Al Jamiat Magazine » dorm life

Living With a Roommate

aljamiat — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:31:45 +0000

Tips on how to prepare for your first college roommate

Most college freshman end up living with a roommate their first year of college. Some people may luck up and room with a high school friend who happens to be attending the same college, but most students will be placed with a complete stranger. Life with a roommate can be great or horrible and the relationship can have a huge impact on your freshman year experience. But you don’t have to enter the situation blindly. There are few steps you can take over the summer to make sure that you and your roommate get off to the best possible start.

Reach out: Your university will inform you who your roommate is over the summer. Once you get this information reach out to him/her. Place a call, shoot an email, friend them on Facebook. Introduce yourself and let your roommate know a little about you. Keep the first communication brief, but let them know that you are interested in connecting with them over the summer prior to arriving on campus. Most people will welcome this communication.

Determine compatibility: Your university may have paired you with your roommate based on a determined compatibility, but it’s probably still a good idea for you test the waters yourself. Once you open the lines of communication, take the opportunity to get to know them and allow them to get to know you. Try to discuss subjects like musical taste, personal style, work habits, cleanliness, etc. so you can determine areas of joint interest and areas of potential problems. If you find a potential problem area, don’t panic. Unless the situation is particularly grievous, give the situation a chance first. You never how the situation may work out in the end.

Coordinate the décor: Unless both you and your roommate want a hodge podge room, it’s probably a good idea to discuss décor. You both will have your own personal style, but you will both be much happier if you can coordinate the look of your shared space. See if you can find agreement on a look/feel first. If you find your styles are too different and you can’t find a happen medium, don’t give up. See if you can at least settle on a coordinating color scheme. Remember to be flexible and open-minded and hopefully your new roommate will too.

Coordinate purchasing: There are some items that you will not need two of, especially considering the size of most dorm rooms. With these items, you and your roommate can work together to split the purchasing. Items like extra furniture, rugs, and window treatments fall into this category. Some students may also choose to split purchasing on larger items like a TV or mini fridge, and if you decide to do this proceed carefully. Many people get possessive with these types of items and it may cause future conflict. If these types of items are shared, make sure to develop ground rules on use to prevent issues.

If you follow these steps, you’ve provided yourself and your roommate a good start for your living situation. You’ve already started to work together and know a little about each other. If, however, troubles arise, try to address them quickly. Work to always keep an open line of communication and if you are having trouble communicating, reach out for help from the university. In particularly bad cases, you will be reassigned and given a new roommate.

Photo credit: by sienacommunications

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On-Campus or Off-Campus… Where Should You Live?

aljamiat — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 17:23:33 +0000

The Pros and Cons of College Living Options

If you’re a freshman, on-campus living is probably your only option. Sophomore year on, however, the world is your oyster and you’ve got a choice between living on or off campus. There are pros and cons of each living situation and you have to determine the best option to match your lifestyle to decide where you’d like to live.

On-campus living means dorm life, or if you’re lucky and your college has them, a campus apartment. Most campuses have several options for dorms.

Pros

Vicinity- You’ll be right in the middle of everything, near your classes, the library, the student center, etc. You’ll likely be able to walk everywhere and given how close you’ll be to your classes, you’ll be able to pop in and out of your room between classes.
No bills- All of your living costs will be covered through financial aid or tuition. You’ll never have to worry about the cable or the lights going out.
Cafeteria- Everyone needs to eat and campus cafeterias will provide plenty of great food options to meet most any tastes. Given most college students have neither the desire, nor the skill to cook 3 meals a day, that’s a pretty nice perk.

Cons

Lack of privacy- Having a roommate and living with 200 other students means your privacy will be limited. Someone (usually many people) will know nearly everything you do. Rumors run rampant and news travels at the speed of light.
Lack of control- Dorms have rules and there will come in a time in your dorm life when you would like to break a few, but breaking rules will usually mean losing your housing.
Public showers- If you are living in a dorm, prepare for public showers and the daily toting of your personal bath items down the hall in your fluffy robe. There’s nothing like a row of public showers to make you love a pair of flip flops.

