I am an international student and I have been accepted to Miami University for Fall 2019 with merit scholarships worth the cost of tuition, room and board in total. The undergraduate teaching and research opportunities here seem quite amazing, but I am really confused about the apparent contradiction between its US News ranking and its claim to be a “Public Ivy.” How much reputation does Miami University (which is a public university) hold in comparison to the LACs like Vassar College, Wesleyan University, Trinity College, Kenyon College etc? I am aware that Miami University is mostly known for its business school, but how strong is its social science programs (for example, psychology)? Do Miamians get chance regularly in top grad schools for social sciences? I would love to get any insight on the campus life of Miami University too.
I did not go to Miami (I went to a school that is rated as a top 10 LAC according to the silly US News & World Report rankings), and I can tell you that going to Miami will in no way limit anything that you want to do in life. The research on this is pretty overwhelming. It’s the kids, not the school. As long as you go to a school with reasonably good academic standards - and Miami easily passes this test - you will be able to go as far as your own personal talents and work ethic takes you in life. I do not understand why parents get so caught up in having their kids go to an Ivy League and/or similarly ranked “uber-elite” institution. Kids from Miami do just as well post-graduation when it comes to income (once you adjust for regional income differences), MDs, JDs, engineering, Masters, PhDs, you name it as kids graduating from these super selective, elite schools. In fact, Miami grads make quite a bit more post-graduation than Oberlin and Kenyon grads. If you are a strong student you will be able to get into any graduate program you want and no one will ever turn you down for a job because you have a Miami undergrad degree.
Congratulations! What merit scholarship did you get? I’m also international applying for aid. I applied EA but still waiting for my reply.
@rocioarg, Miami University doesn’t provide international students with any need-based financial aid. However, they can be eligible for receiving University Merit Scholarship and International Education Scholarship in varying amounts. Apart from these, I also received #YouAreWelcomeHere Scholarship.
US News rankings include a lot of factors like social mobility see https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings
If you are interested in a US news ranking that focuses more specifically on the undergraduate experiences of students you might be interested in its “undergraduate teaching” ranking where Miami consistently ranks among the best https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/undergraduate-teaching
Public Ivies refers to a book published in the 1980’s by Richard Moll who was interested in finding public universities that provided excellent undergraduate experiences comparable to the quality of education he was familiar with at the Ivies. Because there are 8 ivies, he picked 8 public universities to highlight in his book. Miami University was one of those 8.
A good friend of mine graduated from there and got into medical school easily as did most of her friends. She had a great time there and felt the education was excellent!
@BD2023 I meant merit aid, sorry for the confusion! That is great, congrats! I just wanted to know what my chances of receiving combined merit scholarships amounting to a full ride could be should I not be selected for the presidential fellowship. Thanks!
@BuckeyeMWDSG, thank you so much for the first link. I am quite astonished to see that even teachers’ salaries are taken into consideration while publishing these ranks! I think many of the factors used here have no significant role in determining the quality of education provided by a particular college.
@BD2023 I went to Ohio State, but anyone I’ve ever talked to about Miami says that it’s a solid school academically, so I don’t think you’ll have any issues regarding graduate school placement. Quite a few of my high school classmates are Miami graduates, and they’re all very satisfied with the education they received, and they’re all doing extremely well in their chosen fields.
While I certainly can’t speak to Psychology specifically, you’ll certainly have to go to graduate school in order to make any money in that field. Miami does have a solid reputation outside of it’s Farmer’s Business school, and Miami has devoted alumni who donate generously. Meaning, Miami’s alumni network would serve you well should you choose to enroll, and should not be underestimated.
Regarding Kenyon, etc., all of the schools you listed are solid and they would serve you well regarding graduate school placement.
The one thing that may factor into your decision is location. Miami is in a very rural area, and the nearest town worth anything is an hour away in Cincinnati. Kenyon is stuck in the sticks as well, but they’re 45 minutes outside Columbus. If I had to go one way or the other it would be Kenyon. As someone who grew up in Ohio, I can tell you definitively that Columbus is the much better city to be closer to. Much more opportunity there.
As to campus life, Miami has a reputation for being more conservative, but given the size of the college I believe you could find plenty of people you’d enjoy being around. Kenyon is much, much smaller and has a more open, liberal bent (as do many selective LACs), and I think their size and location is why they’re so picky about the kind of students they accept. Meaning, it’s going to take a certain kind of person to be happy there.
