<p>I am sorry that you are having a hard time finding the perfect mix of academic/social experience in a University. You must be very frustrated!</p>
<p>If you return to Miami, I think having a higher GPA and also (and this is key) finding a professor in your field who can mentor you will be key. Having a close academic relationship with a professor who will be able to give you a great recommendation and possibly open up other opportunities for you, in my opinion, is more vital than what school you graduate from. If we were talking some little known school vs HPY, then of course you should stay with the Ivies. But I think the small difference btw UNC and Miami in rankings will not make a difference come time for Grad school acceptances.</p>
<p>“As far as not being able to find decent people, I think that idea is highly overdone. Many people come to the school expecting that, so that’s all they see. In reality, there is every type of person here. If you want superficial friends, you can certainly find them. But there are just as many down-to-earth people to meet.”</p>
<p>This. I get so sick of hearing how superficial people are at UM. Yes, they’re there, but I have so many friends who are down to earth and not superficial at all. What’s ironic is that the people who transfer from UM because they think the other students are affluent usually think they’re better than everyone at UM.</p>
<p>I would highly recommend your daughter try Greek life. I had a great first semester at UM and a really rough second semester so I decided to rush in the fall in hopes that it would change my experience and it did so much. I met some of my best friends and I started getting really involved on campus. It changed my college experience 100%. I think she should try it and if she still doesn’t like UM then maybe she should transfer.</p>
<p>Certainly not. There are plenty of people on campus. Sure, less than on weekdays, but still lots. And, as for not having a car, I’m sure he’ll meet some people who do, and can travel with them, need be. Plus zipcars. If he plans to go somewhere local, the tri-rail can take you anywhere you need to go, or to a place where you can connect to where you want to go.</p>
<p>Pix-Don’t worry, UM is not a suitcase school. Freshmen are required to live on campus (unless they are local and commute from home) and cannot have cars, so your S would not feel out of place.</p>
<p>I really think UM could be a good fit for a kid who has broad life experiences, like you S.</p>
<p>campus is not empty at all on campus, and as a first year freshman, i too have had ups and downs (i think most have).</p>
<p>I chose Miami bc of a combination of scholarship, size, athletics, good programs in my intended areas, weather etc. I have met TONS of down to earth kids, and plenty of stuck up ones too. I have had fun times, but do not like how football games are so far (im a huge football fan) and overall the campus lacks sports spirit compared to a big state school. I have not made a tight group of friends unfortunately, which makes me think of transferring. I will be sending out some apps this winter for transfer next year although i am not committed to transferring by any means.
BUT I am rushing frats next semester an hopefully that goes well.</p>
<p>forgot to mention that i HATE having to go off campus for every party and if you want to go to the clubs/bars you need a fake ID and everything is just way harder than at most of your schools. It seems that Miami may be too fast paced and too city for my liking, although I’m really not sure.</p>
<p>This is a question for Bruins Jew or anyone else:</p>
<p>For transfer, I’m looking at smaller schools except the state school in my state (because of value). I know it’s a personal decision, but do I go to the cheaper state school or the more prestigious, more expensive, smaller school (lets say transfer to dartmouth).
I don’t believe it matters where you go to school, but what you do at your school.
