Type: Public, 4-year University

Location: Toledo, OH

Size: just over17500 undergraduates

Cost (2008-2009 numbers): $25,638 (tuition/room & board) per year

Degree Offerings: Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, First Professional

University Hall

Hello there! Today, I’d like to invite all of you to come with me to the University of Toledo, located in Toledo, OH. UT is composed of 11 academic colleges, and over 150 undergraduate majors, and enrolls just over 17,500 undergraduates annually from all over the country and around the world (90% coming from the state of Ohio). According to collegeboard.com, about 25% of UT’s overall student population is composed multicultural students. As far as what portion of that 25% is due to the international student population, I am sorry to report that I couldn’t find such numbers on the website, viewbook, nor from a student assistant in the International Student Services department. If you think you will have more luck than I had, I do urge you to contact the office directly at internationaladmission@utoledo.edu.

Navigating the website

Before we proceed with the review, I’d like to go over (as always!) the steps of getting to the International Students portion of the university’s website. From the main page, click on the Admissions link located on the upper left hand side of the main page; from here, you will be taken to the general site for the Office of Admissions. Featured on the Admissions website will be several links located in the center of the page – Direct from High School, Transfer, International, Adult, Graduate, Law. Choosing the “International” link will take you to a page in which you will be able to learn about the resources at UT, request more information about the school, and even apply for admission to the university.

The Campus

The University of Toledo’s campus is a very urban one since it is located in a fairly large city. It has several campuses, depending on your academic interest, and there are shuttles that travel (at no additional cost) to and from such locations. My tour dealt specifically with the Main Campus, where most of the academic buildings are housed, but other locations of note are the Health Science Campus and Scott Park Campus.

In terms of whether or not UT’s campus was “beautiful” … all I can really say is that it was a mixed bag. Most of the buildings looked pretty standard (but well kept!), and the university was doing a lot of construction, so it’s really hard to form a good opinion about the campus when it’s currently in transition. I will have to say, though, that my favorite part of campus is without a doubt University Hall. University Hall is the focal point, I suppose, since it was built to be seen from any part of campus. It is the tallest building at UT, housing many offices and academic classrooms.

Campus Living

International House

As far as campus living goes, Toledo offers housing on a first-come, first served basis (but those in the Honors program get priority over regular students). You can request to live in a specific residence hall, and the Office of Residential Life will try to be accommodating … provided that there is still enough space. I think the best thing to do once you have decided to enroll at UT is to get your housing application in as fast as you can!

There are about 10 different residence halls to choose from, but most International Students are actually housed in the conveniently named, International House. This House offers a cafeteria, kitchens, several lounges, a computer lab, and other places intended for cultural displays.

It is also worthwhile to note that UT has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to the consumption of drugs and alcohol inside the residence halls, meaning that the party scene for the typical UT student is usually found off-campus. Aside from the residence halls, which all first year students who do not live within a 50 mile radius of campus are required to live in; UT has designated a place called McComas Village for Greek organizations.

Student Life & Entertainment

Residence Hall

Although only 5% of the student population is involved in a fraternity or sorority, Greek organizations are quite active on campus. If you do not want to participate in Greek life, UT is home to around 200 on-campus organizations. According to UT’s viewbook, UT’s International Student Association holds events throughout the year where multicultural organizations can come together in order to showcase their food, fashion, music, and other traditions.

For those who need to get off-campus for entertainment, the surrounding area of Toledo offers quite a bit for students to take advantage of. UT students can venture to tourist attractions such as the Toledo Zoo, Toledo Botanical Garden, and Fifth Third Field (baseball field) — just to name a few. For those of devout faith, the surrounding area offers the Jewish Synagogue (in Sylvania), the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo’s mosque, and also the Hindu Temple of Toledo.

Resources for International Students

I know I’ve been focusing mostly on campus life and entertainment, so I will devote the rest of this very long review to looking at the academic resources available for international students. There are, of course, the usual resources that are open to all students at UT – a tutoring center, student writing center, a career center – but international students can also take advantage of UT’s American Language Institute. According to its program description, “UT’s American Language Institution offers intensive English language courses, cultural orientation, and English instruction in academic and test-taking skills.” Although I have visited a few schools who boast about their ESL programs, I had yet to see the dedication that UT places on helping its students become more accustomed with the English language.

Concluding Thoughts

All in all, I thought that my visit to UT was an enjoyable one. As always, I urge you to learn more about the university on your own since there is so much that I couldn’t get to! For more information about my tour, however, I invite you to click here and read on! And as always, please be sure to check out the campus photos.

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