Academics
Located in the micropolitan Ohio city of Findlay, University of Findlay is a small Christian college with just 2,600 students but an impressive eighty-plus majors, including notable programs in equestrian studies and health professions. “Not many colleges can simultaneously create future doctors and professional horse trainers,” says a student. The school’s focus on experiential learning and an education grounded in Christian values incorporate “interactive labs,” “terrific study abroad programs,” and “lectures that invite you to speak your mind.” Class assignments “allow critical thinking outside of papers and tests,” and the school has three barns for pre-vet students to practice, as well as a school health clinic that “always has a few nursing or PT students shadowing the nurses.”
The faculty here “have incredible experience in their field” and are “willing to help you inside and outside the classroom to grow to your full potential.” Many “go out of their way to help students get into graduate programs and full-time jobs.” “You can walk into their offices at any time with any problem,” and “the majority of them bond with their students to really improve their experience and ability to understand the information given to them.” The small classes tend to follow “more of a discussion base versus a lecture base,” which creates a “fun and exciting environment” that allows students to get their ideas out in the open “all the while actually learning.”
Student Body
This group is very close: “Everyone knows everyone and it is like a great big family on campus.” While most are from Ohio, there is a large international contingent, and with the wide range of programs a variety of people are drawn to Findlay—it’s not unusual for students “to sit in a class filled with barn kids, future physical therapists, veterinarians, and educators.” The school is “a culture all its own,” and a meeting place where someone who grew up in a small town on a farm “can be best friends with someone who grew up in the cities of New Jersey and has never seen a pig in person.” There is harmony among all groups, and students encourage each other via “peer-to-peer tutoring and other services on campus,” as well as student organizations. Everyone at the University of Findlay is interested in the goals of others, and school “is never a competition, but instead a support system.”
Campus Life
The “absolutely beautiful” 350-acre campus always has events happening (with free food and shirts!) in the residence halls or through the various campus clubs, including “live music on campus, community service projects, bingo, club sports, and a variety of intramural leagues.” “A lot of people leave campus on the weekends,” but there’s “plenty of things to do downtown” and students will often go out to “local restaurants” and other places where they can use their “bonus bucks.” The university gives out tickets to the local movie theater once a month, and bowling is quite a popular hobby. The campus farm is a popular place to visit, and “there is a lot of fitness promotion on campus,” so recreational exercise is a big pastime. Many students are employed on campus, and a lot of students are “athletes that have obligations to their athletics practices and games.”