<p>What is the social life and general atmosphere on campus like for students who choose not to drink or join the Greek system? I have a senior daughter who is strongly considering Miami and it is the only school in Ohio that she will consider. She is starting to get "cold feet" about what life would be like on campus for students who don't party but still like to have fun legally!</p>
<p>This is actually a strange question for me to be asking because I have a 20 year old junior son that currently attends Miami and doesn't drink and isn't in a fraternity. He loves the school and has found his niche with the Campus Crusade organization (now called simply Cru). However, I don't know what the Miami experience is like from a girl's perspective. My daughter has a completely different personality and is much more social than her older brother. She is afraid that if she doesn't want to become totally immersed in Cru or doesn't want to party and join a sorority, that she won't have a social life or have things to do on the weekend with Oxford being so small. She is going for an overnight campus visit this fall and will stay with a girl so that may help her get a better feel for the campus community.</p>
<p>We've gone around and around with her on this topic and have looked at many different campuses. She has ruled out Ohio State and any other state schools. She also has ruled out smaller private schools (such as Univ. of Dayton, etc.) that would give good merit aid. She would love to go to the East Coast but with her plans to attend med school, dental school, or another grad school, we don't see the point in paying $50,000 plus per year for an undergraduate degree when everything she is looking for is at Miami.</p>
<p>Could someone shed some light on what life at Miami is like for a non-Greek girl? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Would love to hear an answer to this as well. I have a D that has Miami high on her list. We visited in the summer so wasn’t able to really cage student population, though I have heard enough that I think I can get a sense of it. But D is shy and not outgoing but becomes friends with people quickly once she gets out of her “shell”.</p>
<p>My d went off to Miami and wasn’t into the party scene. She did not participate in rush. She focused on professional fraternal organizations, club sports and as a Boys and girls club volunteer. She is busy and happy and has plenty of friends. I will say that she will now have a glass of wine or other beverage in the company of family or her close friends but still isn’t into the party scene in her second year. It’s really up to the student to figure out how and with who they want to spend their time. My d does go to the clubs to dance but doesn’t feel pressured to drink.</p>
<p>The greek system at Miami is not anywhere as prominent as it was 10-20 years ago. Only one third of the campus is greek. It may at times feel like there is a larger greek presence, as a number of national fraternities and sororities were founded at Miami U. I was greek and enjoyed the experience, but more than half my circle of friends were not greek and it just wasn’t a big deal. I echo Walker’s post about Miami having great professional fraternal organizations. I was also a member of Pi Sigma Epsilon, a marketing fraternity. Our chapter was ranked the best in the country and we had plenty of social events for those interested.</p>
I’m a freshman girl at Miami right now. A main thing I was looking forward to in college was joining a sorority, but we just recently rushed, and I was cross cut. It’s been devastating for me, but as time goes on, I’m getting over it. I still have a lot of friends and there is always stuff to do (I don’t party). If I hadn’t have had my heart set on greek life, I would be perfectly fine! So that is good for her that she knows she doesn’t want to do it, and if she changes her mind, she can always join a sorority! She will be perfectly fine here not in greek life. We don’t rush until second semester anyways, so she’ll make her group of friends and even after they join sororities, she’ll still be friends with them. Nothing will change.
I’m an alum/Miami Merger with ds deciding between Miami (accepted) and other schools he’s still waiting to hear from. Greek life was about 30% 30 years ago so not sure I agree with comment about it not being as prominent. Hubs and I both Greek, but I didn’t rush Freshman year and was cut sophomore year…then joined a colonization group of a national sorority. I had many Greek and non-Greek friends and lived in an off-campus house with girls from my freshman dorm corridor. I drank, many did with legal age for wine/beer being 19 at the time, but it didn’t define my friendships.
I have many friends with children at Miami now (we live in Cinti). I know a junior who doesn’t party and struggled her freshman year to find a niche but is involved in a group called “Young Life”, which sounds a bit like Campus Crusade, but they do have a number of social events that don’t revolve around drinking.