Admissions

Definitely visit the campus more than once if given the chance. The grounds are beautiful and the staff are friendly and accommodating. If you have questions, they will answer them!

The best advice I can give to a prospective student is to get involved! Oglethorpe has many different kinds of activities and people to invest in, and the more you put in, the more you will receive! Also, be as organized as possible with your time management and study skills. In college you have to learn to prioritize as well as balance school with your other activities... There is almost always something going on, but it is never more important than your studies.

If you're a freshman and you get Traer Hall. Don't be bummed out! There are a lot of rumors that get put on incoming freshman and the look of it definitely makes others turn away and immediately want to go to Dempsey. Trust me I was there! When I first saw Traer and saw that that is where I would be living for the year I hated it. But within a few weeks of living there I loved it. It is comfortable, it has an open courtyard so it is easy to learn your fellow peers names and get to know them, the courtyard is fun to practice to your sport or teach/learn others sports, its a great place to chat or do homework/ study outside. It is also the best dorm, from what I learned and experiences, to make friends fast and easy.
They say it is the party dorm but it really isn't that bad as they make it sound. Yes there were parties. Some people have their own parties in their rooms but they really aren't that loud. If they are we have RA's, 2 on each floor, who will immediately tell them to turn it down or they will get in BIG trouble if they repeatedly disobey and cause noise distractions. You won't have to worry about being woken up at night due to loud music and such. I will admit you will hear occasionally yelling, loud music and screaming, but we had a lot of hyperactive people and people on the third floor yelling across the way or to those on the bottom floor instead of just going down to them.
Also if you get Traer and put on the third floor like I was. You may want to effectively and efficiently pack. It is VERY tiring carrying luggage and other things up and down those steps because unlike Dempsey there is no elevator.
However, I will say there will be a Moving-In crew, I was apart of it last year and most of the Summer/Fall athletes who get to move-in early will have the privilege of helping all freshman move in. So be a pal for your fellow peers and upperclassman and don't bring too many heavy things or objects that are hard to carry up those flights of stairs....

Study hard and don't party too much! Go to study hours and SI sessions. Get to know your professors, but, that said, remember that they ARE your professors -- don't get too chummy. Be friendly, but respectful of their positions and their time constraints. Get to know the staff, Campus Life, Res Life, Campus Safety, etc. This will save you lots of time and trouble if you need their help -- which I assure you you will, more often than you think! All other benefit aside, you'll also be friends with some of the nicest people in Atlanta!
Some tips with regard to schoolwork, and Core classes in particular. Do the reading, even if you feel bored. I recommend buying the books ahead of time and reading them over vacation. Then, if you have other homework or a paper due, you can just skim what you have already read and you're good to go. Not doing the reading will put you in sticky situations, and often very embarrassing ones, in class. If the professor allows you to submit a draft of your paper before the final draft is due, submit and get his feedback, then follow it to finish the paper. This will sky-rocket your grade -- in my experience, making for a guaranteed A -- and it actually makes writing the paper much faster. Submit any homework on time and do not ask for extensions unless the syllabus encourages it (some professors do). Being know as an extension requester is seen as being manipulative. Do not be the person that always has an emergency before a test; that is also obvious. Once, it's probably genuine, but if it happens with every test, or even half of them, your professor is going to get suspicious. Don't ask for makeups if the syllabus says they are not offered. If you have a question about homework or about general class-related problems, look in the syllabus for the answer before you email the professor. It's usually there.
With regard to your fellow Petrels: be friendly to all the students -- smile at them and say Hey, even if they're not the people you...

Keep you GPA and SAT scores as high as you can to qualify for their generous scholarship program. Take tour. Sit in on a class. Campus is Gothic theme (like Hogwarts) with green spaces.

Go there and sincerely put your all into your work, and you will become something big. I promise.