The Oval

All of my reviews for locations on campus will start with this is my favorite place. They all are truly my favorite places.
The Oval is the place to be. You’d be hard pressed to walk through the Oval and not find something going on or at least have a few people walking beside you. There is a way to test your true destiny with your partner on the Oval path. Simply walk the path from the east most point of the oval to the library. If you can make it the entire way without your path being crossed you are destined to be together forever.
The Oval, officially known as «Oval Beach», in the warmer months will draw hundreds of students. Any outdoor activity that you can do will be done on the Oval at one point or another.
Similar to other areas on campus, I always tried to walk through the Oval on my way to class regardless of where it was.

Unbeknownst to a certain radio personality in town, Ohio State does not have a quad. It has this, the Oval, the central grassy hang out for students. (Someone should email the Common Man and tell him that after many years in town he sounds like a total newb calling it that. It’s oval not square!)
The Oval is large, rustic, and beautiful; it represents the college experience in total. It has brick or bikeble asphalt paths crisscrossing through field of grass. Many trees are old and provide shade. The universities oldest and most historic building line the Oval’s circumference. Benches are found throughout, and even grads and neighbors can come and enjoy its quiet feel. The statue of William Oxley Thomson, a president of the University stands outside the main library at the western focal point.
Here you will find much of the schools cultural diversity. There will be packs of dogs, neo-​hippies playing frisbee, tag football games, students reading junk novels, bullhorn preachers pontifying where you’ll spend eternity (spoiler: it’s hell), credit card company conmen, frat recruiters, ROTC jugheads, and political flyer freaks. In hot spring day the Oval is where coeds go to put on their erotic displays.
The Oval is classic, timeless, and should never be changed; it continues to be an asset to the University and the city.

Great places to lay out in the summer and read a good book!

The Oval is the première green space on the Ohio State campus, and every season brings a new dimension to it. The area is very green, crisscrossed with pathways to get you in any direction you need to go, and there are trees dotted along to provide some strategically placed shade. A graduating class provided some nice benches, where are a great addition.
Warmer weather brings out the sunbathers, people playing frisbee, dogs and puppies galore, and the like. Interesting sights and conversations can be had, as there are often booths or groups standing out to chat and pass out information. It is home to events like the Student Involvement Fair. It is a great place to pass time between events or classes too.
Colder weather makes it a bit quieter and calmer, and snowfall makes it look just lovely.

Every now and again I head somewhere south on High instead of home right after work, and when I do that, I sometimes cut through campus. When I cut through campus, I make use of the Oval. And now that I’m several years out of school and probably several more too old for the Oval, what a great little reminder that is. To answer a few femme reviewers’ question, yes, it is necessary. Thank you ladies.
But during my actual time at OSU, while the skimpy bikini clad coeds were a nice sight for sore eyes, the biggest draw of the Oval for me was the lunatic preachers holding signs that read «G.A.Y. Got Aids Yet?», and so on condemning everyone to hell for drinking, staying out late, and boning with little to no regard. Equally amusing were the atheists and rabblerousers who egged them on.
And let us not forget Rogue Student in Gorilla Suit!!!

When asked what I will miss the most about Ohio State University when I graduate, this may be the answer.
The oval is a geographic mark for the campus, it also is a place of constant activity. People can stop here and always seem to find some sort of booth.
Here are some of my highlights:
–Free hot chocolate in the winter
–Making PB&J sandwiches for charity
–The involvement fairs
–Mocking the nearly naked students during spring quarter
–Playing can jam!
–Going for a run
–Being a part of the great Buckeye atmosphere
–TBDBITL performing in the oval
–Milking a cow! (yes, this happened)
–Listening to the crazy preachers
–sooo many more to even count!
…yes, I am one of those people who love their school :)

Oval Beach as we undergrad’s call it during Spring Qtr. Where’s the water? Because I sure do see enough bikini’s. I mean, really? Is that necessary ladies?

Its like the Central Park of campus. Come here in the summer and you will see sunbathers, dogs chasing frisbees, frat boys chasing frisbees, and you will most likely feel yourself drawn flop down on the nearest patch of sunlight and relax for a few minutes.
I get most of my exposure to the Oval during fall football season as this is one of my favorite places to go before and after the game to wait out the crowds clogging up the roads. Tons of OSU fans start the game feeling even before the stadium, and you hear random O-​H cries with I-​O responses.
Winter in the Oval can be tons of fun — if you like snow. This is the perfect place for a snowball fight and there are usually more than a few snowmen scattering the grounds.
But springtime is probably one of the best times to come here. Everything is just starting to wake up and the warmer weather brings out picnic blankets and games. There’s nothing better than studying for your finals in the sunshine!

I love the Oval during the winter — it is potentially the most peaceful place in Columbus on a weekday night after 10pm in January. During the summer the sunbathers and Fris-​bros are all out in full force and you can certainly expect the predictable preacher condemning them all to hell.
Regardless, a great space full of great memories — I still love to walk across when I have the chance.

If you attend OSU then you know all about the Oval. When I was an underground there was a popular saying of «All Roads lead to the Oval». It may not be Rome, but going at OSU the saying holds true.
I love the ova in all seasons. During the fall you can indulge your inner child by jumping in the piles of leaves heaped about the lawn. During the winter you can be an individual by making your own paths through the snow. The spring is fun for rallies and people to excited to wait for summer who sunbathe in fifty degree weather. The summer is the Oval at its best. It seems like everyone finds a place on the lawn to do anything but study. You have to be careful to avoid being accidentally hit by stray balls or Frisbees as you walk to class. Also watching out for napping students on the pathways can be a good reason to look up from your books while you are walking. It is also the season on the Oval for eye candy as everyone wears as little as possible.
Something that sucks is when the oval is closed. That is when yo really appreciate its many paths and cut throughs.
Even if you don’t go to OSU, the oval is worth walking on in Columbus.

The Ohio State University seems to have something against right angles. The University grid is off North/​South by 12.5 degrees, its largest residence hall (Morrill Tower) has a hexagonal floorplan, and where most schools have a quad, we have the Oval. (Where many have ovals, we have the ‘Shoe, but that’s another story.) I don’t know who made this choice, but it shows remarkable foresight. I wonder, how did they know we would need every bit of this room for sunbathers and beach sports? A quad simply wouldn’t cut it.