Current students, please help: Miami vs. Furman

Colleges and Universities A-Z Miami University - Ohio
1

<p>D is deciding between MiamiU and Furman. Miami is significantly cheaper. She has a list of questions which she has emailed to various people at Miami, but is having trouble getting responses. This brings up a concern to me, and I would like current student or recent alumni opinions: How hard is it to get attention from faculty and advisors? Do you feel anonymous on campus? Do your academic advisors show any interest in you or knowledge of your individual situations, or is it more do-it-yourself? Do faculty seem happy to help, or act bothered? </p>

<p>My D is not aggressive, and easily intimidated. (Although less so as she gets older, so maybe she'll outgrow it entirely!) </p>

<p>Since Furman is so much smaller, the teacher attention will be more intense, and the class size smaller. I am trying to decide if that should outweigh the advantages of attending a larger school.</p>

2

<p>Has your D sent a reminder email to those people? I would imagine that a lot of people are incredibly busy with grant proposals, finals coming up, and everything that has happened this week. I've never had trouble with getting responses from professors. Some advisors are better than others. I haven't talked to my zoology advisor this year because I find it easier and more convenient to advise myself. The pre-med advisor is in his office much more often, and I've talked to him several times. However, I've talked to the German advisor quite a few times this year. I check my DARS report on a fairly regular basis to make sure that all of my classes have been credited toward Miami Plan/my majors.</p>

<p>My professors are all very approachable and helpful, especially during office hours. You do have to initiate the contact in most cases because Miami is a large school, but once they know who you are, they are always willing to help you. When I first visited Miami, there was supposed to be a tour of the zoology department, but it was canceled for some reason. I didn't know about the cancellation, so when I showed up in the zoology office, a professor who happened to be in there took me around and spent over an hour talking to me about classes, research, and pre-med. Also, I'm not sure if your D is interested in continuing German, but I think the German department in particular is wonderful about making students feel like they're more than a number.</p>

<p>I was in a similar situation as your D when I was a senior. I was trying to decide between Miami and Wellesley (two VERY different schools!) with a difference of about $90k over 4 years, and money was a huge factor in my decision. When I visited both campuses, I knew that I would be happy at either one. After nearly two years at Miami, I'm VERY happy with my decision.</p>

3

<p>Regarding the additional questions, I would make sure the Miami admissions dept knows that you are not getting answers in a timely manner. In fact, it may not be a bad idea to copy them on any questions emailed out to other Miami contacts, including the note that this is a second or third request for a response. I would not hesitate to give them a phone call as well. I'm sure they can help push to get you the answers soon. By the way, I found Miami faculty and advisors accessible and genuinely interested in helping you. Note that there is also an extensive student tutoring service available. For example, as a sophmore struggling through accounting, I was able to schedule twice-weekly sessions with a senior accounting major who reviewed my homework (after I finished it, of course) and helped explain difficult concepts. This was incredibly valuable for me, and the tutoring is available across most areas of study. However, it is up to the student to reach out to these resources and ask for help and guidance.</p>

4

<p>I definitely do not feel as if I am a number on campus. My professors legitimately set aside time to meet with you and get to know you. Even professors in large intro classes can know my name. My professors are also EXTREMELY helpful in networking, for jobs etc.</p>

5

<p>Thank-you for your input! Responses here and PMs are making us feel much more confident about sending our D to Miami.</p>

<p>The first email D sent was to her admissions counselor, who responded immediately, saying, "Sorry, I'm going on vacation tomorrow and don't have time to answer." So we've been reluctant to contact her again. That was on April 6. (I was suprised that Admissions folk go on vacation in April, when students are making final decisions. Kinda like a tax guy going on vacation in April!) </p>

<p>She recommended D contact the Music Advisor, but sent a typo in the email address, so it bounced back once. We found the correct address, sent it again, and have never received a response. I found department emails for the English Dept and foreign language dept, and D sent pertinent questions to them, and hasn't received answers. Perhaps no one checks those emails, or the person answering them is anonymous enough to not feel any sense of obligation.</p>

<p>I took over, and re-sent the music questions to the music dept. secretary, and she responded right away, with suggestion to contact the violin teacher. He has been very helpful and supportive, and wrote back right away. But we had been hoping to hear from others as well, since some of her questions had nothing to do with music.</p>

<p>On the Admitted Students page of the website, there is a link to "ask a student." She sent her leftover questions to that email last Friday. So we will see if anybody responds. I think we have gotten most of our questions answered from here or other places -- but appreciate having several perpectives. We still would like responses from the school, just out of common courtesy.</p>

