This Week’s College: Oglethorpe University, Atlanta Georgia
You can’t beat a guarantee. Oglethorpe promises you will graduate in four years and that within 6 months of graduating, you will either have a job or be in grad school. In fact, they guarantee you will. It’s their “Petrel Promise” and it’s front and center. Of course, it’s easy to make that happen when you have the kind of programming Oglethorpe has and the kind of location they have.
Oglethorpe has a unique method for educating its students. They believe since every student is unique they all have the right to plan their own majors. They call this an Individually Planned Major or IPM. You can also do this with a minor as well (IPm) if you’d like. It’s not required, but it’s a choice you have as a student there and you can start in on it freshman year. For example, a student interested in music and business might have an IPM in Music Business. Maybe you are a person interested in biology but also in study abroad and international relations. You could have an IPM in Biology, International Communications and International Relations. When you interview for that job with the 501(c)3 there will be no one else with your qualifications out there!
There is also a Core at Oglethorpe. It’s not onerous and it’s well designed (I come from the mother of all CORE Curriculums, so I do consider myself as someone who knows a little about Cores!). Every year there is a humanities/narrative course (the books are super! Everything from Plato to Christine de Pizan to Toni Morrison and Stephen Hawking), one fine arts class (music or art), and one mathematics class: calculus for some or logic, inductive and deductive reasoning etc. for others. The overall goal of the Core is not to “pass a subject; the object is to take it and keep it” according to the late President Philip Weltner who was the founder of the Core in 1944. It’s a second major for everyone at Oglethorpe. And it’s not a bad one at all!
As a student at Oglethorpe you will also have an option to convert any course to an honors course to give yourself a bit more of a challenge if you like. You have to apply and you have to go above and beyond, but it’s a great option if you’re really into something you’re studying. And, additionally, you can do an Honors Thesis as well, which you will write and defend. This is a terrific way to get ready for the world after school especially if you plan to go on to grad school.
But it’s the Atlanta Laboratory for Learning that really makes Oglethorpe an unusual place. The A_Lab is part classroom, part lounge, part lecture hall, part makerspace, part incubator, part lab, and part romper room. There are classes, and workshops, and speakers, and meetings, and you can write on the walls. It’s always there and it’s always changing. Go there to meet people, to collaborate on ideas, to get answers to questions, to start up a business, to design a prototype, to work on your project, to chill out, to see if you can attract more cats to your home on your iPhone (you know you play that just like my son does).
Oh and also, in the A_Lab? Study abroad. Oglethorpe has partner programs all over the place. China? Yes. Spain? Yes. Monaco? Yes. Turkey? Yes. Italy? Yes. Iceland? Yes. Iceland? Really? Yes, yes, yes. But you can do with other programs too. OU wants you out and in the world.
Plus OU is in Atlanta. Which if you are interested in internships and business is an amazing place to be. Think for a moment with me… Atlanta… CNN, Coca Cola, Federal Reserve, Porsche (!), Home Depot, Turner Broadcasting, Delta Airlines, UPS, Aflac, Suntrust, Rubbermaid, Holiday Inn. Imagine doing your internship with one of these companies. There’s nothing like studying economics and working at the Fed for the summer. Into journalism? Spending the summer with CNN is not too shabby. Oh and I didn’t even list the sports teams…
Oglethorpe believes that education takes place in several ways: through its Core, in your major (self designed or not), through hands on learning like the kind you can do at A_Lab, studying abroad or in a job or internship, and finally through civic engagement. OU is not interested in providing “feel good” moments for their students where they drop in and do a one off project. Instead, with the ideas that are embedded in the A_Lab, concepts like problem solving, leadership development, creative applications of skills, collaboration and design, students are encouraged to connect with the community and find ways to effect change where it’s needed, to find solutions where they are needed, and to give assistance where it’s needed. OU offers service learning courses because connections to the community are as important as any other kind of learning there.
And if all this is not enough for you, Oglethorpe is a pioneer in two fields: Urban Ecology and Urban Leadership. Unlike the US, most of the world’s population lives in cities. And the numbers are growing not shrinking. Urban Ecology takes an interdisciplinary look at how city living can be sustainable over time in terms of food, water, and so on. Students will take classes in everything from geography and ecology to biology and sociology. Urban Leadership on the other hand is designed to make change makers and leaders at the community level. You’ll gain the skills to work with people, assume a leadership position, be an active and engaged member of your various communities and take part in the processes that make a difference there.
