Sights and sounds of OSU as seen by a freshman

As seen on TV doesn’t apply here.

The Ohio State University is home to many things from the hatred of the state up north to prestigious medical research programs.  You can watch the Buckeyes play at the Shoe on Saturdays from your TV and see little bits of campus, but those are only mere glimpses of what is seen and heard here on almost a daily basis.

Of course, getting to see the Buckeyes play in the ‘Shoe is an amazing experience full of many stories, but what goes on during the days in between are, well, kind of crazy.  If you walk through the Oval around noon, you’ll get to hear the preachers who come on to campus and basically tell us that we’re all a bunch of sinners and are going straight to Hell.  It’s always fun to see a giant crowd around them standing up to them and telling them how they feel.

The best is when the Bagpipe Guy walks right in front of the preachers to completely interrupt the preachers.  By the way there’s actually a guy that plays the bagpipes around noon everyday if you go here and didn’t already know.  No one’s day is totally complete without hearing him play on the Oval or occasionally on the South Oval.  It’s just one of those little tidbits that makes Ohio State so unique.

The view of the oval from the East side of Thompson Library is simply beautiful, and on the west at the right time you can see the Best Damn Band In The Land practice.  However, Thompson itself is a beauty on campus.  Its massive but homely size is something that sells Ohio State to so many visiting high schoolers. You can practically see the entire campus from its top floor, which by the way is a great place to study.  Every student that walks through Thompson rubs the head of the statue of William Oxley Thompson, whom the library is named.

Right next to Thompson is Mirror Lake, home of Afroduck.  You can see this little guy and his squad every time you pass the lake, but be careful not to step on them when they’re sleeping.

Other iconic sights on campus are all of the sticky note messages on dorm windows.  The dorms facing High Street on North campus have some of the best messages seen on campus.  From “send noodz + comp plz” to anything having to do with Harambe can be seen all over.  Honestly, seeing these comical little signs make walking to class everyday worth it.

However, on the subject of walking to class everyday, beware of the bikers.  If you hear a bike near you, stand still, they’re attracted to movement.  Although biking to class is smart and easier than walking, it’s just challenging having to worry about getting hit almost every day.

The rainy days here at OSU is very different from what is experienced in high school.  It’s truly amazing to see the extremes of people when it comes to wet weather.  People are seen wearing rain boots, jackets, and hats, all while carrying an umbrella the size of Brutus’s head.  Other people look they woke up and said, “Bring it on Mother Nature.”

Lectures are also another big leap in difference compared to high school.  Whether you have a class in McPherson or Independence, it’s probably still nothing like what you had in high school.  Dorm life is another big change from high school.  Sharing bathrooms, sharing a room, and a lot of times getting to know a completely new person.  It’s actually not as bad as it sounds because the things seen and heard in dorms can be quite interesting.  Like the whiteboard messages on people’s doors and RA’s that play music and help out when you’re studying by giving you tips.

Everyday at OSU is met with a new sight and sound that makes going here so much fun.  Some things are seen at a lot of colleges, but does every college put red X’s over top of every M on campus? Didn’t think so.

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