Ohio University students are accustomed to the confinement of Court Street with their closest twenty-something-thousand fellow Athenians.
The college-town atmosphere in Athens is deep-rooted in history and remains an attractive aspect for many college hopefuls.
My brother, who attends Ohio State University, still cannot wrap his head around the fact that I’m on a first-name basis with the postman or that I can get to just about anywhere on campus in 10 minutes. It’s a far cry from the hustle and bustle of city life. It’s a place where cars stop for pedestrians, a place where you wake up to nature, not sirens.
For me, Athens was not my ideal destination. I was dying for the chance to be greeted with the noise, lights and crowds that city life had to offer.
But as I approach the end of my college experience, I realize that Athens was the perfect fit. A last-minute college decision, I didn’t choose Athens. In a way, Athens sort of chose me.
And although I’m still hungry for a taste of city life, I know that the OU experience allows me to do that far beyond my collegiate career here.
In my opinion, OU offers an intimate, small-town atmosphere that everyone should experience at least once in his or her life.
Born in the suburbs of Cleveland, I never had the luxury a tight-knit community such as the one in Athens. I never knew my bank tellers or regularly conversed with my city council. The cohesive community brings everyone together and is a driving force in bringing alumni back.
As I begin my search for internships and future careers, I am faced with the challenge of deciding where I’d like to move.The majority of OU grads are faced with this difficult decision to leave their four-year “home away from home.” And although many stay in Ohio — 111,755 to be exact, according to the Ohio University Alumni Association’s annual report — many still find themselves moving to large U.S. cities. New York, California and Illinois have some of the highest population numbers for OU graduates, according to the report.
With New York coming in second to Ohio, 4,257 Bobcats have found themselves settling down in the Big Apple. Cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles are also finding an increased alumni following.
With this following comes ample opportunity for current students to reach out and use it to their advantage.
There are many resources for big-city hopefuls such as myself to connect with OU alumni all over the world. Bobcatmentor.org, for example, is a great way for students to network with alumni specifically tailored to age, degree, major, class, year and geographic location.
Brett McGinn, a 2012 graduate of OU who studied media management, has made his new home in Los Angeles. He plans to attend an “OU, Oh Yeah Shuffle” on Nov. 10 to catch up with and meet new faces of the Bobcat alumni community in California. The shuffle will take place on Hermosa Beach Pier, a lively area resembling Court Street.
Whether it’s through the university or social media, I know there will be many opportunities for me to reach out to alumni. However, aside from career boosting, sometimes it’s just nice to be in the company of a fellow Bobcat.
Casey Compernolle is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University and a columnist for The Post. Email her at cc150709@ohiou.edu.
