Hello there!
My daughter is very interested in the Industrial Design program at University of Cincinnati (strong math/science skills and artistic skills) for next year (currently a junior). It is one of the top-rated ID programs and challenging. She is also interested in pursuing her sport at the college level…and U of C would be a good fit…
My question is - is it possible to juggle a design major (lots of studio assignments and coop every year) with the travel schedule of college athletics? Are DAAP teachers accommodating?
I have also posted this on the athletic recruits thread to get their perspective.
Thanks so much for any help!
I am not familiar with that program nor the University of Cincinnati. I was however a D1 college athlete as was my husband. It depends upon several factors. Is your daughter’s sport one that competes in more than one season? As a track/cross country athlete, my husband had to compete year-round during college, and as a result could not major in architecture because of the long labs which conflicted with training and often meets. My sport, swimming, only competed in winter season, so learned to choose courses that quarter where I could write papers instead of taking exams (national championships were always held during finals week!). Some of my teammates in the sciences, biology, had some issues with lab conflicts.But another teammate studied graphic design and made every practice (we trained twice a day).
I recommend you look closely at when the labs and core courses are, as well as the times of the practices and dates of away meets. Home meets/games are usually fine for academics, but it’s the traveling that most affects the student athletes.
I am so sorry @woodwinds! I only just saw your response to my post!! For some reason, I didnt get notified, and I stopped checking a couple of days after I posted…oops! 
Thank you for the advice. My Ds sport is part of the NCAA Winter season (which I think straddles the Fall and Spring semesters at school)…the problem is that DAAP requires 5 semesters of coops prior to graduation, and i just can’t see how that will work out, even with a flexible coach!
Sorry again for the late acknowledgement of your thoughtful response!
@FLMom2Four - My eldest S was a Digital Design student for one year at DAAP and my nephew was in Architecture there. I really don’t see how a DAAP student could manage competitive sports and stay sane and healthy - if it’s even possible to do both. The professors are not particularly accommodating with deadlines and the assignment schedule is pretty grueling - sometimes managing things like English and other Gen Eds can feel like “too much”. The curriculum is pretty “lock-step”, with most classes in a major following a very specific order and only offered one semester per year for each - or even less frequently. If you miss a pre-rec class, you’ll have to wait until the next time it comes around. My nephew (a very competitive HS soccer player) did manage to play intramural sports - mostly in the middle of the night it seemed. Both boys found the demands of their respective majors to be pretty stressful and my S changed majors after freshman year (nephew ended up taking extra time to graduate). I have been to several DAAP end of year shows to see the amazing work the students produce - the ID stuff is INCREDIBLE. Often there are groups of students still scrambling to put finishing touches on their projects even as the show is opening and many others you see in the galleries look like they are suffering from PTSD. My youngest S is currently in a similar type program (Theater BFA) at another school and wanted to apply to be the mascot character during school sporting events. He was advised that there was NO way the schedules could accommodate each other.
Thank you, @Mom4bwayboy! That was incredibly helpful. The “lock-step” comment is exactly what my husband described as his experience in engineering (and he hated it when, due to coop issues, he was ahead of the rest of his cohort!). I viewed the DAAP Industrial design sample curriculum, and if some of those are only offered 1x year, and you miss them, then it could easily become a 6 year program!!! Nooooooo! 
Thanks again for sharing your experience!
I don’t want to give a bad impression of the DAAP programs. The students do amazing work and many of them thrive in the environment, going on to very successful post-graduation careers. The Co-op opportunities can also be incredible, leading to a student being hired before they graduate (as happened for my nephew). I just don’t think it would be feasible to add high-level sports - or music, or cheerleading or. . . - to an already packed schedule. Good luck to your D. May she find her “perfect” fit!