Hey guys i'm going to be attending OSU this spring. I'm from MD and know of no one from Ohio. If you guys could lets me know about some hot spots around Columbus or some cool things to do on the weekends that'd be great. I'm really looking forward to going to OSU this spring.

 

Also if anyone has any pictures of the OSU campus that I could see, that would be awesome. Thanks!

 

-Ray  :-)

What are you coming here to study?

 

Poster (and starter of the site) ColDayMan loves to give tours, and frankly he's the best at giving them - hopefully he's not burned out from giving so many OSU and Columbus tours lately. He literally knows everything about Columbus and OSU. He used to give tours of OSU to prospective students. Send him a PM and ask him about it; don't be shy, he gives tours to people on here all the time. It's his calling, really lol

 

Send me a PM in the spring when you're down here and I can try to meet up with you and show you some of the hot spots - or I could go with you and ColDayMan for a tour. How old are you? The stuff on the edge of campus is for 18-26 year olds I'd say.. but if you go further down High St. you'll find hot spots for all ages.

 

Columbus is a great city for young people, especially if you're a liberal.

 

Search the site -  (go to the Ohio photography section first, then type in "Columbus" in the search function) to come up with a list of photo threads showcasing Columbus neighborhoods.

 

Grandview, The Arena District, The Short North, Gay St. (Downtown), and German Village are some great places to hang out in Columbus. You'll have to let me know what kind of stuff you're into though. Do you like more upscale places or casual? Hookah bars? Sports bars? Malls? Art galleries/museums? Parks? Do you like public markets? If you're wondering where to live, we could help you out with that too. Living next to campus is very, very costly now. There are actually nicer areas on a bus line that are around the same price. You really have to be specific and let us know what you want to get out of Columbus.

 

Also:

 

Columbusunderground.com and Columbusretrometro.com are great resources for local happenings. Columbusunderground was started by Walker Evans, an active member on this forum. His site is really popular locally.

 

Welcome to the forum - we hope you stick around. Even though Columbus is about the size of Cincinnati, we have significanly less members from the capital city; you could help balance that out. This is a great place to get information on Ohio urban affairs and the people are very positive when it comes to the city.

 

 

I don't know much about Columbus, but if you're at OSU, youll have plenty of choices for both on and off campus activities.  If you find yourself bored, you can always take the 1.5 hour trip south to the Nati :-D

 

 

Where in MD are you from btw? I went to school in DC (GWU) for a year and a half, and spent a decent amount of time in Chevy Chase, Bethesda, and to a lesser extent Silver Spring and Annapolis.

Thanks David for the informative post. I appreciate it!

 

I'm 20 years old, but i'll be 21 by March when classes start. I am a Psychology major. I am hoping to meet new people and make a lot of friends. I already joined BuckeyeStangs forum since Mustangs are a major hobby of mine. Besides cars, I really enjoy working out and staying healthy. I know OSU is a big school and I hope meet some girls lol. I do like  to party and have a good time. I enjoy watching movies, playing some xbox every now and then, I also like urban exploring and knowing more about history behind old asylums for the mentally ill(I know sounds odd).

 

I did apply for housing, but I wouldn't mind getting an apartment. I've been looking through the off campus housing section on the OSU website and have bookmarked a few that I like. I would like to live in an area where a lot of other students are so I can get to know new people.

Thanks David for the informative post. I appreciate it!

 

I'm 20 years old, but i'll be 21 by March when classes start. I am a Psychology major. I am hoping to meet new people and make a lot of friends. I already joined BuckeyeStangs forum since Mustangs are a major hobby of mine. Besides cars, I really enjoy working out and staying healthy. I know OSU is a big school and I hope meet some girls lol. I do like  to party and have a good time. I enjoy watching movies, playing some xbox every now and then, I also like urban exploring and knowing more about history behind old asylums for the mentally ill(I know sounds odd).

 

I did apply for housing, but I wouldn't mind getting an apartment. I've been looking through the off campus housing section on the OSU website and have bookmarked a few that I like. I would like to live in an area where a lot of other students are so I can get to know new people.

 

Check out forgottenoh.com . The guy who runs the site also wrote a book called Forgotten Columbus. I'm positive there's some insane asylums mentioned. Most likely some you could infultrate - maybe even locally in Columbus. Yeah, you're right, that is kind of strange but you're a psych major so we'll let it pass :) Columbus doesn't have many abandoned warehouses and stuff. Most have been converted to condos already lololol

 

There's an indie movie theater in Bexley you'll want to check out.

 

Don't worry about meeting girls. There's parties everywhere and students at OSU are very open to meeting new people. It's one of the best schools to go to if you're looking for random hook-ups, if you're into that.

 

If you want to make friends right off the bat, you should live with room mates or dorm. Join a few clubs. There's a million clubs at osu.

