Hi Prospective Students!

It’s Victoria here with another blog post. J This week I’d like to share my story with you about why I chose OSU for my education, not once but twice!

I remember visiting Ohio State while I was still in high school. My first visit was for an official campus tour and for a meeting with the Office of Student Affairs to discuss the College’s degree programs in detail. I remember preparing for this visit by doing a lot of research and formulating quite a few questions to ask while I was here. Before stepping foot on campus, I had a working pros and cons list that I planned to add to in order to help me reach a decision.

During my campus tour, I feel in love with this place. Campus was beautiful and it was buzzing with an excited, collegiate energy that I couldn’t wait to feed off of and contribute to. The opportunities seemed endless, and Ohio State/the Columbus community offered me everything I would need to be successful and more. Much to my surprise, I didn’t end up contributing to my pros and cons list – I had an overwhelmingly positive gut feeling telling me this was where I was supposed to be. This wasn’t a calculated decision like I anticipated, which definitely felt like a scary risk! However, emphasizing how I would fit in at an institution was such an important consideration (I just didn’t realize this was what I was doing at the time). I encourage you to come back to this notion of “finding your fit” as you navigate your own decision.

During my visit with the College of Pharmacy, I feel in love with the people. Everyone here was so excited to meet me and answer my questions. They made me feel like I was truly wanted here. I didn’t get this feeling on other campus visits. Other places I felt like I was a number on a tour. At OSU, I felt like I was truly a member of the Buckeye Family. From the very beginning, before I even applied, students here treated me like one of their future classmates. This tightly woven network immediately felt like home.

Months later, I came back for a Penn State vs. Ohio State football game and that sealed the deal. J

Choosing to come to Ohio State for undergrad and then stay here for pharmacy school was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my entire life. I feel so supported by this College and community. I truly believe that anything is possible here on this campus. I’ve gotten involved with numerous student organizations, held several unique employment opportunities, and volunteer on-campus and off-. I chose Ohio State because I knew I would have endless opportunities to take advantage of and a strong support system along the way.

Sorry for the long post, but it’s hard not to go off on a romantic tangent about why I love this institution so much. If you have questions about anything regarding my decision to come to OSU and stay here, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have that could contribute to you “finding your fit.”

Until next time,

Victoria

Hello!

One question I get frequently from applicants is Why OSU? What made me pack up and move across the country to come to this College of Pharmacy? Well, if you have wondered why students have chosen to go to OSU, please continue to read! This weeks blog, along with the next three weeks, will have your Ambassador Coordinators’ reasons on why they chose OSU!

So bear with me as I take a trip down memory lane.

For me, I finished 8 applications to different pharmacy schools across the country. I applied to many schools of high, medium, and low ranks according to US News. I wanted schools in a variety of locations, but mostly I wanted schools that had certain things that I thought were important to me. I highly encourage you determine what is important to you! For me, I wanted a school that was associated with an academic medical center, was in an area with plenty of hospitals, offered the option for a dual degree, was in an area that was affordable, and was close to an airport. Now that isn’t my entire list (I had a spreadsheet dedicated to my applications), but that is a good idea of where I started. Basically,  OSU had everything I wanted on paper, and so I applied. I ended up getting interviews to all 8 schools that I applied to, and so I had to cut down on which schools to interview. Honestly, that was just thinking about which schools I had the best feeling about and the location of the school. OSU fell on that interview list (being highly ranked sure didn’t hurt)!

One thing that immediately made OSU twinkle in my eyes is that a few days before my interview, I received an email from a Student Ambassador. My ambassador was amazing and answered all of my questions. She even told me about the Annual Chili Cook-Off, and I was able to attend during the time I was here for my interview. I truly think that the Ambassador Program at OSU is phenomenal and unlike any other Ambassador Program. Now I only accepted 4 of my 8 interviews, so I can’t speak to many Colleges of Pharmacy out there!

Once I was here in my interview, I knew OSU was the school for me. I loved the people. I loved the community and the sense of caring that the students, faculty, and staff had for the students. I loved hearing about how the College works with the students and how integrated the students are within the college. I loved being able to talk to my ambassador that had contacted me previously and learn more about the student’s perspective. I loved that the ambassador saw my nervousness, and calmed me down. I loved the passion I saw in each student, not just for pharmacy, but for OSU. At the end of my interview day, it was clear that The Ohio State University had my heart and I knew that I would never regret choosing it!

Flash forward to now. I am currently in my P3 year. I can honestly say that picking OSU has been 100% the right decision. There is ample opportunity for internships, and luckily I have an internship at The James Cancer Hospital. I love my internship, and the unique opportunities it has provided me. Beyond internships, there are so many student organizations to get involved in and continue to grow your passion in pharmacy.

I have met some of the most amazing people because I chose OSU. I get to work with some of them throughout the entire year (looking at you Student Affairs staff!). I have found people who make me belly laugh and who continue to fuel my passion for pharmacy. I know I was meant to come to OSU to meet certain people because they have been such positive influences in my life. There is so much support here, whether it is in class, in an internship, or in life. There is always someone to talk to you and to help you. I am constantly reaffirmed with my decision to come here.

To me, OSU is amazing beyond just being ranked #6. It is amazing because of the curriculum, the opportunities, the internships, the rotations, and (most importantly) the people. This made it the perfect decision for me.

I hope you become a Buckeye and see how amazing OSU truly is!

As always, please send any questions my way! sakai.22@osu.edu 🙂