University of Cincinnati or Ohio State Better Fit for Me?

College Search & Selection
1

Hello! I have some questions for people who have visited or preferably attended either University of Cincinnati or OSU. The main question I want to know is how the Computer Science departments differ at these colleges, and whether CS students at these enjoyed their time at these colleges. I’d also like to hear about how good the campus is, as well as how the other aspects of student life, like clubs, sports, etc. are.

Here’s some info about me:

  • I am currently a high school junior at a high ability high school
  • I am a resident of Indiana and therefore out-of-state at both UCinci and OSU
  • Cost of college is a significant factor for me, I’d want a college with decent scholarships
  • I want to major in CS for undergrad and I am interested in continuing my education into graduate studies
  • Very interested in cybersecurity as well as database administration, both of which UCinci has programs for
  • I’d prefer a college with less emphasis on just programming and a higher emphasis on theory
  • I enjoy having a connection with my teachers
  • I prefer smaller class sizes
  • The quality of the campus is a big deal for me. To give you an idea of what I like, if I were to choose a college I’ve visited solely based on campus, I’d probably pick IU Bloomington

Heres some info about my academic career:

  • I will graduate high school with a lot of college credit, as my high school is on a college campus and does a lot of DC
  • I have not gotten a grade less than an A- so far in my high school career
  • UW GPA: ~3.7
  • W GPA: 4.25 (max for my school is 4.33)
  • I am finishing AP Comp Sci this year and will be taking college CS classes next year
  • I was very involved in extracurriculars the last 2 years however this year I am not involved in any, as the school I began attending this year is a lot of work and I don’t get a lot of time outside of doing schoolwork (and the little time I get I would rather spend relaxing and de-stressing a bit). I will most likely start doing more next year.

I just want a little guidance, I will most likely visit these colleges but I would really appreciate the input of a current or former student at either of these colleges.

Thanks!

2

If you’re going to pay OOS tuition, I would go to OSU, the state flagship. If you need to go wherever is most affordable, I don’t know why you’re limiting yourself to two OOS schools.

3

Very good point, thank you for your response. I suppose cost probably isn’t as big of a deal as I made it seem, I only really included it to show that very expensive colleges, such as a lot of private ones, aren’t really an option because of cost.

4

What are the reasons you would prefer them over IU or Purdue?

5

For Cincinnati, if you live in Adams, Allen, Blackford, Clark, Dearborn, Decatur, DeKalb, Delaware, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Harrison, Henry, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Noble, Ohio, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Steuben, Switzerland, Union, Washington, Wayne, or Wells countiesc, you should be eligible for tuition reciprocity.

If you Reside or attend high school in: Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, or Shelby county are eligible for the metropolitan rate.

6

What if I attend high school in one of the above, but reside in one of the bottom?

7

^ Send a question to the Financial Aid folks at the school.