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Ohio State University

Ohio State University, Columbus: Address, Phone Number, Ohio State University Reviews: 4.5/5

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Ohio State University

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Ohio State University
4.5
437
#8 of 139 things to do in Columbus
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Top ways to experience Ohio State University and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
804 within 3 miles
Buckeye Donuts
89
0.2 mi$ • Bakeries • American
Blaze Pizza
26
0.2 mi$ • Pizza • Fast Food • Vegetarian Friendly
Ethyl & Tank
25
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Pub
Moy's Restaurant
32
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • Chinese • Asian
Insomnia Cookies
16
82 ft$$ - $$$ • Dessert
Apollo's Greek Kitchen
7
0.2 miGreek
Bibibop Asian Grill
4
0.1 mi$ • Asian • Korean • Fusion
QDOBA Mexican Eats
4
0.1 mi$
Heirloom
7
231 ft
Chipotle Mexican Grill
4
0.2 miMexican
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Attractions
117 within 6 miles
Wexner Center for the Arts
44
231 ftTheaters
Orton Geological Museum
3
0.3 miNatural History Museums
Ohio Stadium
965
0.7 miArenas & Stadiums
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
40
0.4 miSpeciality Museums • Libraries
The Ohio Expo Center & State Fair
419
0.9 miConvention Centers
Ohio History Center
243
1.2 miHistory Museums
Huntington Park
353
2.2 miSports Complexes
Short North Arts District
622
1.7 miNeighborhoods • Points of Interest & Landmarks
North Market Farmer's Market
815
2 miFlea & Street Markets
Ohio Theater
504
2.8 miTheaters
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
437 reviews
Excellent
297
Very good
105
Average
21
Poor
9
Terrible
5
RSM123123
Plano, TX772 contributions
Big Campus
I'm impressed by how large The Ohio State University campus is, like a small city. Simply huge. Easy walking over the entire campus, no real steep climbs or difficult barriers except construction. Mostly flat. Many trees. Everyone Midwestern friendly. Plenty of eating opportunities.
Written July 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
efustok
Houston, TX987 contributions
A beautiful campus
Family
The campus here is really beautiful...the pond with the ducks is really lovely. I can imagine when the weather is warmer, sitting there soaking up the sun. The stadium is really magnificent, after all it is the 3rd largest in the US. The area by the campus is full of shops and restaurants too!
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Sandie E
Beaver, PA20 contributions
Ohio State University Library
Family
We went to visit the campus and explore Columbus. It’s great for strolling along and the OSU vibe is contagious. We went on a weekend of a home football game. The main Library is an absolute must!
Written July 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
travelerS_Korea
Columbus, OH127 contributions
Not sure why you would visit if not a student, parent or alumni
Parking is very expensive and limited, and I'm not sure what you can see besides the Wexner Art Museum (fee), maybe the library, or just stroll the immense campus now almost completely filled with buildings. There's a small "Mirror Lake" and a few very old trees on the small campus near High Street. When students are in session, it's pretty packed with students, and sometimes towards the week end various small festivals like a Renaissance festival, or other activities some of which might be amusing. The arboretum off Lane Avenue has a nice collection of tree and plant specimens and is free. You will need to drive there from the main campus.
Written April 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kennon4
Marietta, GA139 contributions
Graduation !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My husband and I went to OSU 56 years ago, and had the incredible honor of returning for our Granddaughter's graduation. We had the best time walking the campus. So many changes, but so many things that have stayed the same. I hope there will be many more generations of our family walking the paths of the oval.
Written May 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Becky
3 contributions
New Student Orientation!
Spent two days for parent & student orientation for our new freshman. Wow Ohio State certainly has it down to a science. Very well organized and lots of great information. Looking forward to many more activities on campus over the years.
Written July 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
lucycan
Minneapolis, MN2,982 contributions
Awesome campus
This is truly an awesome campus. Regardless of season or reason its a fun place to be. So much to see just walking around. High street forms the eastern edge. Lane to the North. Love this place!
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
thomasmcsweeney2014
Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand406 contributions
OSU is a place to find a Rolling Stone
Friends
The public research university in Columbus, Ohio current called The Ohio State University, began in 1870 as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College with a land grant from the Morrill Act of 1862. However, under the direction of Governor Rutherford B. Hayes it expanded its focus and in 1878 the Ohio General Assembly passed a law changing the name to "The Ohio State University". That is why the title "The" is included in the name - that is how the 1878 law read. It has since grown into the third largest university campus in the United States. Along with its main campus in Columbus, Ohio State also operates a regional campus system with regional campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, Newark, and Wooster. As both a student and an employee of The Ohio State University Medical Center for 25 years, I have see the main campus grow up since 1980. The university is also home to an extensive student life program, with over 1,000 student organizations; intercollegiate, club and recreational sports programs; student media organizations and publications, fraternities and sororities; and an active student government association. Ohio State began accepting graduate students in the 1880s, and in 1891, the school saw the founding of its law school, Moritz College of Law. It would later acquire colleges of medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, commerce, and journalism in subsequent years. In 1916, Ohio State was elected into membership in the Association of American Universities.
