OSSM is an experience that truly changed my life for the better.  The community of OSSM is amazing, and I have made friendships that will last a lifetime.

OSSM is such a special place. Being here, I’ve been able to explore the forefront of STEM which has helped me decide the direction of my future studies.

OSSM not only allowed me to mature and develop important life skills, it gave me a community of people (friends and faculty) whose influence will stick with me for the rest of my life.  Remembering all the hard physics problems, long labs and random study sessions in the mezzanine, I realize all the fun I had and I’m truly happy to be a part of something so special.

It’s important to remind yourself that no matter how many disappointments you face or how many times you fail, you just have to pick yourself up and keep working towards your goals.  If you do, eventually your successes will outweigh your failures and you will accomplish the goals you set for yourself.  It took me two semesters at OSSM to learn this, but I know I will never forget it.  

I learned the value of true friendship and to be more accepting of my own imperfection (such as grades) because in the end we all learn from our faults and flaws and can always improve.  OSSM certainly has given me a first, real experience of hard work — There is no time or space for procrastination!  

At home I could not have received the level of academic support or the caliber of college counseling I receive at OSSM.  Living at OSSM taught me I can volunteer more, learn more, work more, and achieve more than I ever thought possible.  A million thanks to all who make it possible for students like me to take advantage of the biggest opportunity Oklahoma has to offer.

I enjoy being at OSSM because of our amazing faculty! Our faculty teach us lessons that go beyond just the four walls of the classroom, and they impart wisdom and advice that endures! They always go above and beyond to make sure we have everything we need to succeed!

OSSM prepared me for a petroleum engineering undergraduate program which helped me start my first semester of college as a sophomore and have a higher GPA after that first semester.   (See more of Tyler’s story HERE!)

I learned that I have a passion for physics that I did not know I had.  At my home school, I would have never taken any physics class.  But, because of the exceptional physics program at OSSM, I found a major portion of what my passions are.

OSSM has really given me the challenge I have always looked for… [and] significantly increased my confidence when it comes to taking and handling challenging academic courses. Even during a worldwide pandemic, the faculty have been supportive, understanding, and caring! The resources and opportunities we get at this school are something I would never have gotten at my home high school!