Oglethorpe University Offers Close-Knit Community but Bad Class Selection

Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, is a small, private school that is shrouded with an air of confusion. Known for its great education, Oglethorpe offers very little in terms of career training. Its students happily refer to the college as "The Bubble," but the tiny community can feel claustrophobic and restrictive at times. While Oglethorpe is a fantastic school for some, it may simply not be the right fit for others. It all depends on what the student wants out of college.

Oglethorpe is by no means a commuter school. The typical student lives right on campus, does not have a job outside of class, and goes home on the weekend. In keeping with this, most students come from fairly wealthy backgrounds and have immediate families in the Atlanta area.

One side effect of most students living on campus and not working is that most of the classes are arranged around that. There are few night classes and few options in terms of what to take, forcing many commuter and working students to either change their majors or stay for a fifth year. The teachers also assume that their students live on campus and will schedule paper due dates for random times because of it. This creates a problem for anyone who cannot get to campus when they do not have classes.

Another side effect of students living on campus is that the community developed at Oglethorpe feels very exclusive. For those within the circle, this exclusivity is great. However, anyone living off-campus may feel ostracized. The Bubble is also known to foster a dependent way of living, leaving students with trouble adjusting to independent life after graduation.