Just to add in a little real life example for you and your son. My nephew was making a similar choice 4 years ago (deciding between Miami OH and other schools that would have cost 100K plus over 4 years. In the end he took the full ride at Miami and will be starting his Masters next year at Columbia. In the end the total cost of Miami + Columbia will be less than he would have spent for just a bachelors.
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Of the choices he has, there is absolutely no reason not to choose Miami. I know plenty of smart kids that have gone there and gone on to get great jobs. As someone else has said they kids are really happy there. My son applied there and while it was more of a safety, they offered him a full ride and he would have really considered it and probably have gone if the money was the driving factor for us. They also have a great nursing program. Many kids go there for the money and trust me, they’re pretty smart kids so your son shouldn’t be looking down on it at all.
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Yes - gut punches all around this year.
Sorry if I missed it elsewhere, but would UMich, Rice, Syracuse or UPenn have come out any cheaper for you? Was he hoping for merit awards?
Miami OH seems like a great school, beautiful campus, decent merit (they recruit a few of our HS athletes each year). We would have considered it but my D doesn’t want to be anywhere cold. Unless he is super passionate about a specific program in one of the other schools (and not just wanting to go to a bigger name), maybe you can convince him to give Miami a try with the caveat that he can transfer if he hates it.
Miami and IU would be comps. My daughter’s bf would’ve been full pay at privates but went to Miami. Really talented kid. Joined sorority and loves it.
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It’s tough because he’s an adolescent.
The adolescent mindset devalues something that is easier to get and overvalues something that is tougher to get because consciously or unconsciously, external validation and feels are (nearly) everything. Because they’ve never had to work to pay to put food on the table, a roof over them and their loved ones, retirement savings, or just keeping the wolf from the door.
I know and can sympathize since I was an adolescent once too.
An adult would look at the situation with a cold hard eye because they understand that high 5 figures is real money. That’s an amount some people slave away for decades to save up. And some don’t manage to do so even after decades.
Also doesn’t need external validation so much because, well, they’re an adult.
So maybe challenge him. Does he want to stay an adolescent or does he want to become an adult? Especially since he wants to enter a field that doesn’t really coddle that much.
And that’s not even taking in to account that Miami is an original public Ivy and well-regarded and seen as beautiful by many.
BTW, the RedHawks were recently a power in hockey, making the NCAA tournament 10 times from 2004-2015 and the Frozen Four a couple of times a decade ago.
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BTW, these days, it’s almost impossible to get in to Wharton, Rice, or UMich as OOS if you are unhooked without big/special achievements besides high stats.
His heart may not process that yet, but will catch up with his head.
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Also, Miami is offering some pretty nice perks. He shouldn’t be discounting them. It’s not like they offer them to everyone.
And my understanding is that getting a full-tuition scholarship there isn’t that easy either. They definitely aren’t giving the vast majority of their students that.
Finally, the kids at Miami honors will have stats on par with UMich, definitely. Close to Rice and Wharton too. I suspect their per capita achievements will be on par or surpass the UMich student body’s as well.
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I want to give you a big hug for this!
@PurpleTitan is correct! On the Miami page you can see what it takes to get full merit and other levels etc. Plenty of people take them up on it. Why? Because it’s a great school for what they offer. I would have had no issue with my son going there if he wanted or not. If money was an issue it would not have been taken out of the mix so fast and he would have willingly gone because he knows his hard work would’ve earned him that free ride. There are others out there and at Miami who earned those scholarships. It’s not some crap dumbed down school. Yes you’ll find some dummies there but trust me there are dummies every where! I have an Ivy Leaguer and I can’t tell you how many times she says she can’t believe how certain kids got in there. There is also something to be said for being the big fish in a small pond!!
Additionally if he one day wants to go to grad school that will be the time to take our loans and he will probably appreciate it a lot more then!
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While it did not go the way you wanted, you were able to eliminate the entire issue prompting you to create the original post. Only you understand your financial situation, but Miami, U Mass or IU work well for me.
I’m not sure there’ll be a huge difference between all three.
In particular, IU isn’t known for Sports management. If he wanted Finance or Business Analytics with a sports management minor, perhaps.
I’d pick Miami over IU for his chosen field (easier networking).
UMass could be a contender due to being in-state and D1.
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@Mom2SandG Hi! I work for a major employer at Miami of OH (you could probably guess since the name has an ampersand in it. We hire people from engr to scientists or marketers. Many who are in upper management had their UG from Miami. If the name doesn’t carry as much prestige to your kiddo, perhaps the idea of being very gainfully employed by major companies can help :).
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What a difference a few days and getting space to sort out his mind. At Easter services today, a few people asked if he had decided and he said that he is waiting to hear from one more school but that he is likely going to Miami. And, given that everyone knows someone who went there, his response was met with a lot of “Oh great…”
Also, I had reached out to ask about department-specific student outcomes thinking I get a paragraph and links. Got a super long reply from the Chair with great info that I shared with son. Also, found out that since we live more than a certain distance away from Oxford, he can take his car. So, time, reassurance, and car perk got him to “yes”. We will wait until the “no” from Penn on Tuesday before he pulls the trigger. I already ordered some Miami gear from Kohl’s of all places.
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FANTASTIC!!
It’s so great when a kid thinks his/her choice is unknown/no-good and the community of adults around him/her lets them know their choice is great, absolutely valid, congratulations-worthy! What a good feeling 
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