Miami seems to be a rather active and involved campus, but ultimately it comes down to the student. If you put yourself out there with the intention of availing yourself of as many opportunities as possible, I think you’ll be happy at Miami and anywhere else you choose to go.
My two cents. Hope it helps.
@buckeyeinbama, thank so much for your post. It has been really so helpful!
The information listed above is not entirely accurate and contains some opinion. It is true that Miami is in a rural setting, but it’s only 40 minutes to downtown Cincinnati, whereas Kenyon is 66 minutes to downtown Columbus. Whether Cincinnati or Columbus has more opportunity is debatable. I’ve lived in Ohio for 52 years, 18 in Cincinnati, 3 in Columbus and the rest in NEO. I’d move back to Cincy, but wouldn’t jump at Columbus. I mean I’d certainly consider it, but it’s not nearly as high on my list. To each their own, but I don;t think there are any great statistics that say Columbus is any better than Cincinnati or NEO for that matter. There’s good and bad in all three major Ohio cities…
Miami is a great school. They are nearly 100% focused on undergraduates. My younger son is a Junior at Miami (an econ major) and absolutely loves it. The campus is very active with a lot of clubs and activities. He’s had great opportunities to study abroad and nicely paid internships. Miami has excellent graduation, job placement and advanced education acceptance (JD, MD, MS, PhD, etc.) rates. In my personal opinion, I believe the education my son is getting at Miami is as good or better than the universities my oldest son attended and my daughter currently attends. The campus is beautiful and the town is well suited to college life. If you don;t mind being outside of a major metropolitan center, then Miami is a great university.
@buckeyeinbama I see that @bwbbn already clarified a bit regarding Columbus vs Cincinnati and I don’t have anything to say on that, but we have visited Kenyon for our older daughter. Kenyon is very remote. Absolutely beautiful campus, but there is nothing whatsoever around the campus. As far as we could tell, it’s pretty much a general store, a Bed & Breakfast type place and a post office. There was another small town a few miles away that had some fast food and a Walmart, I think, but that probably isn’t too easy to get to. We are visiting for the first time in a few weeks, but from what I’ve heard, Miami has a lot more to do that’s walkable from the campus.
MIami’s campus is beautiful and Oxford has been ranked as the top college town in America. https://www.journal-news.com/news/local-education/miami-university-hometown-oxford-top-college-town/3uJ2aU1iZSGDa6O1FITExO/ These rankings are very subjective; I don’t know if I would rank Oxford ahead of Ann Arbor for example. But it’s an awesome small college town and Cincinnati is an easy drive.
@lexluthor5 Can’t wait to hear about your visit to Kenyon! The nearby town you’re talking about is most likely Mt. Vernon. Yep… Kenyon definitely isn’t for everyone. I believe they have a bus that runs into Columbus, but definitely check me on that.
Fantastic information @BWBBN! I would love to know the stats on the professional school/grad school placements if you have them (or point me in the right direction for where to find them). I do think that Miami is a great school… anybody I’ve ever known whose gone there has loved it, and they’re doing quite well in life.
It’s been almost 20 years since I’ve lived in Ohio (born there and left at age 35), but we have family in Cincy, Columbus, and Lucas so we’re in those areas quite a bit. Interesting that I’ve only recently made it to Oxford but it was a fantastic visit. So glad your son is doing well!
@buckeyeinbama Our Kenyon visit was 3 years ago for our older daughter. Wound up being the only school to not give her a penny and was eliminated. Beautiful campus, very remote.
I have come across a lot of online articles on the strong party culture at Miami University. Any commentst on that?
@BD2023 I have two Ds at Miami. There is definitely a party scene there, although I don’t think that it is more than at other schools. If your student is into partying they won’t have trouble finding one. That said, there is a lot to do at Miami that doesn’t revolve around drinking. My Ds are both very social, but not into bars or house parties. They are involved in some great organizations and never have trouble finding something fun to do. They have also found no shortage of students who share their same view of the party scene. The university is working hard to provide alternative entertainment every Thursday-Saturday night. Late Night Miami has some great programming - concerts, movies, exercise classes, art, comedians, ice skating, etc. The events are well attended and my Ds have really enjoyed them. Search “Late Night Miami” on the miamioh website and you’ll find a list of events for the current and past semesters.