Miami Ohio doesn’t get much love or attention here on CC, but it checks many boxes for my S23. I’m interested in any feedback, especially from out of state students. Do your kids love it? Do you as a parent feel good about the decision? Any unique challenges being from out of state?
We are in Virginia and have great public schools, but S23 is not competitive enough for UVA, Virginia Tech or William and Mary. JMU is a likely match. However, since the admission cycle has been so bonkers for the past 2 years, we aren’t counting on JMU admission.
Miami is on our radar because my husband’s best friend from grad school grew up in Oxford. Friend’s dad was a Miami professor. The friend has known S23 since birth and has promoted Miami as a great fit for him. According to son’s college counselor, in the past few years, every student who has applied to Miami from our school has gotten admitted, but none have gone.
Miami is the size S23 wants, has his likely major, has a liberal arts component, has an undergrad focus, dorms guaranteed for 2 yrs, good study abroad options, has several activities he’s very interested in (Men’s Glee Club in particular). He loved the campus, and all the students we met were kind and helpful. He does not mind cold or snow. Based on the chart on the school’s website, he may get merit aid. The school has amazing marketing and terrific Instagram. From the point of view of a potential student and parent, everything looks great. After all our college visits and research, Miami is in the top 3 places S23 could see himself as a happy involved student.
Neither of my kids went there, but they both applied (didn’t go because they were both recruited athletes, but applying EA was part of their backup plan).
Many local students do attend Miami Ohio (probably 20 or so per year just from our high school in Chicagoland), and really seem to like it. They do offer good merit aid, the campus is very nice, and the students are getting good outcomes (internships, jobs, grad school acceptances, etc). I would definitely encourage your S to do a virtual admission session, and visit in person if possible. The main downsides (IMO of course) are a lack of diversity and relatively high proportion of affluent students.
We know a ton of people who went to Miami and LOVED it! Great career outcomes as noted. I honestly haven’t heard of anyone whose student was unhappy there.
Thank you for the feedback. It seems to be a very happy place. S23 has visited the campus twice. Once in the middle of winter with his dad and a second time 2 weeks ago with me. After my visit with him, I was ready to move in myself.
The biggest negative we’d seen in reviews is how remote it is. However, there are cute shops and restaurants walking distance from campus. We stayed overnight in a hotel in Oxford and walked everywhere. We also took the time to drive to Hamilton, the closest big town, and it wan’t far at all. 19 minutes from the movie theater to campus and not much longer to Target and other typical suburban places. About an hour to Cincinnati. He can have a car as a freshman. However, according to our tour guide, with 8K students in on campus dorms, there’s usually so much happening that kids stay put on weekends.
I think Miami gets a love of love on the CC and seems to get clustered with many of the “popular” large state schools many apply to.
I’ve only heard great things. We visited after acceptance and the campus is beautiful - to me, a large William & Mary.
My daughter eliminated it from consideration on the day of the visit - but that was more environmental. It’s very rural - it’s within the hour to Cincy (and the airport in Kentucky) and Dayton - and there is a small town like 15 or 20 mins away with most anything you’ll need.
But there’s not much in Oxford - so for kids that want to be in a town/city environment on a day to day basis, it might not be a great fit.
I remember, for example, and there was more than one restaurant - but we ate at a place called The Bagel and Deli - because like all 5 people we talked to said- you have to eat there. It was like the only in-place.
It seemed like there was one street of businesses, lots of kids on porches on neighboring streets…some drinking, some not - like any school.
Beautiful school though - and really not horribly far from cities - but on a day to day basis not much around.
I went to William and Mary and it did remind me of my college with all the brick - only much larger without anyone walking around campus in colonial garb. Funny thing - Miami’s campus hotel/conference center, The Marcum, is a replica of the Wren Building, William and Mary’s oldest building.
My out of state son (California) is a senior and we have been super pleased with Miami. He has close contact with his professors, lovely campus, nice town, many clubs, lots of nice kids and some fabulous study abroad programs, including a campus in Luxemburg. There are several car services that provide reliable transportatin to and from the airport. Biggest complaint is that CVG is no longer a direct flight from SFO since COVID. As a parent we have great communication from the school and a very helpful facebook parents site. Nice perk that they offer tuition guarantee for the 4 years.
My son attended Miami co 2015 and he loved it! I pretty much agree with what everyone else has posted, my pros/cons are listed below.
PROS
-excellent tenured professors
-beautiful campus
-great career placement
-excellent resources
-responsive, well run administration
CONS
-small college town
-lack of diversity
As a parent, you want to make sure your kid loves the school, and you also want to make sure your dollars are well spent. My husband and I felt like we had a great deal with Miami.
My son really found his stride there and graduated Phi Beta Kappa, after being pretty average in high school.
I know you wanted out of state perspectives, but we were instate at the time.
Feel free to PM me, if you have additional questions.
If the lovely responses from parents here are any indication of the kindness and helpfulness of the community on campus, I’m thrilled that Miami is high on my son’s list.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
I know a lot of kids who have gone there and all have loved it. My daughter was a skater and Miami has a big skating program so it’s popular in her circle. My nephew went to undergrad there and loved it (he’s now in med school) and one of D’s best friends goes there and is having a great experience. It was her friend’s dream school. Both are out of state. I think it your kiddo has visited and likes it then I’d say go for it. For my D is was too rural, but that’s really a matter of preference (she attends a school in a major city). She applied and did consider it for awhile after attending a camp there. Campus is pretty and Oxford is a cute town.
Do you have an insight on the pre-med program? Miami ranks very high for medical school acceptance. Any idea why students do so well with medical school acceptances?
Do they have a substantial pre-med program, great advising, shadowing/volunteer opportunities? There are a bunch of medical schools in OH and some give preference to in-state applicants - maybe this is a factor if a majority of the med school applicants are OH residents? Read through the website and materials but haven’t been able to figure out an answer.
Miami has been on and off the list for a while mostly because of distance and our in-state options are pretty good, but it sounds like it should make it’s way back on.
@2020hindsight I believe it’s a testament to Miami. It really is a hidden gem.
For students wanting to enter med school they are assigned a full time premed advisor. There are countless opportunities to work with tenured professors doing research.
My son, though not premed, worked on research with a prof his junior summer. Miami provided a stipend and housing, and we were not a need based family.
One of the things I really like about Miami is that most classes are taught by full time profs, not adjuncts and not grad TAs.
Does anyone know if Miami U’s Red Carpet day is invite only this year? Or if it is beneficial admissions wise to go? My daughter received an email, and we are trying to decide if we should go. We have visited twice. Thanks!
My son was also invited, and he has been invited to other Honor colleges, but he is not the honor college type kid. It is probably just a formula, if you have a certain GPA, you get invited. We did not go.
Hi OP, also from VA and my 23 applied. None of my kids wanted Virginia state schools, and their costs were more than OOS schools. Although my son did apply to Mason and ODU, this year. We absolutely hated JMU when we visited. Mine also applied to Miami, plus BGSU (which we love) Ohio University (we like this one too), and Kent State (older DD here). Mine wants a campus with a small adjacent town. He has been accepted to all of the other Ohio schools already and I think we will hear from Miami in December.