OSU or MIAMI-OXFORD?

<p>wanna know which one has a better overall reputation in OHIO and NATION?</p>

<p>They are about equal on both grounds. Go to whichever one you like better.</p>

<p>Pretty hard to compare since they are so different (other than both being public). Both ranked in the middle on the USNews top 100 in the 2007 edition that we looked at last year. I don't know how they stack up now, but I know OSU has been improving it's reputation and rankings every year.</p>

<p>My simplified view is that MUO is small(ish), rural, postcard-pretty, liberal arts and sciences and uniform (white, upperclass, preppy). OSU is huge, urban(ish), attractive (but not as pretty as MUO), research-oriented and diverse.</p>

<p>We looked at both last year. I loved the look of MUO, but my DS favored OSU for the diversity, the range of academic opportunities and the overall feel of the place (he wanted a campus in a more urban environment). MUO is a lovely place, but it is in the middle of nowhere. OSU was also more generous in merit aid in our case, but that varies by person and your experience may vary.</p>

<p>In short, both are great schools. Go with your gut.</p>

<p>thanks PennilessParent</p>

<p>good question. osu has been improving every year. Miami used to be ranked higher, but now it's vice versa, although they are virtually the same. very different schools. shouldn't be very hard for you to decide which you like better. OSU is a lot cheaper though.</p>

<p>One thing I'll add that was brought up on another thread. From the opinions of many high school friends who went to Miami, Miami tends to be very "vocational" with regards to the liberal arts. By this I mean that the students who do major in the liberal arts (most students at MUO major in business or education) tend to do so solely with an eye to getting into law or med school.</p>

<p>At Ohio State, there seems to be a much stronger commitment to liberal arts education as an end in itself. I think this is one of the reasons that--in a ten year study of all colleges posted on CC recently--it showed Ohio State undergraduates as more likely to eventually earn Ph.Ds than Miami students (although Miami was second among Ohio public universities).</p>

<p>The "vocationalism" of the student body is also reflected in their choice of majors. At Miami, the top 5 majors are all within the college of education or business. At Ohio State, the top 4 majors and 6 of the top 8 are traditional arts, sciences and humanities majors (the remainder of the top 10 were business or engineering departments).</p>