Advantages & Disadvantages of Studying in Oklahoma City

You consider studying in Oklahoma City but want to get additional information on quality of education, career prospects, tuition, extracurricular activities, housing, living costs, nightlife and much more?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of studying in Oklahoma City in the following chapters.

Study in Oklahoma City – Overview

Advantages of Studying in Oklahoma City

1. Students in Oklahoma City can benefit from rather low living costs
2. Easy to find a decent and affordable place to stay in OKC
3. Rents are still affordable for many people who study in Oklahoma City
4. Overall financial pressure for students in OKC is rather limited
5. Many different colleges and specializations to choose from
6. Decent student clubs in OKC
7. You can join many extracurricular activities
8. Many national parks and nature reserves surrounding OKC
9. You can spend lots of time outdoors as a student in OKC
10. Many recreational spaces in OKC
11. Decent quality of colleges in OKC
12. Many decent guest professors in OKC
13. Many decent libraries to prepare for your exams
14. OKC is a rather relaxed place
15. People are welcome from all over the world
16. Easy to get around for students in Oklahoma City
17. You will find most things pretty close to your home
18. Decent student jobs in OKC
19. You will have many big corporations to work for
20. OKC may still be an underrated student city

Students in Oklahoma City can benefit from rather low living costs

One advantage of studying In Oklahoma City is that you can benefit from relatively low living costs.

In fact, while students in Los Angeles and other expensive regions often have to spend lots of money on drinks and various things of daily life, you can save lots of money as a student in OKC in this regard in the long run.

Easy to find a decent and affordable place to stay in OKC

Since housing shortage is not a big problem in OKC yet, it is also pretty easy for students in OKC to find a decent place to stay without having to search for many months as students in San José or other more popular places where housing shortage is a much bigger problem often have to do.

Rents are still affordable for many people who study in Oklahoma City

Since OKC is not the most popular city, also demand for housing is rather low and this also implies relatively low rents.

Hence, students in OKC don’t have to spend lots of money on housing and have more money left to spend on other important things of daily life.

Overall financial pressure for students in OKC is rather limited

Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, students in OKC also don’t have to deal with the same high financial pressure compared to students in Seattle or other more expensive places and this means that you can really focus on your studies while people in other more expensive cities often have to spend lots of time worrying about their financial situation.

Many different colleges and specializations to choose from

Since there are many colleges in the OKC region, you will also be able to choose among many different specializations and can just choose your specialization according to what’s most interesting to you while you would have less selection in this regard in smaller towns.

Decent student clubs in OKC

Another upside to studying in OKC is that you will also find many decent student clubs where you can meet many like-minded people of your age and can also make many new social connections and friends rather quickly.

You can join many extracurricular activities

Thanks to many extracurricular activities you can engage in as a student in Oklahoma City, you can not only get a fancy degree but can also do good for society at the same time and will also always have something to do so you will never run out of ideas regarding what to do with your leisure.

Many national parks and nature reserves surrounding OKC

There are also many national parks and nature reserves in the OKC region and this gives you the opportunity to spend lots of time in nature where you can recharge your batteries so you can study even harder after making those short trips on weekends.

You can spend lots of time outdoors as a student in OKC

Since there are many interesting things to see and do in nature around Oklahoma City, you can also spend lots of time outdoors and can get lots of fresh air so you can stay fit and in shape and will be at pretty low risk of becoming overweight or even obese.

Many recreational spaces in OKC

There are also many recreational spaces within city borders.

In fact, you will find many parks and other green spaces where you can just sit down on a bench and study in a peaceful and efficient manner since you can get lots of oxygen and your brain will therefore be able to work in the best possible manner.

Decent quality of colleges in OKC

Another benefit of studying in OKC is that you will also find a few really decent colleges.

While you will have a hard time finding world-class education, you can still get decent education and can get a degree which is often good enough to work in a solid job later on.

Many decent guest professors in OKC

Since OKC is popular all over the US, students in OKC can also attend lectures of many decent guest professors and you can therefore get many additional ideas on certain topics and can also see the world from a different perspective in general.

Many decent libraries to prepare for your exams

As a student in OKC, you will also have many decent libraries and other quiet spaces where you can prepare for your exams in a pretty efficient manner so you can get the best grades possible and will not be distracted by loud noises or other unpleasant things.

OKC is a rather relaxed place

Compared to other big cities, OKC is also a rather relaxed place where people are not as career-focused and busy as in many other big metropolitan regions and people are often also more eager to help you out on various occasions of daily life.

