Okay. Here is my massive post.
And I know I'm going to be busy, but I like to have options of things to do when I do have free time or people come to visit.
Look, if you want something to do in Stillwater during the weekend, you might have less to choose from than you are used to. There are stores to meet your needs and for a little bit of 'for fun' shopping, but if you want the traditional mall thing, you will have to head to Tulsa (about an hour and ten minutes to 71st street, which has lots of restaurants, big IMAX Cinemark, a mall with all the normal shops, Target, and your other standard sorts of stores like Gordman's, Barnes & Noble, blah blah blah. OKC has the same sort of stuff with a bit more variety - it's a bit more spread out but one hour and thirty minutes should probably get you anywhere you want to go. There is an outlet mall now - I like Coach and Banana Republic the best.
In Stillwater, there is a small (!!) JCPenney, a Best Buy, Ross, PetCo, Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, Hobby Lobby, Old Navy, The Buckle, American Eagle, Maurice's, Bath & Body Works... and they are opening an ULTA, a TJMAxx, and a Joann's Fabrics this summer. So it's not a lot, but it hits some of the high points. They will decide to build a Target right as I'm graduating - I just know it.
I just don't like heat/humidity that much (and tornadoes but I'll let that go for now), which kind of sucks, but I guess I can get used to that.
It's sunny here most of the time. The summers will be hot, no doubt - hopefully not as hot as LAST summer, because that was a bit much. But it will be hot, so expect that. September and October are nice fall weather, and March, April, May are nice spring-y weather. Winters are variable - we didn't get any snow really this year... just a few day's of stuff on the ground, nothing that was hard to drive in or that closed the university. Last winter, however, there was a pretty deep one that caused 3-4 days out of class and some difficult travel. That's as bad as it gets.
It's windy here a lot. They didn't like about the whole "wind comes sweeping down the plains" part.
Also, OK State is one of my cheapest options and would save me like 100k if I either reapplied to other schools or go to Glasgow. Not sure I can say no to that.
Less loans for you is good. Plus cheap cost of living compared with pretty much wherever you are from - it seems like it's some of the cheapest in the country.
Here's a random question. AT&T service. Good reception or no? That's who I currently use and my contract is up the end of next month. Don't want to upgrade my phone if reception is going to blow.
I have used AT&T for several years. The reception is fine. Verizon and Sprint would be your other big options. As far as I know, they are all fine. AT&T used to only have Edge network out here - now there is 3G and it seems to work well (except in this one parking lot out by Ross and Texas Roadhouse - what's up with that?)
And a few more questions for you current students.
1) Obviously we know I'm scared of tornadoes. Could you guys just give a low down on how it all works down there. I know you have sirens and all but I have no idea how any of that works. When I toured Auburn, I was a little freaked out that one of the only shelters was on the vet campus and the students lived in mobile homes in parks several minutes from the school. Do the sirens give you enough warning to actually be able to drive somewhere or no? Also, can you find places with basements/storm cellars because I would prefer that to just hiding in a closet in the middle of my house. And yes, I'm getting ahead of myself, but since I don't deal with it pretty much ever, I'm definitely worried. I used to get almost physically sick just because of thunderstorms after seeing the movie Twister. I'm okay with thunderstorms now but freak out of any mention of tornadoes anywhere within a 30 minute radius of me.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. PEOPLE. DO NOT LET THE POSSIBILITY OF TORNADOES SCARE YOU AWAY FROM APPLYING/ATTENDING OKSU OR KSU.
C'mon guys. Put on your big girl panties. The odds of your house/apt being hit by a tornado <<<<<< the odds of you being in a severe car crash... and yet you don't quake with fear every time you get into your car. I know tornadoes are scary because they seem unpredictable and big and scary... and you know what, yeah, they ARE big and scary. Rightfully so. But they are less and less unpredictable as the ability to forecast improves.
Here's a run-down of what happens.
- There is supposed to be severe weather - if you watch the news or check a weather app on your phone or the internet, you will know this in advance.
- You therefore watch the weather when it starts to get stormy so that you know what's going on.
- Gary England tells you that there is a good chance for rotation in this storm, so you are emotionally prepared for the possibility (lol).
- Okay, there is rotation and the storm is potentially headed your direction. Pack up the animals and either drive to the school right then or wait and see (or you may have a good place for shelter in your house, or a neighbor with a basement or storm cellar, blah blah).
- Tornado warning - it's official - the sirens go off. You still probably have plenty of time to get to the school. If you are staying, take shelter in a small room in your house with no exterior walls. Bathrooms are great, or a small hallway with no windows.
- Keep watching weather on phone or laptop if you can - or listen to the guy speak over the siren speaker system - he'll tell you what's up.