Thanks David for the informative post. I appreciate it!

 

I'm 20 years old, but i'll be 21 by March when classes start. I am a Psychology major. I am hoping to meet new people and make a lot of friends. I already joined BuckeyeStangs forum since Mustangs are a major hobby of mine. Besides cars, I really enjoy working out and staying healthy. I know OSU is a big school and I hope meet some girls lol. I do like to party and have a good time. I enjoy watching movies, playing some xbox every now and then, I also like urban exploring and knowing more about history behind old asylums for the mentally ill(I know sounds odd).

 

I did apply for housing, but I wouldn't mind getting an apartment. I've been looking through the off campus housing section on the OSU website and have bookmarked a few that I like. I would like to live in an area where a lot of other students are so I can get to know new people.

 

Check out forgottenoh.com . The guy who runs the site also wrote a book called Forgotten Columbus. I'm positive there's some insane asylums mentioned. Most likely some you could infultrate - maybe even locally in Columbus. Yeah, you're right, that is kind of strange but you're a psych major so we'll let it pass :) Columbus doesn't have many abandoned warehouses and stuff. Most have been converted to condos already lololol

 

There's an indie movie theater in Bexley you'll want to check out.

 

Don't worry about meeting girls. There's parties everywhere and students at OSU are very open to meeting new people. It's one of the best schools to go to if you're looking for random hook-ups, if you're into that.

 

If you want to make friends right off the bat, you should live with room mates or dorm. Join a few clubs. There's a million clubs at osu.

 

 

Thanks man, that is some great info there. From what I hear joining clubs really helps to meet new people. I'm just a little nervous because I know no one here and i'm pretty much starting from scratch, but its good to hear that meeting people here isn't that hard to do.

I don't know much about Columbus, but if you're at OSU, youll have plenty of choices for both on and off campus activities. If you find yourself bored, you can always take the 1.5 hour trip south to the Nati :-D

 

 

Where in MD are you from btw? I went to school in DC (GWU) for a year and a half, and spent a decent amount of time in Chevy Chase, Bethesda, and to a lesser extent Silver Spring and Annapolis.

 

I'm actually from Montgomery County, located in Germantown, about 20 min from D.C., Chevy Chase, and Bethesda. I've lived here my whole life, should be a nice change of scenery for me.

There's a good amount of variety, so it's best to do some exploring. My blog has a large and ever expanding neighborhood guide for Columbus. For starters I suggest checking out the Short North, German Village, and Old North Columbus, not to mention OSU and neighboring East Campus, which is like 100% student occupied even though it's technically not campus.

Can't wait to visit, looks like lots of fun!

I'm currently a student at OSU, and I came to school here during a spring quarter when I was 21 also (23 now), so I think I know more or less what you're going through looking for a place to stay and getting up to speed with school.

 

My suggestion would be to use some combination of OSU's Off-Campus Student Services website (which it sounds like you're using) and Craigslist to find a sublet that will take you through August.  January is actually the true beginning of leasing season for the following academic year (Leases universally run from September-August), so once you've gotten settled in, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start looking for your next place and set of roommates unless you really like the place and people you found to start with and are able to renew at that location.

 

In terms of where you should be living, you mentioned you want to be in the thick of students (which shouldn't be a problem)...The big decision for most people is whether they choose to live further north or south.  Rents tend to be a little cheaper to the south, in large part *opinion alert* because on average the housing is not quite as picturesque, and the south campus used to be a little rough around the edges from what I've heard.  That said, my favorite apartment since I've been here (3 in total) was South Campus on W. 9th.  A big reason for that is the newly built South Campus Gateway, which is a very goodlooking setup of retail, food, and bars.  There will be no shortage of college girls at the Ugly Tuna or McFadden's on a Thursday-Saturday night.  North Campus has plenty of hotspots, too, and as I said the housing tends to be a little nicer looking from the curb.

 

Ultimately, you really only need to look for a few things:

 

1) Decent roommates.  Ask every question you need to about lifestyle, because my experience is that it will come up if you don't.

 

2) Rent below $425: A good number of kids pay more, and if you are so inclined then go for it, but every street can provide you with a good place for 400ish.  That South Campus place I liked was actually 325, but 425 to me is the dividing line between cheap and expensive here.

 

3) Last but not least, proximity to High Street should be your first guide on location.  High Street is the main road dividing on and off campus.  It's got restaurants, stores, banks, and bars going basically the entire way north and south.  West of High St. is the OSU campus, and east of High St. is the bulk of the off campus housing.  Your goal should be to live within a couple blocks of High St, the closer the better since it gives you a shorter walk to class and puts you close to everything you need/want.

