From Bowling Green to Vanderbilt University, each college campus has something different about it, and I enjoyed them all. However some campuses stood out, and some just didn’t. I have been to five college campuses within the past two years, including Bowling Green State University, University of Toledo, Ohio State University, University of Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is in the town of Bowling Green, Ohio and it is an adorable town. It has a Hudson feel, with cute shops and the small-town nature. The college kids roam the city by taking a shuttle or their car downtown. At BGSU students are allowed to have their car as soon as freshman year, however, the cars are often rarely used. The parking lot for student cars is basically like a longer sophomore lot walk, so it is probably not the best idea to bring your own.
The campus was nice and decent sized. When walking around it didn’t feel crowded or that we were running into people all the time. The campus is flat, with few inclines. One of the reasons why it is low on the list is because of the dorms. After seeing other college dorms, the ones here were probably the smallest and seemed the most uncomfortable. The part of BGSU that stood out to me the most was the recreation center. It had nice equipment, setup, and pool. The overall setup of the center was nice and user-friendly. Everything was easy to find and close.
The University of Toledo (UT) is in Toledo, Ohio. The school is pretty, the buildings themselves were nice and made of stone. The inside of Libbey Hall was my favorite, it had an old-time feel to it, but was still homey. Although, the farther back you get into the campus, the worse the buildings get in terms of architecture.
The dorms at UT were also some of my favorites. They were not small and had a bathroom and a main area, unlike BGSU. The student areas in the dorms were also fun, with a lot of comfortable furniture. UT was nice, but it didn’t stick out to me. The majority of the buildings, I felt a lack of character. The school felt plain besides a few nice places and the sorority and fraternity houses.
Ohio State University was my favorite school over-all. Aside from the gorgeous buildings, pretty scenery, and massive library, this school had a homey feel to it. Sadly, I didn’t get to see the dorms, but from what I saw I was very impressed.
The Ohio Union is the perfect spot to study at, with a coffee from one of the shops around campus. The Thompson Library was also incredible and it was gorgeous to look at. My only issue with these two places was the seating, as almost every seat in both places were taken.
My favorite place at OSU had to be Mirror Lake, as it was pretty and had so much seating around it. It was easy to picture yourself sitting and doing homework right by the lake. When visiting OSU, I also went into the city and you could just feel the tie between the city and the school, and that made the school all the more special.
(Sylvia Dressler)
The University of Notre Dame is a catholic university in South Bend, Ind. that has incredible things to offer. When walking into Notre Dame, you normally start at the bookstore, since it is in the front, and that building was all marble and made it feel like walking in a castle.
The campus of Notre Dame is not big, but it is beautiful. The buildings are amazing to look at and the dorm buildings are especially beautiful. However, the best building has to be the cathedral. The design of it was amazing, with the beautiful entrance, to the painted ceiling, and the altar, just to see it was incredible.
Speaking on the culture of Notre Dame it is important to note that this school is incredibly catholic and honors its roots. Not only does the architecture resemble this, but they also show it through having a daily mass every day in the dorms. Notre Dame was amazing and was not only a great college, but a cool place to just look at and sightsee.
Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. is an amazing school, with a 7% acceptance rate and being ranked 18th in the nation, this school surely stands out. I went to this school on a trip to Nashville, the city of Nashville is incredible. From the bars, to the live music, to the food; Nashville is a great city. Going to Vanderbilt would allow you to connect with the city while going to a beautiful school.
Vanderbilt’s campus looks like it is out of a dream. The campus is covered in trees and the buildings are stunning. Sadly, I was not there for long, so I didn’t get a great look at the campus. I did get to eat on the campus. My family and I enjoyed pizza at Pizza Perfect, and it tasted so good.
All these schools had special things about them, but I would take a tour of at least three of them just to see the different aspects of college life, since they all show it so differently.
