<p>Well, we are now home from the move-in and orientation and I have to say that I was incredibly impressed by the organization and ease in which move-in worked. Also, it was very thoughtful to have water hydration stations at every corner...we needed it!
It was hot! </p>
<p>We stayed until Friday and got to experience "letting go" sessions, orientation meetings on various topics such as the health center, hurricane safety, volunteerism, study abroad, career center, etc. We totally enjoyed the Cane Kickoff which was really fun and the Convocation speech by George Will was incredible. Donna Shalala really knows how to get things started. We met with the Dean of our DS school, enjoyed food in the food court as well as Coconut Grove and Sunset Place. </p>
<p>The dorm room was old 70's mica furniture and xl twin bed and plenty of closet space and drawers...no need at all for bedrisers or tons of extra drawers. </p>
<p>Our DS met with an advisor on Sunday, dropped and added on Sunday afternoon, is buying books today and classes start tomorrow. Many activities and orientations for the students between last Thursday and today, Tuesday. </p>
<p>Our DS did not know anyone when he got to UM and now can say that he has been "hanging" with new friends and getting used to the campus. We are happy parents now that we hear how happy he is. Hopefully his classes will work out and he will find happiness at UM. We miss him greatly, but know that he is where he needs to be. Please feel free to PM me if you have questions...as a prospective parent, I had plenty!</p>
<p>DinDune, I feel as though I could have written the same words as you. I am so happy for my D that she is in such a wonderful place…the right place for her. She has already made new friends (as she also knew no one prior to arriving on campus), has her schedule in place, and is very ready to start classes tomorrow. To add to what you wrote, I am also so pleased with the fact that there are faculty masters. D and we met hers individually, and he seems as warm as can be. Quite a unique situation that i had not heard of prior to UM. (Apparently they have faculty masters at Harvard, Rice, and a few other schools.) Kudos to President Shalala and the entire group of faculty, staff, student staff, and volunteers that made this an easy adjustment for both the new students AND their parents!
C-A-N-E-S Canes!</p>
<p>We had a very similar experience. It was VERY HOT and I ate a lot and still lost weight from all the shlepping in the humidty/etc. The water was a great touch and everyone was very friendly and helpful. The campus is absolutely gorgeous (I kept feeling like I was at a resort)and I know my daughter will be happy there. I left with a feeling of sorrow, because I will miss her, but moreso an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction that she is in the right place.</p>
<p>She is in the Rosenstiel School for Marine Bio. and they are taking the students out to Key Biscayne for a snorkeling trip next weekend!</p>
<p>She has a guaranteed transfer to Cornell for next year, but I sincerely doubt she will use it.</p>
<p>After all, there is no ocean (which she can see from her 11th floor dorm room) in Ithaca!</p>
<p>Glad everything went well for all of you.
We have a returning junior son and all is well in the univ. apts.</p>
<p>You should be happy to know that UM treats the kids very well in so many ways. They stress at orientation that they are a family and they mean it.</p>
<p>Our son’s Study Abroad Program university sure made it interesting by posting grades so late. As with your son, he had to be at least a junior to register in university village, so we had a little white knuckle… but the SAP staff really hustled and game through. Got to see the Dolphins pre-season game Saturday night, hope to do parents weekend this Oct.</p>
<p>Same here, good luck to all our children. It’s all about them and all about the “U”</p>
<p>It’s wonderful to hear that the next crop of UM students and families are off to a great start! Encourage your kids to take advantage of the incredible opportunities UM offers, they are plentiful. Congrats and enjoy every minute, it goes by in a flash. I still can’t believe my S is now an alum, it seems like we dropped him off yesterday!</p>
<p>DinDune, my D is in Stanford RT. She is in the School of Communications, and planning to double major in Sports Administration in the School of Education (I still can’t figure out why Sports Admin is in the School of Ed…)
The faculty master in Hecht is one of the professors that taught the model class that D took during the Singer weekend. She seems to be quite wonderful as well!</p>