Off-campus living will mean renting an apartment or possibly a house with a few of your college buddies. Many rental options cater specifically to the local college market and there should be rental options in most college towns.

Pros

Freedom- You are free to do what you want at your off-campus apartment (granted your roommates and landlord approve). You can throw a party, light candles and hang out with your buds all night.
Privacy- You may luck up and have your own room at your apartment, but even if you have to share a room, you’ll have much more privacy than in a dorm. Sharing a house with even 5 friends is a lot more private than a hundred or so.
Space- While most dorms are just one room, an apartment, or house, will usually give you multiple rooms and overall more living space.

Cons

Bills- You will have responsibility for rent, utilities, cable, phone, internet as well as groceries, paper goods and cleaning supplies. There is a lot of responsibility and if these responsibilities are not taken care of, your utilities and services could be discontinued or, even worse, you could be evicted.
Cooking- You won’t have the luxury of the cafeteria with off-campus living and unfortunately, most college students aren’t the best cooks. Unless you or one of your roommates is an aspiring chef, your meals will likely suffer or you’ll end up spending a lot of money on pizza and Chinese take-out.
Safety- Campuses are usually well-monitored by security, well-lit and overall safer than areas off campus. You’ll need to be extra careful when travelling to and from your off-campus housing, especially at night.

The decision to live on or off campus is a major one. Make sure you take the pros and cons of each option into consideration before you make a decision on where you’d like to live. It’s all about what’s important to you.

Photo credits (creative commons) by Paco Seoane

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15 Must Haves for New College Students

aljamiat — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:31:08 +0000

Going to college for the first time is a very exciting time in an individual’s life. That’s when they generally move away from home and get to be on their own. However, those changes cost a lot of money and students need to buy a lot of school supplies. Most students worry about what they need for school, but this helpful list gives students an idea of the 15 things that they will both need and want at college.

Laptop

A laptop makes life as a student so much easier. When students have their own laptops they can do everything on their own time instead of always trying to coordinate everything around the campus computer lab hours. Plus students can take their laptops to class which will most likely help them take better notes. And students can usually get a pretty good discount on a new laptop like on the Apple MacBook.

Lap Top Sleeves

Over the course of college there have been thousands of people that have damaged their lap tops because they’ve just been in their back pack without any sort of protection. So invest in a case or a sleeve to protect it. A laptop is a big investment and even though they make them better now, they still break easy.

Thumb Drive

A thumb drive is a really small piece that allows students to take their documents with them everywhere they’re going. Plus it can serve as a backup if a student has problems on their own computer they can effortlessly turn to the document contained on the flash drive.

Cell Phone

A cell phone is a must in case you haven’t already got the memo. Pick a phone that at least has text messaging but having internet on it is a great feature. So if a student wants a social life then they need a phone. Plus, sometimes students don’t have a phone in their apartment for one reason or another so having a cell phone is the best option.

iPod or MP3

An iPod can keep you company while you either ride the bus or walk through campus. And if you want to be anti-social this is a great way to keep people from talking to you. And you can even keep movies on it for that road trip over fall break.

Alarm Clock

Even though there is probably an alarm clock on your phone that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in an alarm clock. Having an alarm clock with an annoying buzzer set across the room helps even the laziest student get out of bed. And it’s a good idea to buy one with batteries because if the power goes out and you miss your calculus test at 7:30 A.M. you’re going to be in a pickle.

Textbooks

Textbooks can be expensive and honestly a waste of money. Students are lucky if they get back 25% of what they spent on them at the end of the semester. So students should buy used books if possible or copy the chapters that they need out of the reserve copy at the library. But before students buy all of their books they should make sure they don’t drop any of their classes and verify with the teacher what books are needed. Otherwise, the student will get stuck with a lot of books they don’t need.

Pencil & Paper

Even though this seems a bit old fashioned, students should carry a pencil and paper with them. Some teachers like to surprise students with a pop quiz and it can be a pain for yourself and your fellow students if you always have to try and borrow one from them. So take your own notebook and pencil to class, especially when in statistics or math class.