A stroll around the campus is truly rewarding. Four buildings are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Enarson Hall, Hayes Hall, Ohio Stadium, and Orton Hall. Unlike many universities, Ohio State campus does not conform to a unifying architectural theme but a mix of traditional, modern and post-modern styles. The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library, anchoring the western end of the Oval, is Ohio State library's main branch and single largest repository. Overall, Ohio State operates the 18th largest university research library in North America with a combined collection of over 5.8 million volumes. Additionally, the libraries receive approximately 35,000 serial titles on a regular basis. Its recent acquisitions were 16th among university research libraries in North America. Anchoring the traditional campus gateway at the eastern end of the Oval is the Wexner Center for the Arts. Designed by architects Peter Eisenman of New York and Richard Trott of Columbus, the center opened in 1989. The Wexner Center for the Arts was founded to be a comprehensive visual arts center encompassing all aspects of visual and performing arts with a focus on new commissions and artist residencies. It is great place to visit during your tour as the exhibits and installations are frequently changing. The Ohio State College of Medicine is located on the southern edge of the central campus. It is home to the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, a cancer research institute and one of the National Cancer Institute's forty-one comprehensive cancer centers, along with the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, a research institute for cardiovascular disease. Ohio State’s James Cancer Hospital recently received the highest nursing recognition with the prestigious Magnet® designation. In December 2014, The James opened a brand new state-of-the-art cancer hospital. With more than 1.1 million square feet, and 21 floors, "the New James" is the 3rd largest cancer hospital in the country. This new building is spectacular to look at as well. The Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital specializes in cardiology, and is ranked number 20 in the United States for its heart program. Care is provided for patients with cardiovascular disease or peripheral vascular disease. The hospital was the first in the country to perform robotic surgery. In addition, the campus designers are wisely using ground space to install trees, plants, and flowers all which make a walking tour enjoyable.
But what about the students? As of 2015, U.S. News & World Report’s widely read rankings of undergraduate colleges in America places Ohio State as tied for 54th overall ranked university in America. Undergraduate admissions to Ohio State are classified as “more selective” by US News & World Report and The Princeton Review and according to the data are the most selective for any public university in Ohio. 62% of incoming freshmen in autumn 2014 were ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. The middle 50% range of ACT scores is 27-31, while the middle 50% SAT scores (Critical Reading and Math only) is 1210–1360. Ohio State’s freshman class has included at least 100 National Merit Scholars for nine of the last ten years. As a student at Ohio State, I can tell you that the class size for the core basic classes could easily be 300 students per class, but class size is quickly weeded down by the time the student reaches Junior and Senior level classes. My advice is to spend the extra money required to get your student into one of the academic fraternities or sororities as a Freshman. It is at these fraternities and sororities that the teacher's past tests with answers are kept. By looking at these records you will see that a teacher has used a specific question in 8 of the last 10 tests, you can pretty well guess that you need to study that question. Without the help of these records, you will be faced with an overwhelming amount of possible questions and you just could not study everything. Not all the students are straight out of high school. Ohio State has a 60 and over program were you can take ANY class for free but without receiving college credit for the class - including art classes (painting, digital photography, sculpture), language classes (most modern languages and some ancient), and music classes (from singing to flute and everything in between), any class the Ohio State offers, you can take.
My return to Ohio State and Columbus, Ohio was not for academic reasons, but in order to see THE ROLLING STONES at Ohio Stadium on campus. With "Kid Rock" as the opening act the Stones May 31st concert was one that will live on in my memory. Mick Jagger worked the stage — jumping, running, and shaking his hips like we were all back in the ‘60s. Jagger asked the audience, "This is the stadium of champions, isn’t it?” — which got an enthusiastic scream of yes. At each stop on the tour, fans can vote on a song for the Stones to play. Columbus voted for “Paint it Black.” But before the Stones played that, the Stones played an OSU fan favorite, “Hang On Sloopy.” which of course everyone sang along with Mick Jagger.
Written June 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
BigBrion
Cleveland, Ohio175 contributions
Ugly and Uninspiring
Couples
My wife and I were in Columbus for a long weekend. We were born, raised, and still live in Ohio but in exploring the the Ohio State campus, we found it to be a hodgepodge of disjointed and uninspired architecture. Clearly, the decision makers at Ohio State through the years have had no master plan or the master plan has failed miserably. We have seen a number of college campuses but Ohio State's ranks near the bottom in its aesthetic qualities.
Written July 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jscottjoplin
Scottsdale, Arizona281 contributions
James Cancer Hospital is a miserable place for the families of patients
Family
I know that one chooses a cancer center because of the quality of the doctors and this facility is outstanding in that regard. I also am aware that the hospital will be moving into a new building on December 14th, but in the mean time, the hospital should put a prioriy on keeping the existing facility clean and as pleasant as possible. For the families that are there day after day with loved ones, the place is abysmal. The Atrium, which is the surgical waiting area, is dirty and crowded. We arrived at 7:30 am and there were people sleeping on most of the couches. There were newspapers scattered on the floor and people had left food containers and empty soda bottles on the tables. Notr exactly a pleasant environment,. Moreover, there are no electrical outlets near any of the chairs or couches. So, if one is sitting there for several hours, the batteries on ipads and computers can not be recharged.

And, the same is true of the so-called family lounges on the patient floors. On the 9th floor, there are about 35 patient rooms. The lounge has room for 4 people to sit. And, this tiny room faces the restrooms, so if you are sitting in the lounge, you are listening to the flushing of toilets the entire time. In addition, the lounge on the 9th floor for the 3 days that we were there had a dirty pillow in it and empty water bottles. Yuck!

And, then there is the non-medical staff. We were there on a Saturday and the information desk was not manned. Nor were there any volunteers to answer questions.

Between now and December when the new hospital building opens, the families of patients would appreciate it if the existing facility could be made a little more pleasant and ALOT CLEANER!! In addition, there is a lovely seating area near the expresso and cookie shops. Perhaps, there is some way that could be utilized as a family lounge. Even though it is on the first floor, it is only a 5 minute walk from the patients' floors. Currently it appears to be underutilized. The families of patients are under alot of stress at a cancer hospital and a pleasant environment is very important.
Written January 20, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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