<p>Greetings,
My S made up his mind it's the University of Miami! He was deciding between the U of Maryland (got into honors college there) and USD. The U made a generous scholarship offer but so did USD and University of Maryland (which for instates like us is cheaper to begin with). Almost got him to consider Brown but in the end could not get him to agree to a visit etc. Too much work...
He is a smart kid and did well at the private Catholic all boys school, but likes to "chill" argh. He could have done better, did the bare minimum to get good grades (no studying for SAT).<br>
We are vaguely concerned since he seems to have a party deficit (from being in an all boys school etc.). Are there ways to steer him into the right dorm for example (i.e. one where studying rather than partying is considered cool).
I know the U is a good school and I am happy for him. I think he will have a great experience, but I would like to find out if there are some obvious things to do for a kid like him.
Does anybody know if the U does special programs for their students on an academic scholarship? Is there something that we as parents should do?
Thank you for any advice!
And oh yes, go CANES!!</p>
<p>Check out the UMiami forum on this site. There are lots of helpful students and parents that post. [University</a> of Miami - Florida - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-miami-florida/]University”>University of Miami - Florida - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>My S is a 2009 UMiami grad. Coincidently, his final decision came down to UM or UMD Scholars. S had a wonderful 4 years at UM. </p>
<p>Most of the kids that are into the party scene, do so off campus. The dorms in Stanford do have some substance free floors if that would be of interest to your student. The kids at UM play hard, but they also work hard and study hard. Almost 70% graduated in the top 10% of their class so theses kids know how to be successful in the classroom. A studious kid will definitely not be an outcast. My S spent many, many hours in the library (his preferred study location) and was also a fraternity President. The key UM is to find balance. Joining one of the many community service clubs on campus might help your S to find like-minded peers. </p>
<p>Good luck, UM is a great place.</p>
<p>wow thank you for the super fast reply, I just posted!<br>
Funny coincidence, glad to know that your S had a great experience at the U! I think my S will too. I can see why he wants the U I would have made the same choice I think. Not so sure where his mind is right now, so cant be sure of what will be like minded, oh my. Yes I have been poking around on the forum and have found good information. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Does UM have “themed” housing? If so, that can help steer towards the more studious types…such as the engineering dorm, etc…</p>
<p>What is his likely major?</p>
<p>Good point that would help, but he does not have a declared major. He was thinking about medical school at one point but now is talking about law school :&.</p>
<p>Well…he can cover all bases with a good liberal arts major that has the math and science pre-med req’ts. 
There really aren’t specific Pre-law or Pre-med majors, except that pre-med students are expected to take certain math, bio, chem, and physics classes along with whatever their major happens to be.</p>
<p>Anyway…look to see if there are any themed dorms, and have your son consider choosing a major that fits.</p>
<p>Definitely look for the substance free housing as an option.</p>
<p>Another very happy U parent here. (Son graduated Dec/06). He is currently in his 3rd year of his Phd program, and said that the U prepared him very well for his doctoral studies. He misses Miami very much, and loved his time there. </p>
<p>Congrats my-3!!! Is your son going on to higher ed or did he enter the workplace?</p>
<p>Your son is obviously bright or he would not have been accepted with money to Miami.</p>
<p>Stress time management and organization skills. If your son was able to do all his work, giet things in on time, etc. in high school, he will likely do just fine.</p>
<p>He has to chose to stay in and study and use his down time appropriately. A substance free dorm, or quiet floor won’t do that for him.</p>
<p>Yes, Miami has quiet floors, I believe.</p>
<p>Son is a junior and has done very well. Takes interesting classes, joined many clubs, etc… We are definite proud parents and love the U!!!</p>
<p>Congrats.</p>
<p>Thank you everybody for the input, I am excited for my S and think it will be a great experience for him and am looking forward to being a CANE parent lol</p>
<p>1tcm-He is very happy working in a radio carbon dating lab in Miami, but grad school is on the horizon. I can’t believe your Caneboy is already in his 3rd year!</p>
<p>Daddio,</p>
<p>Off topic, but I have to say our DS attends UMD (OOS) and YES, UMiami gives great MERIT AID. DS got @90K for 4 yrs from Miami as an OOS. (3 yrs ago)</p>
<p>I just wanted people to know that UM should not be thrown out of the mix if you are OOS. </p>
