Oglethorpe University Offers Close-Knit Community but Bad Class Selection
Oglethorpe is by no means a commuter school. The typical student lives right on campus, does not have a job outside of class, and goes home on the weekend. In keeping with this, most students come from fairly wealthy backgrounds and have immediate families in the Atlanta area.
One side effect of most students living on campus and not working is that most of the classes are arranged around that. There are few night classes and few options in terms of what to take, forcing many commuter and working students to either change their majors or stay for a fifth year. The teachers also assume that their students live on campus and will schedule paper due dates for random times because of it. This creates a problem for anyone who cannot get to campus when they do not have classes.
Another side effect of students living on campus is that the community developed at Oglethorpe feels very exclusive. For those within the circle, this exclusivity is great. However, anyone living off-campus may feel ostracized. The Bubble is also known to foster a dependent way of living, leaving students with trouble adjusting to independent life after graduation.
The other main issue with Oglethorpe is that it is very geared toward the liberal arts. Those who are thinking about attending the school should know this in advance. The Core program is completely different from any other school, creating problems for students who transfer into or out of the school, but it does offer many benefits. Reading the classics and philosophic writings are not uncommon in Core, and writing four 6-page papers per class per semester is average. There are rarely multiple choice tests in classes at Oglethorpe, particularly for English, Communications, Art, or History majors. There is no lack of reading or writing work, however, so Oglethorpe is not a school for those with a weak spot for English.
One definite benefit in attending Oglethorpe is that the school offers four-credit classes, versus the usual three-credit classes offered at most schools. This allows students to take only four classes per semester and still graduate within four years. The problem is that, because the school lacks teachers and funding, it is very hard for students to get into the classes that they need, since there are too few teachers and not enough room in the popular classes. The teachers who are there, however, are generally amazing and complete experts in their subjects. This makes most classes very entertaining to take.
While Oglethorpe is a great school educationally, it is not for those looking to major in more specific areas (for instance, Drawing or Journalism). The mere size of the school prevents majors much more specific than Art or Communications. Oglethorpe is also not a school for commuter or older students, who may feel out of place in the tiny Bubble. However, for those fresh out of high school and looking for a community that will always feel like home, Oglethorpe might be the place to start.
Philosophy and English majors thrive at Oglethorpe University, as do those longing for the security and community that living on campus brings. This school has a lot to offer some students, but those who want to target career goals or live independently should seek schools that charge less and offer more of what they need. There are good and bad sides to Oglethorpe: it simply depends on what the student is looking for.