 

 

As somebody who transferred to OSU without a clue and without a guide, I can empathize with your move.  Columbus has been a great city to live in, and I'm pretty well convinced that OSU is one of the best college experiences out there to be had.  If you have any questions or just want somebody to grab your first brew with as a Buckeye, feel free to send me a PM.

 

Good luck!

I'm currently a student at OSU, and I came to school here during a spring quarter when I was 21 also (23 now), so I think I know more or less what you're going through looking for a place to stay and getting up to speed with school.

 

My suggestion would be to use some combination of OSU's Off-Campus Student Services website (which it sounds like you're using) and Craigslist to find a sublet that will take you through August. January is actually the true beginning of leasing season for the following academic year (Leases universally run from September-August), so once you've gotten settled in, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start looking for your next place and set of roommates unless you really like the place and people you found to start with and are able to renew at that location.

 

In terms of where you should be living, you mentioned you want to be in the thick of students (which shouldn't be a problem)...The big decision for most people is whether they choose to live further north or south. Rents tend to be a little cheaper to the south, in large part *opinion alert* because on average the housing is not quite as picturesque, and the south campus used to be a little rough around the edges from what I've heard. That said, my favorite apartment since I've been here (3 in total) was South Campus on W. 9th. A big reason for that is the newly built South Campus Gateway, which is a very goodlooking setup of retail, food, and bars. There will be no shortage of college girls at the Ugly Tuna or McFadden's on a Thursday-Saturday night. North Campus has plenty of hotspots, too, and as I said the housing tends to be a little nicer looking from the curb.

 

Ultimately, you really only need to look for a few things:

 

1) Decent roommates. Ask every question you need to about lifestyle, because my experience is that it will come up if you don't.

 

2) Rent below $425: A good number of kids pay more, and if you are so inclined then go for it, but every street can provide you with a good place for 400ish. That South Campus place I liked was actually 325, but 425 to me is the dividing line between cheap and expensive here.

 

3) Last but not least, proximity to High Street should be your first guide on location. High Street is the main road dividing on and off campus. It's got restaurants, stores, banks, and bars going basically the entire way north and south. West of High St. is the OSU campus, and east of High St. is the bulk of the off campus housing. Your goal should be to live within a couple blocks of High St, the closer the better since it gives you a shorter walk to class and puts you close to everything you need/want.

 

 

As somebody who transferred to OSU without a clue and without a guide, I can empathize with your move. Columbus has been a great city to live in, and I'm pretty well convinced that OSU is one of the best college experiences out there to be had. If you have any questions or just want somebody to grab your first brew with as a Buckeye, feel free to send me a PM.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Thanks man! Thats the kind of information I was looking for. Thanks for the details, thats the kind of info you can only find from a site like this with people who have been there and done that. I will definitely send you a PM when i'm in town and i'll buy you a few brews in exchange for your knowledge of the city lol. Thanks for the info again!

 

-Ray

Whoops, I just came back from DC lol!  Sorry for being late.  If you need the tour/campus tour, shoot me a PM!

Whoops, I just came back from DC lol! Sorry for being late. If you need the tour/campus tour, shoot me a PM!

 

I will definetely let you know once i'm in town! Thanks!

 

-Ray

 

In terms of where you should be living, you mentioned you want to be in the thick of students (which shouldn't be a problem)...The big decision for most people is whether they choose to live further north or south. Rents tend to be a little cheaper to the south, in large part *opinion alert* because on average the housing is not quite as picturesque, and the south campus used to be a little rough around the edges from what I've heard. That said, my favorite apartment since I've been here (3 in total) was South Campus on W. 9th.

 

Anything west of high street (i.e. W 9th) is alright... The opinion is probably based off of living East of high street in the South Campus area... don't do it unless you actually want to smoke crack...

 

In terms of where you should be living, you mentioned you want to be in the thick of students (which shouldn't be a problem)...The big decision for most people is whether they choose to live further north or south.  Rents tend to be a little cheaper to the south, in large part *opinion alert* because on average the housing is not quite as picturesque, and the south campus used to be a little rough around the edges from what I've heard.  That said, my favorite apartment since I've been here (3 in total) was South Campus on W. 9th. 

 

Anything west of high street (i.e. W 9th) is alright... The opinion is probably based off of living East of high street in the South Campus area... don't do it unless you actually want to smoke crack...

 

Hahaha, this is true.  To me, "South Campus" is by definition the area west of High and north of 8th Ave.  The area you are referencing is outside my universe of possible choices, lol.  Being both south of campus (Below 10th) and east of campus (East of High) is a bad idea.  As you approach the Kroger (Or, Kroghetto as we call it), you notice a distinctly sketchy area. 

 

As Mugatu put it so eloquently, you may notice "a fashion, a way of life inspired by the very homeless, the vagrants, the crack whores that make this wonderful city so unique."