus, Cleveland: apartments, waterparks)

[sheena12]

First let me say that the people in OH are so kind and helpful! I posted a week or so ago asking for any information about the following universities - Akron, Bowling Green, Ohio, (Athens) Toledo and Youngstown.

Has anyone had any personal experience with any of these schools? They all have Art Departments, and my son is interested in Glass and 3-D art.
He is not looking for a really sports oriented school or a Greek Life.
Kind of progressive or a bit Left of center, interested in music - indie, punk, rock, likes cities, urban exploration, photography, skate boarding.

All are big schools. Are any more impersonal or un friendly than the others?
Sometimes numbers don't tell the whole story.

When is the best time to visit? Yes I know the Fall would have been great, but since that didn't happen, any other ideas?

Thanks in advance from any insight that you are able to share!

[rrtechno]

I don't know a lot about the current programs, having spent my time at BGSU back in the early 70s, but I do know that UT and the Toledo Museum of Art do have a very well established cooperative arrangement, so that might be something to look at. The Toledo Museum of Art does have a very strong Art Glass program with blowing studios, etc. in their new Glass Pavilion.

Glass Pavilion « The Toledo Museum of Art

The University of Toledo - New Curricular Offerings in Art

[Traveler87]

Originally Posted by sheena12

First let me say that the people in OH are so kind and helpful! I posted a week or so ago asking for any information about the following universities - Akron, Bowling Green, Ohio, (Athens) Toledo and Youngstown.

Has anyone had any personal experience with any of these schools? They all have Art Departments, and my son is interested in Glass and 3-D art.
He is not looking for a really sports oriented school or a Greek Life.
Kind of progressive or a bit Left of center, interested in music - indie, punk, rock, likes cities, urban exploration, photography, skate boarding.

All are big schools. Are any more impersonal or un friendly than the others?
Sometimes numbers don't tell the whole story.

When is the best time to visit? Yes I know the Fall would have been great, but since that didn't happen, any other ideas?

Thanks in advance from any insight that you are able to share!

Toledo is like the glass capital of the world. Their art museum is top notch. It is worth visiting by itself. Because of this, I would seriously look into University of Toledo. Plus it is a city of almost 300,000 so it takes care of the small town deal. And its a straight shot from Wilkes Barre on I-80.

I would suggest coming out this spring or summer. Check out all the schools due to the fact they are in Northern Ohio. BGSU and Toledo are both basically considered the Toledo Metro area and you can hit up the Lake Erie Islands and Cedar Point. Then head over to NE Ohio and check out Akron and Youngstown State. NE Ohio has a plethora of things to do. Ohio University is about a 4 hour drive south of Cleveland and Akron on I-77. Is spring and summer too late?

[sheena12]

Thanks again everyone! The one school that I forgot to mention was Kent State.

I have NEVER EVER met a more helpful group of people than those from the Buckeye State!

Spring would be pushing it. Late February?

[sheena12]

OR does the weather get worse, as it does here, as winter progresses. Once he chooses and is accepted into a university, a late Spring trip with everything from Museums, to Cedar Point (LOVE old authentic roller coasters!) and the islands all sound great.

There really is so much to do there!

Also, we are all interested in seeing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For now though I want to try to go early or late. Which ever is better. I'm used to cold weather. we all are. Wilkes-Barre is not the tropics (8 degrees out there) and he wants interviews at a few places.

[Traveler87]

Originally Posted by sheena12

OR does the weather get worse, as it does here, as winter progresses. Once he chooses and is accepted into a university, a late Spring trip with everything from Museums, to Cedar Point (LOVE old authentic roller coasters!) and the islands all sound great.

There really is so much to do there!

Also, we are all interested in seeing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For now though I want to try to go early or late. Which ever is better. I'm used to cold weather. we all are. Wilkes-Barre is not the tropics (8 degrees out there) and he wants interviews at a few places.

I understand, getting there early is important. Weather wise, you just want to watch out for lake effect snow. That's really the only issue. Of course it would be great to visit the islands and take the ferries out over the lake in the summer time, and go to the waterparks and Cedar Point when it is hot out. Although the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is open (the induction ceremony is this year). You can check out University of Toledo and visit Toledo's world class art museum or head over to Bowling Green and catch a basketball game at their new arena. Just throwing out ideas. If you do plan a trip, maybe ask some of the folks in the Toledo forum what you should see if you check out BGSU and UT.

