An average college for average people

Introduction
I strongly suggest to everyone attending any school, but especially Oregon State to be honest with themselves as to their goals and why they want to go to college. It is very easy to get lost in the crowd, in the social life, and in the academics so you need a strong sense of self in attending any school, especially a medium to large one such as OSU. I selected OSU because of its Pharmacy program and early undergrad admission in addition to providing a traditional college experience. Most people would fit in well at OSU but people who have no idea what they want to study should select a smaller school. Because of its size, everything is very departmentalized so if you know what areas you want to study you’ll be fine but if you want to go through four years and hope something catches your eye, you will be out of luck.

Campus Life and Social Life
Campus life is what you make of it. Everyone can find a social group that they can feel comfortable with from the biggest of the party animals to the nerdiest people you’ve ever met. Most of the campus life revolves around Greek Life and sports teams, especially Football and Baseball (national champs!). Sporting events are a great way to blow off steam and have fun with friends (and make some new ones). Corvallis is a small town, if even that, so everything is campus based. There is quite literally nothing to do in the city, especially for those underage. On the weekends, many people go home (most likely to the Portland area) therefore the big party night is Thursday. On non game day weekends, there is quite literally no one on campus. In addition to Portland, many people enjoy the outdoors surrounding the Willamette Valley. Advertisement
Academics
Just like almost everything else at OSU, pretty much all the academics are as hard as you want to make it. The most popular majors are Business, Sciences (Bio & Chem) and Engineering. The school dumps a ton of money and attention to the Engineering School and they tend to be cocky about it. Some engineering programs are excellent but others are overrated. Take advice from not only your advisors but also current students, alumni and engineering firms if you plan to pursue a degree in this area. The business majors tend to be the party animals and the business college is fairly scoffed at by everyone that knows OSU. There are some great underrated specialty programs that provide excellent opportunities such as food sciences, Pharmacy, and Oceanography.

Most professors are good but be prepared for TA’s, especially in the sciences. Count your blessings if they speak English. Classes are huge when you first start out so it is very easy to get lost in the crowd and become discouraged, especially if you don’t know what your major/ career pathway is. Workload varies from program to program. The business and liberal arts majors tend to have an easier load while some engineering students as well as pharmacy and science students seem to be constantly studying. It is easy to pass with little effort but you need to try hard to exceed.

Student Body
OSU students seem to be from every group possible so it is hard to describe a ‘typical’ OSU student but most seem to be fairly independent and social. Most students are from the Portland Area and around Oregon. There is also a large group of out of state students from Hawaii and California. Many OSU students are into partying and having a good time in general.

In Closing...
OSU is as good as you make it. There are some excellent programs and opportunites but they won't come knocking on your door.