"What college are you going to?"
During my senior year of high school, I quickly learned that I would not get the response I wanted when I answered this question with Miami University. Just the name of my school would quickly cue eye rolls, questioning glances and condescending comments like, "Why would you want to go to school in the middle of nowhere?" and, "You know there's nothing to do there besides join Greek life." As a Columbus native, I understand that Ohio State is a popular school and that the idea of living in a city on a campus with 60,000 students is pretty appealing to most people I know. And I understand that you drive through literally 25 miles of cornfields to get to Miami, no matter which direction you come from, so it definitely isn't untrue to say that Miami is in the middle of nowhere. But there is also a whole collection of reasons living in a college town is better than living in a city that I have discovered since I moved to Oxford.
The longest you have to walk to get anywhere is 25 minutes, even to off-campus houses, apartments or restaurants. When you go to school in Ohio and the weather is unpredictable, this is a huge benefit. Going out doesn't have to involve an Uber, taxi or a friend with a car because Uptown is only a ten to fifteen-minute walk from your dorm. It honestly takes more time to walk to the parking lot and drive to Chipotle or Buffalo Wild Wings than it does to just walk there.
It's a lot easier not to get lost on campus when all the buildings are in the same place, not mixed into the downtown area of a city. There are trails through the woods, community parks and state routes through the country to run on that you don't get when you live in a city. There are green areas where you can hammock or sit out on a blanket and study, not just an overcrowded Starbucks. Most of the student housing is located in one neighborhood rather than spread out across a city, which makes off-campus living a much more desirable experience... and walking between frat parties a lot easier. The houses have character too—there's nothing funnier than driving through Oxford and reading all the strange names of houses tacked onto posters hanging outside.
Contrary to popular belief, there is more to do than just going to Wal-Mart or McDonald's. There are cute restaurants Uptown to take pictures in front of before formal, benches in the park where you can eat your Sunday afternoon Graeter's (or 2 a.m. Jimmy John's), a farmer's market every Saturday and cute Christmas lights decorating the trees at night. There's a pumpkin patch just down the road in autumn and a place to buy Christmas trees Uptown in the winter. Not to mention, the local businesses are to die for. You can't get a pizza bagel from Bagel & Deli or mac and cheese bites from Skipper's on just any college campus. The businesses cater to what college students want, as well— every student knows where to get pizza by the slice at 2 a.m. or free popcorn or fried chicken on a Saturday.
College towns make for a more tight-knit community. Since Uptown is the place to be on weekends, you're guaranteed to run into some friends, dorm mates or classmates when you go out, and it is guaranteed to make your night hilarious. You don't have to meet all new people every time you go to a social event out to the bars with friends. It's not an ordeal to visit friends across campus or meet up with them Uptown, but the student body is also big enough so that if you want to avoid someone, you can. The large student body set in a small town makes Oxford unique, but its character and community are what made me fall in love. A college town isn't for everyone, but if you're going to choose one, Oxford does it best.
