Again, yes we do have some pretty famous parties that do get a tad out of hand now and then but those are just two weekends out of the year, and mostly due to out-of-towners. In the end we’re like any other college when it comes to partying. The point is that partying is some people's only reason for choosing Ohio University and I can tell you right now that if that’s why you’re coming here you won’t last a year. There are many reasons to choose Ohio University, the academics, the campus, the atmosphere, and so many more. So choose Ohio University but don’t just expect a party school.

Even though it has been tough, I’ve learned a lot about writing in this class. I’ve been putting my nose to the grindstone and so far my grades have been good. All of my friends have done well in English so I have to make sure that I do as well as them. In a few short weeks I will be done with English and I’ll have my math and engineering classes comforting me again.

The main building (seen below) is a massive structure that is breathtaking to look at.

There are many smaller buildings around it that are used as offices now. There is also an old abandoned tuberculosis ward that lies just above the cemetery. This as well as the main building are the ones that are “haunted.” I have never seen a ghost but I still venture there at night hoping to see one for myself.

The Ridges is currently used by the Ohio University College of Fine Arts, but from 1874-1993 it housed mentally ill patients. At its peak there were nearly 2000 patients being housed at one time. Some of the more gruesome treatments like lobotomies and shock therapy were performed here until drugs became the main treatment for mental illness. The Ridges also has 3 cemeteries where 1900 patients were buried in the over 100 years of operation.

I decided to take it with three of my friends and it ended up being a huge stress reliever. It was great to have an hour break between a full schedule of engineering classes to hang out with friends and blow off some steam through bowling. It was just for one credit hour and either pass or fail so there were no tests and we didn’t actually learn how to bowl; we just bowled. Classes like this can be your saving grace sometimes, and there’s plenty offered. I’m not saying you should necessarily take one every quarter but taking one now and then with some friends is really nice because it’s a class so it makes you devote an hour or two a week to relaxing and taking a break.

One of the questions in the interview process was how they balance all their different roles. The amazing thing about Ohio University is that every single professor we asked said that teaching is their number one priority and all their other responsibilities come after that. This is apparent in almost every class I’ve taken here. Every professor tries to make sure that every student knows they are more than welcome to come to their office any time and ask questions they have about the class or anything else they may be wondering about. OU Professors try their hardest to make sure the students get everything they need to succeed not only in their class but in college. They are a big part of what makes Ohio University so great for undergraduate students.

Even though engineering can be a difficult major, many of the engineers that I know make time to play a good amount of video games, ranging from first person shooters (Call of Duty and Battlefield 3) to MMORPGs. First person shooters usually win out because they do not take as much time to play as other video games do. I have always been more of a fan of any kind of RPG and still do my best to keep playing them in the few weeks of school that have a lighter workload. Being an engineer doesn't mean that you have to stop playing video games, you just need to improve your time management skills.

Wish me luck on hitting the level cap.

I have really enjoyed my required work out twice a week at the pool and have met a lot of people who are in different majors. Ohio University has other courses for students to take such as horseback riding, golf, bowling and many more. Below is a list of all the Physical Education Activity classes offered at Ohio University.

This class dives deeper into the different areas of bioinformatics such as medical applications and databases of biological information. It is a small class consisting of about 10 people. We meet once a week and have guest speakers come in and give presentations on what exactly they do and how bioinformatics has played a large role in their careers. All the speakers have been enthralling and it’s a class I look forward to every week.

I find this class very interesting because even though I chose computer engineering as my major I have always loved biology. The possibility of applying what I am learning in electrical engineering and computer science to biology is very appealing to me. I had never even thought about putting them together. Sometimes classes like this, that are not part of my major, will really change my viewpoint on my future career and what it could be. I would like to continue looking at bioinformatics and find a way to use my computer engineering degree in it, such as designing prosthetic limbs that work with the nervous system. Currently I am looking at getting my certificate of bioinformatics from the University so that I will have a much stronger background in this field.

It turns out that the group was the student chapter of IEEE, or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the professional society for electrical engineers. A few months later I went to one of their general body meetings and quickly became a co-fundraising chair for the group. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I was essentially in charge of Taco Thursdays. It was pretty cool, I was in a group with a few of my friends from class and I got to meet some older EE students and hear about their experiences with the classes and teachers that I’ll soon be taking.

It is also a great way to meet professionals in my field. There are thousands of professionals in IEEE and when I meet them, the fact that I’m a member will make me stand out. Being a part of the group will not only look good on a resume but also help a lot in school. The IEEE society has a library full of journals and article over thousands of topics related to electrical engineering. I can search it any time even if I’m not a member and use it for any papers or research topics.

If you’re not an electrical engineer that’s not a problem, there’s a professional society for any engineering field and a student chapter at OU for each. They all have interesting fundraisers like Taco Thursdays, and all groups will give you an edge after college. They are also great opportunities to meet new people--every quarter we have an end of the quarter party, and even some of our professors show up. We all hang out and get to relax from our school work. I regret that I waited until the end of my sophomore year to join the group; I suggest keeping an eye out for notifications of meetings and opportunities to join!

Chuck and Marilyn Stuckey, the couple that donated much of the money to build the ARC were present at the meeting. I really enjoyed telling them how their donation has made an impact on my experience here at Ohio University and that the only complaint among students is that the ARC is so popular it is sometimes difficult to find a table.

It was a great trip and wonderful experience spending the weekend getting to know the board of visitors. To find out more about who is on the board of visitors click on the link below.