Old Dominion University
Reviews

Guys Are Ok

The athletes are sexy but you never see them because they're always working out. Lots of nerdy engineer boys.

Academically Diverse

Students entering Old Dominion University can expect a wide variety of academic areas everything from business to fashion designing to education to engineering. Depending on the department that students enter, the curriculum and professors vary. Similar to other schools, professor quality varies and the use of "rate my professor" is recommended. The registration process is competitive and priority is given to upperclassmen. Overall it is a wonderfully academically diverse university. Any student can find what they need at a reasonable price and great quality.

Girls EVERYWHERE!!!

There should be NO REASON why no guy shouldn't be involved with at least one girl while attending ODU. They have every type you can imagine from every race and background. Whether looking for long term relationships or quick one nighters your covered. Just too many girls on campus and they outnumber the dudes.

Sports Management Major

Not a lot of schools carry this major so I really enjoy the fact that they have it. The counselors in the department are all really nice and very helpful in how to pick certain classes; they want to help you succeed just as much as yourself. Workload is nothing too strenuous, I'll be starting an internship this upcoming semester or next.

Dedicated to Improvement

Having lived near the Norfolk area for years, I have seen the campus and programs undergo many changes. Old Dominion has shown great responsiveness to the interests of the students as well as the surrounding community. As campuses go, ODU offers some of the best, most advanced facilities and happens to be close to home. Living in Virginia Beach hasn't hindered me from keeping a full-time schedule at all.

NATO Scholarship

I was one of the lucky ones that made the list for the NATO scholarship allowing me to pay in state tuition instead of out of state. It was a hassle to get all the paperwork needed done but it all worked just fine.

Diversity

ODU is a really enjoyable place to be mostly because of its diversity. In fact, the cultural experience and knowledge you get from this school is priceless. At times I feel as if I have traveled all over the world just by meeting other students here. In addition, this diversity also enhances the quality of academic programs since the level of education rises as people from all over the world are studying here too sharing their ideas perspective and knowledge making study groups a nice unforgettable experience. Finally it helps freshmen adopt to the new environment more easily as everyone is really friendly.

Local Dining Options

A lot of international restaurants, Mediterranean cuisine, a lot of local restaurants in addition to chains. Generally speaking in Norfolk and especially around Old dominion university there are several options and a lot of student discounts. The most recent offer is at a local pizza place where they give 1slice/dollar from 12pm-5pm.

Food

terrible, dont waste your time or money on the meal plan, youll likely regret it if you live off campus. if you live on, get the cheapest plan and refill the flex points, which you can use on good food

Rules

The campus tends to allow students to enjoy life. They do not get overly involved with student life to ensure that the students enjoy their time while keeping things safe at the same time. Cheating is not tolerated so do not try, for this is what the campus takes most seriously.

Housing

Old Dominion offers many of off-campus housing opportunities. There is campus assisted off-campus housing as well has many of apartments and houses in the area that cater to students. Prices vary depending on the location; however, you will definitely get your money out of where you live.

Dining

The off-campus dining facilities are rather reasonable. There are tons of fast food restaurants (McDonalds, TacoBell,Subway, Quiznos) as well as plenty of dine-in restaurants (Monarch Sports Grill, La Herradura, Ihop). The prices are reasonable and many offer student discounts when a student id is presented.

Education/Academics in the Chemistry Department

For some reason ODU's chemistry department sucks. They have tutors and TAs that really don't help much. One professor is teaching a class of 200 people or more, and there is no place to sit in class. Some students sit on the floor or on tables because they are overcrowded. Many students end up dropping the course in the middle of the course, so their GPA won't drop but end up paying for the stupid course that did not teach them anything. There is no one-on-one teaching in those type of courses. The chemistry professor seemed to not care about helping its students, so tell my why mostly everybody I talk to is doing bad in this course? There's only one person who had an 80 or 100 but everybody else is screwed. That right there tells you the teaching technique in the chemistry department is not so great, unlike the biology department where they actually do try to help you.

Difficult Registration Process

Old Dominion University had a great campus and great professors. However, being in the art department it is quite difficult to register for classes. In most circumstances there is only one specific class at a specific time being offered. Classes fill up in seconds. Some classes are only offered certain semesters. Due to the registration process and number of courses being offered it will take longer to graduate.

Good but Not Great

ODU was the convenient choice for me when I graduated. It's close to my house, fairly cost efficient and it offers a good art program. These positive attributes; however, tend to be overshadowed by the lack of funding allotted to the art department, the sparse availability of classes and the consequential high costs of supplies. In short ODU is a terrific school; just not for art majors.

Avoid the Dining Halls!

Well at least Rogers and Cafe 1201! I avoid those two dining halls as possible! However, Legends in Whitehurst has the best dining hall on campus, and the staff is super friendly! It may be smaller than Cafe 1201, but in all honesty...food is better. POD Market in the quad is a popular place, which is on of the three convience stores and flex points can be used there as well. They have everything! We also have chick-fil-a, and everyone loves it!

Not Bad

Overall, I've enjoyed-and continue to enjoy, my experience at ODU.

Pricey

Parking on campus is a nightmare. First you have to pay a $233 parking permit for commuters or a $266 parking permit for resident. Then trying to find a parking spot is like looking for a needle in a hay stack. So if you are driving to school like most people do than leave one to two hours before the class starts because of traffic and it will take about thirty minutes to find parking. But if you are a freshman resident on campus then you are not allowed to have a car unless you have an extenuating circumstance.

Flood City

When it rains it pours. It doesn't have to be a severe storm for it to flood. The school is surrounded by two bodies of water and the ground level is low. You are greeted by a huge puddle everywhere you walk. There is no such thing as dry sneakers or pants.

Off-Campus Housing

Off-campus housing is worse because you will have to pay for all living expenses out of pocket. The locations of the houses for rent are in unsafe areas. People do get burlarized is they are students. You can't have meal plans, therefore, you have to buy your groceries. The only pro of living off-campus is gaining the experience of living on your own and paying your own bills.

Cash Cow Parking

You don't really need a car on campus if you are living in a dorm. If you are in an apartment then you are going to need a car to go to the grocery store and get back to your house at night. Parking permits are expenise and tickets are too. ODU makes a lot of money on parking violations, and they will ticket. Spaces aren't too terrible to come by if you live on campus, but commuters need to time their classes right if they want a good space.

Old Dominion Greeks

There are two categories within greeks and non greeks. There are those that are in a frat/sorority, and only associate with those in other Greek organizations and look down upon those not in Greek life, thinking they are better. Then there are the Greeks who associate with non-Greeks and there are no problems between the two groups.

The non-greeks are split into two categories-- those that despise them/make fun of them for, in their eyes, paying for friends, and also those that like the Greek Organization but just have not joined for various reasons.

Old Dominion has only one Sorority house, that was present before the city of Norfolk banned all Greek-affiliated housing.

Non-Greek parties are usually better than Greek parties, IMO.

Easy Access

Transportation is pretty good.The bus line runs straight through ODU and it is to access. Security will escort you to you car late at night if you call a number. A lot of students travel there from pretty far places.Parking is ok just don't get any tickets.

Students Drinking

There are many students that drink around campus, even underage students. There aren't that many that use illegal drugs, though some do. Most of the time students drink at parties then come back to the dorms drunk which can bother their neighbors and get them in a lot of trouble.

One Hundred Cars for One Parking Space

The parking around ODU is horrible, there is not enough of it. Dozens of cars drivers fight for one parking spot every morning during the school year. The cost is about average compare to other schools. Overall, there is not enough parking and commuter parking garages are far away.