Printer

Having a printer is extremely nice if you have to write a lot of papers or do coursework online and bring it to class the next day. Computer labs aren’t always open so if you have a deadline for a project or term paper then you must plan ahead otherwise you’ll probably lose points or not be able to turn it in.

Most students are pretty busy between school and work, but a TV can be really nice to have in your dorm or apartment. There’s no better way to unwind from a long day than by watching a half hour TV show. Plus in today’s day and age many people can’t stand the silence and need a background noise in order to focus and do their best work. But don’t take a huge nice TV and surround sound system because there isn’t room for it and it might get stolen or ruined by stupid roommates.

Surge Protector

This is cheap but essential for every student to have. If the power goes out and you were working on that paper you could lose the paper and damage your computer.

Headphones

Whether you prefer earbuds or actual headphones, don’t forget these when moving in with roommates. It’s courteous not to blast your music to all your roommates if you don’t want to hear theirs. By using headphones you can enjoy the music and your roommate can study for his calculus test.

Digital Camera

A digital camera is the best way to catch all of your memories whether it’s the crazy frat party, perfect date, or study abroad in Thailand. A camera is a must if you want to remember years from now what you were doing in college. But just remember that the higher the megapixels and the further it can zoom the better.

Lamps

In those 1940s dorms the lighting usually isn’t very good, so it’s a good idea to invest in a lamp. Plus, if your roommate is sleeping and you’re trying to finish some homework late at night or early in the morning your roommate would greatly appreciate it if you turned on a lamp rather than the fluorescent overhead lights.

Calculator

A calculator is important the higher you get in math class. Most math classes will either require a scientific calculator or a graphing calculator. Depending on the professor, some teachers will require their students to use the graphing feature frequently and others never. So before you go out and spend $150 on that fancy calculator, make sure you really need it.

School tuition and fees, housing, and everything else associated with college is expensive especially when students have to purchase a ton of supplies. Everyone always wants the biggest and best especially when it comes to gadgets, but in all honesty these are just suggestions that can make every students life easier. However, these items add convenience to their life but buying a cheap used one of these items will also work well. If you’re poor or just trying to save money then buy used ones at discounted prices. Going to college is expensive but there are ways students can save money and still get the 15 must have items for college.

Diane Johnson graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing, particularly about travel and online classes.

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Sites Every College Student Should Use

allizon — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:06:59 +0000

cc nimble photography

The idea of not being prepared or not knowing can be frightening. The world today relies heavily on Internet resources and it’s crucial to know them. There are multiple online sites that can really make your life easier. And while you’re transitioning into a new country and school, anything that could possibly make life simpler will be needed!

Here is a list of the top two sites for online calendars, music players, photo editors, and scholar search engines, all of which were resources I used non-stop as a college student.

Online Calendars: There is no option, you need a calendar/planner in college is you want to stay onto of your game. I suggest using an online calendar to organize class schedules, office hours, due dates, and meetings. It can start getting confusing if you don’t remember when and where you are supposed to be.

Google Calendar

30Boxes

Scholar Search Engines: Students write a lot of papers in college, so be prepared for tons of researching. Using a scholar search engine will provide you with scholarly literature that is more trustworthy and reliable than articles found with a normal search engine.

CrossRef

Google Scholar

Music Library/Player: If you are not the type of person to buy multiple songs from iTunes but still want to listen to good music, I suggest using an online music library or player. Playing music can do wonders for you. It helps some students work more productively and get in a better mood.

Grove Shark

Pandora

Photo Editor: Taking pictures is second nature while in college, and uploading them to Facebook is the obvious next step. Having an online picture editor is always handy to have around. You can use it for adding a fun effect to a picture of you and your friends, hiding that pimple you wish was never there, or straightening a tilted picture because your mom can’t hold the camera right.

Picnik

Phixr

Do you have any websites you can’t live without? Share what sites are the most helpful for you!