About 33% of students play a sport at OU which is a DIII school. They don’t have football (it’s an intramural in the fall though), but they have basketball (M/W), soccer (M/W), cross country, lacrosse (M/W), and volleyball (W). Intramurals include dodgeball and co-ed volleyball. The Arts are big here; they have their own Art Museum. Each year they mount 5 productions, plus there are many local theaters who cast Oglethorpe students as well. There is both a pep band and a wind ensemble for musicians, and a choral group as well and scholarships are available for musicians.
Close to half the student body is Greek but it’s not required that you be. They have many activities from mock trial to Heifer International, from Anime to cheerleading, from chess to Black Students Caucus, from COEXIST OU to Global Medical Brigades, there is probably something for everyone here. OU has seven dorms and student RAs help to organize events and help foster community. While most freshmen live on campus, many move out later into Greek Housing.
Oglethorpe has rolling admissions so you can apply as early as 15 November. And they are honest and upfront about what their student profile is looking for. Most students who go there are from Georgia, and it’s more women than men there so guys, this could be in your favor for once! They have a diverse student body which makes for a good mix of folks. And they take SAT or ACT and do not require SAT II tests. Plus they accept a lot of people who apply there not because they are “not selective” but rather because they are lesser known outside of Georgia and especially Atlanta.
Is Oglethorpe for you? It’s got a lot going for it! If you want to personalize your curriculum while getting a rock solid foundation in classic thought, while being just 10 miles outside of an awesome southern city it may be. If you want all the benefits of a big school (Greek Life, decent sports, business connections,) but the personal touch of a small school you might find it at Oglethorpe. But be prepared to be outside your comfort zone here. People take their commitments seriously. Giving back to the community isn’t something they do to put stars on their resumés. So if you want to do the hard work, then get on over to Hotlanta. But if you want to feel good on a single day because you served ice cream to kids? Then you are not a Petrel.
Pros:
Cons:
You can’t beat a guarantee. Oglethorpe promises you will graduate in four years and that within 6 months of graduating, you will either have a job or be in grad school. In fact, they guarantee you will. It’s their “Petrel Promise” and it’s front and center. Of course, it’s easy to make that happen when you have the kind of programming Oglethorpe has and the kind of location they have.
Oglethorpe has a unique method for educating its students. They believe since every student is unique they all have the right to plan their own majors. They call this an Individually Planned Major or IPM. You can also do this with a minor as well (IPm) if you’d like. It’s not required, but it’s a choice you have as a student there and you can start in on it freshman year. For example, a student interested in music and business might have an IPM in Music Business. Maybe you are a person interested in biology but also in study abroad and international relations. You could have an IPM in Biology, International Communications and International Relations. When you interview for that job with the 501(c)3 there will be no one else with your qualifications out there!
There is also a Core at Oglethorpe. It’s not onerous and it’s well designed (I come from the mother of all CORE Curriculums, so I do consider myself as someone who knows a little about Cores!). Every year there is a humanities/narrative course (the books are super! Everything from Plato to Christine de Pizan to Toni Morrison and Stephen Hawking), one fine arts class (music or art), and one mathematics class: calculus for some or logic, inductive and deductive reasoning etc. for others. The overall goal of the Core is not to “pass a subject; the object is to take it and keep it” according to the late President Philip Weltner who was the founder of the Core in 1944. It’s a second major for everyone at Oglethorpe. And it’s not a bad one at all!
As a student at Oglethorpe you will also have an option to convert any course to an honors course to give yourself a bit more of a challenge if you like. You have to apply and you have to go above and beyond, but it’s a great option if you’re really into something you’re studying. And, additionally, you can do an Honors Thesis as well, which you will write and defend. This is a terrific way to get ready for the world after school especially if you plan to go on to grad school.
But it’s the Atlanta Laboratory for Learning that really makes Oglethorpe an unusual place. The A_Lab is part classroom, part lounge, part lecture hall, part makerspace, part incubator, part lab, and part romper room. There are classes, and workshops, and speakers, and meetings, and you can write on the walls. It’s always there and it’s always changing. Go there to meet people, to collaborate on ideas, to get answers to questions, to start up a business, to design a prototype, to work on your project, to chill out, to see if you can attract more cats to your home on your iPhone (you know you play that just like my son does).