<p>People should look at the actual college forums here to see how the schools rack and stack regarding MERIT. You might be surprised! The school you thought was unattainable for financial reasons, might be the cheapest. For example, if your child wants Notre Dame, they promise 100% financial aid. </p>
<p>Our DS opted UMDCP because of their Political/Govt program, but I will say my heart cringed when he turned down that UM scholarship and accepted the lower UMDCP scholarship…luckily he is also AFROTC scholarship so it was not as much of a game changer.</p>
<p>BulettandPima,
I am confused too many abbreviations. University of Miami is offering similar to what you mentioned for your DS (daughter I assume). OOS (out of state right) does not matter for the University of Miami since it’s private. I am not shore what UMDCP is. Money wise, sending our S to the University of Miami even with near 100k academic scholarship will cost about 100k more over 4 years than would sending him to the University of Maryland. So for us this is not about money. I think he needs to get away from us (in Maryland) and is a bit of a heliotrope. I feel as though that the University of Miami somehow will be a better fit, although that is just my gut talking. Actually a bit of a gamble but hey, it was his call. We are just willing to “buy” the University of Miami experience for 100k. I hope it will work out and he makes the best of it.</p>
<p>Mom of a soon-to-be grad. She’s had a wonderful four years at the U. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’d actually love to know how your S made the decision. I’m a high school senior choosing between USD and UM myself XD And I got pretty good grants from both schools. Is there any particular reason your son chose UM? I just love the sun and heard the pre-med program was pretty good (I’m Texan).</p>
<p>Our S was also accepted to U Miami and U Maryland. No financial aid (we don’t qualify) and no merit money for either, so it was an easy decision. I’m sure U Miami is a great school, but my opinion is that it was not good enough to be worth $53,000 per year. (We had the same feelings about Tulane.) We are out of state for Maryland, but it’s still about $14k or so cheaper. S was admitted to the business school at Maryland and it was very impressive; I do have to admit we didn’t even visit Miami as it was going to be way out of our price range and doesn’t seem that well known for business. Maybe if he had wanted oceanography…</p>
<p>Re: your concerns…I would bet that both UMD and U Miami are equal on the “partying” scale, so don’t let that factor into your decision.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son!</p>
<p>P.S. Hey Fallenchemist…move along…I just mentioned Tulane briefly here…lol…</p>
<p>Well actually, I have a lot to say about that…LOL. Yes sir, moving along.</p>
<p>Chenti, we live in Maryland and my son looked at the number of students that were out of state at USD. He thinks that since the majority of students at USD are from California, and he is not, that this will affect how he fits in. He thinks since the majority of students are from out of state at the University of Miami he will fit in better. For us also California is much further away. We have also heard that the UM premed program is most excellent. I just got back from Haiti not too long ago and I can tell you that the mobile hospital that UM had there was THE way for us to get complicated patient’s taken care of. Just top notch, and a credit to the U!</p>
<p>ReadytoRoll, our Son made this a more difficult decision by earning the academic scholarship. If there was no scholarship money I think our son would turn into a Terrapin lol! Being a graduate of a University of Maryland graduate program I have full confidence in the U of M and think your S will have an excellent experience! BTW actually going to the U of Miami campus certainly twists ones arm, Miami in general had that effect, at least on me. I can see why my S would like to spend 4 years there!</p>
<p>I have met a number of Miami grads. In fact, I went to their law school. Here is my take.</p>
<p>First, if your son thinks he will coast through, he is sadly mistaken. Miami academics will be demanding. Because of the weather and cute girls, there certainly can be parties to be found. However, he will need to demonstrate some self control and drive if he wants to succeed there.</p>
<p>Second, everyone that I have met loved the school. It isn’t that big as to feel like a number yet big enough to form friends with almost any type of person that you want. The Miami scene is very vibrant , and the weather is fabulous. </p>
<p>Third, most loved the academics. They have a plethera of majors and a lot of course offerings for a midsize school</p>
<p>In addition, class sizes are, for the most part, small. There is a more “intimate” feel about Miami’s education than that of Maryland.
HOWEVER, with all this said, a lot would depend on the tuition that you are paying and your financial situation. If you have a lot of money, Miami would be a better choice over Maryland. If , however, you aren’t fairly well off and your son didn’t get a substantial schoarship there, I would recommend Maryland, unless Maryland doesn’t have the major(s) that you want. I don’t think that Miami or most colleges for that matter, is worth 20K more per year.</p>