Hello! Does anyone have any information on the Engineering LLC at Miami U, such as …
(1) Which dorm(s)?
(2) What percent/number of engineering students choose the Engineering LLC?
(3) Is it recommended/worthwhile?
(4) How is the additional 1 hour engineering class that is required to participate in the LLC (hard/easy/worthwhile)?
(5) Do students automatically get placed in the Engineering LLC is they choose it, or is it a lottery?
Thanks!
Bump
Son is curious as well
I can comment on this question now that my freshman at Miami has finished his first semester. Beware of the LLC’s at Miami. There were no LLC’s when I was at Miami, and I’m not sure why Miami implemented them without researching what causes success and failures of LLC’s.
Most freshmen choose “RedHawk Traditions” as their first choice. We know this from talking with other freshman as well as reviewing the roommate search tool that Miami operates in the spring. Most of the kids looking for roommates have RedHawks Traditions as their first choice. Unfortunately, Miami doesn’t believe in honoring a lot of these requests, so recognize that you have a good chance of getting your second choice.
For those that end up in the RedHawk Traditions LLC, you will have many opportunities to bond at sporting events, and you will even have buses from the dorms to the games on family weekend … while the rest of us fight the crowds and park three miles away.
On the other hand, if you are like my son and don’t get RedHawks Traditions, be prepared to be disappointed when you see how boring and uninvolved your LLC is. My son had “Environmental Awareness” as his second choice; it sounded appealing because the description talked about camping and other outdoor activities. (The reality is that there is one camping trip, and if you have a conflict … well, that was your opportunity to go camping for the year.)
The Environmental Awareness LLC is in PEABODY HALL, which is literally the worst dorm on Miami’s campus. It is geographically far from everything and extremely old. The hallways are very wide, and the rooms are spread apart. There are only two floors in this dorm, and there are a few other random LLC’s there (Compass is one that comes to mind). This means that the kids don’t get to know each other as well as a typical Miami dorm, as they are spread out and not even in the same LLC. There is also a rumor that the dorm is haunted. Google this, and you will find it on many websites.
As a Miami alum, I am very disappointed with Miami’s approach to LLC’s. It’s ridiculous to offer one “desirable” LLC - RedHawks Traditions - that most freshmen choose as their first choice. Then, these lucky “RedHawks Traditions” kids get special treatment - special athletic seating, fun competitions between dorms, etc. Contrast that to the small LLC’s which end up in old dorms in lousy locations. It’s bad enough to be in an awful location with no real LLC
programing; it’s even worse when you see how much fun the “popular” LLC on campus is having.
I’d also be careful with the older dorms at Miami if you have asthma or environmental allergies. Our younger daughter had to leave Peabody Hall after 10 minutes on Family Weekend because her asthma flared up. I guess this is to be expected for a building that was built in 1871. (The bathrooms are really old, too.)
In Peabody, several of my son’s friends have transferred out of the dorm during or at the end of first semester because it is so bad. This makes the environment even worse for the kids that remain in the dorm.
Here’s my two cents to Miami’s administration: If most incoming freshmen wants “RedHawks Traditions” - and who wouldn’t want preferential seating at athletic events with school sponsored competitions - then meet all of those requests or don’t have that LLC at all.
Miami recently reintroduced general housing which does not require the choice of an LLC. For this year at least, those students were placed in brand new renovated dorms. I would NOT choose Environmental Awareness as a first or second choice; that has been housed in the awful Peabody Hall for the past few years. As I mentioned earlier, Compass (Career Exploration) is also in Peabody this year.
@Beaudreau Any thoughts here? Your opinion is always highly valued.
@STEM2017 - Thanks for the compliment, but I can’t help much. My son was in Honors last year, which is an LLC, I believe. He says that LLCs don’t mean much other than deciding where you live. He thinks you should pick your dorm options first, and then rank your LLCs based on those choices.