The University of Cincinnati

If you were to check older comment about University of

Cincinnati, many folks were upset at the constant amount of construction,which was probably quite disruptive. However, now that it is finished, I can say that the campus and its facilities are amazingly impressive. They REALLY did a great job.

UC is a hard school to quantify since it is made up of a very diverse student body. You have some REALLY smart, talented kids along with some mediocre kids. You have a lot of international kids and kids from many ethnicities.

UC is probably one of the hidden gems among colleges especially for certain programs. It has a large endowment, it is much cheaper to attend than that of a private school, has fabulous facilities, very strong coops,which will be discussed below, and some terrific programs.

As to academics, UC is really several schools in one and each school has their own admission standards which vary greatly. The Schools of medicine, law and pharmacy are quite good as is their engineering school and school of criminal justice. However,their top two schools,which are nationally well-known are their Design, Art, Architecture and Planning School and the Conservatory of Music.These latter schools are considered in the top five programs in the US and among the top schools in the world! I am not exaggerating either. Just check out any ranking program. Industrial design was ranked in the top 5 by ID magazine. Interior Design is considered top in the nation. Architecture is one of the top 5 in the country and so forth. I am in digital design,which is a hybrid of animation, web and special effects design. This is a fabulous program. Everyone here that I have met loves the program that they are in.

CCM (Conservatory of Music) also has top ranked programs in performance, stage design, drama, dance, and musical theater.

For their art, design and music programs it is quite difficult to get into compared to similar programs at other schools. Interestingly, the admission requirements for other programs, such as their arts and sciences school and school of buisness, isn't that difficult for entry.

What makes University of Cincinnati unique is not just the academics but their approach to academics,which is to integrate classroom work with coops. It may surprise you to learn that UC was the forerunner of coops. It preceeded that of Northeastern, Drexel and other schools that you may of heard of. In addition, many programs have mandatory coops that are PAID and quite good. This adds a dimension to the education that is not available at other schools. I should note that there are a LOT of coops from all over the US and even the world. We even have lots of coops in Asia.

UC also was a recent recipient of a PACE grant that awarded UC 420 million worth of state-of-the- art software. This will allow all kids of modeling and will be used not only by DAAP but buy engineers, business students and medical students. This opens up a huge dimension to the education of the students.

At UC, the students in these top programs are expected to work VERY hard. Having little sleep is the norm. If you are not commited to the arts, you shouldn't come here. The demands are enormous. For example, I took 19 credits a semester ( which included band). This wasn't unusual either. However, the skills that I and others have gleaned were fantastic.

Honestly,although I can't speak for libeal arts programs, although I did take some computer courses and liked them, I would difinitely rate their top programs a solid A for both quality of the program and challenge.

facilities: Many of the buildings were designed by top notch, well-known architects. They are fabulously designed. In addition, wireless in omnipresent.

For example, in our student union , we have not only state of the art work out facilites with an indoor running track, LOTS of treadmills, stair climbers, etc. but we have two pools. One of our pools even has a current running through it so that students can get more exercise by swimming against the current or can swim with the current for fun. I can't speak highly enough of the facilites and equipment at UC. Facilities are definitely an A+ here

Dorms: Most undergrad dorms are just mediocre. I was in a quad, and this was the honor's dorm! However, the good news about this is that I met a lot of people.They are very social places. Upper class dorms are definitely nicer and some are even appartment where you can have your own room. I even have a kitchen. I would rate the upper class dorms a solid B+ to A-. Freshmen dorms would be a "C."

Things to do: UC has a LOT going on with all kinds of events, sporting activities and the like as found in many big, state schools. However, if you add the fact that we have CCM,which is one of the best conservatories in the world, we have a lot of musical and theatrical events to attend. There are also lots of art shows and even fashion shows ( Yes, we have a fashion design major, and it is pretty good). There are people who don't get out and may complain,but, honestly, there are a lot of things going on here. Just check the UC calendars. It is usually full of activities. I would give this place a solid B+ to A- on things to do.

As an example, I am in marching band. It is one of the best in the country and headed by CCM staff. It is a great band and gives great musical experience. I can't imagine a better way to both meet people and have fun.

Coops: I did discuss this but it deserves special mention. We have a HUGE amount of coops. In many schools, they are mandatory, and they are usually PAID. Many business students and engineering student get coops. Our placement rate for DAAP, and engineering, theater,drama and dance is outstanding. Business students also have a good placement rate as well.

School spirit: I guess this depends on who you speak to;however, UC seems to be a very spirited school with all of their sporting events, musical events etc. My only regret is that our football team can be a lot better than it is. I will say though that when our stadium fills up, it is fabulous to watch 35,000 people go crazy and cheer.

Parking: Everyone can have a car. Parking is plentiful. Unfortunately, it is also not cheap to park. The cost is about $200 a quarter.

Admission: UC uses UNWEIGHTED GPA for admission,which seems a bit idiotic. Although the average SATs for most schools isn't that high, the DAAP school generally has SATs of 1300 or more. UC does use rolling admission;thus, you need to get your application in early. The more desireable programs such as architecture and design, and music fill up quickly.

Although design doesn't require a porfolio, music does as does, drama, theater and fine art.

Miscellaneous: UC is on a quarter system. This has pros and cons. We start later than most schools and end later. Our quarters go by VERY quickly. There is no room for fluff,and most professors hit the ground running. I have even had homework before classes have begun! However, the advantages are that if you don't like your prof, you only need to put up with them for 10 weeks. Also, you can take a wider variety of courses using a quarter system than in a semester system. However, there is a discuss about switching to a semester system since most schools are on that system. This would allow easier trasfers to and from the school. I would imagine that they will change as some point before 2011.

The school has a strong honors program, a very decent merit scholarship program entitled the Cincinnatus scholarship program,which awards student who have a 3.25 in highschool at least $2,000 for instate and $5,000 or MORE for out of state students regardless of need. This in conjuntion with the coops make Cincinnati a real bargain.

Also the school allows duel majors, and tutoring is provided.

I should note that although there are a number of kids on campus, there are also a lot of commuters.

Food: Although our cafeteria has won all kinds of college food awards, I didn't like our cafeteria food. It wasn't as varied or tasty as I would have liked. Fortunately, there are lots of restaurants nearby, thank heaven for Panaras, and other good places that will take our student cards.

In short: UC is a terrific school IF you are willing to take advantage of what is has to offer and are willing to work VERY hard. We had about 1200 Cincinnatus Scholars awarded for our freshmen year, yet, I would bet, based on my experience that half the kids lose their scholarship because they didn't realize how demanding this school can be or were overly distracted by all of the events going on. This is NOT a school that you can simply breeze through. For example, their dance program loses 50% of their entering class by graduation due to the high demands placed on their kids. Be aware of this: Cincinnati will offer you a great education but will demand a lot of commitment for this in return!