How's Ole Miss? (Oxford, New Albany, Pontotoc: fit in, homes, movie theaters)

[palustris]

Hi everyone,

I will most likely be attending Ole Miss in the fall for graduate school (getting a master's in biology). So, how is Ole Miss, and more importantly, how is Oxford?

How's the school's reputation itself? Things are somewhat different academic-wise when talking grad school, but enlighten me anyways.

How is the general social atmosphere of the Oxford? The nightlife? Restaurants? Music scene? General things to do, etc.?

I'm from north Florida, went to school at FSU, and have never lived outside of the Florida panhandle. Without spilling my life story, I am pretty active, like the outdoors (backpacking, hiking, running), like the fine arts and I am politically very moderate. How might I fit in at Ole Miss?

Thanks in advance.

[viverlibre]

I think you will fit in well. UM/Oxford is going to be slower paced than Tally/FSU. Oxford is nice small town with a lot to do for a town its size, plus Memphis is an hour away. Due to the size of the town, it will only take a few weeks to master the nightlife, restaurants and music scene. Home football games are the social events of the year.

FSU has double the enrollment of Ole Miss and the Tallahassee metropolitan area has ten times the population of Oxford.

Backing/hiking is not a huge endeavor in most of MS (unless you consider hunting as hiking), but there is a nice lake nearby and plenty of opportunity for water sports. The popularity of kayaking has exploded over the past few years.

Academically, it is probably on the same strata as FSU, not a Vanderbilt, UNC or Stanford, but not a diploma mill either.

[Desert kid]

Originally Posted by palustris

Hi everyone,

I will most likely be attending Ole Miss in the fall for graduate school (getting a master's in biology). So, how is Ole Miss, and more importantly, how is Oxford?

How's the school's reputation itself? Things are somewhat different academic-wise when talking grad school, but enlighten me anyways.

How is the general social atmosphere of the Oxford? The nightlife? Restaurants? Music scene? General things to do, etc.?

I'm from north Florida, went to school at FSU, and have never lived outside of the Florida panhandle. Without spilling my life story, I am pretty active, like the outdoors (backpacking, hiking, running), like the fine arts and I am politically very moderate. How might I fit in at Ole Miss?

Thanks in advance.

Check out some of my threads on it (if you can sift through some of the drama involving it at my home).

You'll find a lot of good info on the college some have posted in them.

[SippiStateBulldogs]

Ole Miss is decent

[palustris]

Originally Posted by viverlibre

I think you will fit in well. UM/Oxford is going to be slower paced than Tally/FSU. Oxford is nice small town with a lot to do for a town its size, plus Memphis is an hour away. Due to the size of the town, it will only take a few weeks to master the nightlife, restaurants and music scene. Home football games are the social events of the year.

FSU has double the enrollment of Ole Miss and the Tallahassee metropolitan area has ten times the population of Oxford.

Backing/hiking is not a huge endeavor in most of MS (unless you consider hunting as hiking), but there is a nice lake nearby and plenty of opportunity for water sports. The popularity of kayaking has exploded over the past few years.

Academically, it is probably on the same strata as FSU, not a Vanderbilt, UNC or Stanford, but not a diploma mill either.

Slower paced than Tallahassee! Whoa! Just kidding...that's not bad. I'm not a racing around, fast paced guy anyways.

I figured there wasn't much of a hiking/backpacking community. The closest mountainous area for extended backpacking is the Ozarks in Arkansas, I think, which isn't really all that close.

[brickpatio]

I think the FSU campus is gorgeous, and Tallahassee is surprisingly nice also. Lots of nice terrain, slightly rolling throughout town, and beautiful trees everywhere. I could live there easily. You're right...it's also super quiet, which is surprising given how huge FSU is.

Anyway, by comparison I would say Ole Miss and FSU are similar in terms of campus beauty. FSU is much larger but Ole Miss is plenty big.

Oxford is a small town with town square at its center. That said, it has a very upscale feel to it. Lots of tasteful, historic architecture, many unique restaurants and shops. And around the edges of town there are plenty of upscale residential subdivisions, with large homes on wooded lots, golf courses, and lakes.

In a way to me Oxford actually seems more buzzing with activity than Tallahassee. That's probably just a function of how things are laid out etc, with Oxford centered entirely around the university.

For backpacking and running, you're right there are not any mountain-type trails anywhere nearby. There is a huge state park over in Pontotoc, about 45 minutes, with some pretty trails for walking through dense forests and hills. There is also the brand-new 45-mile Tanglefoot trail from New Albany to Houston, MS which was converted from a railroad track to a paved trail for runners, walkers and bikers. There is huge Sardis Lake just outside Oxford and the beautiful Pickwick Lake about 2 hours northeast of Oxford, which is essentially the Tennessee River dammed up into a giant lake that goes for hundreds of miles (I think) with clear water, limestone outcroppings, and wooded hillsides.

Overall though, I would say what you're getting in Oxford is beautiful people -in a beautiful town - complemented by a nice 4-season climate, year-round SEC sports, a very sophisticated performing arts center, and a great quality of life.

[Sarcastro]

I'm graduating from Ole Miss in May. The student body for the vast majority is very friendly and nice.

The restaurants are not good in Oxford, for the most part. There are a couple places that aren't bad, like Venice Pizza and the Rib Cage. But, the franchised places all seem to be the worst possible version in terms of quality.

Outside of a couple movie theaters, there isn't much to do here besides getting drunk, which is what a lot of the student body enjoy (surprise!), but I believe they're planning to build a bowling alley soon.

As for the academics, it depends on what graduate program you're enrolled in. The business school is continually pushing for harder classes, to gain a higher profile on national rankings. I've met a handful of people from Florida, and they seem to like the area alright.

Lot's of places to go running/jogging, like Lamar Park which has a 1.49 mile trek in a well maintained park.

[palustris]

I appreciate everyone's responses so far.

Going deeper on academic subject, how is the reputation of Ole Miss in Mississippi, as well as in the surrounding states like Tennessee and Arkansas? I'm thinking down the road a bit, for job hunting after graduation, and I would like to know what y'all think the weight a graduate degree (an M.S. in biology) from Ole Miss would carry.

I'm hoping to make connections with employers, such as Mississippi's dept of wildlife, environment, etc., during grad school through my academic adviser and faculty, but I'm just trying to get a sense for the general academic reputation of the university across Mississippi and that part of the South.

[viverlibre]

The reputation of UM is about the same as any major public institution from the states you mentioned (probably lower than UT).

Neither UM, MSU (where I graduated) or USM hold much prestige unless you are going to UM to be doctor, State to be an engineer or vet, etc.

If looking at a career in widelife biology or enviormental engineering, I would probably look at MSU.

[viverlibre]

A person will hire you if he/she believes you are going to add value to the organization. In this state, not many people are hired because they went to a state university. There are of course exceptions, e.g., family members, close friends, no account brother-in-laws (as if there are any other kind), etc.

There are many un/under-employed Black Bear/Rebels, Bulldogs, Golden Eagles, JSU Tigers, etc.

More young people looking to builg a career leave MS than move to MS.