Allizon Munoz is a junior at Ohio Dominican University studying Public Relations and minoring in Marketing. She serves as the 2010-2011 Ohio Dominican PRSSA President and Vice President of Professional Activities for Delta Sigma Pi Omicron Tau. Connect with her here: http://card.ly/allizonmunoz

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Tips and Tricks to College Eating

allizon — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:00:41 +0000

cc Pink Sherbet Photography

A recent trend in the last three years has been creating a better lifestyle. A lot of times, America is known for its high rate in obesity throughout every age group. Luckily, there is a notable change in the market. Along with the rush of becoming environmentally friendly, people have also changed their ways to become organic. It has now become popular to shift to a healthy lifestyle.

It is always a challenge to continue a change in health eating habits, especially in college. Commonly, you hear about the “Freshman 15” when referring to your first year at school. The “Freshman 15” is used to refer to the almost-always weight gain when you begin college. But why is it so common to put on the extra pounds? When you move to campus, you have a limited opportunity to cook food in the dorms. Typically, you are only allowed a mini fridge and a microwave. You will also get a meal plan from your dinning hall. Unfortunately, not every school’s dinning hall will have the healthiest of meals to eat. Dining halls can also can trick you because they are most commonly in an “all-you-can-eat” buffet style. That is why we have compiled a list of tips and tricks on how to eat healthy in college.

Never EVER skip breakfast. Your mother was right, and so were your teachers and gym instructor. The biggest mistake you can make is skip breakfast!
Buy a water filter and a good water bottle. I would recommend the Brita Water Filter. It is crucial to stay hydrated every single day. Buying bottled water can become expensive but when you own a water filter you will be saving money and the environment by eliminating plastic bottles.
Follow the 80/20 rule; eat healthy 80% of the time, and indulge in something good and rich the other 20%.
Be a mindful eater. Allow yourself, at minimum, 20 minutes to eat a full meal. This gives your brain enough time to register that your stomach is full.
Use smaller size containers and bowls. When you only have one large bowl, it will be natural to fill it when serving things like potato chips. Having smaller size containers will help you control serving proportions.
Limit yourself to one serving when eating at the dinning halls. It’s a bad idea to always go back for seconds and you will be sure to see a change in your size if you do.
Take small plastic containers with you when eating at the dining hall. This way you can take back some fruit, yogurt, hummus, or any other snack that you can eat later on in your dorm room.
When you begin buying fruits and other natural products, be careful for the amount you buy. Though buying in bulk can me money efficient, keep in mind how fast the food will go bad and the estimated time it will sit in your fridge. Remember, mold is not your friend.

You can have the leisure of still eating the things you like if you can control your eating habits. But still be considerate of what kinds of foods you keep in your room. Eliminating fattening and unhealthy food from your shelf will save you in the long run. It is also helpful if you know how to read a food label properly. The University of Iowa provides a easy guide on how to read a food label easily. But what kinds of food should you buy? Take a look at our College Grocery List as a guide when going grocery shopping and remember our tips and tricks and you are golden!

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Getting into the Spirit

allizon — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:12:25 +0000

cc Alexandra Campo

The time is drawing near to begin preparing for school to start. One of the best ways to make your transition to school enjoyable is by actually being excited about your plans! Some may say they are about to leave everything they know, their comfort zone, but great things are coming their way. One of the best things students can do is channel their nerves into excitement, and having school spirit is a great way to do just that!

School spirit is the pride you have for your university. It shows others where you attend and why you are so proud to be there. Having school spirit will provide a more positive atmosphere not just for yourself, but for your campus as well. You form a special connection with your school and other students when you truly have school pride.

So how can you have school spirit?

Wear the gear. Get t-shirts, sweatshirts, lanyards, etc. You can usually find these at your school’s book store and sometime they are even available for purchase online. If you would rather not buy them, make them! A great idea is to have a get-together with friends, maybe before a football game, and make your own shirts with iron-ons or fabric paint. You’ll be creating something to wear all year long and great memories at the same time!

Display the logo. Make posters, buy stickers, or keep fliers with your school’s name or logo on them and add them to your desk, car, or dorm walls. Simple and easy!

Tell the people you meet. It is effortless to say, “Hi! I’m (your name), a student at (university name).” If you really love your school and want to represent them well, make them part of you. When you mention what school you attend in your introduction, the other person will know you must be proud to be there.

