University of Cincinnati

Statistics

Students Say - Academics
The University of Cincinnati is "an urban university" "in the midst of a renaissance." The expansive campus includes 12 separate colleges, each of which is like a "different world." Even "each major within the individual colleges provides and entirely different experience than the next." The "great" engineering programs afford opportunities for "lots of cutting edge research." The "renowned" Conservatory of Music offers "intense practical experience in the arts." There's "a real sense of ambition and drive" within the "stellar" College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. Also, internships and co-op programs are "huge." As a result, many students "have extensive experience in their fields before obtaining a degree." UC's professors run the gamut from "very helpful" to "total crap." Profs are often overly concerned with research and "not as accessible to students as they should be." "Seventy percent of my professors could be classified as very good, with 20 percent being classified as excellent, and the other 10 percent being less than very good," assesses a senior. "Overall, my academic experience at UC has been more defined by my own initiative to seek good faculty and good outside programs (internships, study abroad, etc.)." "The administration is famous for lack of intra-office coordination; they have great intentions, but students are always talking about get- ting 'the UC run-around.'" Nevertheless, "there are vast opportunities avail- able to students if they are just willing to put in some effort."

Students Say - Campus Life
Many students praise the "modern and nice" campus as "an urban oasis of amazing architecture" with amenities galore. The campus itself is "usually pretty safe." However, the "shady" surrounding neighborhood "can be extraordinarily hostile." There's "way too much crime." While there's been "a rebirth of on-campus interest and activity" in recent years, UC largely remains "a big commuter school with little cohesive force." A lot of students are from Cincinnati and often spend weekends "at home rather than around campus." Football and basketball games are the biggest extracurricular draws but, otherwise, "people don't have a lot of enthusiasm for campus events." The frat scene is noticeable but not huge. On the weekends, "drinking is inevitable." "For fun we party at houses and in bars," explains one student. Downtown bars are popular destinations." "The urban setting adds excitement to the atmosphere." The Cincinnati area also "has a huge variety of excellent employers and offers an excellent environment for raising a family." It's "a great city for art museums and restaurants," too.

Students Say - Student Body
Most students here "probably did a little bit above average in high school." Beyond that, few characteristics unite these undergrads. Without question, the University of Cincinnati "does not lack diversity." There are "lots of minority students, particularly Asian and African American students." "UC attracts many older students" as well. "Different money backgrounds" proliferate. The campus is "a vibrant quilt of culture" that feels "very realistic." "It really could be considered the melting pot college of the Midwest." Students tend to be really cliquish, though, and disparate little groups "keep to themselves." "Some people are really into partying." Others are very serious about academics. "Everyone has their own group of friends," observes a psychology major. "Ethnic groups stick together and rarely interact outside of their own group." "Engineers hang out with other engineers." The "suburbanite commuter students" stick together. So, too, do the "artsy, hardworking types," "frat-boy jock" types, and the "fashionable, mature" architecture students.

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