Although I like the academics here and think its quite challenging, I always question whether its better at other schools.</p>
<p>Does the campus empty out on weekends? Son will not have a car. </p>
<p>Not really. Mainly upperclassmen who live off campus don’t come to campus. But if your son’s a freshman, everyone will be around. Miami is definitely not a commuter school, very few people go home on the weekends.</p>
<p>Have to agree about the football games… sometimes the turnout is just pathetic (from both the students and the city of Miami). The first few games were good, but it seems like people are only interested if we’re doing well and playing good teams.</p>
<p>Miami is a fair-weathered fan base. Instead of going to all the games and supporting their boys at times of good and bad, they’re only there to ride the bandwagon when Miami is playing like they did in the 80s and 90s, an NCAA Championship Team. That’s one thing I love at UNC, we have a school-spirit that is hard to top with everyone dressed in their Carolina blue gear</p>
<p>Agreed about the football. But that’s the exchange for going to school in a city instead of a middle-of-nowhere college town. I still go to every game and tailgate and have a great time.</p>
<p>My son graduates from UM in less than two weeks. He had his share of first year blues but stuck it out because he loved the professors in his area of interest, (Marine Sciences), as well as the opportunities he was offered because of his scuba diving experience. </p>
<p>At first he struggled to find “his group”; it was easy to point to the party atmosphere and the “rich, snotty” kids because they made for easy, stereotypical targets. The fact of the matter is that college is not high school. You aren’t surrounded by people all from your part of town and you aren’t seeing the same people in the same classes 5 times a week for 9 months in a row. I told him that going away to college was like moving to a new city for a job change. You’re not going to know many people and your day to day schedule will make it hard to consistently connect with people having the same interests as you. It takes effort to find people you want to hang out with.</p>
<p>Some people never get comfortable and they choose to transfer; for them the grass will always be greener someplace else. But just remember that there are students transferring into and out of every college in America, including the likes of Harvard and Stanford. Contrary to the “wisdom” spouted on CC, there is no perfect school, only places and situations that are personally better or worse for you. But every transfer resets the clock for the new student. You will be the new guy, without the common experience of freshman year or the built-in if small circle of friends. BruinsJEW tells a a cautionary story about how he has attended three colleges in three years and now feels he made a mistake leaving Miami. My suggestion is to find the place that best suits what you want to study and then try and make the social side work. As you move up the ladder of a particular department you will start to see more and more familiar faces in classes and the friend making will get easier.</p>
<p>Socially, Miami is no better or worse than any other school. But socializing is only a part of college, but it isn’t the most important part. The sooner you come around to that realization, the sooner the situation will get easier to deal with.</p>
<p>Thank You to everyone for their words of congratulation, but all I did was write some checks, Son1 did all the work. </p>
<p>Miami ended up being a great place for him. He unearthed and grabbed onto opportunities that were available at the University. While there were and still are times when the college and the city drive him nuts, those times are no worse than what any average adult would consider “normal aggravation”. It can’t be too bad, he’s been offered and has accepted a position at the U in the Marine Sciences Department.</p>
<p>Like everything in life, colleges get reputations that too often overemphasize a single trait. “Miami is a party school”, “Southern Cal is dangerous”, “Carnegie-Mellon is full of workaholic nerds”, etc. Many stereotypes have a shred of truth, but it’s usually the simplistic one and they almost never tell the entire story. Miami certainly isn’t for everyone and the kids do party. But they don’t party any more than I see that students do here in Ann Arbor and they don’t seem to be any more clothes conscious than any other school we’ve visited. If you go to Miami expecting to see “rich, snotty, fashion obsessed students” then you’ll see them; if you go looking for engaged Marine Sciences double majors doing interesting work, or stunningly talented jazz musicians practicing on the lawns, you’ll find those as well. About the only noticeable difference I’ve seen between Miami students and everyone else it that Miami kids have very well maintained year-round tans. Something I get very envious of, right around the middle of February.</p>
<p>re: Empty stadiums. I believe that if the stadium were on campus it would fill up no matter how the season was going. It’s a long haul to the new stadium (though worth the drive as it is incredible.)</p>
<p>Vinceh- Congrats to you and your son.</p>
<p>My own son had hesitations his first year or so. Made friends but was not into the off campus party scene. The girls could get into bars at 18 and the boys at 21, so they couldn’t go along. Had friends, but they were not always around to do things with at night. For him, the frat made a world of difference as there is a “group” to hang with and do planned activities with. His friends had pledged before he did so he was left out of the loop.</p>
<p>Son could be graduating now (has enough credits as a 1st semester Jr and finished a major and minor last spring) but opted to stay and graduate on time, in the spring of 2011 and get another major. UM is too great to leave!!! We are very happy and supportive of his decision.</p>