<p>Because I can't get Roger Dooley to add University of Cincinnati to the alphabetical listing, I thought I would post this here. I am wondering what that school is like especially for design. If anyone has any experience there or has kids attending there, please comment about the school. If you know about the graphic design program,which seems very strong, please comment too.</p>
<p>I am also curious about Cinncinati; I believe their architecture program is considered one of the best in the country.</p>
<p>We lived in Cincinnati and both my husband and I worked right around UC, a few years ago. Since we've left, I hear from folks there that the campus has improved immensely, but the area around the campus is still regarded as undesirable and not too safe. My impression when we lived there was that a very high per centage of the students were commuters. </p>
<p>Their programs in design, architecture, co-ops, have been well regarded for many years.</p>
<p>Taxguy, I can't speak specifically to the Design or DAAP program. My S is interested in engineering and we toured UC engineering facilities. </p>
<p>I was convinced that we were not going to like UC. It does not have a great reputation in our community. But in talking to someone who's D's boyfriend went there and likes it, we decided to go on a tour.</p>
<p>In the information session the adcom said that UC is an acronym for Under Construction! It was so true, UC is moving into the Big East next year and they are upgrading their facilities. Although it seemed as the entire campus is under construction, the facilities are very nice. The student center is very new and really nice. UC is very compact, the one thing that the students commented about was that you could cross campus in 10 mins. or less. It was a very diverse campus, you have engineering students and also students in DAAP and the music conservatory. We toured the dorm closest to the conservatory, the dorm was okay, saw many students with their instruments. </p>
<p>We toured the engineering facilities, I will comment on them as we were so impressed. The facilities were great, the labs top notch. We went to an information session and the Dean of Engineering talked to us. UC's engineering is all co-op, they also have a joint BS, MS program that only takes one extra semester to complete. They also have an honors program and claimed that they offer scholarship money to all who score over a 26 on their ACT's. </p>
<p>They had a general information session and they broke into smaller groups based on majors. We went on the Chemical Engineering focus group. We were escorted by two Honors college students. The head of the CE deparment met with us and we toured their lab facilites led by professors. I talked to the students on the tour (to be honest this was our last tour of the week and I had seen more labs that I wanted to see in my lifetime. My S and H were fascinated though). They were very enthusiastic about the school. They turned down Purdue and Case to come to UC. They loved their co-ops, one girl was a senior and already had a job after graduation with her co-op employer.</p>
<p>Just a couple of other things I can comment on. The university seems to be confronting it's reputation as an unsafe campus. It bought land around the campus and is building apartments. </p>
<p>I went to a university that has a reputation as a "suitcase" school but I lived on campus. I thought that it was a great experience. The on campus community was very close because it was smaller. I did not think that going to a "suitcase" school affected my experience at all,</p>
<p>Sandy Koufax was a Bearcat.</p>
<p>Deb922 that was great. Thanks</p>
<p>As was Miller Huggins.</p>
<p>I'm a '74 UC alum--most of what is posted here was also true back then. The engineering, business, DAA (design, art, architecture) programs and music conservatory are highly rated.--I don't think one could go wrong in those. UC was a pioneer in coop ed (engineering). The campus is compact and pretty 'concrete' I remember trudging up and down lots of staircases. The neighborhood was iffy way back then, too, but I think that is true for many urban schools and I always felt safe on campus itself despite the era of Kent State and Nam demonstrations. I lived in my sorority house 2 yrs and it was burgled twice during holidays. I was a Greek but most of my friends weren't; there were a lot of commuting students (and many evening students too) from the tri-state area, but other locals like me lived on campus the whole time. There were several kids from the East coast. Downtown Cincy was a short bus ride away. I was HS valedictorian and I remember that in my honors Frosh lit class of 13, there were 10 other valedictorians and 2 salutatorians. Non-honoros lower division classes were enormous but I also had several classes with 20 or fewer students. I picked UC mostly 'cause my dad went there and it was close (I had also considered Wash U SL but it was a 6 hr drive which seemed a long way when I was 18!). but realize I would really have preferred a smaller LAC--I picked Case Western for grad school and it was a much smaller urban unversity and I liked that size better. UC then had c 17K?? students and bashful me didn't get the one on one attention of my profs and others that would have helped. I did make lasting friends thru my sorority, so it is important (as at any school) to find your niche. I'd rate UC right there with Miami-Oxford and OSU as one of OH's best public universities. I hope my recollections aren't too dated to be applicable today. I was there from out of state a few yrs ago and my dorm (I had a non-working fireplace in my single room!) is now an office/ practice bldg for the conservatory, but the two independent bookstores were still there and so was Shipley's the great hangup both I and my dad before me loved.</p>
<p>haha Shipley's = hangout not hangup lol</p>
<p>Thanks, Bookmom. that's helpful.</p>
<p>I second deb's thoughts. We looked at UC 3 yrs. ago for DS - focused on engineering areas, but also looked at art/architecture for next child coming up - were very impressed with all three programs.</p>
<p>That said, the campus is - to be gentle - 'unusual.' It is densely packed and sits on a hillside. There is maybe a postage stamp-sized area of green - and very few big trees....lots and lots of concrete. Buildings are typical of state school funding - whatever architecture is popular cheaply at the time - no master plan for a unified look to the campus. There is a small gem of a baseball stadium jammed in against a couple of academic buildings and, unlike most campuses, the football stadium is almost smack in the middle of things, so you can look down into the stadium from adjacent bldgs.</p>
<p>When we were there, it seemed like the entire campus was under construction. The story we got was that they had plans to retrofit, remodel and build from scratch a number of projects and surveyed the Class of 2001, I think it was, about whether they would rather the projects be staggered over the next 10-12 yrs. or done all at once and take only 5-6 yrs. The survey came back to do all at once - of course - they were the outgoing seniors and didn't have to deal with the mess over the next half-decade!!! So things started up in earnest in 2002-ish and have been that way since. It was a mess when we were there Spring 2002, so UC really didn't get the chance to put on a good front for visitors. I understand from friends of DS who go there that construction is progressing and some things are finishing, but it is still very hard to get around and many food areas are closed/moved, etc.</p>
<p>There is a 2-block deep, maybe 6 blocks long, area along the upper side of campus called Clifton, I believe, that has all the shops, eateries, some off-campus housing. The medical center is on the opposite corner from campus. Beyond these, the rest of the area around campus is quite rundown and not known as safe at all. Definitely a bus ride to downtown.</p>
<p>In the end, although DS was very impressed with the program, he just couldn't get past the campus, so we passed on UC.</p>
<p>Almost forgot - one really fun thing that you don't find at a lot of schools (this was true 3 yrs. ago, assume it still is)....as long as the football program is not using the football field, any student - yes, any student - is permitted to walk into the open stadium and kick field goals or get a bunch of friends together for a pick-up game on the turf.</p>
<p>To those interested in engineering, University of Cincinatti has been highly rated among American universities in undergaduate education in micro- and nanotechnology by Small Times magazine, which covers that subject.</p>