Add it online. Post it, write it, blog it, or tweet it. It is simple to add to your “About Me” sections on social media pages where you attend school.

Families can show spirit too! Get your family into the school spirit. When they support you, it will help ease the nerves and fears of moving away. When they have school spirit too, it really makes a difference!

And remember your loyalty and pride to your university should also reflect on the organizations you become involved in. Whether it be a fraternity or local school organization, always be proud of everything you involve yourself in!

Allizon Munoz is a proud junior at Ohio Dominican University studying Public Relations and minoring in Marketing. She serves as the 2010-2011 Ohio Dominican PRSSA President and Vice President of Professional Activities for Delta Sigma Pi Omicron Tau. Connect with her here: http://card.ly/allizonmunoz

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5 Packing & Traveling Tips for Students

elissa_yonkers — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:39:12 +0000

Packing a years worth of life into two suitcases, weighing under 50 pounds (22.7 Kg), is difficult. Lugging them from one continent to another, through various airports is a stressful ordeal. So here are 5 tips on traveling and packing that will hopefully make life easier.

Ready to Travel

Leave small electronics at home. When I went to Austria I tried to learn the difference between a converter and an adapter. After blowing out an alarm clock by trying to plug my 110volt alarm clock into the 220 volt socket, I understood. Small electronics (ie. Alarm clocks, hairdryers, etc.) and voltage differences don’t combine well. Battery powered alarm clocks work well, and a day or two without a hairdryer should be survivable. While you can buy voltage converters, they can be difficult to use and expensive to purchase. Adapters simply allow the two different physical plugs to plug into one another. These are more common, and are available at most travel stores, in airports, and in some major shopping centers.
No pillows. Pillows are cheap in the US, costing $10 at Wal-Mart or other shopping centers. They are not worth trying to cram into a suitcase (no matter how squishy they are), where space for other important things (like clothes) could go. You might have to go without a pillow for a few days, but at least you will have clothes to wear during that time. If this worries you, bring a small travel pillow.
Don’t mention Lebkuchen at Customs. While customs officers are nice enough people, you don’t want to spend hours talking with them, after spending hours on a plane. It makes for a very long day and bad start. The items listed are likely to be confiscated at the customs check. For more specific information check out the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (cpb.gov) statement.

Here’s a story: When I came back from Frankfurt, I bought my sister Lebkuchen, which is a special kind of German cookie. The customs officer asked if I had any food in my bag. I didn’t want to say no, and have him find my Lebkuchen package, so I told him yes. He questioned me, being very polite, but since in my two or three times through U.S. customs no one had asked me questions before, I was a bit nervous. It’s like a cookie, I told him, pulling the package out. He tried to read the ingredients, but since they were in German, he gave up. No meat or fruit in it right, he asked, glancing down at the German label again. Not that I know of, I replied. Alright, he said, go on through. The moral of this story, is don’t mention Lebkuchen or cookies at customs.

Mad Packing Skillz!

Keep your passport on you at all times. You will need your passport constantly on your trip to the U.S. . You need it to get your ticket, to get through security, to get onto the plane, and finally to get out of customs. A passport holder which hangs around your neck or hides under your belt will be worthwhile. Vanity aside, it’s a convenient place to put your passport and ticket, and it also keeps it safe throughout your trip. Also, in case something does happen to your passport, keep a photocopy (somehow certified that it truly is your passport) both in your checked baggage, and in your carry on luggage, and finally at home. If the worst happens, and you do loose your passport, at least you will have some sort of ID and be able to get the help you’ll need to get a new passport.
Take a deep breath and relax. If you forget something, the world will not end. There are stores here in the U.S which will probably carry it, or you can most likely have someone mail it to you.

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MIT Rick Rolled – College Pranks

Wassan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:13:17 +0000

The idea of the college prank is certainly not unique to the United States but this morning when a news article on a grand college prank hit my email, I couldn’t help but laugh. My favorite type of prank:

Photo by: Greg Steinbrecher—The Tech

Yes, that’s the first seven notes of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” – MIT just got Rick Rolled. MIT is famous for its pranks – or hacks – one the most hilarious being the 1994 prank involving a police car on top of their dome.