People are welcome from all over the world

Since OKC is a pretty tolerant place, you will also be welcome no matter where you come from and can have a great time with your fellow students from all over the US or even the world.

Easy to get around for students in Oklahoma City

Thanks to decent public infrastructure, you can also get around in OKC in a pretty efficient manner and will also not get stuck in traffic jams as much as students in Chicago or other regions where traffic jams are a much bigger problem.

You will find most things pretty close to your home

Due to decent supply of material goods, you will also find most things you need as a student in OKC pretty close to your home and don’t have to spend lots of time in this regard so you will have more time to spend on exam preparation.

Decent student jobs in OKC

There are also many decent student jobs in OKC from which you can make additional money on the side and while those jobs will often not pay enough to finance your degree, you can still get a certain financial relief and a good feeling from working in those jobs.

You will have many big corporations to work for

Since there are many big corporations in the OKC region, graduates from University of Oklahoma City often also find pretty decent jobs within a reasonable amount of time and you may have much better career prospects compared to people studying in smaller towns with weaker economies.

OKC may still be an underrated student city

Since living and housing costs are still pretty low while you can get solid education and can benefit from decent public infrastructure, OKC can still be considered an underrated student town and you may therefore get more for your money than in many other more expensive cities which may be overrated.

Now that you know the reasons for studying in OKC, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of studying in Oklahoma City so you will be better able to decide whether you still want to study in Oklahoma City or rather want to study in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Studying in Oklahoma City

1. Many students in OKC no longer feel safe
2. Students in OKC can’t relax at the beach
3. OKC may be too cold for many students
4. Social problems in Oklahoma City are about to get worse
5. Hard to find really good universities in OKC
6. Studying in OKC may not be great for your CV
7. You may have worse career chances than people from top-tier universities
8. High tuition costs in OKC are annoying
9. Student jobs in OKC don’t pay great money
10. You may have to finance your degree with student loan debt
11. OKC is not the most popular city among international students

Many students in OKC no longer feel safe

One problem with studying in OKC is that crime rates are pretty high and many students no longer feel safe in certain parts of the city and may not be able to focus on their studies in a proper manner due to that.

Students in OKC can’t relax at the beach

You should also know that OKC is not located at the coast and while students in San Diego can go surfing or do other water sports, you will just not have the same options as a student in Oklahoma City and may become pretty envious in this regard.

OKC may be too cold for many students

Another downside to studying in Oklahoma City is that winters can also be pretty cold and if you can’t stand cold weather and rather want to live in a region where it is warm all year long, you may be better off studying in Dallas or other warmer regions.

Social problems in Oklahoma City are about to get worse

You should also know that OKC has to deal with many social problems and high levels of inequality may worsen many of those problems in the long run and overall quality of life may greatly drop in general sooner or later.

Hard to find really good universities in OKC

While you will find solid education, you should not expect to find world-class education in the OKC region and if you aspire to a fancy career and want to get the best education possible, you should rather study at elite schools instead.

Studying in OKC may not be great for your CV

Since you will not find really great education in the OKC region, studying in OKC may also not be as great for your CV as studying at Yale or other great universities.

You may have worse career chances than people from top-tier universities

Since most colleges in OKC don’t have a really high reputation, you may also not have the same great career options as students graduating from Harvard or other top schools and some doors may therefore never open to you.

High tuition costs in OKC are annoying

You should also know that tuition can be pretty high in the OKC region and before making this big financial commitment, you should make sure that studying in OKC is really worth it to you so you will not regret it later on in life.

Student jobs in OKC don’t pay great money

Another disadvantage of studying in OKC is that while you will find many student jobs, a high fraction of those jobs don’t pay really well and you may therefore not even come close to financing your degree by working on the side.

You may have to finance your degree with student loan debt

If you don’t get financial support from your parents, you may also have to take on significant amounts of student loan debt and this may significantly financially constrain you in the future when you have to pay back this money.

OKC is not the most popular city among international students

You should also know that OKC is not very popular on a global scale and you may therefore just not meet as many international students as you would able to do in NYC or other more popular places instead.

Top 10 Studying in Oklahoma City Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Oklahoma City A Good City For Students?

While studying in Oklahoma City can make a lot of sense since living and housing costs are pretty low while you can still benefit from decent public infrastructure and solid education, you should also know that it is hard to find really good education in this region and all sorts of social problems are about to get worse in OKC.

Alternative Cities To Study

If you don’t want to study in Oklahoma City anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Denver

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Houston

Advantages and disadvantages of studying in Charlotte

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/oklahomacitycityoklahoma

Own research.

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.