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As an Ohio resident, I can say that Columbus is definitely NOT thriving. Go off campus in any direction and you are essentially in the slums. In my opinion, the only good thing about Columbus is OSU. Columbus is at a very low point right now.</p>
<p>However, as an Ohio resident, a huge portion of my high school’s graduating class attends OSU each year, including some very bright kids. Basically, Ohio State is huge. You will absolutely have some stellar students there, but you will also have some mediocrity. It has been getting more selective in these past few years with the increasing numbers of applicants and hs graduates. Really, if you go to Ohio State, you won’t be successful based on the name, but you can be very successful based on WHAT YOU DO. Because of the size, there are a ton of opportunities and resources, which is a great asset. Plus, you can graduate without incurring completely incapacitating debt, which can be even more valuable if you plan on going to grad school. </p>
<p>So, Ohio State has its gems, but mostly because of their own merit, not the name. Granted, OSU is far better than say, Kent State or Wright State or UAkron or some of the other state schools of Ohio.</p>