Clever, cute, non-destructive. Love it!

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Serenity Now! Dealing with Roommates

elissa_yonkers — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:05:59 +0000

After five years of college, and living in the dorm both in the U.S. and abroad, I’ve learned a little bit about how to deal with roommates.

My first roommate, in Salzburg, Austria, was a French girl, who spoke better English than I did. She was pretty cool, and very nice. A bit of a neat-freak, but we got along ok. I kept my mess hidden in a corner between my bed, the wall, and my desk and she didn’t say anything when it sometimes snuck out of its corner. Left alone, we would have been great roommates the entire year.

New Roommate - Photo by okarol CC License

The only problem I had with my French-Roommate was her Austrian boy-friend. It wasn’t even that he spent the night every other night, and every weekend. I learned to live with that, and accept it, if not like it. It was his attitude towards me, which drove me to the point of hatred and beyond..

Herr Sauberraum, which means Mr. Clean Room in German (my nickname for him, since I never really learned his real one) was in the room visiting with his girl friend. I wasn’t feeling great, so I had a friend over to help me out with cooking. We were talking on my side of the room, and they were at her desk. Herr Sauberraum looked over at us. The four of us begin to talk with one another, and my friend demonstrates some of the moves she had learned in karate. As the conversation winds down, and we slowly break back into two groups of two people, Herr Sauberraum opens his mouth. “You know,” he said, “if this was my room, and it was this messy, my mother would kick my butt. And then clean it.”

It was a statement none of my multi-cultural training could have prepared me for. Cultural differences of men and women rolls aside, even with cleanliness aside, what was he talking about? My roommate, being the good roommate and girlfriend she was, made an effort to keep her boyfriend out of the room after that. This eventually led to her moving out of the room after semester break.

After returning to the U.S., my last three years in college landed me with 2 good roommates, and one bad. The first good roommate I had, was a girl I had never met until I moved in. Over the first couple weeks, we got to know each other. We shared stories, and carried on rather random conversations. She wasn’t my closest confidant, but we were friends enough that living together was enjoyable and not an imposition on each other.

Good roommate relations takes a couple things: patience, tolerance, and consideration. You don’t have to love your roommate, or even be friends with them, as long as you have these three things.

Patience for a roommate is remember that, like you, your roommate is only human and will forget to do something sometimes. Maybe they had an unsually busy week and forgot to take out their trash. Maybe they left something out, or didn’t realize you were in bed when they came in late. Be patient with them the first time something like that happens, and approach them kindly after the second time.

Tolerance. Remember, you may not have class until noon the next day, but your roommate might have an 8 am class, and might need to wake up very early. In the winter, most parts of the country is still dark until 730 or 8, and so they may need to turn on a light. Tolerate a little noise, remembering your roommate is living their own life on their own schedule. Consideration. Think of your roommate, before blaring your music or television. Ask if you will be doing something that might annoy them, before actually doing it.

Most dormitories have some sort of roommate contract filled out, where it states when the roommates agree to and not to do things. If you live in an apartment off campus, you might want to look online and find one. Although, rarely actually needed, the contract does bring up issues (such as noise, appropriate times for things, and ways to settle a disagreement) that might not be brought up otherwise.

Elissa Yonkers is a recent graduate from Bowling Green State University, with a Bachelors of Science of Journalism with a focus on Public Relations, and a very strong minor in German. With several internship experiences under her belt, she is looking to widen her experience and knowledge with a job in corporate communications, public affairs, or work in a public relations agency. Connect with her here: http://sites.google.com/site/elissay/

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University of Cincinnati

mnguyen — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:32:13 +0000

Type: Public, 4-year institution

Located: Cincinnati, OH

Size: just a bit under 21,000 undergraduates

Cost: $33,624 (including tuition, room/board)

Degree Offerings: Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, First Professional

Greetings! Today, I would like to invite you along with me to the University of Cincinnati, a public institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. UC enrolls just a bit under 21,000 undergraduates annually, with 83.3% of them coming from Ohio and the remaining percentage from across the US and around the world.