In NE Ohio, again, lake effect snow will want to be a focus of yours. Not like it happens everyday, just keep checking the weather. The future forecast in the Cleveland area is sunshine and 30s and 40s, so its not always an issue. But Cleveland has a huge array of museums and cultural offers that rival that of cities like Boston and Chicago, and you can hit up all the restaurants wherever you are in the city whether it be downtown around the East Fourth Neighborhood or the Warehouse District, Ohio City, University Circle, or Little Italy. While you're down in Akron, check out the Highland Square neighborhood.

If you are planning a trip, we will all be here for ideas, but the important thing is college. Head out in February and check out the schools.

In my honest opinion, his best candidates so far are University of Akron and University of Toledo. Has he looked in Cleveland State University?

[Traveler87]

BTW, Kent State is a good school. Its a huge rival of Akron's. They are about 15 minutes apart on I-76. Kent is its own college town, but it is a part of the Akron metro area.

[sheena12]

I think, that he told me that Cleveland State does not appear to have residence halls. Will double check.

I've heard much about the Lake Effect and we are all a bit cautious of travel towards that region for that exact reason. From what you said, it seems that it really does not matter when in Winter we make the trip, but that we are apprised of what the forecast for that time is.

The first trip will, out of necessity, be project oriented. All about seeing the colleges. Akron and Toledo are at the top of his list. I am forgetting which one is first. It might be Toledo. Which ever has the most offerings in glass.

Which if any would you think of as "safety schools"? If you remember, he had a bit of a late start, due to our financial situation and move. He has also rethought the whole idea of going into serious debt over college. I agree with his choice, but he set himself back in terms of redirection towards public universities, just in terms of time.

How many days, coming from Wilkes-Barre, would you allow for this trip? I am thinking five. Is that unrealistic?

Thanks again for your help!

[rrtechno]

Bowling Green just opened their new Wolfe Center for the Arts, the new home for their Fine
Arts program. While they may not have quite as much to offer as UT in the area of glass, they may indeed be worth looking in to. I saw on their gallery schedule that they have an exhibition of BFA Senior Thesis projects coming up beginning in March. If that is not too late for a visit, that might be a good time to see what the students are doing. I do realize that is pushing a bit for admissions, though.

Here are links to info from BGSU.

BGSU School of Fine Arts

BGSU :: University Home Page :: Bowling Green State University Home Page

[TheYO]

I'm a senior at Ohio University. After visiting friends and family at other schools in the state, it's safe to say that this is the only school I'd go to in Ohio. Athens is the epitome of a college town. The school doubles the city's population, so almost everything is catered to the college crowd. Sure it's in the middle of nowhere, but that's part of what makes it special. There's always something do to on/near campus, and in my 4 years here I've never felt bored or trapped in a small town.

Columbus is just over an hour away, and it's a easy drive up US33 if he wants to go to concerts there. We also have a bus service called GoBus that goes from Athens to Columbus and Athens to Cincinnati for only $10 each way. The other schools are in larger metros, but you'd still have to travel to Detroit (for Toledo and BGSU), Cleveland (for Akron, Kent and YSU) or Pittsburgh (YSU) to see most nationally touring bands. We do have a nice, little local music scene with bands playing at the Uptown bars all the time, and the University brings in a few national touring artists every year.

Our students and staff are all really friendly. Everyone is always willing to help you out, point you in the right direction, etc. Our student body is pretty progressive and liberal. There is a nice outdoor skatepark at the Athens Community Center, just up the road from campus. Plus, the campus is beautiful with plenty of great opportunities for photographers. Greek life is very small at OU. I'm not sure how it compares to the other ones listed, but I think ours is around 10%, so it's definitely not something you're forced to do if you want a social life like at some schools (Miami University).

One thing to keep in mind is the college experience available at these schools. Since your son will be coming from outside the area, I'm sure he'll want more of a traditional college experience with a large number of students living on/near campus. Akron and Youngstown are both largely commuter schools with most students driving in from the suburbs of those cities everyday for class and driving back home after class. As a result, student life and the traditional college experience diminishes. They both have dorms and college apartments nearby, but a much smaller percent of their students live in them than at Ohio University or Kent State. I'm not sure about the commuter student populations at Bowling Green and Toledo, but if I had to guess I'd think Bowling Green is closer to Ohio University and Kent State and Toledo is closer to Akron and Youngstown State.

Like others have said, the best time to visit is in the spring, but really any weekend is fine. Our Dads' weekend is January 20-22 and Sibs' weekend is February 17-19. Those weekends are always busy, so if you want to see everyone out and about try those weekends, but if you want a quieter winter weekend, try any other weekend.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I have a sister at Kent and I grew up in Youngstown, so I'm most familiar with those three schools