Going to school in OK? (Stillwater, Ponca City: fit in, best town, apartment)

xbreaka · 11-30-2008, 06:06 PM

Hi there, first thread here on the forums, I'll give ya all some background to start. I'm from Cape Cod, Massachusetts and I plan on enrolling in Army ROTC to complete my post HS education and eventually become a commissioned officer, I have a strong interest in possibly doing this in either the south(georgia) or midwest my mothers family is from Iowa so that is really the only experience I have in that area of the country.

I enjoy racing motocross, hunting, fishing and hold pretty conservative viewpoints on things which as many of you can imagine means I am pretty much thrown to the wolves considering the area I am from. The original gameplan was to apply to OSU and if accepted drive down, rent a storage unit to throw my motocross bike, hunting stuff, and potentially firearms if I cannot find a storage place while I attend school.

So could any of you native to the area give me some sort of idea of how someone driving a lifted truck with massachusetts plates would do going to school down there about 1700 miles form home, in an area which I think is pretty much the opposite of the everyone is an ******* culture up in massachusetts?

Annemieke Roell · 11-30-2008, 06:48 PM

I am not a native Okie but I escaped Cape Cod 4 years ago after living there for 25 years. I hated every day of it.

Oklahoma is a great place to be. The people are pleasant and laid back, there is plenty f hunting, fishing and whatever to do around here and civil servants are ... well ..... more than civil.

There are some very good schools here. Olahoma is also very different from the South / Midwest .... it doesn't really fit in with the other states and has a very independent streak.

Depending on which OSU campus you go to you will find a political environment from liberal to conservative.

Where on the Cape are you from?

Goodpasture · 11-30-2008, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schousse

Where on the Cape are you from?

You mean the Cape is big enough that you guys can be from different places and still be from the Cape? Here I figured the Cape was like Nowata County..........kinda small and inbred.........

Hey, xbreaka, Welcome to the Nations........

I don't think you will find people so much Conservative, than conservative. And you have to remember, a liberal Okie is more conservative than a Republican Cape Codder.......

xbreaka · 11-30-2008, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schousse

I am not a native Okie but I escaped Cape Cod 4 years ago after living there for 25 years. I hated every day of it.

Oklahoma is a great place to be. The people are pleasant and laid back, there is plenty f hunting, fishing and whatever to do around here and civil servants are ... well ..... more than civil.

There are some very good schools here. Olahoma is also very different from the South / Midwest .... it doesn't really fit in with the other states and has a very independent streak.

Depending on which OSU campus you go to you will find a political environment from liberal to conservative.

Where on the Cape are you from?

I'm from Wellfleet, home of the wellfleet oyster. I was planning on applying to the OSU stillwater campus. Most that I know including parental figures seem to think that going to school in OK will be a culture shock that I may never recover from, and that everyone is a bunch of inbred (not unlike people from the town that I am from) super religious rednecks.

dekes1969 · 11-30-2008, 08:03 PM

xbreaka:

I will say this is if you like red states you will be in the most red. the college towns are more middle of the road politically and you your perfered social activities will be a good match for the area. people are welcoming if you are inclined to join organizations. lastly you will find that you will miss the ocean in your time away from the cape i know i do and i only lived in massachusetts from 2 years. not sure what schousse feels about this but i find hard to believe she does not

Oildog · 12-04-2008, 02:37 PM

I moved to Stillwater a year ago, its a nice community. Being a university town it has a little liberal bent but it is far from being a liberal town. You will find that most areas that have oil tend to lean republican. Many people go to church, many do not. There are a lot of amenities (I think with the students the town has 65000 people). We have multiple sushi places but no martini bars. I have been amazed at how relaxed and friendly people seem to be. I grew up in MN where people are kind of cold at times.

HeatherDawn · 12-23-2008, 03:51 PM

Well, I am currently a student at OSU, and I love it! Then again, I've always lived in OK. Politically, I'm a little right of Atilla the Hun myself and there are those who are like me and those who are not. You can't get any more red than the state of OK, though.

I like to hunt and fish and there is plenty of that around here. As far as hunting, you just need to make friends with someone here who hunts and go with them because there isn't much public land.
As for motocross, Stillwater is probably the best town in Oklahoma for that activity. I don't know a lot about it but I know there are a couple of nice tracks.

You will be accepted with open arms as long as you are friendly and nice to people. Lifted pickups are a common sight.

You may find a house to rent, that way you wouldn't have to pay for a storage unit. If you could find a roommate, a little house is just as cheap, if not cheaper, than a one-bedroom apartment.

I'm sure you will have a huge culture shock but hopefully not in a bad way.

I think you should do it! OSU is awesome!

briansgi · 12-24-2008, 04:46 PM

Let me get this straight. You like hunting, like guns, like motocross, have a lifted truck, DAMN son you are going to fit right in!!!!!!!

Seriously, that is exactly how you define most everyone here! Besides, just outside of Stillwater is one of the nations premiere motocross tracks - Cooperland! You're going to be in heaven and fit in just fine!
Cooperland > Home

CBottger · 12-30-2008, 06:54 AM

I have live in Virginia, Philly and Rhode Island and would not trade all of those States combined for my little spot here in Okla I think you would fit right in the grand national motor cross is held in Ponca City every year in August there is a public motor cross track just east of Ponca on Kaw lake which also has abundant public hunting. Fishing on the lake is not to shabby Ponca is only 40 miles from Stillwater

lasomeday · 12-30-2008, 04:04 PM

The ROTC program at OSU is a really good one. You will definitely make some friends that like to hunt in the ROTC program. A lot of the hunters have leases or know someone that does and they will be more than willing to bring a friend hunting with them. Nobody at OSU will care that you are from the Northeast as long as you are friendly. The girls will probably like your accent.

You will find that you can probably rent a house for cheaper than a studio apartment where you are from. The cost of living is so much lower. You will be amazed how much you can get compared to "The Cape".