<p>SVMMom, that marine bio trip sounds nice! I imagine it would be hard to leave Coral Gables for Ithaca, although the Cornell campus is quite spectacular! Has your D made some nice friends on the sub-free floors? After her initial disappointment, D is very happy where she is (yay!).</p>
<p>Son is off to a great start. Loves the apartments, seeing old friends. It’s been great. Classes today on ly had 20 kids in each.</p>
<p>Yes, we had the same problem with the study abroad credits, not due to the apts. but with keeping his merit award, They needed the grades to see that he kept his cum above what he needed. They extended payment a week or so until it was straightened out! Gladly, it did.</p>
<p>We already have plane, football tickets, hotel, etc for parent’s weekend. Got to take advantage of visiting while he is still there!</p>
<p>Yes, Cornell’s campus is quite nice but we keep teasing her that if she transfers, come next January when the temperature is 5 degrees and the wind is howling, she will say to herself “what the heck was I thinking?”</p>
<p>She has met some great kids on her floor and says everyone she meets is so nice and “normal”. I think the spoiled rich kid reputation is way over blown. I take it your daughter has found the same to be true on her floor.</p>
<p>My D found a work study job immediately (the woman was so excited when she turned in her app. and hired her on the spot) and will be working at the University Center. She says it will have something to do with tickets during football season, so who knows, maybe I can have an in to get you guys some? It is funny because she has no clue what the rules even are in football and will be dealing with people who are desperate for tickets. LOL!!!</p>
<p>We agree with all the kudos posted. Let me add our impression of the residential colleges.</p>
<p>Each dorm, Hecht, Pearson, ect. is a contained college community where 3 or so faculty members and their families live in each dorm. At various times, their apartments are open for meetings, meals, TV, coffee or general bonding. </p>
<p>On 14 of the 24 floors in the freshman dorms, not only is there an RA but also a academic fellow (AF), whose role is to provide guidance to the students on the ins and outs of course selection, adds and drops, ect.</p>
<p>They have stopped allowing cars for freshman in year one and pushed back freshman greek rush to second semester to allow our DS’s and DD’s to focus.</p>
<p>The U has though long and hard about how to help these kids adapt and succeed and it shows. </p>
<p>We stayed for the Brunch President Shalala hosted on Saturday. It was wonderful!<br>
We left the campus feeling proud and excited. Because of the orientation experience our expectation is that our D will be successful and will have plenty of support.</p>
<p>Donut123, we, too, were at the Brunch on Saturday and we found it a very nice way to officially end the orientation period. Plus, the array of food was quite impressive and delicious!</p>
<p>SVMMom, my D has found a nice group of girls on her floor, too! Her RA is nice and her AF is incredibly helpful! She has also met a number of substance-free kids also not on the sub-free floors, too, which made her happy She found a job in the Wellness Center. I was glad that it was so easy for her to find something so quickly!</p>
<p>SRQDad, your observations are well-stated, and I agree about how much effort the U puts in to help our kids adjust. </p>
<p>I hope we can all post positive updates throughout the next 4 years!</p>
<p>Our son thinks it has been an excellent choice. He reports that the academic program has been fair but challenging. There is a party environment, but students can choose to participate or not. Our son has really enjoyed the diversity of the student body as well.</p>
<p>Miami has been everything we hoped for so far…</p>
<p>There are HurryCane shuttles that service all the main campus areas however, the UM is a very easily walkable campus. It is a closed campus (vehicles only on the perimeter) and end to end is no more than a 15 minute walk in tropical beauty. There are stores and restaurants within walking distance. My S only took a shuttle in heavy rain. The shuttles also run to the grocery store, mall and Coconut Grove. There used to be one to the beach on weekends but I’m not sure if that still runs. Kids also chip in and share cabs around town and to South Beach.</p>
<p>He has used cabs at times but says they are cheap. There is a rail line on the edge of campus, but he has not needed to use it yet.</p>
<p>An interesting comment came as our son said he was surprised that he really did not miss his car and did not think he would need one in the future.</p>
<p>Needless to say, I did not mind hearing that.</p>
She found a job in the Wellness Center. I was glad that it was so easy for her to find something so quickly!</p>