Hi! I recently got accepted into Cincinnati’s DAAP Program majoring in Industrial Design. The date for dorm registration is the beginning of February and I want to sign up as fast as I can. Problem is I’m finding it hard to figure out which dorms is a good fit. I know there is a DAAP floor in Daniels, but are they all quads, and does it have elevators or stairs? Would it be worth it to live with 3 other people to be on a floor with all DAAP students? What are your thoughts on which dorms would be best?
Get your app in as soon as possible. While there are only minimal numbers of singles and doubles, usually a quad works out. I say usually, because there’s always the possibility of getting a bad roommate, or two in the case of daapmom’s daughter. But those situations are rare. You can specify single for your first choice, then double, then quad, but I’d choose a DAAP floor mainly because of working late nights at DAAP on a project. You’ll be able to walk back to your dorm accompanied by fellow DAAPers.
Okay thank you, I want to be on the DAAP floor, so are all of them quads? or are there doubles too?
make sure you ask for the 7th floor for a DAAP floor in Daniels. my daughter was on the 8th floor before she had her room changed to a single and it was a DAAP overflow floor. i believe most of the rooms are quads. she is loving the 11th floor which is a quiet floor and is a great mix of kids of all majors.
My understanding is that there is a smattering of doubles and singles on each floor in Daniels. Confirm with housing. Also, my daughter’s best friend, in DAAP (Architecture) is in Calhoun, so that can be a consideration. Daniels, Turner, Schneider, and Dabney are also located in a cluster, but Turner and Schneider are mainly Seniors on down to Sophomores who get the first choice, and honors students, but, if you can get in, those are good options too.
When my daughter attended DAAPCamp one summer, she stayed in Stratford Heights, which was also nice but about as far from DAAP if your housed in one of the rear units which will likely be the case. Although owned by the University, it is across a main street in a neighborhood mainly filled with fraternities and sororities.
we looked at stratford heights…they had lots of maintenance problems and not many working washing machines or dryers in the clusters…also too close to frats and sororities and lots of noise and parties.
I just talked with housing and they said floors 7 and 8 will be for DAAP in Daniels and that there are only triples and quads on these two floors.
Oh, I didn’t realize that. My daughter went with a quad and is doing fine. The girls seem nice. Sometimes there’s a little snippiness as I understand it along the lines of "Your hair curler cord is hanging over my drawer, but nothing explosive. DAAP floor 7 is one of the quieter floors mainly because everyone is at DAAP. If you’re short on supplies, or need an opinion on your project, you’re in the right spot. Most roommates are friendly, and if not friendly, at least tolerant of each other. I see no reason to go against the advice from several others that my daughter was given last year. That being to get a quad on a DAAP floor in Daniels. Works out well for the vast majority of people, although, as daapmom can attest, sometimes it can be a real nightmare. Still, good roommates are the general rule.
Hello- I’d like to revisit this same question to see if there are any new recommendations. My son was recently accepted to Cincinnati’s DAAP Program majoring in Industrial Design. He is trying to decide which dorm to request. Have any changes occurred in the DAAP dorms since the original post in Jan 2015?
@geode111 I don’t have any personal experience (son is admitted to UC for Engineering), but I’ve looked at housing choices the website. The UC website has 360 degree pictures of rooms in various dorms. None of the dorms looks to be very close to the DAAP complex. One option is a special interest floor. Daniels Hall has two floors for DAAP students. Somewhere on this forum I read that DAAP students like to live together because their schedules tend to be similar, i.e. they spend late nights working on projects. Did your son get into the Honors Program? There are honors floors in several dorms, as well. I am a bit worried about the housing timeline vs. the scholarship timeline, are you? We are OOS and waiting on the scholarship information before making a final college decision. It sounds like financial info doesn’t get released until late February or early March. The website says that housing applications open on March 1. It seems like one better be prepared to commit to UC or to put down a deposit by March 1, if your student wants the best chance of getting his/her choice of housing.
