Miami student life

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Miami - Florida
1

<p>Okay, so I really loved U.Miami when I visited it, but it was on a Sunday, so I didn't see a bunch of student activity. </p>

<p>I have read/researched the U a lot, and I am a little worried that people come to the university to party more than study. Don't get me wrong, I want to go somewhere where I can have a good time, but I want school to be primary then partying. I originally thought that this was how Miami was, but now I am beginning to think that it is party then school. What is you guys' opinion?</p>

2

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<p>I suggest going through this forum in some detail. You’ll find lots of threads asking the same question. You’ll also find that the vast majority of posters disagree with the characterization of Miami as nothing but a party school, (Of course, there will be a few who will happily perpetuate this stereotype, it’s up to you to decide how credible a source they are). </p>

<p>In short, Miami parties no more or less than your average college. If you want to party you can certainly find one either near campus or in Miami or “The Grove”. Conversely, if you want to study you’ll find plenty of like-minded students and you should have no fear of being alone. The stereotype of Miami as a party school is perpetuated by rankings from such academic stalwarts as Playboy Magazine, (who knew anyone actually read the articles?), disgruntled transferees with an ax to grind or jealous students from “up North” hoping that it’s true.</p>

<p>Personally I’ve witnessed far more intense partying on the campuses of 4 Big 10 schools that I’m familiar with than what I know of Miami’s party scene. In truth, per the Miami’s Common Data Set, 74% of admits have a GPA of 3.75 or higher and an average ACT of 29. It’s hard to envision a scenario where such strong students would, upon arriving at The “U”, decide to stop working in order to just join the nearest Conga line.</p>

3

<p>The difference between Miami and your typical big state schools is that Miami costs A LOT of money. Therefore, while kids at UF paying $2,000/year can afford to take 5 or 6 years to graduate, Miami students can’t. Of all the people I met in my four years at UM, I only know of one who took more than four years and that’s cause he had crazy grants and wasn’t paying anything (with the exception of transfers who have credit issues). Miami students very much have a “work hard/party hard” mentality. Walk across campus at noon on a Tuesday and you’ll see students studying everywhere. Go to the Grove on a Thursday night and the bars are packed with UM students. At least in my experience, you won’t find students wasted on campus in the middle of the day like I’ve heard about at other schools.</p>

4

<p>That’s actually what I am looking for haha. I want a “Work Hard/Party Hard” environment. I want to push myself during the week and let loose and have fun on the weekends(: The high school I go to is a total pressure cooker and people will do anything to move up a spot or two in class rank, it’s seriously not healthy, so I’m looking for a study minded environment, but also where people know how to have a good time(:</p>

5

<p>Before I went to Miami I was a pretty nervous hardworking student who was enrolled in all Honors and AP classes which left me studying all the way through high school. I was a VERY serious student. My social life was bland at best, usually not going to parties, etc. who unaware about other cultures outside of a safe, suburban town. I took Spanish in high school for four years which anyone going to Miami should do.</p>

<p>At Miami I went to the Grove regularly, South Beach after turning 21, and studied thoroughly as it seemed everyone did during finals. They used to set up tents outside of the Richter Library during finals to handle the overload of students. (A friend, at a similarly ranked school that people think of as more studious than Miami, decided to go home to study during finals [a four hour train ride] because the students were too loud/partied when he was trying to study in the dorms.)</p>

<p>There were many smart partiers who appeared as if they didn’t care about school outside the classroom. Some were Bio majors, who have to compete with all of the Pre-Med students, and some were Engineering majors. So, what you see at first glance is sometimes deceiving. A friend of mine who was a rich international student, who I was convinced was as lazy as they get, got a 5 on the AP English Lang exam. A girl I knew went clubbing 3-4 nights a week double-majored in Spanish and International Finance and Marketing (IFM).</p>

<p>As a Miami alum, a bunch of friends went to Vegas for a weekend and I danced all night at Tryst and XS, knowing most of the songs and not wanting to leave when everyone else did. I am much more social than before college. I regularly speak Spanish in Southern California which is much slower than Spanish spoken by Cubans.</p>

<p>So, if you go to Miami, soak up everything like a sponge. </p>

<p>Two years later, Miami must be more studious considering the high admission statistics. </p>

<p>No matter where you go to college, put yourself out there and do everything (or most things) that your college is known for. Have an open mind and have fun.</p>

6

<p>By definition, UM isn’t a “party school.” We’re only 15% greek, and the sororities aren’t even allowed to have houses. Our frat row is a block, literaly. At the bigger schools I visited, frat row was almost it’s own miny city. Part of why the greek life can’t compete is because of what is available off campus. That is where most of the people I know who party hard core go. </p>

<p>Most of the crazy stuff you are probably worried about goes on off campus. And most of it is drastically stereotyped. I’m from California, and all of my friends think I go crazy on Thursday night. I’ve been to a club once in two years at UM. </p>

<p>It’s really a case by case basis with how hard people party. There is a very small population with gives the rest of the school a very bad name. Those are probably the sociology majors with a 2.1 GPA. They could also be people who do nothing but study and party. I’m in engineering, and I know some people with 3.5+ that do nothing but study and party. On the other side, they aren’t in clubs, don’t do research, have a job on campus, etc. </p>

<p>As for me personally, I’m a “chiller.” I don’t go crazy most of the time. In my spare time, I just like hanging out. I’ve been to the beach. I like the metro zoo. I go to plenty of baseball and basketball games (both on campus), and I’m in band, so I’m at all the football games. </p>

<p>I picked UM because it was a lot of smart people who know how to have fun. Even for those student who you worry about (party then school), still very much care about school. We wouldn’t be ranked so high if students didn’t care. We care, but few people are always up tight about grades. There are people who go crazy. There are students who don’t have lives. The majority are somewhere in between. </p>

<p>If the identity of the students at UM bother you that much, maybe you should look for a school that is a bit quieter. If you want a school where you can be academically challenged and have fun at the same time, UM is a great fit. </p>

<p>Don’t let a stereotype turn you into a worry-wart. Make the choice based on what you see. Don’t let outside opinions make the decision for you. Hope this helps! :)</p>

7

<p>Yes that helped a lot! I’m looking to have a good time in college with people who I can relate to, which is a study minded person who likes to have a good time on the weekends. I think um could be a really good fit(: does anyone know anything about the dual degree law program there?</p>