Tips For a successful Freshman Year

Which has better dorms - North, South, or West campus?

“Personally, I’m a fan of the north campus dorms. Super nice common areas, bathrooms, and rooms in general. I spent my first year living in Houston because of STEM EE Scholars and loved it. My second year I was in a north campus suite with three other brothers and it was the time of my life. Having our own common area in our suite was such a plus and we hosted people very often. That being said, I kind of wish I lived on south my freshman year - I’ve found that people on south typically spend their days out of their rooms (no AC) and as a result they meet a lot of people, which is cool. Same with west - people who live in Morrill/Lincoln make a ton of friends since there’s a sense of camaraderie of living in a sub-optimal dorm, but it’s soooo far away from everything. I couldn’t do it. If I had the chance to do it again, I’d tough it out on south freshman year for the experience and live in luxury with my friends on north my sophomore year.” - Devin Das ‘18 (Honors CSE and Data Analytics)

Best place to eat on campus?

“There are so many great options - it’s so hard to choose. I lived on north, which has arguably way better off-campus selection (Chipotle, Noodles & Co., Wendy’s, McDonald’s, etc.), so I ate there pretty often. As far as on-campus goes, Oxley’s and the Union Market are amazing. They have good variety and their sandwiches are amazing. They only take swipes though - you have to have Gray 10 or Scarlet 14 to eat there or else you’ll be paying out of dining dollars. Out of the major dining halls (Scott, Kennedy, and Morrill), Scott is the best. Lots of variety and they have great omelettes - their steak nights are really good too but the line can get crazy long. Kennedy has really good breakfast food though if you’re into that.” - Alex Arenschield ‘18 (Finance and Operations Management)

Which dining plan should I use?

“I was on Unlimited my first semester. It sounds like the best option - unlimited food, right? I hated it. Sure, it’s unlimited food, but only at the same couple of places. I eat a lot, so I quickly started to get sick of the food. I couldn’t eat breakfast food every day for every meal. I switched to Scarlet 14 my second semester and it was the smartest decision. My options went from like 2 sub-par places to like 20 amazing places. Sandwiches, burritos, pasta, stir fry, burgers, soups, etc. I really felt like a kid in a candy store after that switch. I will say though I do know some guys that stayed on Unlimited for all two years - they were able to get really creative and make their own meals from combining foods from the Traditions dining halls. There’s also a lot of free food on campus from club/dorm events, but it’s not something to bet on. I guess it depends on whether you need variety or not.” - James Wilson ‘18 (CSE)

How many clubs should I join?

“Good that you’re already thinking about being involved. It’s the first step of having a good time on campus. For me, I was pretty involved in HS, so I originally started out being involved in like 5 or 6 clubs. I ended up having a meeting every day of the week - it was awful. Over the year I started to naturally gravitate and spend the most of my club time towards 2 specific organizations, I even got leadership positions in both of them. I realized that I wasn’t as passionate about the others clubs as I thought, and so I stopped spending a lot of my time there. I really think it’s better to be really involved in 2 or 3 clubs than spreading yourself thin across multiple. Even if you think you can handle it, you’re going to miss having fun with your friends and having time to study.” - Daniel Bernstein ‘19 (Neuroscience)

How much should I study?

“A lot of people seem to think they can get by in college like they did in high school. College is a lot harder. It really depends on what classes you’re taking, but don’t expect freshman year to be easy. Common freshman classes like Chem 1210 and Math 1172 have averages of mid 70’s on midterms. I know the Physics 1250 final last semester had an average of a 60%. And the honors fundamentals of engineering classes are notorious for crushing unassuming kids. Don’t fall into the trap where you think you’ll be ahead of the average because you were in high school - so was everyone else at Ohio State. Expect to dedicate a good amount of your time to schoolwork. A lot of people will really have to grind Monday through Thursday if they want to have a free weekend.” - Cobie Frank ‘20 (Honors Data Analytics)

What are the best sections to sit in at football games?

“The ticket packages are sold by rank - the higher rank, or year, you are, the better seats you get. Most freshmen get tickets in the reserved section because they’re all that’s left. This section is still a lot of fun because you’re with all of your freshmen friends but it’s not actually part of the “Block O” student section. Block O North and Block O South are definitely the good ones because they’re a part of the student section and aren’t a bad view. But as a freshman, I think it’s safer to bet on reserved and guarantee a spot with your friends than maybe getting Block O and not being with your friends.” - Anthony Mueller ‘18 (Mechanical Engineering)

What is laundry like?

“Free. Dryers too, all free. You’ll have to get your own detergent and everything from the Target or CVS on campus but the actual service is free. Laundry rooms get packed on Sunday nights so plan accordingly. There isn’t really a worry of people stealing your stuff since there are cameras monitored by the front desk but my laundry room had tables you could sit and do homework at while you wait for your loads to finish. A lot of people did that. Also, this should go without being said, but don’t be that person that leaves your clothes in the dryer all day. Other people need to use it. I remember during finals last year people would straight up take laundry out of dryers and throw it on a random table if it sat in there for over an hour. It gets annoying for both sides so just remember to set timers to grab your stuff.” - Ethan Wert ‘20 (CSE)

What are some easy jobs on campus to make some money?

“Being an OA is really nice. You can just sit at the front desk of your dorm and get paid for it. I always just did homework or studied for my classes, and occasionally I’d have to help out a resident if they get locked out or received a package. There is training involved and obviously there is a little more to it but that’s pretty much the gist of it. It can be a really fun way to meet new people in your dorm but you’ll also have to work a couple night shifts each week (a shift is only two hours). If you’re interested in being an RA at some point being an OA is great experience that naturally leads into that. TA’ing is also an awesome time - it can be pretty competitive for some majors but it looks great on a resume and it’s really rewarding to help students. Plus you get to choose when you grade assignments rather than having certain “shifts” aside from the actual class.” - Devin Das ‘18 (Honors CSE and Data Analytics)

I don’t really get along with my roommate, what should I do?

“You’re not alone. Lots of people have this issue. At the beginning of the year you make a roommate agreement as a contract with your roommates to say what you’re cool with and what won’t fly. It’s fun to mess around with this and be funny but if you don’t know your roommates well I’d be serious where I need to be. If they infringing on the agreement at any point, then tell your RA - they’re trained to deal with this scenario. If they’re not breaking any rules but you just don’t get along, then don’t worry about it. Chances are your roommate isn’t too fond of you either. I know people that had similar situations - they just spent their whole day out of the room and at other people’s dorms and would really only be in their own room to sleep. As long as you maintain communication with your roommate you should be able to get by. It’s not ideal but you’ll get through it. Worst case scenario, you can request a transfer to a different dorm.” - Chuck Backus ‘20 (Engineering)