- All clear is given, because honestly, you probably wont have that .0001% chance of a tornado actually a: touching down, b: staying touched down, c: coming into Stillwater, d: coming into your part of Stillwater, e: hitting your neighborhood, and f: hitting your house or apt. It's just not likely.
- Go home, release the animals, go back to studying.
Maybe it's because I grew up here. You know how you guys had events in elementary school where people would talk to you about what to do in the case of a fire? Crawling on the ground, knowing where to exit your house, where the family should meet outside... well, we had that, but we also learned about tornado safety. Over and over and over. The meteorologists would come talk to the schools about being safe and where to go and how you should wear shoes, have a flashlight, etc. etc. so yeah... I think it's just been something that residents get really used to.
And Like I said before - like kaanderson, I have only seen one, in my life... it did touch down in my hometown pretty briefly and took out some houses. Maybe like seven or so. No one was killed or anything.
Basically, yeah, bad crap can happen. But it's not worth worrying about, just be prepared!
2) I was re-looking at the curriculum. I noticed the in 4th year it mentions non-OkSU clinics and special clinicis. I'm assuming "non-OkSU clinicis" means we do some rotations at other schools? Correct me if I'm wrong. And what are special clinicis??
I think I agree with cowgirla on that one. You can do preceptors that you choose (pretty much anywhere that allows for it) and then there are the normal rotations plus some elective rotations. That seems like something to do with the Rossies and Georgies that come here for their clinical rotations.
3) Obviously there is research going on at the school, do students get involved in it besides the summer program? I read a little bit about it in the threads posted by TT but just wanted more info. And do students ever get involved with research or anything going on at the main campus?
I think there are opportunities if you seek them. The labs in the vet school hire students sometimes - I know because I worked in one of the labs as an undergrad. There is a research elective that you can take starting 2nd year if you want. Also, the NIH program had about 6 professors on the list that were actually from main campus - a few in the Zoology dept and maybe some from engineering that were doing something with heart biomechanics or something like that. Plus, those labs hire too, and they would probably be glad to have a vet student.
Oh! Do vet students go to the football games??? I missed out on that in college, so I'm kind of excited about all that whole atmosphere even though I know a ton of people aren't.
Yeah, sure. As a student, you get discounted ticket prices. Don't worry - you will be inundated with emails from OSU Athletics come fall. And the stadium is massive and therefore easy to find.
When do you guys finish your semester? I would really like to try to come down before you guys finish up to get a tour of the school since I've never seen it and would feel wayy more comfortable seeing the school at least once. Do any of you think you would be able to put me up for a night or two if I visit?
Next week is 'dead week' a.k.a. the week before finals. After that is finals (obviously). So it's probably not the best time ever to visit - the 3rd years are done and are basically 4th years, clinics should wrap up in a couple weeks, and the 1st and 2nd years are all freaking the f out about finals (or maybe just me, haha).
I will be gone for a week in May, but otherwise I'd be around and happy to show anyone around. I don't have a place for folks to sleep (a couch, yeah, but probably not ideal). If someone is in a huge pinch, I could possibly get a room at La Quinta (husband + rewards program).
Another question. How's parking at the school (should I live further away)? I currently share a car with my sister who is a freshman in college, but my parents would most likely let me have the car since she doesn't really need it. And also, how necessary is it to have a car should it somehow fall through.
Parking is fine - the permit is like... they keep changing the price... like $60 or something. I always show up late and I can park just fine. At the very beginning of the year, it would be a pain sometimes, but as more people intermittently skip class and stuff, it's much easier. So maybe a pain for the perpetually late (e.g. me) for the first 3 weeks or so.
I wouldn't be able to get by without a car. If I lived in the neighborhood where cowgirla does, I could get by perhaps... I'd like to be able to make a jaunt to Walmart when I want, and that's not really walkable. You could bike to an extent, but the town isn't really ideal for that either.
So you would be okay without a car, assuming you could get rides with classmates from time to time, but you will want one eventually. And if you end up looking for places to live further from campus, you'll need one.
Plus the run with the animals to the vet school when the tornado sirens are going off would possibly be a very wet one, and hail usually comes along with tornado weather...
She did mention that. I think she said it will be in a giant packet they send out around June 1st or something along those lines. Now to work on this rabies vaccination process.
Wait to get the shots, unless you have good health insurance now and will lose it soon. You have to have health insurance at school - they offer a plan. If you get the shots here along with everyone else, it's about $350 (1/2 normal price) and everyone does it at the same time.
Oh, maybe I'll do that. Glass of wine or a Strongbow or two while I do laundry for my trip to PSU this weekend. Happen to know if they sell Strongbow at any of the stores down there? That would make me super happy.
Yeeees, they sell Strongbow, Woodchuck, Hornsby's, Waltons, and Ace at Brown's Bottle Shop. You are set. You just have to chill it before you drink it.
Any more questions, just fire away.