What are the oldest colleges in Ohio?

Hey guys, I'm doing a little bit of college research mixed with some historical curiosity. Any idea what the oldest colleges in Ohio are? Are there any unique traditions or interesting histories associated with these schools? Really appreciate any insight!

Hello! I'm happy to help with your history inquiry. The oldest college in Ohio is Ohio University, which was founded in 1804, and first accepted students in 1808. In 1808, the school had 3 students, who were taught in one building by one professor, named Jacob Lindley. Compare that to today, when over 20,000 students learn in 200 buildings, from over 1,000 professors!

If you'd like to know more about the overall history of higher education in Ohio, three other colleges with long histories are Oberlin College, Marietta College, and Kenyon College.

First off, Oberlin College was founded in 1833 and it's especially notable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was one of the first colleges to become co-educational, meaning they admitted both women and men, and this was way back in 1837! Secondly, Oberlin was also the first college in the country to officially admit African American students. Oberlin continues to emphasize sustainability and social justice in its educational philosophies.

Next up, Marietta College was founded in 1835. One of its unique traditions is "Doo Dah Day," a one-day spring carnival that has been taking place annually since 1973. Somewhat relatedly, its Edward E. MacTaggart Department of Music has a rich history of performance dating all the way back to the early 1900s.

Lastly, Kenyon College was founded in 1824. Kenyon is renowned for producing an impressive array of writers through its English program and the Kenyon Review, a leading literary magazine. A unique tradition at Kenyon is the "First-Year Sing," in which all new students gather on the steps of Rosse Hall during orientation to learn and sing the Kenyon songs.

If you'd like to learn more about what these schools have to offer students today, beyond rich histories, you may find college search engines useful, like CollegeVine's, which allows you to filter schools based on a range of factors. While age isn't one of them, you can search by location, as well as majors offered, student/faculty ratio, admissions requirements, and so on. This tool can help you build a list of schools that are sure to be a good all-around fit for you. You can access the search engine here: https://www.collegevine.com/schools/hub

Enjoy your research!