6

<p>I would like to observe that Miami's email has been in a state of disarray for over a week. The InfoTech people are installing a new firewall/spamblocker, and switching from Eudora to MSOutlook, and we (faculty) have lost many of our emails in the ensuing chaos. Email from sources that have not already been "whitelisted" (as previous known contacts) are being lost or sent to spam folders. </p>

<p>Please don't judge faculty lack of response at this critical time as indicative of anything but email craziness due to this technical problem.</p>

7

<p>That is very useful information to know, Professor X. Thanks. Too bad there can't be some notice of this put on the website. Must be frustrating for those at that end (not to mention those of us at this end!) Hope you don't lose anything important.</p>

8

<p>We submitted the deposit online last night. Lots of decisions and questions to answer before we could say yes, she's coming. Had no idea it was going to take so long, or that we would have to answer so many questions, or we would have waited for a day when D didn't have so much homework. Thought we were going to just say yes, and give credit card info. Instead, we had to dig up immunization records, make snap decisions about housing, etc. I hope we did everything right.</p>

<p>We selected the $1100 food option -- she thought that was too much, but it would give her lunch and dinner every day. If that turns out to be more than she needs, then we can reduce the amount second semester.... right?</p>

<p>We put a minimal amount in the MUlaa account - just to have something to start with. We can add to that via Internet later, .... right?</p>

<p>We were caught off guard about having to choose two housing choices. She is an Oxford Scholar, so she wanted Honors housing. Ended up choosing Arts as her second choice, kind of impulsively. Does anybody know how likely it is to get first choice?</p>

<p>She obviously doesn't have a roommate picked out. I wonder if this will be a disadvantage of attending an out of state, state school. Everybody else comes with friends already made? My other two kids attended private schools, where everyone was "alone" and eager to make friends. At least I guess her chances of meeting other out of staters is higher.</p>

<p>She hasn't officially said no to Furman yet. We don't have Miami's final financial aid forms. Although we expect she will go there regardless of whether they adjust her initial offer, we can't sign to accept the scholarships until we have the final offer. So if something slips through the cracks and we lose the money, then we need a back up plan! H will call today to see if we should sign the first paper that was incomplete, in order to accept the merit awards.</p>

<p>After being officially enrolled, D returned to homework. She didn't have much of a reaction, so I asked her if she was happy. She said yes, but she was tired. I am hoping she will get a chance to get excited about it soon.</p>

<p>I see that she will be expected to get to Miami for a day and a half in June. Anybody have any information about this? If we don't send her then, I guess she'd end up at the bottom of the heap for scheduling? Will have to think how to get her there - lots of money to fly up for that amount of time - and would have to choose very specific flights, which is always more expensive. But to drive that far for a day and a half isn't appealing either. But I want her to do this, to help her get excited and oriented about the fall. (Or summer! Freshmen arrive August 16th!)</p>

<p>She did get answers yesterday from a Miami student to questions she sent via the admitted student page. Bit by bit she's getting answers and opinions about most of her questions. We were disappointed to learn that the "create-your-own-major" has been discontinued with the current freshmen. But it was nice to see some enthusiasm from a current student.</p>

9

<p>binx,
I don't have a student at Miami but my S has really good friends who go there. He has two good friends who went to Miami but don't room together. They also pledged two different sororities but are still great friends. It's nice to have someone you know there and I think that they see each other some but they have lots of other friends. I would not worry that she doesn't know anyone, I don't feel that MUO has that clique HS feel, it's more selective than some schools in OH so you don't bring your whole gang to MUO. Our HS sends quite of few to MUO but I never hear that they hang out together much. That was one thing that my D was afraid of, she didn't want to hang out with the people she went to HS with, but wanted to have new experiences with new people.</p>

<p>S had two friends who had many offers and didn't decide on MUO until the end of April. They are both in Honors Housing and I don't think that they had any problems.</p>

<p>I'm sure you can reduce her meal plan, it also says that they will refund any unused $ at the end of the semester, minus a small service charge. </p>

<p>I hope you D is excited about her choice. I have lots of friends who went to Miami and I have never heard of anyone who wasn't happy there. </p>

<p>It's on my D's list and she really liked the school. I wish that the engineering program was a little stronger but it's still on her list.</p>

10

<p>binx,</p>

<p>The day and a half in June is for orientation, counseling on course choices, familiarization with the Miami Plan, familiarization with course requirements for each student's school (Education, Arts and Science, Business, etc.) and actual course registration. Students also get to meet some other incoming folks, begin to learn a bit about campus, and stay in a dorm. It would be a huge mistake to miss this. The information is crucial, as is the registration process.</p>

