Grading standards at DAAP

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Cincinnati
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<p>Here is a copy of an older post that I wrote, which deals with the grading standards used at DAAP. I think that folks going to DAAP will appreciate this information</p>

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<p>I can't speak for all art schools;however, for University of Cincinnati, the grading is quite tough for anything above a C+. They demand a LOT of quality work and demand that it be submitted on time. Any variance from these requirements will hurt a student's grades. Also, many teachers, at least in the freshmen year, have the attitude that the highest grade that they will give is an A- UNLESS the work is equal to what the teacher could have done,which is very, very tough.</p>

<p>In my daughter's classes, she has said that fewer than 3 kids out of 25 normally might get A's in her freshmen studio classes. Some studios only gave out one "A."</p>

<p>The good news is that if you do a good job and submit your work on a timely basis, you shouldn't get less than a B or B-. If your work is very good and submitted on a timely basis, you should get a B+. If it is excellent, you might get an A-.</p>

<p>Liberal arts are graded a bit differently and usually there is some sort of curve based on how other kids are doing. Average freshmen GPA for the whole university is about a 2.7 (based on university published statistics). Average freshmen GPA for the DAAP school (Design, Art, Architecture and Planning) was a 2.95. Average Sophomore grades for DAAP students are about 3.2, from what I have been told.</p>

<p>Also noted, DAAP is very academic when it comes to admission. Almost none of these kids had less than an unweighted GPA in high school of 3.5 and many had unweighted GPAs of 3.65++ in high school.</p>

<p>I should note that DAAP is very well regarded at University of Cincinnati. When most kids hear that my daughter is in DAAP, they usually are very impressed and I think a bit jealous. However, this changes when they see how hard she has to work and how much work is given. Even her roommates, one of whom was majoring in bioengineering, thought my daughter had more work than she did in engineering.</p>

<p>This brings me to my last point. DAAP is NOT for the kid that thinks they want to try out some field of design. It is a VERY serious school full of commited folks. It is akin to the best music conservatories and stand-alone art schools. It will require your kids to work VERY hard and perform at a high level. If they aren't commited and willing to be a bit anal-retentive about their work in order to produce a high evel of quality and have a number of sleepless nights in order to perfect their work, they will have a tough time there.</p>

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<p>thank you! I already knew the basics of this information, but seeing the numbers will make me feel a little better about myself if my grades aren't straight As</p>

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<p>thanks for your comments!
our daughter has been accepted and offered a full Cincinnatus scholarship. however, the scholarship stipulates that she maintain a 3.2 GPA…and we are concerned that this will stress her too much…since the average GPA is 2.95…any comments? (she’s also been offered a full ride to UK Architecture, Indiana University, and on the waiting list at Notre DAme with huge state scholarship).</p>

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<p>Well, UC is second in the nation for architecture and is only accepting 40 students…</p>

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<p>martinbeef notes,"our daughter has been accepted and offered a full Cincinnatus scholarship. however, the scholarship stipulates that she maintain a 3.2 GPA…and we are concerned that this will stress her too much…since the average GPA is 2.95…any comments? </p>

<p>Response: First, Congrats to your daughter. VERY few kids got the full Cincinnatus scholarship.</p>

<p>Be aware: ALL SCHOOLS, to my knowledge, have some GPA requirement for keeping their scholarships. Maintaining an overall 3.25 isn’t that hard for a dedicated kid. My daughter was in marching band in her first quarter,which took a LOT of time and classical band the rest of the two quarters. Despite all this time commitment, she averaged about a 3.65 overall in her freshmen year. It took a LOT of work and a LOT of effort. My daughter is one who will work till she drops. She also is from a magnet program that inculcated some strong academic skills in their graduates and very strong work ethic.</p>

<p>My sense is that if your daughter has decent academic skills, doesn’t get sidetracked with all the distractions that go on in a big university ( friends, boys etc.), she should do fine. This is a big “if.” Being sidetracked is one of the biggest reasons folks don’t do well in school from what I have seen. My daughter knows a NMS at DAAP who may have lost his scholarship because of his involvement with his girlfriend… She knew a girl,who she roomed with, who was a very smart DAAP kid in Industrial Design. This girl had 1400+ SATs ( math and CR). She dropped out of her major due to the demanding workload.</p>

<p>In addition, for architecture, I think that UC is the best school of the bunch that she applies to. Their coop program is amazing. However, with a bad economy , even that has less opportunities unless the student buckles down and produces great work. DAAP is akin to a great music conservatory but for design. It requires a dedicated student to do well.</p>

<p>As for stress, well, your daughter is getting a free ride! In DAAP , stress is part of the game. If she can’t handle it, she shouldn’t go into design. It requires a very dedicated kid. In addition, she has to have a thick skin to deal with critiques.</p>

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<p>the grading in this program can feel quite ridiculous. towards the end of my education, i found out if your professor does not like you, you can end up feeling really bad about yourself and your grades. </p>

<p>my first year, everybody worried about grades non-stop. there are really no grades given out through the duration of the quarter, you just end up with a letter at the end. unless you really aren’t cut out for the program, you get high B’s and low A’s (with a LOT of hard work of course). the rough grades start during second year</p>

<p>i agree with taxguy, the school is stressful. i saw a lot of my classmates break down in the middle of critiques, all-nighters, model disasters… i think i have a pretty thick skin, but at some point it gets to everybody. everybody cries at some point (i was in a mostly female major though)</p>