<p>With around 10,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students, Miami can be classified as a medium-to-large university. But I would have to imagine that every school, even those with similar student body populations, has a different "feel." So, for students that currently attend or have attended in the past, I ask: What is Miami's feel? Does it feel overly crowded, or is the campus spread out enough to mitigate that feeling? Are there ever times when you really feel that you are not just one of 10,000 kids?</p>
<p>I personally prefer the "small" feel to the "large" feel, but I also realize that you make sacrifices when you go to a college with just a couple thousands students. That's why size is not really a deal-breaker for me, I am just curious as to what sense you really have of yourself while you are actually a kid studying at the University of Miami. </p>
<p>Thank you in advanced to anyone who replies...</p>
<p>I don’t go there, but my parents have worked there all my life and I have heard every student say that it is large enough to meet new people constantly, but you feel like more than just a number. The classes are smaller and the professors attentive. The campus itself is a good size I think. It’s a decent walk all around campus, but not too long. For example, UF is humongous, and it took about 20 minutes for me to walk to a dorm to one of the dining halls (beatty to gator dining). Nothing wrong at all with big schools, I’m just comparing. At UM, 20 minutes is the amount of time it takes to walk across the whole campus. </p>
<p>And sometimes I’ll be on campus on weekends and it feels very evenly spread out. I’ve never really seen it over-crowded.</p>
<p>Once again, I don’t attend, so of course students and alumni will know more than me. Are you going there this year or thinking about applying for next year?</p>
<p>My son went to UM, and as a parent, I spent a good deal of time walking the campus when visiting. I didn’t think the size was an issue at all. The campus seemed well laid out and easy to navigate. There is a main walkway around the lake in the center of campus and that walkway gets pretty crowded but once you are off the main path it is quieter and not too far to get to any one place. It’s a really pretty tropical campus and my son never felt like a number. He goes to a smaller school now of about 6,000 and the campus feels about the same in terms of size.</p>
<p>vacationsays: Thanks for your post. I am considering applying for Fall 2010 admission. If I do apply, I will definitely make it a point to visit the campus, so I am just trying to gather as much insight as possible.</p>
<p>LilyMoon: Thank you as well. Feeling like just a number is something I don’t want, so what you have described is very reassuring to me. On a side note: it seems like a good number of students transfer out of Miami, which is not always a bad thing. What are your thoughts on why so many move to other schools?</p>
<p>KRS- my son is one of those who chose to transfer. He stayed at UM thru 1st semester Junior year and then transferred out. It was a difficult decision but he left for a number of reasons. The main one was that he wanted to experience a different type of undergrad environment. UM has some great attributes but it has some down sides as well.</p>
<p>KRS- cool. I’m applying for Fall 2010 as well. And I heartily approve of your screen name.</p>
<p>I am currently attending the University of miami as a sophomore. I was looking at both smaller schools and larger schools. My fear with large schools was that I would be a lost number. My fear with small schools was that I wouldn’t meet enough people that I felt I could bond with. Miami has neither of these problems. My largest class was general lecture religion class that I used as an elective. It had 140 kids. My smallest class last year was an honors physics class, which had 11. At Miami, you might have a few classes where you will never talk to the professor unless you go out of your way, but any professor is willing to meet with you one on one, no matter how large or small the class is. There are certain times and areas when the campus will be crowded, like the freshman dining hall at noon exactly, but its not crammed to the point where you can’t find a table. You might just not get your favorite one. On the opposite end, there are parts of campus where you can walk them even in the middle of the day and you will only see a few people. To sum it all up, Miami really is the perfect small-mid sized university. There are smaller, and there are much larger (UF has close to 50,000 undergrad last i checked). The best way to get the feel yourself is to visit, even if only to do a campus tour. Then you can see just how “crowded” or not you feel miami is.</p>
<p>Thank you, stephcat90. It seems like Miami would be a fit for me from what you described. As I continue my college search, I have the same fear you had - to be a lost number. I have no problem with some areas being a little crowded, I go through that now with my high school. But I guess I will go for a visit to solidify my feelings, as you suggested.</p>
<p>I have one question, though: how are the freshman dorms (Stanford and Hecht, from what I understand)? In terms of size, comfort level, A/C, ability to meet and connect with other students, etc.? Are they crowded as well?</p>