Oklahoma State University Big Orange Buses will travel the state this month offering free rides to school for potential students. The tour will include stops in nine different Oklahoma communities. High school students will get on board and ride to Stillwater, home of Oklahoma State University, and spend the day exploring their college options.
“These bus trips are meant to reach out to the Oklahoma communities and have students who may not otherwise have a chance to visit the OSU Stillwater campus see our world-class facilities,” said Vice President of Enrollment Management Albert Colom.
“Visiting an institution is such an important part of the college selection process. Students and their families really need to determine if a university is an appropriate fit for the student’s educational, career and personal goals.”
This is the first year the OSU Office of Undergraduate Admissions has hosted the bus tours. The first two were held last month in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
“So far the bus trips have been very successful. We had 135 students from throughout the Tulsa area and 160 students board buses in three different locations in the Oklahoma City area,” said Karen Lucas, director of Undergraduate Admissions.
Wesley Brown, a senior at Edmond Santa Fe High School in Oklahoma City, said, “The tour was interesting and a lot of fun. I am definitely coming to OSU!”
Data indicates that most prospective students who have an opportunity to visit the Stillwater campus and see the facilities and meet the faculty, students and staff apply for admission.
During the day students tour campus and residential facilities, meet with representatives from Campus Life, Financial Aid, Residential Life, and the Multicultural Student Center and with various student clubs and organizations. They have free time to explore the Student Union, visit the Study Abroad office and tour the athletic facilities.
“What we have found is that many students are excited about the bus tours because it is their one and only opportunity to get to campus,” said Kari Alldredge, assistant director of Outreach and Recruitment.
Here are the dates and locations of this month’s Orange Bus tour:
• November 6 – Ardmore, McAlester, Lawton
• November 13 – Bartlesville, Muskogee
• November 20 – Alva, Ponca City, Woodward, Enid
Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, Oklahoma State University is a five-campus, public land-grant educational system that improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach. OSU has nearly 33,000 students across its system and nearly 21,000 on its Stillwater campus. Established in 1890, the Stillwater campus is the home of the OSU System. The STATE’s university boasts students from all 50 states and nearly 120 nations, and has more than 200,000 alumni throughout the world.