I had thought that the U was not a great school for academics and kids went there to party, but I have heard differently from many different sources. What are your impressions of the University of Miami?
It is a very good school academically, along with sports, fun stuffs, etc. For many students who live in FL and surrounding states and do not want to travel too far for college, U of Miami and Emory are often top choices.
U of Miami is a very good school. It is located in a very nice neighborhood in Miami and has a very pretty campus. It is a very good choice for a student who wants a good academic school in an urban neighborhood that has a real campus. It is a medium sized university with big time sports.
How do you define a “good school”?
Pretty much however you slice it the U is a really good school.
Somebody is probably confusing the current state of The U with the wild days in the 80’s and early 90’s. But those days are long gone. It’s an excellent academic school.
The two are not mutually exclusive
My dad went to THE [][]. My sister is a Junior at THE [][]. It is our opinion that THE []_[] is the best (and possibly the most difficult) 2nd tier school in the country. I can tell you that based upon conversations with family members, it is not for everyone. While diverse, people can be competitive, and …difficult both inside and outside the classroom. There are many distractions, and many opportunities to be had. A’s are not easy to come by. Classes are difficult, and you will earn your grade. You will receive a quality education, and studying hard will reward you with opportunities both in the job market and higher education. I can’t think of any school that I would rather attend.
…and remember, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE []_[]!
My husband and I graduated from the U in the 80s as Florida natives and our son is applying EDII now. (We went on to get our MBAs in our new home state of Texas.) UM is a wonderful sanctuary and a solid academic environment. Good? I think it is a GREAT school, in every measure. With access to a larger city, students make what they will of the experience as they do at other school. I’m got a great education, had plenty of on campus and off campus activities, and am still in contact with other alumni from my time there. The alumni are business leaders, entrepreneurs, engineers, lawyers and judges, nurses and doctors, and financiers. Alumni support and school spirit are high and grads have a spark that I enjoy. I would love for our son to attend! Yes, it is all about the U!
If students go to college to party, they won’t be there for long. No one is giving out grades and the environment is challenging. In college, you are expected to be adult enough to get yourself to class with assignments/prep work completed. Balance. Party-only people fall by the wayside, just like they do post-graduation.
The U has a new president trying to prove himself diverse. My wife and I both are grads and our daughter, a valedictorian with 1600 sat new, sports, music was put on wait list. Legacy be damned if you are a good student but not of color or Hispanic. she got in to Duke, and Chapel Hill. Miami and her snotty advisor beyond appalling, she chose Duke. With a ride. Very disappointed that Miami so different now.
Please see how much alum support there is in my post below.
Couldn’t agree more from #9. U is moving toward a Model to be more of a 100% Need Based School then Merit based School. Thats why we can clearly see less Merit $$ for outstanding students this Year as compare to previous Years.
@posiepetunia I have the opposite situation – my son is a double legacy at Duke & got deferred in ED. Got in EA to Miami with hefty scholarship (he is white, so no URM hook). I think he will pick UM even if he gets into Duke RD because UM has been nothing but awesome & Duke rather standoffish. So – who knows what either office is thinking! Regardless, both of our kids are going to have amazing UG experiences. Congrats to your D.
^^ Looks like both Schools UM and Duke don’t prefer Legacy Students… Thats the only line I can draw through the Dots.
@posiepetunia - Pretty large generalization there, no? My son (white and from NJ) got in with very good grades and excellent SAT scores - old and new - so that would seem to indicate something different from what you portray.
No, it’s what happened and happening to others and in other schools. My daughter applied to 11 schools, only Miami said no. Spoke with advisor , as I said snotty. We took Duke ride because of location, she received ride offers everywhere else except Penn and Yale, but both said they would meet need nad gave offered some merit.
Have friends with son in same situation. Miami legacy x 2, donates every year ( we don’t , we have 5 kids) Same scores. When he called legacy admission ( he’s an attorney in Tampa) was told that Miami wnats to be 50% of color by 2020. We were told the same at Duke, Yale, Penn in one manner or another as well . I find it strange that the Ivys accepted, Duke and Chapel Hill as well ( Duke was her first choice) but not a non top-tier school like Miami. If she had received a ride to Miami , still would have chosen Duke or one of the others that offered $$ for merit. Anyone who has been to any of the highly selective school interviews and meetings with counselors, toured or even sat in on the admissions speech know that the schools are seeking diversity.
Don’t take my tone wrong- she is thrilled that she had so much good news. So are we.
@posiepetunia - Candidly, if I were a betting man, and I am not, I would say that Miami probably felt she wasn’t going to come, given her outstanding credentials. More power to her for getting into Duke. A great school and far more selective than The U. BTW - I have a lilly white daughter who is a freshman at Miami, so they still are accepting white kids. 
I agree with @Themclos . My lilly white son ( from NY) got in EA with a very generous merit scholarship and Miami was a reach for him! We were very surprised being that he didn’t even apply for financial aid. We will be visiting over winter break. He is very excited!
Everyone we personally know that has a kid currently attending there is white, upper middle class (or wealthy), and all received merit scholarships, which is one of the reasons they chose the school.
We’re heading there in April to tour the campus. Frost school of Music One of the things that we liked about UM is that it is a GOOD school vs some of the lesser schools that simply have good music programs.