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College Prowler

Diversity

While there are small but growing numbers of and great but under-funded support programs for minority students, students with disabilities, first-generation college students who are more likely to come from a lower- or working-class background, openly GLBT students, non-Christian students, and international students, I still feel like most of the University is geared toward white, upper-class, Christian, straight students.

Drug Scene

I’m not really familiar with the drug scene, but I’m sure there are people who do it. I hear people talk about getting stoned a lot, especially after a holiday weekend or a big party night. But, as a majority, UC students are more into drinking than drugs.

Facilities

There are literally a dozen or more campus libraries, and they’re pretty convenient and comfortable. I see people studying in them all the time. Anything the school library doesn’t have can be ordered through interlibrary loans from other schools or can be borrowed from the city library and have it sent for free to the branches next to campus.

Greek Life

Greek life is somewhat small compared to other schools. Its general role can be significant, especially in student government, where some of the past presidents and vice presidents were Greeks. Frats generally hold parties from time to time, although if you are a guy and want to come in, they normally do not like to hand out any beer to you.

Guys & Girls

The guys and girls can be attractive and others are not. Some people are outgoing, while some are introverted. The typical student is from the Cincinnati area or at least within the state of Ohio. They can be nice, but at first they may not be nice to strangers, even though these strangers are their peers in the classroom.

Local Atmosphere

Most people who live in Cincinnati think the city is a boring place to live, but there are some places that are fun to visit. Downtown Cincinnati has a variety of restaurants, plus the riverfront and the baseball and football stadiums. Right across the river we have Newport, which is great for dinner and a movie or a little bit of shopping.

Nightlife

Instead of going to bars, I prefer going to concerts for local bands and national acts. Bogart’s, which is right in Clifton, is a popular venue for big-name rock bands, but the Mad Hatter and Southgate House have good bands too. It’s hard for me to find stuff to do because I’m not old enough to go to the bars, so I go to a lot of house parties and concerts instead.

Off-Campus Dining

There are quite a few little places around campus that are awesome, especially if you like a wide variety of ethnic foods. There is Vietnamese, Indian, Greek, German, and just about anything else you can think of. There are awesome little coffeeshops, too. My personal favorite is the Green Mountain Café attached to Ben and Jerry’s because it serves fair trade organic coffee only. They are all in walking distance.

Off-Campus Housing

There are a ton of places available within reasonable walking distance of campus. The "is it worth it?" value depends on your budget and standard of living. There are certainly tons of cheap but nasty places, and there a good amount of awesome places if you want to pay more. Really, with off-campus housing, you tend to get what you are willing to pay for.

Academics

I’d say the most important thing UC is known for is the co-op program. As a student who is worried about the transition between the academic and the professional world, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve learned more than I thought was possible by spending every other quarter working in the field as opposed to the classroom. It’s the most valuable part of my education at UC.

Athletics

Varsity sports are big. There are lots of athletes, and you can tell who they are by what they wear. Intramural sports are big for fraternities and sororities, for sure. It’s hard to do intramurals if you don’t have a huge group of people/friends to form a team.

Campus Dining

I used to really like CenterCourt because I got sucked in by its flashiness and convenient location. Now, I’m more partial to MarketPointe and will walk the extra five minutes there for the soups, daily stir-fry, and omelets, the less-crowded feel, better traffic flow, and walls of sunny windows.

Campus Housing

I think everyone should stay in a dorm or at least as close as possible to campus their freshman year. It is a way to make friends that you will have the rest of college, and it is a way to be engaged at UC. When people are engaged in their college, they get the most out of their four years there. Living in the dorms is the most basic way to get engaged, meet people, not miss home so much, and have fun.

Campus Strictness

The parking cops are no joke. They’ll ticket you for sure if you’re parked somewhere you aren’t supposed to. Other than that, they really won’t bust you for anything. You might get caught if you have alcohol in your dorm, but they seem to care most about parking.

Computers

UC has many computer labs on campus for students to work in. UC also provides wireless connection for students who have laptops and want to use them around campus. I think UC provides plenty of places for students to use computers. The great thing is that students can either bring their own computers or use those provided by the University.

Overall Experience

I love UC. I graduate in March and though I’m happy to be getting out, the past four years flew by. I don’t mind UC. I would have preferred going somewhere else just because I’ve lived in Cincinnati my entire life, but it was good under the circumstances. My favorite part about UC was walking past the CCM building and listening to people play instruments. It was beautiful.

Parking

Since UC is a commuter school, it can be tough finding parking in the morning. The best way to deal with this is to buy a parking pass for one of the many garages on campus. There is also a parking garage in Stratford across the street from campus. But, if you’re not willing to pay for that, I would advise leaving early in order to find parking within good walking distance.

Safety & Security

UC’s crime rates are typical—even low—for a major urban campus. While there is some crime, the University has several programs meant to help reduce crime and raise student awareness of real risk. I think the UCPD has great presence on campus, especially when they’re rolling around on their Segways. While there are a few bad seeds, like in any department, I have found the police officers to be overwhelmingly helpful and professional when I’ve interacted with them.

Transportation

Public transport is better than many Midwest cities but definitely nothing to write home about. However, there are several perks to it: Students ride for free with their UC ID, and all the buses have bike racks, so you can ride downhill somewhere and laze around on the way back.

Weather

Cincinnati weather is filled with extremes. In early fall quarter and late spring quarter the weather can reach unbearable highs (for some people), and in the winter it gets quite cold—below freezing—quite often. The only good thing about it is that it does not snow too much in Cincinnati, so you generally do not need to worry about any blizzards or snow storms.