Funny - my son was pleasantly surprised by how big Oxford was and how much was there after hearing and reading about how small it is.
He has visited his brother at Dartmouth a few times, though, so his idea of a small college town is Hanover and Oxford is bigger and has a lot more in it than Hanover, so it was a good fit for him. He has committed to attend next year.
I must have missed that part of Oxford. We saw the one street - with the bagel and deli, a bookstore, and like 10 other places. Admittedly I thought the campus was nice, simple layout. But - to each his own and my daughter didnāt.
Funny - how all these kids think differently - but I guess thatās why thereās so many types of campuses - from size and layout to geography.
Yes, it definitely depends on the student and what they are looking for or willing to accept. Oxfordās not huge by any stretch of the imagination, but it has many restaurants, a CVS, grocery store, Walmart, and lots of independent shops, so it was enough for my student, but I can definitely see how other kids would think itās just too small. And, as you saw when you visited, there is NOTHING for several miles on every side, so you have to be okay with the campus and little town.
Missed Walmart 
Weāre deciding between Bama and Miami. Tuition is less at Miami with Scholarship. She was accepted to honors at both - Bio/Pre med. Tough decision!
Everyone ā¦ok like 30%ā¦is Honors at Bama. My son is. Itās the biggest in the country. I suppose it would offer benes but most only use priority class registration and then drop it senior year. My son has yet to take a class through two years.
I assume Miami will be more exclusive.
Bama is great for merit and a well run school. Itās also much bigger and while the surroundings are not overly nice it does have surroundings.
The weather at Bama will be better except for the occasional tornado warningsā¦like the other week when one came close.
Good luck.
With their new program, Miami will have about 400 honors students per class year, which is a little under 10%.
Yes, my point - Miami will be more exclusive.
Bama ,by the way, has the Ridgecrest dorms - very quiet (my son hated it) but very nice. Food about 10 mins away.
Bama in general - if you want newer and nicer, itās great. Very large - not an easy campus. But really nice.
Is anyone else deciding (or DID anyone else decide) between FSU and Miami Ohio?
if you have questions about Bama, join the parents FB pages (thereās two of them). I canāt tell you how helpful the parents have been; lots ask questions about āwhy bama?ā You might have some clarity if you have questions -
We are from Chicago, so yes, we visited UIUC and my daughter has also been there for events in the past like Theatre Fest. The campus is huge and flat, but full of opportunity and that is what she is most interested in. Did not at all find it dreadful, but we are used to the flatlands of Illinois 
Glad your daughter found her fit!
Yes, my daughter really did not like the lack of green space at Pitt. She is just not sure if the street noise and lack of green space is a fit for her.
Just want to chime in and say this sounds insane to me. I mean no offense, but in truth a comp sci degree from Pitt is essentially the same. I would know, I hire computer programmers for my dev teams in the finance sector. Thereās MIT and a few other schools, then everything else falls into the next tier. Unless money is no object, really should be looking at those full tuition options. Just my 2 cents.
Ha, yes - if you are not from Illinois, I understand the perception for sure. We are just used to it. I went to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL and Urbana-Champaign is a big step up from there
HankCT, agree - feel crazy if she turns down a full scholarship and feel crazy if she turns down the UIUC program as well. It is a better program, more campus opportunities, etc. but I completely agree that regardless of where they go to school it is about taking advantage of what is there and making the opportunities happen for themselves. No decisions made yet!
Thanks!!
Look Pitt is an urban campus thus it does not have a lot of green space. It clearly is not for everyone. However, the engineering and health related fields are outstanding programs.
As to Miami the town itself is a cute little town with a mix of independent restaurants and a chipotle thrown in. My older daughter goes to Clemson and the downtown area of Clemson is not much bigger.
That said it is striking that literally within 2 miles you are in the middle of corn fields for as far as you can see.
Yet Cincinnati is 45 minutes down the road. Miami/Oxford is in a unique geographic position for sure.
Yes and Dayton not much further. My D is very excited with her choice and canāt wait to get started on her new adventure. Love and honorā¦
And there is a Target, large mall, and lots of restaurants in Hamilton just 30 minutes away.
Son was happy to hear there is a good sushi place and ramen place in Oxford. Itās the little thingsā¦