Santa Lopez-Jarrin and her son Fabian.

“Nothing is perfect in life, but if you ask me if OSU was perfect for him, it was.”
A Testimony by Santa Lopez-Jarrin

My family first learned about OSU through alumni. Fabian said, “The alumnus I met suggested the school as an excellent opportunity to expand my horizons. He extolled the virtues of a large campus and proceeded to inform me about all the excellent qualities that are unique to the Ohio State experience. Ultimately, it is the strong academics and great social atmosphere that made this the perfect choice.”

We never visited before he applied. We went to the orientation and everyone was helpful and I didn’t feel like I was in a huge place because he received individual attention. I felt really comfortable leaving him there.

He has had a couple of difficult times while at OSU and if the school hadn’t been so supportive of him during these times, he never would have made it. We had a situation where he was sick and the student advocate’s office really helped—they have student advocates everywhere.

Ohio State can’t necessarily reach out to every single student, but once a student or a parent reaches out, we received all of the help we could imagine and people went the extra mile…and not one department but a few, because we talked to many different offices. With a school this large, I never expected the personalized attention I received.

Quarter after quarter, trip after trip, I could see the ongoing development of him as a person and right now I feel like he is at the top. The other big important piece is that he is very happy. He is fulfilled as a person and focused on himself and his future. My satisfaction with Ohio State has gone way beyond academics. I have been extremely impressed with the whole experience.

The Ferrey family.

“Don’t think Ohio State is only good at football”
A Testimony by Antonio Ferrey

We became very interested in Ohio State due to the program called the The Early Admission Pathway in the medical school. Antoney knew he wanted to go to medical school and that program is what really caught his attention. My younger son, Dominic, knew that he wanted to be a doctor and also decided to attend Ohio State.

We came to visit OSU with Antoney, and there was a session for parents. They told us that the kids in that program are in a group and they have guidance and a counselor and there was a good support system for them. One of our major concerns was that OSU is such a big school and was so far away. In addition, we didn’t know anyone in Ohio — I had never been to Ohio, and if something happened, what would we do?

But my kids have had awesome experiences at Ohio State. Antoney feels a lot of camaraderie with his fellow classmates and he has excellent support from his teachers and staff. He has been involved in doing research and that has been great for him. He gets to practice in the lab what he learns in the classroom, so it has been very hands on.

Dominic just started at Ohio State this year. Ohio State has an excellent First Year Experience program, and he has really enjoyed it.

If I were to give advice to other parents from out of state who are thinking about considering Ohio State, I would tell them not to brush off Ohio State. Though it is a large school, it means there are a lot of opportunities. In addition, Ohio State is also very generous with their financial aid packages. Don’t think that Ohio State is only good at football. My sons have had a great overall experience at Ohio State.

*For more information about the Early Admission pathway, click here.