The University of Cincinnati

Date: Apr 25 2009
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
I am graduating with high honors from PolySci/Intl. Affairs/Asian Studies this year. I have a math minor. I have been a president of a club for 3 years, and I have worked in two university jobs (3 if you count tutoring for the university) Before UC I attended Indiana University (a school of comparable size) and American University (a smaller, private, just as diverse institution). I had to transfer here because my parents became very ill after they moved here, and I had to move here to be close to them. Because of these reasons, I feel I am very qualified to critique this university.

Where do I start?

Of course, not all things are bad about this place. There are some diamonds in the rough - faculty members who have fought through the highly politicized departments in the McMicken college of arts and sciences to make themselves available to the students; faculty that came here to teach, and to share the love of their subjects. I'd say that the Political Science department, while it has a few bad apples, is mostly good. In particular, Prof. Tolley, Prof. Moore and Prof. Jenkins (by far the best advisor I came into contact with in my entire tenure at the school) are amazing. The staff in the poly sci. office are very nice. The department is fairly active and offers connections to great lecture series and other activities. I participated in the ModelUN. It was a waste of time because my fellow members did not take it seriously, however, the advisor for the club is very good, and in this last year, the team improved greatly. The Taft Lecture Series is fantastic. There are many opportunities for students to get involved.

Which brings me to my next statement: College is what one makes of it, and UC is no exception, however, I have never encountered a university more bent on mediocrity than this place. I am very concerned about what I pay to learn. UC is very expensive considering it is a public state university. I have never felt that my money was being spent well. I have always felt that as an Arts and Sciences student, I am second rate to the Engineering and Pre-Med students.

Here are a few gems from my time at UC:

~Remember: a place is only diverse if there is a melange at work. Here at UC, everyone stays separated. Good luck getting a Chinese student away from their friends. The Black students stay with Black students; the nerds/otaku stay with only their likenesses. The frats stay together, too. Of course there are exceptions, but when the Asian American Association holds an event, who do you think attends? Indian students…99% Indian students and few others. UC is a mecca of people from different cultures. There are so many interesting people to meet, but few take advantage of it. What you are dealing with here is a population comprised mostly of white kids from small towns that come to the big scary city and meet other white kids from other small towns and stay with them.

~The neighborhood around UC is extremely dangerous. I am from New York City. I have lived in Cincinnati for 7 years. I am not over-exaggerating this. I lived on the corner of Oak and Eden, less than 3 blocks from the university. A college kid coming home from the grocery store was shot 4 times not TEN feet from my window. Check the papers. Furthermore, UC employs rent-a-cops, or their equivalent, to patrol a huge campus in a dangerous urban setting. I could read out a litany of crimes; robbery, assault, rape (male and female); breaking and entering… this is all common around UC. Although I love the atmosphere of Clifton, the truth is: I work in Over-the-Rhine (Cincinnati's supposed worst downtown neighborhood) but I still flinch at walking in Clifton at night. Of course, with intelligence, you can avoid most of the trouble, but it is not safe here, and the university tries to underplay it and ignore it so that people will pay to send their children here.

~The Greek presence is nauseating. These elitist organizations run the student government and the Undergraduate Funding Board. It is a system based on racism and xenophobia and should be illegal. (Unfortunately, IU shares this problem with UC.)

~The entire Learning Assistance Center is populated by the friends and relatives of seemingly one person. To say this university is affected by nihilism would be understating it.

~The bureaucracy is excruciating. Just dropping a class requires three signatures after one week of class. Just try getting a grade changed or applying for a special exploratory major - I dare you! Most people here are \"pass the buck\" crazy. The advisors in Arts and Sciences, although kind, are grossly under trained.

~The university wants one thing: money. This is true of every university, of course, but I have never felt more like a cash cow than at this institution. (And that includes my day at Disney World.) I know what I'm there for…and every little fee and late charge reminds me. I sit in classes that I pay over $1000 for (three credits) and want to kill everyone around me because my classmates are cabbages who obviously slept through high school, and the professors are out of touch - worried about more research for MORE MONEY. I resent the entire system. People who are not prepared for college, and obviously don't care should not be here. I long for American University where the students actually give a damn, and have actually read a book, and the professors challenge us to think critically.

~The course work is ridiculously easy with a few exceptions: Prof. Tolley's courses; Prof. White (French dept.) courses; Prof. Kwan (history…left UC) courses; the Japanese/Chinese/Arabic department courses. I'm sure there are others, but I have been very disappointed over all. I could sleep through these courses and get an "A".

~The only food on campus is fast food. You can maybe eat well if you go to the salad bar, but even there, there are fried options. Subway…I say this with full knowledge…is the healthiest choice. The food courts are passable.

~UCIT is populated with students who are there for one reason: to make money doing nothing. IT is a joke; I have many friends in the department. The servers go down at least once a quarter; Blackboard is always on the fritz; the passwords are screwed up…there is always something. What good is having a 24 hour lab is the student attendant cannot problem solve ANYTHING.

~The health center is a terrible, horrible place. Although there are some nice staff, the doctors are just… oh, dear God… I was a translator for Japanese students in the health center, and I went there 4 times in my years as an undergrad… First, the health center is located in the exact center of campus…there is no parking…AT ALL…within a 1/4 mile. Do you know how it is to feel so sick an have to walk so far to get help? The doctors and clerical staff make me feel like I am taking up their oh-so-important time. I have NEVER been satisfied with the level of care given to me, my friends, or the Japanese students I assisted. I pay over $400 dollars a quarter for

student health insurance.

It is a joke and an insult, frankly. The tragic thing is, University Hospital is a great hospital; it is very renown. However, as a student at UC, it costs $250 for a referral fee on top of your medical insurance, just to get in the door at the hospital. I stopped going to the health center, and now pay out of pocket to go to another doctor. I would rather face medical bills than deal with UC health again.

Are you getting the picture, yet? Of course many colleges in America have similar problems, I'm sure. I just can't take another day without sharing how marginalized and exploited I feel on this campus… and I am a good student, very involved and social. Imagine how so many students, not so outspoken, must feel.

DO NOT ATTEND THIS SCHOOL. College should be an amazing time of self-exploration and discovery. Of course, one can do this with or without the help of one's institution. However, UC does very little to foster self-discovery. The efforts made here seem too little…and aimed at only a select part of the population.

I wish I could tell the world how bad this place is. Go to OSU; go to OU; go to Bowling Green…just don't pay to attend this hypocritical, awful place.