Our Students

Because of the University’s commitment to the liberal arts, students often major in more than one field; for instance, economics and Spanish or politics & government and zoology. Triple majors are not uncommon, and last year a student graduated magna cum laude with five majors in the natural sciences. Students, faculty, and academic advisors collaborate closely to make individualized programs possible.

Students are encouraged and expected to excel. As the Princeton Review’s 2008 Edition of The Best 366 Colleges states: “Classes are small, but the workload and intellectual participation required from students are rigorous. Making good grades here is really an achievement, and it won’t happen without a lot of work. The environment … at the school is ‘supportive but not coddling’; that said, professors and administrators are more than willing to provide whatever help they can. Dedicated professors … are interested in teaching and talking about what they know.”

Off-campus opportunities and internships provided by such programs as Wesleyan in Washington, the New York Arts program, and The Philadelphia Center, as well as multiple opportunities to study abroad, widen students’ world view and give them practical experience that complements their classroom study.

Our student body lives out the University’s motto, Education for Leadership and Service. Encompassing a wide range of races, ethnicities, and faith traditions, Ohio Wesleyan students are known for their intellectual curiosity and commitment to service. Nearly 90 percent of students participate in local and national philanthropic activities, regional service projects, and hands-on mission trips in locales as varied as Kentucky, El Salvador, and Rome.

The Templeton Guide cites Ohio Wesleyan for exemplary volunteer service programs and exemplary spiritual growth programs. It is one of is one of 60 college programs that “provide opportunities for students to learn through serving others in their communities and in the world” and one of 40 college programs that “provide opportunities for students to develop a coherent vision of moral integrity that connects belief to behavior.”

Students are active in more than 100 academic, action/awareness, arts, leadership, religious and cultural, and student media organizations. From planning campus programs to playing in a jazz band or chamber ensemble to preparing articles for the oldest continuously published student newspaper in the United States, Ohio Wesleyan students enjoy meaningful growth opportunities.

Students are physically active, too. Approximately 80 percent participate in varsity, intramural, and club sports. Our varsity teams are highly competitive with others in the North Coast Athletic Conference, one of the strongest conferences in NCAA Division III sports. In 2006-2007, University teams posted top-two finishes in 10 of 22 sports and won championships in six—men’s soccer, women’s indoor track and field, baseball, golf, men’s lacrosse, and women’s outdoor track and field—as we won our seventh North Coast Athletic Conference All-Sports Championship.

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