The University of Cincinnati

I love UC. I'm sorry for anyone who has had a negative experience there.. But this school is amazing. As far as academics, UC is highly ranked in many of their programs. It's very competitive, but in a positive way. I feel encouraged to do my very best at this school. As a science major, my classes are extremely difficult. My only qualm with the education quality is the few lackluster, giant lecture Gen-Ed classes I have had to take for my major - specifically Chemistry and Physics. Both are required for my major, but have departments on probation. I hated the professors I had for these classes due to their "I want to fail you" attitudes and poor lecturing skills, but then again, I'm sure you will get that at any large, public university with hard, gen-ed sciences. Other than those two classes, I feel my course experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The professors have always been extremely helpful and accessible, even in my large lecture classes. On top of that, UC offers some pretty helpful Supplemental Education classes for traditionally difficult courses, and free Peer-Tutoring! In addition to that, your freshman year you are typically placed in a Learning Community to help get accommodated with the major, the courses, and the university. The resources offered here are incredible! I was admitted into the University Honors Program, and I feel like I just have so many advisors and resources at my fingertips. UHP offers some amazing opportunities to the students within it, such as service trips and very fun seminars.

In regards to my professor rating.. It was hard to just choose "helpful" or "unhelpful." While my professor experience has been overwhelmingly positive, there were a few that left a lot to be desired and were not as helpful as others.

As far as organizations go, UC boasts over 400 student-run organizations! The selection is never-ending, and there really is a place for everyone. There are plenty of organizations for sports, service, academics, or just for fun! I am a huge fan of Serve Beyond Cincinnati, a service organization which allows students to go on affordable domestic or international trips to serve in different communities.

Though people talk badly about it, I am a HUGE fan - and a member - of Greek Life. Here at UC, the Greek population, last I heard, was only around 10% of students. There's no stigma if you don't join - in fact, you're surrounded by more non-Greeks than Greeks. Greek Life here is not close to being stereotypical like it is in the South. Of course, you're going to run into your walking stereotypes, but that's with anything. Greeks at UC are, for the most part, pretty down to earth and cool. We give a lot back to the community through our philanthropies and service events. The average, all-Greek GPA is higher than the average non-Greek GPA, so we are highly focused on our academics! While Greeks do typically associate with other Greeks (pretty much just due to the fact that being in the organization means you're constantly surrounded and befriend people in these organizations), we certainly have friends outside of the system and are completely accepting of those who don't want to join. Greeks here are also very focused on involvement - a large amount of leadership positions on campus are held by those in a Greek organization. My sorority has bettered me and without it, I truly would have missed out on a lot.

Sports are awesome here! While they can be a little disappointing at times, UC boasts a pretty impressive football and basketball team, along with some other very accomplished sports! UC is very student-friendly in that, unless a very rare occasion (such as the Crosstown Shootout), tickets are free simply for being a student. Going down to Paul Brown Stadium was a bit disappointing this year, but Nippert will be beautiful and even more amazing this fall! I love going to a school that, on top of having stellar academics, can brag about having great sports teams. There's always an event to watch, and while the student spirit can be lacking at times, there's nothing more energizing than going to a packed basketball game and seeing UC win.

Regarding crime.. I really haven't ever felt threatened or scared during my time at UC. Sure, there's crime off campus sometimes. What do you expect? It's an urban campus in the middle of the city. Crime has decreased exponentially in the last ten years, so the Cincinnati that many still enjoy stereotyping has improved a lot. I live off-campus, but I don't feel unsafe walking to and from my apartment. It is all about making smart choices. Don't walk alone at night if you're deep within Clifton (or anywhere on any college campus, really), don't try to wander into the city completely hammered at night, and you'll be fine. Sure, random events do happen, but they happen EVERYWHERE on EVERY college campus. This is not unique to UC, and most people will tell you that it's really not that awful.

Housing.. I lived in Turner Hall last year, due to being in the Honors program. It was expensive, but very nice. The people were social, my roommates and floormates were awesome, and I couldn't have asked for a better dorm experience. Even my friends who stayed in the less nice dorms really enjoyed their experiences. Living in a dorm is a must your freshman year. Living off campus is a little more difficult because apartments and houses fill up extremely quickly.. Like, mid-November, early-December. It's a little rough trying to find a decent, close to campus place after that time period. Off-campus housing is way cheaper than dorm life (unless you live in a ridiculously nice apartment), which is nice. While the apartments and houses may not be the best at times, many rental companies are building new, massive apartment buildings. I personally prefer not to pay so much and sacrifice the state of the art amenities.

Overall, there is a reason we call UC the #HottestCollegeInAmerica. Our president is awesome, the campus is awesome, and I've loved my experience here. I wouldn't trade it for the world. The thing about college is that it is ALL what YOU make of it. If you choose to sit in your dorm and not put yourself out there, your experience is going to be miserable. If you put yourself out there, go to clubs, join Greek life, and just make an effort, you're going to have a great experience. I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am to go to such an awesome university! The problems you might experience here are the problems you're going to have at any school you go to, but UC offers plenty of unique and awesome quirks that make up for the typical college problems. I am so happy to be a Bearcat!

2nd Year Female -- Class 2017

Education Quality: A+, Individual Value: B-