OU freshman eschews partying for studies (Kelsey Miller)

In the days leading up to 10Fest, Ohio University freshman Kelsey Miller spent her time reading up on local bands, looking at pictures on Twitter and watching a forty-five minute documentary about Fest culture on YouTube. When the day of 10Fest finally arrived, Kelsey couldn’t have been more excited—but the event did not prove to be what she was expecting.

[begin SOT]
“It was not for me. I wasn’t in the mood to get as crazy as everybody else. I wasn’t a big fan of the crazy atmosphere and being so close to everybody and getting drenched with alcohol.”
[end SOT]

Kelsey’s lackluster experience at 10Fest didn’t just mean having to spend a Saturday night inside. For Miller, the experience harkened back to a concern that has haunted her ever since she first began considering her college choice. Since middle school, Kelsey has been told that Ohio University is a party school, churning out degrees just aren’t respected in the workforce.

[begin SOT]
“When I was in middle school, one of my teachers mentioned OU and she said, ‘I don’t know, I’ve heard a lot of bad things about it. People make fun of you if you go there.”
[end SOT]

Looking at Kelsey, however, you would never guess that Ohio University is anything but the most prestigious, demanding college in the state. Kelsey is a hard-working and motivated Journalism major who, between class work, still finds time for the ImPRessions public relations organization and Mixed Martial Arts club. And Kelsey, who attended high school among a circle of shallow, judgmental “Bible beaters,” doesn’t mind the party culture—even if she chooses not to participate in it.

[begin SOT]
“People at OU, because of their crazy lifestyles, are less judgmental in the process.”
[end SOT]

Although Kelsey is well on her way to success in the E.W. Scripps School, she still sometimes gets derision over her college choice from friends and co-workers. However, Kelsey is driven by a need to succeed and says she is determined to prove her detractors wrong in these next four years.

[begin SOT]
“With my grades, I’d like to show them that it isn’t just a party school. There are a lot of academic standards here.”
[end SOT]