When I told people that I visited Ohio University, their responses were “You mean, Ohio State?”

“No, Ohio University,” I replied with a knowing smile. Hardly anyone knew what school I was talking about because Ohio University has spent most of its existence hiding in the intimidatingly large shadow of Ohio State. Ohio University is better known inside of Ohio than in Pennsylvania, hence why many citizens of Lansdale are in the dark about the home of the Bobcats.

Founded in 1804 and located in the charming town of Athens, Ohio University boasts beautiful brick buildings with white rounded columns and sprawling greens. Well-kept fraternity and sorority houses skirt the campus making Ohio University one of the best Greek life schools I have so far seen.

Ohio University’s charismatic atmosphere is not the only thing the school has to offer. Writer’s Digest ranked the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism among the top five in the country, and PDNedu, a photography magazine, named the School of Visual Communication one of the top three photography programs in the nation. The University also has a strong engineering program and claims impressive alumni, including Matt Lauer, anchor of the Today Show, Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox News, and Nancy Cartwright, voice of Bart Simpson.

While students and faculty at Ohio are serious about academics, the Bobcats definitely know how to have a good time. The university is ranked among the top party schools in the nation, and every year, there is a Halloween celebration that majority of the 18,000 undergraduate students attend.

Every university has its downsides, and Ohio’s biggest faults, according to The Big Book of Colleges, are the amount of unavailable parking and the weather. But overall, Ohio University presents an opportunity to achieve a great education and an enjoyable college experience.