The University of Cincinnati

Date: Mar 30 2004
Major: Mechanical Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
Campus is a mess. UC will will tell you that they don't spend your tuiion dollars on construction. what they DON'T tell you is that they spend every penny they get from the state on construction, so student tuition has to cover everything else. tuition rates are second highest in state (only miami is higher). campus basically shuts down at 5 p.m. and there is nothing going on on-campus, same for the weekend. very very rarely is there a free campus event or program. dorm life sucks, most dorm buildings are 12+ stories tall. new dorm buildings are nice, old ones suck. there is lots of vandalism and theft and drug-dealing (in the lobby) that the administration never confronts. during exam week, there will be guarnteed at least 1 fire drill per night, often-times 2 in the same night. each fire drill takes at least 1 hour of standing outside because they have to search every single room to make sure everyone left. dorms are very expensive to live in. dining hall food is good, but also very expensive (averages to $11 per meal). crime rates on campus and around campus are out of control. there is constant mugging/robberies/car thefts, and the occasional murder. it is not safe to walk off-campus after dark, and most students learn the lesson quickly. homeless people will hit you up for cash every single time you leave campus, and sometimes even ON campus on your way inbetween classes.

class sizes continue to get larger every year. cheating on exams and homework is not uncommon, and professors will rarely do anything about it. don't expect any professors to learn your name, it's not going to happen. bringing a car to campus is quite expensive to park, IF you can even get in the lottery system. if somone comes to visit you, there will be nowhere for them to park unless they want to go 1/2 mile away and pay $6 to park in the parking garage. for the 2 dorm buildings on calhoun street, with over 1300 students, there are about 5 total parking spaces on the street (which are always taken), and no other parking lot.

I would not recommend UC to anyone. Make sure your researech it well if you are thinking about coming here. Look at the freshmen retention rates and 6-year graduation rates compared with other state universities in ohio. I am transferring to a different school (out-of-state—and still cheaper!) next year, as are many other people I know here (and many have already left).