Princeton Review Places UC Among the Nation s Best Universities

The University of Cincinnati is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review.

The New York-based education services company known for its test-prep courses features UC in the just-published 2009 edition of its annual book, “The Best 368 Colleges.” This marks the second year in a row that UC is listed among the nation’s best universities.

UC is ranked 19th on the top 20 list of universities with a diverse student population.

“We chose schools for this book primarily for their outstanding academics,” says Robert Franek, vice president and publisher for The Princeton Review. “We evaluated them based on institutional data we collect about the schools, feedback from students attending them and our visits to schools over the years. We also consider the opinions of independent college counselors, students and parents we hear from year-long. Finally, we work to have a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”

The Princeton Review quotes extensively from UC student interviews. Among their comments are that internships and co-op programs are “huge” (UC is the founder of cooperative education). Also, that “there are vast opportunities available to students if they are just willing to put in some effort.” Descriptions of UC’s transformation of campus range from praise of a “modern and nice” campus to “an urban oasis of amazing architecture.” Students also praise the Cincinnati area, stating the region “has a huge variety of excellent employers and offers an excellent environment for raising a family.”

Feedback on the student surveys included remarks such as “great computer facilities,” “great library,” “athletic facilities are great” and “diverse student types on campus.”

The student surveys praised UC’s diversity in terms of race, culture, age and background. They call the campus “a vibrant quilt of culture” that feels “very realistic.” “It could really be considered the melting pot college of the Midwest,” was another student quote from the survey.

“It is validating that Princeton Review and our students picked up on aspects of campus that we see as most distinguishing about UC – vibrant urban campus, academics grounded in the classroom and in reality-based experiences, and the richness of our diverse community,” says Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president and associate provost for enrollment management.

Mitchel D. Livingston, Vice President for Student Affairs & Chief Diversity Officer, expressed appreciation that The Princeton Review recognized the breadth and depth of diversity at the University of Cincinnati and how the culture of the university has dramatically changed over the past few years.  “Our students affirm their appreciation for what diversity adds to the vibrancy of the university in a very public way, including recent television interviews,” he said.

"The remarks from the student surveys in the Princeton Review are an indication of how our students are developing skills of cultural competence and diversity awareness – skills that are necessary for living and working in the 21st century," says Cynthia Berryman-Fink, chair of the UC Diversity Council and interim head of the UC Department of Communication.

The school profiles in “The Best 368 Colleges” also show that UC garnered high ratings in terms of fire safety and green efforts.

“The Best 368 Colleges” is published by Random House/Princeton Review Books and it costs $21.95.

UC will open the application window for fall 2009 on Aug. 1. Applications must be received by Dec. 15, 2008 for scholarship consideration. For international students applying for the UC Global Scholarship, the deadline is June 1, 2009.

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