On New Year's Eve, rankings from Barstool, courtesy of Niche.com, placed Ohio University at number one as the top party school in Ohio. In-state favorites such as The Ohio State University and Miami University saw their demise as the small town of Athens, Ohio, reigned supreme, proving that the chill and friendly vibes of Court Street are simply unmatched.
While many from OU took to Instagram to post the ranking as proud students, there were other students not familiar with Athens and its special magic that wished to see their college campuses at the top of this year's list.
Jack Dudas, a sophomore at OSU studying city and regional planning, is one of these individuals.
"Personally, I'm a Buckeye at heart, and I would just say I feel like Columbus is just this popping city and there's just always energy," Dudas said. "There's so much fun and parties and bars, and it's just really this electric, amazing experience."
Dudas thinks that even though OSU has a lot of energy as a campus, he also sees why OU got the ranking it did.
"I think Ohio State could have been ranked higher just because I'd say there's so much energy, but also OU is so fun and laid back," Dudas said.
Similarly, Jack McInerney, a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati studying finance, agreed with the Barstool ranking, especially after hearing about the party atmosphere in Athens.
"I've heard great things about the party atmosphere at OU, but I've never indulged in it myself, so I think I'm alright with them at number one," McInerney said. "Cincinnati at five I think makes a little bit of sense because really outside of a couple of street fests a couple of times a year there isn't that much else going on besides just going out around town and stuff."
McInerney's only complaint about the rankings was how different the Cincinnati and Athens locations are, which should've been considered more.
"I guess if you count being close to the city, Cincinnati has that for a party atmosphere," McInerney said. "It's like three minutes to downtown. OU is in the middle of nowhere."
Yet, some students outside of OU were not happy with Barstool's results, claiming their university had the ultimate party scene.
Partygoers reach out to pet police horses during High Fest on High Street on Saturday, March 26, 2022.
"We fill an entire street every single weekend, and OU just doesn't have that," Logan Miller, a sophomore at the University of Dayton studying communications, said. "They don't have St. Patty's Day, they just don't celebrate like us. Maybe they have better bars, but we have more house parties and day drinks and we have Skyline Chili right next to campus."
Miller says that OU is not considered a party school to those on Dayton's campus.
"I think Dayton should have been ranked higher because you don't hear anything about OU other than it's just a party school, but what makes it a party school?" Miller said. "Dayton has day drinks every single weekend.”
Dudas also agrees with this sentiment, saying that OSU has a bigger party scene for students with different interests.
"I just feel like it's so big that there's so many different parties going on, whatever your interests may be there's going to be people partying for you, and it's just always a vibe," Dudas said. "There's always something happening."
gk011320@ohio.edu
