Myth-Busting at Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University thinks that much of what you’ve heard about choosing a college is wrong.

You probably see these myths and misperceptions all the time in the news and on social media.

• College is just about getting a first job.

• Your major is the most important decision, and you need to make it now.

• The liberal arts don’t give you valuable, real-world skills.

• Cheaper is better.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. And really wrong.

Let’s look at each of these myths.

Preparation for Life – and Your First Job

Ohio Wesleyan’s mission is not only to give students the experience and skills for their first job, but also to help them develop the vital, lifelong skills that will help them grow as the workplace changes, so they can easily move into new jobs and careers.

And maybe you don’t want to be always working for someone else. The lifelong skills and expertise you get at Ohio Wesleyan are the perfect training if you want to someday start your own businesses and be the boss.

In fact, OWU alumni are among the most prolific entrepreneurs in the nation.

Don’t Stress Over Your Major

Society places way too much pressure on 17- and 18-year-olds to decide on their major and lock themselves into a program. OWU thinks most students should wait. When you join its academic community, you will explore different areas, get hands-on experience in different settings, and discover your passion.

More than 70 majors are offered at OWU, and about a third of its students combine majors to create a unique program that matches where they want to go — who they want to be. You have plenty of time to think about that — and you’ll get plenty of help making those choices at OWU.

Skills and Experience that Matter

Employers constantly tell OWU the most important skills they look for are how to ask good questions, how to speak and write persuasively, how to work with diverse groups of people, and how to solve wicked problems. Those are the power skills OWU teaches, no matter the major.

And its unique OWU Connection program guarantees that every student backs up those skills with real-world experience. With the OWU Connection, every student will have opportunities to conduct research with faculty mentors, serve in the community on issues they care about, combine learning with travel around the world, and get real experience in internships that matter.

The Cost Myth

Finally, there’s the myth that private colleges must be more expensive. It just isn’t so. Students and families need to look beyond the sticker price and see the real cost – and the real value.

OWU invests more than $50 million a year in financial aid for its students. Generous gifts from alumni — who know the value of their OWU education — allows the University to provide an average of more than $45,000 a year to students!

And for students’ investment in an OWU education, they get small class sizes, professors who are exceptional teachers, experiential learning, internships, travel opportunities, a beautiful campus, and lots of activities.

But, you know, every liberal arts school says they give all that to students. Those things are essential, but OWU won’t pretend that they make it special.

What’s Unique about OWU?

Here’s what is different about Ohio Wesleyan: If you need a little help figuring out what you want to do with your life, and if you want to outpunch your weight class, Ohio Wesleyan University is the single best place for you to go to college in the United States of America.

Students succeed at OWU. The University provides the guidance, the attention, the support, and the community to help you discover yourself and get the experience to go where you want to be.

Schedule your visit to Ohio Wesleyan University today at owu.edu/visit.