11

<p>Thanks, Professor. It's not our intention to miss it. It's just awkward to fit another visit in. Fortunately, D's plans to go to Germany in June fell through. I'm sure this is the kind of thing we'll experience often over the next four years. It's a state school, and the majority of students are within a reasonable day's drive. Out of state and International students need to consider things like this when considering attending a state school in another state. The school just isn't set up for "outsiders." I don't mean that as a gripe or whine - simply something to consider.</p>

<p>Many schools have a freshmen orientation that butts up against the start of the school year, so students don't have to make mulitple trips. Registration is done online. The plus for a plan like Miami's is that it allows the students to get a visual and mental idea in advance of what it will be like, and have the summer to get used to it. I like the plan - just am balking at the cost.</p>

<p>I know if we held off for Miami's August orientation, my D would probably have trouble getting the schedule she wants. The orientation offers one night's lodging at the school, so we are looking at paying for a couple nights of hotel on either side of the trip, or plane tickets. These are expenses an instate student doesn't have. When we looked at travel costs, we figured on beginning and end of school year, Christmas, and spring break. </p>

<p>Which reminds me of another question we had! On the schedule for the academic year, it has various phrases about the "campuses closed." For example, Labor Day. Surely they don't expect me to send my D up there on August 16, then bring her home again two weeks later? It didn't say "Residences closed" so I'm hoping she'll have a place to sleep. Will cafeterias be open? I'm panicking that these flying back and forth for one and two days is something Miami is going to expect of us on a regular basis. It is a cost we didn't anticipate.</p>

<p>At Thanksgiving, it does say dormintories close. So everyone must leave campus? At Christmas, it says finals go through Dec 14, that students must leave with 24 hours after last final, but it also says dorms close 7 p.m. on Dec 14. So, assuming the student has a final on Dec 14, which statement is not true? - the 24 hours after? or the 7 p.m.?</p>

12

<p>Binx,
Glad to hear that you decided on Miami. The campus residences only close at Thanksgiving and Christmas. On holidays such as Labor Day, there are no classes, but residences are open. Remember to book a flight for yourself for Parent's Weekend which is usually in October. There's lots of activities, football game, hockey game, study abroad info, etc. Plus your daughter will be anxious to show you around her new campus and meet her new friends. If you can get a room at the hotel on campus, do it. Then you can park your car for the weekend and not have to worry about it. Parking is a hassle in Oxford and seems to be a major source of income (tickets) for the town. We've mostly used AirTran to fly into DC area. Booking and planning ahead is the key to saving money. They have very decent fares (sometimes $49 one way) to Dayton and then it's a 1 hour drive from Dayton to Oxford. Delta also flies to Cinncinati. We've been dealing with this commute for 3 years now, and now our S will be going to Purdue, so we're not done yet. Let me know if you have more questions.</p>

13

<p>In the interest of full disclosure, my husband's brother lives in Dayton (his wife is an MU alum), so chances are we will be able to find lodging there most of the time. We have already imposed upon them twice this year, for first visit in November, then music audition in January. And expect to hit them up again in August. So we will probably try to find other accommodations for June. I think they are bracing themselves against our constant imposition upon them - transportation, help for D in one way or another. Bringing chicken soup when she gets the flu... I already asked them to start watching ads for a second hand bicycle for D. I am hoping they'll be home over Thanksgiving, and will let D come there at least some years. This year, we might want her home. Thanks for the tip about parents' weekend. We never attended one for either of our sons -- too far, and they didn't really seem interested in having us come. We'll have to see what D thinks.</p>

<p>Thanks for responding. I think I'm feeling some normal buyer's remorse, and it's always helpful to hear from folks who've had a good experience! Has your D felt okay about being from out of state?</p>

14

<p>About 33% of the students are out-of-state, and it hasn't been a problem for me. Almost everyone does the roommate lottery the first year, and very few of the in-staters hang out solely with people from their high school.</p>

15

<p>Binx,
The family aspect is absolutely a big plus! Being out of state hasn't been an issue for my D. She does occasionally get tired of the 'I'm from Ohio' response, but you'd be surprised how many students do attend from out of state. D has many friends from Canada as well. Overall, it doesn't matter where they're from. It's just important that your D finds friends and she will find Miami to be a welcoming place. If she does happen to make a good friend that lives nearby, perhaps she can spend the odd weekend at their home. I understand your anxiety, but she'll be fine. She should start thinking about ways to get involved on campus or in the community. Orientation will help as well.</p>