University's image changes from school of mediocrity to exclusive public college; Narrow is the path to OSU

BYLINE: Carol Biliczky, Beacon Journal staff writer

When Corey Hukill of Green cast about for a college, only one came to mind -- Ohio State.

But despite a high school grade-point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, he couldn't get in to the main campus in Columbus.

So he settled for Ohio State's branch in Mansfield for one quarter, worked hard to pull in a 3.8 GPA and tried again -- with success. He moved to the Columbus campus in January.

The 2006 Green High grad is one of the lucky ones. Ohio State has morphed from a safety-net school for mediocre students to, arguably, the most exclusive public college in the state.

Admissions were especially selective for this fall. Fueled by championship teams in football and basketball, the university was deluged with more than 22,000 applications from first-time freshmen, 18 percent over the previous year's record.

``This will be the strongest freshman class in the history of the university,'' said Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions. ``This is a competitive selection process. We select the best.''

Fifty-two percent of Ohio State's incoming freshmen this fall are expected to be in the top 10 percent of their high school class and 90 percent will be in the top 25 percent. The average ACT score has jumped to 27 from 23.9 a decade ago.

That pits Ohio State directly against Miami University in Oxford, traditionally the most exclusive public school in Ohio.

Metamorphosis

The change is a good one, said Garry Walters, vice chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, which coordinates higher education statewide.

``In addition to attracting better students and faculty and graduate students, it's a place very much on the move,'' he said. ``It strengthens the whole system.''

Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut said Ohio State fills the state's needs as the comprehensive, research university.

``When I met with the trustees, I told them we are committing to making Ohio State the No. 1 public research university in this country and, hopefully, in the world,'' he said.

Ohio State's metamorphosis began 20 years ago, when it toughened its admission policies. The process was akin to turning around a battleship, Freeman said.

The university built up its honors program, began to require the ACT or SAT tests a half-dozen years ago, created Scholars Programs to build communities of students, and launched a First-Year Experience in 2001 to personalize the freshman year.

``Once we had folks' attention, it began to snowball and the students coming here became our best spokespersons for the experiences they were having,'' she said.

With more qualified students in the classroom, Ohio State retained more students. In 1995, just 79 percent of Ohio State freshmen were retained, or returned to campus for their sophomore year. By 2005, 91.5 percent came back.

With better students, graduation rates surged, from 55 percent in 1995 to 72 percent in 2005.

And because more students stay enrolled, that has left less room for new students.

The improved retention and graduation rates have in turn helped to lift Ohio State in national rankings, such as America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report. The reports are widely viewed as barometers of a college's worth.

In the most recent edition, Ohio State and the University of Pittsburgh tied for 19th place among the nation's top 50 public universities. For Ohio State, that was up from 21st place in 2005, 22nd place in 2004 and 2003, and 24th place in 2002.

Add to that blockbuster sports seasons in 2006 and national exposure when Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewartspent a week on campus last fall, and the result has been explosive.

Harsh reality

As applications poured in, Freeman, head of admissions, took the unusual step of sending out what she called a ``memo of high importance'' to high school guidance counselors statewide in January.

``We know we will be unable to admit some very fine students to the Columbus campus,'' she wrote. ``We did not expect this record-setting spike in applications.''

She suggested students apply elsewhere while there still was time.

The university admitted 12,400 students, with the goal of bringing 6,150 to the Columbus campus. Ohio State typically has a ``yield'' rate of 50 percent, which means half of the students who are accepted actually enroll.

The new reality is harsh news for many students, said Mark Wisberger, head of the guidance department at Firestone High in Akron.

Two Firestone High students scored only B's and C's in their freshman and sophomore years but turned up the heat as juniors and seniors. Diehard Buckeyes, they already had their Ohio State sweat shirts in hand, he said.

But their impressive performances came too late.

``I tried to prep them that getting into Ohio State wasn't a sure thing,'' Wisberger said. Sure enough, it wasn't -- the students settled for their No. 2 picks, Ohio University and the University of Colorado, amid ``much disappointment,'' he said.

At Hudson High, some students turned down for Ohio State this year would have been admitted just two or three years ago, said John Frahlich, head of the school's guidance department.

``We tried to warn students that this was a trend and we expect it to continue,'' Frahlich said. ``But they've grown up around the Ohio State culture, all the excitement, so, sure, they were disappointed.''

Regional campuses

Despite the competition, all students still can go to Ohio State if they're willing to attend one of its five regional campuses for all or part of their first year.

The regional campuses are open access, which means they admit all Ohio residents with high school degrees.

That is what Hukill, the Green graduate, did.

He found the Mansfield campus OK. It had student housing, but no cafeteria, no main street teeming with night life, no Big 10 football games.

So he was thrilled to to be approved for the Columbus campus, believing that it gave him a big-city experience that he didn't get in the upper-middleclass bedroom community of Green.

Now he aims to get bachelor's and master's degrees in earth science and teach high school. He also wants to try out for the marching band this summer, an opportunity denied him when he went to Mansfield.

When pressed to finger the worst about the Columbus campus, he can't. The city atmosphere, night life, dorm room, even the cafeteria food -- they're all good. He gets to have lunch weekly with his brother Sean, who's also an Ohio State student.

``They put me through the wringer getting in, but it was well worth it,'' he said.

Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com