my daughter lived in daniels hall her freshman year on an ID specialty floor. she lived in a quad. she did not have a good time of it…the girls in the quad did not get along at all. she was then moved to a different floor into a single and just loved the idea of not being on a floor with DAAP students. she said she was around DAAP students all day long in classes, in studio and she wanted to meet other people on campus. we were lucky enough to buy a house off campus and our daughter lives there and we have 4 tenants. the first year was all girls from different parts of DAAP. their leases all end and she opted to rent rooms to those other then just DAAP students so she could meet other people at the school not in DAAP. it is her personal preference not to be around DAAP students 24/7. something to think about…
Hi geode111, my daughter also has been accepted to ID for 2017. She hasn’t yet decided on what dorm but I can let you know what info I know. I have another daughter who is a current UC sophomore. She choose Turner honors housing for her freshman year. Plusses to Turner were-- quad with a lounge area (2 bedrooms, 1 lounge), bathroom shared just with your quad, newish dorm, close to the heart of campus, close to the places on Short Vine, quiet enough for studying. What she felt was a minus was that it was not as social of a dorm as Daniels. She was already friends with 2 of her suitmates going into the year and they had a great year but she has told me that if she didn’t know anyone, that Daniels or Calhoun would have been better from the standpoint of possibly meeting more people. She is not in DAAP but I hope that helps!
Thanks for the good information! @4getit- my son did get into the honors program. I read that this gives students the opportunity to get early room assignments. We’re also OOS and trying to decide if he should commit by March 1 and send in a housing deposit. We haven’t received final information on scholarships yet but he did get a Cincinnatus Excellence award.
My son is leaning towards Daniels Hall on the DAAP floor for his freshman year. He won’t know anyone at the school so it seems like the best place to make new friends in the DAAP program. We will be visiting later this month so hopefully we will get to see the dorms.
Any ideas on how late can we safely wait after March 1 and still get good choice on housing? Does anyone know when are room assignments are made?
Well that’s the thing with housing, and I remember thinking that the timing was not the best. I considered it a sunk cost and got the application in on opening day, but then we were pretty certain that UC would be where my daughter would be attending. Use this link for their “Applying FAQ”: https://www.uc.edu/housing/resources.html#applying. Good luck!
Just FYI for those of you waiting to hear about Cincinnatus - I talked to the Financial Aid office this morning and they expect offer emails to go out first week of March, along with FAFSA offers. I also spoke with the FL admissions officer who said that the majority of students wait until they see their financial aid packages before they confirm attendance and apply for housing, so not to worry about the March 1st housing date. (Also, if the DAAP floors are full, and your child wants to room with other DAAP students, she said the students often use social media to find roomates - sort of a create-your-own-DAAP-room!)
@geode111 Now you’ve got me worried/curious. You say your son got a Cincinnatus Excellence award already. Or just a letter saying that he is qualified for it? My son has received a couple of letters that he qualifies for the Cincinnatus Excellence but has not received a letter or email saying that he has received the award and the scholarship that goes with it.
@BearcatFan2 the pics of Daniels (I think it’s Daniels) show four beds in one room, with possibly a half wall divider.
http://www.uc.edu/housing/communities/daniels.html
Seems like a tough arrangement, especially if you don’t know or choose your roommates yourself, or if you’ve never had to share a room. Are they mostly quads? My older Son at another college got put into a room built as a double but “converted” to a triple (aka 3 crammed into a room made for 2). It was a long year!
when you walk into the quad in daniels there are 4 mini closets and 4 sets of drawers with a countertop that each 2 girls share. there is a mini wall in the middle of the room with 2 beds and desks on each side. it is little crowded in there.
Yes it does look pretty crowded in Daniels! Turner looks like a nicer arrangement. We will try to look at both during our visit. I agree with @Balthezar’s idea of considering the housing application a sunk cost and applying early.
@4getit- No need to worry. Good luck to your son!
My son applied by Oct 1 and received a Cincinnatus Excellence award letter later that month which he signed and accepted. He qualified as a National Scholar. We are still waiting for the financial aid package.
My son is very excited about the DAAP program and is looking forward to his first visit. I appreciate all the comments and shared experience from others who’ve done this before.
@geode111 Will you be going to the Honors brunch on March 4th? It would be great if it was a one-stop show where we could learn about the Honors program and also discuss the details of financial aid and scholarships for our students, but it doesn’t look like it is personalized to that degree. Nevertheless we’re planning on attending, as DAAP Industrial design is our daughter’s #1 school choice.