Carmen Ohio

Oh! Come let's sing Ohio's praise,
And songs to Alma Mater raise;
While our hearts rebounding thrill,
With joy which death alone can still.
Summer's heat or Winter's cold,
The seasons pass, the years will roll;
Time and change will surely show
How firm thy friendship O-HI-O.

In Columbus, Ohio State is everything. Up until recently there were no profession sports in Columbus so Ohio State athletics were our teams. And frankly, they still are. The city stops during an OSU football game. You can go to the mall and it's empty. You can hear your neighbors cheering or yelling at the TV. You drive down the street and every house, car, and person has some sort of OSU paraphernalia. The first time I went to an OSU football game, I cried. I sat in Block O (the student cheering section) and the band marches in underneath you (now they don't--they changed the stadium a little) and performs script Ohio and the team won something like 70-7. It was awesome.

Now we can basketball to the list of awesomeness! This has been a great year to be a Buckeye fan. Our football team was co-Big Ten champions, beat Michigan (always a good thing) and then crushed Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Awesome. Our women's basketball team, which has been awesome for a few years and which we have season tickets, has finished the season ranked #6 with only two losses and won the Big Ten championship outright. Awesome. Our men's basketball team, which really didn't expect to be really good until next year, is ranked #8, has lost only 4 games and last night clinched at least part of the Big Ten championship. In the history of the Big Ten there was never been a school that has won the league in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. It is awesome.

And those aren't the only awesome sports at OSU. The fencing team is one of the best in the nation. The synchronized swimming team has won the national championship all but 4 times, our men's and women's volleyball teams were both ranked in the top 10 this year, and our men's hockey team was ranked #2 earlier this season.

But if you think The Ohio State University is all about athletics, then you are missing it. OSU has some of the best colleges in the land. Our Fisher College of Business is ranked #13 for MBAs. The college of engineering (which I'm a graduate of) is ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Last time I checked our department of dance was #1 in the nation. And our college of medicine is ranked among the top academic medical schools for training practicing physicians.

So if you're reading this and you've already done the college thing, well then, just let me gloat about my school. If you're college bound, then you should consider Ohio State. At least check it out. It's awesome.

OH--IO