<p>My friend is considering UM, but is not a drinker or a druggie by any means. She just wants to know if it really is that bad, and if the university is bad b/c she's seen some online reviews of it >.<</p>
<p>So, what are the pros and cons of UM? She wants to major in Psychology, most likely.
Any information about the university will be greatly appreciated, as we live overseas and cannot physically visit the schools! Thanks! :)</p>
<p>UM is a party school. partying is expensive here. it’s a work hard, play hard environment.</p>
<p>Pros-- great location, great weather, Miami is a great city altho not a college city, great programs in science, music, and many others. A good sized school. I have been very impressed with professors as well.</p>
<p>The University of Miami is what you make of it. If you want to smoke pot all the time or drink all the time, the option is definitely there. If you want to avoid that, it is very easy to do.</p>
<p>There are floors offered in the dorms that are called “substance free”. If your friend is concerned with the environment that much, then your friend should check those out.</p>
<p>The psychology department gets better every year and gets more money every year. There are numerous opportunities within the department and the head of the department is great. All classes are in one building, conveniently connected to the biggest parking garage for easy access by car and bus.</p>
<p>Pros:</p>
<p>The weather is amazing.</p>
<p>School spirit is always high.</p>
<p>They give away a lot of stuff for free and often.</p>
<p>The Career center is ranked 18th in the US.</p>
<p>There are a ton of ways to get involved with student groups on campus.</p>
<p>If you make good friends with professors and administrators, you will do well.</p>
<p>If you want to join the party culture, going to the beach and clubbing etc, this is the best place for it.</p>
<p>Cons:</p>
<p>It seems like a majority of people are apathetic and shallow. Not all are, but if you are interested in more than tanning etc, you will have to look for friends. The apathy on campus is especially difficult to deal with if you like to get involved.</p>
<p>A lot of student groups rely on popularity contests for elections.</p>
<p>Student Government is not very effective, but they always mean well.</p>
<p>Parking is insane. You have to plan well. Your friend won’t care though, freshmen can’t have cars on campus! (This was only recently done, and yet the parking is still bad!)</p>
<p>The student newspaper might as well not exist, although the website is really good.</p>
<p>The Career center really caters more towards business students.</p>
<p>The administration sometimes does things without student opinion that make everyone go crazy (they recently changed the housing from priority to lottery).</p>
<p>Miami is expensive and the people are rude. I am a native and I still stand by this. Driving is not always the most fun thing in the world. Public transportation exists as the metro, but is not very efficient.</p>
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<p>Again, it is what you make of it. Some things cannot be ignored, but they can be tolerated.</p>
<p>Great, informative reply. I have sent her the link to view this! Thanks!</p>
<p>The biggest problem I’ve had with the university is that it’s located near Miami. There are some great benefits to this as well, such as the beaches, but overall I’m not too fond of the city anymore. Living on campus as an undergrad works out just fine, but once you start commuting it’s just a real pain. </p>
<p>Traffic here is obnoxious and dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians alike. Most drivers are unaware that pedestrians have crossing priority and will oftentimes turn into or cut off pedestrians in crosswalks. I make a strong effort to avoid driving at certain times of the day, as well, because it often takes forever to get anywhere.</p>
<p>The other problem I’ve had with the location is safety. My girlfriend has had her bike stolen, there have been two armed robberies on/near campus this year, and I had both my car’s side mirrors cut off and stolen while parked on campus at night. Some of the apartment housing is located near the perimeter of the campus, so sometimes you see some strange people who clearly aren’t students wandering around at night. You’ll also want to avoid the metro after dark, especially if you’re a girl.</p>
<p>These issues are likely prevalent with other universities located in an urban setting, but it’s something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Just want to comment on some of these statements.</p>
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<p>Definitely agree with the apathy part of this. I’ve noticed that this has increased since I was a freshman too. There seems to be fewer students involved than there used to be and I’ve talked with others who have noticed this as well. Also, the student body in general doesn’t really care about things (politics, current events, etc) and isn’t really passionate about anything. Not to say that everyone is like that, there are definitely people who care, but in general they don’t.</p>
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<p>I think this is true with everything in life but okay.</p>
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<p>False. Brandon Gross’ team did a fantastic job in 08-09 making improvements on campus.</p>
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<p>This is highly overstated. I never have a problem getting a parking space near my classes. Granted I start at 9:05 or 9:30 everyday, but as long as you get to campus before 10:30 you’re good. And if you get to class later, there’s always parking by the arena (about a 10-15 min walk to most class buildings).</p>
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<p>Agreed, the newspaper is horrendus. But the yearbook is one of the top 3, if not the top, in the country consistently every year. The newspaper used to be much better my freshman and sophomore year and can get back to that as long as the right people get involved.</p>
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<p>100% true. If you’re not in the B school, it’s basically useless. They do nothing at all for Comm majors.</p>
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<p>Wow, I’m sorry you’ve had such unfortunate experiences. Just to throw in my two cents, I’ve never felt unsafe on campus or commuting to campus. And the “armed robbery” at Starbucks last week turned out to be a set up by Starbucks workers. So yeah, there has still been one, but what we learned from VT is that those things can happen anywhere, urban or rural.</p>