Oh and also, in the A_Lab? Study abroad. Oglethorpe has partner programs all over the place. China? Yes. Spain? Yes. Monaco? Yes. Turkey? Yes. Italy? Yes. Iceland? Yes. Iceland? Really? Yes, yes, yes. But you can do with other programs too. OU wants you out and in the world.
Plus OU is in Atlanta. Which if you are interested in internships and business is an amazing place to be. Think for a moment with me… Atlanta… CNN, Coca Cola, Federal Reserve, Porsche (!), Home Depot, Turner Broadcasting, Delta Airlines, UPS, Aflac, Suntrust, Rubbermaid, Holiday Inn. Imagine doing your internship with one of these companies. There’s nothing like studying economics and working at the Fed for the summer. Into journalism? Spending the summer with CNN is not too shabby. Oh and I didn’t even list the sports teams…
Oglethorpe believes that education takes place in several ways: through its Core, in your major (self designed or not), through hands on learning like the kind you can do at A_Lab, studying abroad or in a job or internship, and finally through civic engagement. OU is not interested in providing “feel good” moments for their students where they drop in and do a one off project. Instead, with the ideas that are embedded in the A_Lab, concepts like problem solving, leadership development, creative applications of skills, collaboration and design, students are encouraged to connect with the community and find ways to effect change where it’s needed, to find solutions where they are needed, and to give assistance where it’s needed. OU offers service learning courses because connections to the community are as important as any other kind of learning there.
And if all this is not enough for you, Oglethorpe is a pioneer in two fields: Urban Ecology and Urban Leadership. Unlike the US, most of the world’s population lives in cities. And the numbers are growing not shrinking. Urban Ecology takes an interdisciplinary look at how city living can be sustainable over time in terms of food, water, and so on. Students will take classes in everything from geography and ecology to biology and sociology. Urban Leadership on the other hand is designed to make change makers and leaders at the community level. You’ll gain the skills to work with people, assume a leadership position, be an active and engaged member of your various communities and take part in the processes that make a difference there.
About 33% of students play a sport at OU which is a DIII school. They don’t have football (it’s an intramural in the fall though), but they have basketball (M/W), soccer (M/W), cross country, lacrosse (M/W), and volleyball (W). Intramurals include dodgeball and co-ed volleyball. The Arts are big here; they have their own Art Museum. Each year they mount 5 productions, plus there are many local theaters who cast Oglethorpe students as well. There is both a pep band and a wind ensemble for musicians, and a choral group as well and scholarships are available for musicians.
Close to half the student body is Greek but it’s not required that you be. They have many activities from mock trial to Heifer International, from Anime to cheerleading, from chess to Black Students Caucus, from COEXIST OU to Global Medical Brigades, there is probably something for everyone here. OU has seven dorms and student RAs help to organize events and help foster community. While most freshmen live on campus, many move out later into Greek Housing.
Oglethorpe has rolling admissions so you can apply as early as 15 November. And they are honest and upfront about what their student profile is looking for. Most students who go there are from Georgia, and it’s more women than men there so guys, this could be in your favor for once! They have a diverse student body which makes for a good mix of folks. And they take SAT or ACT and do not require SAT II tests. Plus they accept a lot of people who apply there not because they are “not selective” but rather because they are lesser known outside of Georgia and especially Atlanta.
Is Oglethorpe for you? It’s got a lot going for it! If you want to personalize your curriculum while getting a rock solid foundation in classic thought, while being just 10 miles outside of an awesome southern city it may be. If you want all the benefits of a big school (Greek Life, decent sports, business connections,) but the personal touch of a small school you might find it at Oglethorpe. But be prepared to be outside your comfort zone here. People take their commitments seriously. Giving back to the community isn’t something they do to put stars on their resumés. So if you want to do the hard work, then get on over to Hotlanta. But if you want to feel good on a single day because you served ice cream to kids? Then you are not a Petrel.
Pros:
- A_Lab. That thing is beyond amazing
- Atlanta.
- Ability to personalize your curriculum to fit your individual interests and career goals
- Did I say A_Lab? It needs two
Cons:
- You have to want to do this kind of thing. You can’t be completely unsure of yourself.
- You have to be OK with being uncomfortable in your learning
- Failure has to be OK (there’s no innovation without failure, folks.)
- A_Lab (wait. No that’s a Pro).