Getting to the International Students Website

From the main page, click on the Future Students link located at the top navigation bar; from here, find the heading called “Seeking Admission?” and click on International, Undergraduate. This link will take you to a website devoted to helping international students learn a bit more about UC, and also as a resource when applying to the university. Simple enough? I think so!

University of Cincinnati

The Campus

UC’s campus is a mixture of the old and new. It’s hard to pinpoint the architectural style of the entire campus because there is such a vast array. There is, as I have grown to expect, the old red bricked academic buildings floating around, but there are also very modern looking buildings and many unique sculptures. I don’t know if you can really say that there is a singular theme that unites the entire campus.

With that being said, do not misunderstand and believe that UC looks disjointed. On the contrary, everything seems to flow together to make one very interesting and lovely campus. Check out the photos below to see what I mean!

Residential Living

As far as residential living goes, all of the residence halls on campus are co-ed and also substance free. All of the rooms (whether it is community-styled or suite-styled) come equipped with Cable-TV, Internet, a microfridge (microwave and refrigerator), and completely air-conditioned. There are about 8 halls on campus at UC, and all freshmen are required to live in these halls during their freshmen year. One of the best things about UC’s residence halls is the fact that they never fully close — yes, even during winter breaks! — a particularly convenient option for international students who cannot go home during breaks.

Residence Hall

In terms of themed housing, UC’s Stratford Heights is home to the “special housing” (Learning Communities) that we are currently talking about. The one that carries importance for our interest is the Valentine House, otherwise known as the foreign language house.

Student Life and Activities

Like any other college camps, UC is flooded with a wide array of student organizations. With over 300 student clubs, 11 sororities and 21 fraternities, I think it’s safe to say that it’s hard to be bored unless you truly put some effort into it. According to a current UC student, although UC is only about 4% Greek, the Greek influence still plays a central role in the life of the student body. The leadership positions are usually held by members of the Greek community, and they usually tend to secure spots within UC’s Homecoming Court during Homecoming Weekend.

And, of course, what college review would be complete without a comment on the social life of the typical UC student. Although UC’s dorms are supposedly substance-free, UC as a whole is a wet campus. There are 2 bars that students (who are of age) can go to should they feel the desire to just stay on campus. As far as party life goes, since the dorms are substance-free, most of the parties will occur off-campus in fraternity houses or just your typical house party. The typical UC student does tend to party a lot, but if you’re not into that lifestyle, don’t be afraid. Cincinnati still has a lot to offer its many residents and college students in museums, restaurants, and other venues.

I know U - C it ...

International Students at UC

According to University statistics, UC has about 10% international students and a good assortment of resources available to them. Like most universities, UC has a special division designed to handle the needs of international students. UC’s International Student Services is this division of the University, a center that sponsors a special orientation for all first year international students. This orientation includes a tour of Cincinnati (the city and the campus), a run to the grocery stores for basic essentials, and also an airport pick up.

Along with this special orientation (a common feature at most universities), UC is also affiliated with ELS, a privately owned company housed at UC that allows for prospective UC international students to come early, teach said students intensive language, and offer them a contingent letter of admittance to UC (assuming they have met other Admissions criteria). According to a counselor within the Admissions office, this program is quite popular and incredibly helpful (especially among Saudi students).

In Conclusion …

Before I left UC, I asked the Admissions counselor what it was about UC that would draw international students to the university. According to her, the reason why UC attracts a respectable amount of international students is because of the post-graduation options available for undergraduates. She was speaking of UC’s co-op program and its ability to match up students with potential employers – relationships that could transform a typical co-op into possible employment after graduation. The reason why co-ops are so popular and successful at UC is because it actually started the co-op program. As you may know, this program was found to be so effective that other universities have also made it into their own curriculum. At UC, co-ops are required for Design, Engineering, and Science majors.

All in all, I think that UC is a good option for those who want to go to a big and public university without feeling too engulfed by the size. With its many resources, UC has a lot to offer its students, and I hope you will consider it as a possible option in your college list. For more information about my tour, please read on. As always, please check out the campus pictures below (only a sampling!) featured in this photo album. Thanks for reading!

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