Old Dominion University
Reviews

Not Very Good

The gorls at this school can be very stuck up their own you know what, and the guys are just a**holes. Many of the guys are way short, so an average girl is out of luck.

watch your back

the security here at old dominion is terrible. i do not feel safe at all and walk around with a knife in my pocket because of it. i often get alerts every week about a robbery near campus or another violent crime. the cops are always busting parties instead of doing there jobs of being keepers of the peace, they should be looking for criminals. many of my friends have been assaulted on the streets surrounding campus, one of them being pistol whipped. you can believe it or not but if you come to odu brush up on your street smarts

Roaches, unclean bathrooms

Roaches. The main problem. Whitehurst dorm is infested with them. My friend woke up the other night with one on his bed, and that was the 6th one I saw or heard about in 2 days. A lot of bathrooms also come unkept, as some sort of brown moldy substance can be seen creeping the walls of the shower.

Guys and Girls

There are a lot of good looking guys and girls on campus; however, I feel like it is hard to find genuine friends here. Sorority Girls/ Fraternity Guys usually are clicky. There are also groups of really "odd" people you'll see around campus. For the most part, people get along here but it's hard to find people to actually get close to.

ODU Students

There is a variety of people here from all over the US, but a majority of students are from the area.

Greek Life Is for Anyone

As a first-time college student, Greek life turned out to be not at all what I expected. Old Dominion doesn't have a huge Greek scene, as we are not allowed to have fraternity or sorority houses, but they put on lots of parties throughout the weekends, which is the only way I see how they contribute to student life. Non-Greeks are viewed just like any other student and are no different than the Greeks. Here at ODU, Greek life is for anyone and they make that clear.

High School

The campus reminds me of high school. There are the sorority and fraternity people, the pot heads, the smarty pants, the gangsters and then every one else who falls in between.

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.

Norfolk

Norfolk is a bustling town located in the center of Hampton Roads. With the Virginia Zoo, The Chrysler Museum of Art, and MacArthur Mall located minutes away from Old Dominion University, it is easy to see why anyone would want to visit Norfolk.

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.

Lots of Alcohol

The restriction of alcohol for underage students is pretty poor. Lots of freshman go partying and come back drunk and their are plenty of freshman going around asking for beer money. There are lots of smokers too. Some smokers are very inconsiderate and smoke in front of the dorm entrance, forcing non-smokers to walk through it. As for weed and other drugs, there are not too many cases and the police comes if someone thinks there might be a case. There are not many peers who try to convince their friends to smoke or drink if they truly do not want to.

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.

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.

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.

Rare

The only drugs that are really used on campus is alcohol and marijuana. There have been rumors that some frats will spike drinks with Roofies. I haven't seen of or heard of other drug use on campus

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.