My D as an international student got an admission from both UC and OSU. Her major is communication design in DAAP (UC) and visual communication design in OSU. I prefer DAAP coop program, but my wife and other family members are concerned about safety of UC surrounding. I am aware of the overall college rank for both colleges, but my understanding is UC DAAP is better program compared to OSU. Any suggestions or advice?
On the program merits, I’d definitely choose UC’s DAAP over OSU. Design is such a competitive field, I’d put a lot of weight on DAAP’s excellent reputation and strong alumnae network. I think due to being the headquarters of Procter & Gamble, historically one of the world’s largest advertisers, Cincinnati has far more great design agencies than you’d expect for a city of its size. So she’d have better internship/co-op options in Cincinnati than on Columbus.
The campus itself is safe, but you’re right that it’s in an urban setting and has both done lovely and some questionable areas right on its edges. UC students just need to know where they can safely go and which areas they need to avoid. I’m fairly cautious myself, but would not let safety concerns keep me from sending a kid to UC. There’s a very active and helpful UC parents Facebook page, and knowledgeable locals have even posted marked-up maps of the surrounding area, so the less safe areas are easily known and avoided.
I have the same concern. What did you end up choosing?