Student Life
Student Life
There's no doubt that medical school can be tough, demanding and consuming. But you can have a life outside that world. Taking time for family, getting to know your classmates, volunteering with a community organization, exploring campus and Columbus, playing team sports or cycling along the river can re-energize you and bring important balance to your life. Students enter Ohio State as well-rounded individuals - we hope that remains true throughout their medical education and beyond.
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Leaning more toward the medical side, you'll find student chapters of all the national medical groups, plus an assortment of others including COMA (Comedy to Overcome Medical Anxiety), Medical Scientist Student Organization, mEDnOTES, a student-directed a cappella vocal group, and Student Council. You'll have more than 40 choices for extracurricular activity just within the medicine rubric.
Looking to stay fit after an expansive post-exam meal? Ohio State runs the largest recreation and intramural sports program in the nation. Flag football, indoor and sand volleyball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, softball and squash are among just some of the adrenaline-pumping offerings. Sport clubs feature everything from snowboarding to rugby to ultimate disc to taekwondo.
Ohio State's Recreation and Physical Activity Center (RPAC) contains 25,000 square feet of fitness space, eight basketball courts, 10 racquetball courts, four multipurpose rooms, an indoor jogging track, an all-weather turf field, and other amenities. An Adventure Recreation Center features a climbing wall and rentable outdoor equipment. A new section added four more basketball courts, squash courts, and indoor golf facilities. An additional six outdoor tennis courts and three new grass playing fields are also planned.
Ohio State attracts noted artists, musicians, lecturers and celebrities on a regular basis to its visual and performing arts venues, such as the internationally acclaimed Wexner Center for the Arts. Festivals, concerts, classes and everyday bustle can be found on the historic Oval - the heart of Ohio State's sprawling 1,709-acre campus. This path-lined green adjoins the stunning Mirror Lake, the perfect setting for reading a good book, studying or just enjoying nature. Cyclists and joggers love the campus paths that wind along the Olentangy River, continuing into the Metro Parks as far north as Worthington. And there's nothing quite like sitting with more than 100,000 screaming fans in spectacular Ohio Stadium and cheering the Buckeye football team on to victory.
The South Campus Gateway, located along the south end of High Street - Ohio State's "Main Street" - offers a unique blend of retail, entertainment, office space, rental housing and parking in a dynamic, "walkable" urban neighborhood. A major bookstore and an eight-screen cinema anchor the complex, which includes 35 to 40 restaurants, clubs, stores, banks and other personal service venues.
There's also a many possibilities when it comes to housing. Just south of the medical campus is Victorian Village, a quaint yet hip neighborhood. To the west is the Grandview Heights, which captures a small town feel five minutes from Campus. North of campus features many affordable apartment choices.