St. Mary's MD, Fordham, UF or Miami of OH

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My daughter has been accepted at:</p>

<p>St. Mary's Maryland - MD honors college; Nitze Scholar (16 students chosen from each incoming class with a focus on leadership training and international study)</p>

<p>Fordham - honors program</p>

<p>University of Florida - non-binding early admission</p>

<p>Miami of OH - honors program</p>

<p>All of the above schools have offered very generous merit scholarships. DD hates UF--way too big and impersonal for her, she considers it too much of a party school, so that will most likely come off the list. We've heard great things about St. Mary's MD, but it's about 70% MD residents. We're originally from the NY metro area, and Fordham appeals to her for its proximity to all that NYC has to offer.</p>

<p>We're still waiting to hear from Kenyon and Dickinson (both will have minimal merit aid). </p>

<p>Daughter is a NMF, 3.51 u/w gpa, 3.9 w gpa, SAT CR 800, M 690. She wants to major in English, with emphasis on creative writing. Any thoughts on these schools?</p>

2

<p>St. Mary's would probably be the best.</p>

3

<p>I've heard great things from Fordham, as well. I agree with your daughter; I would take UF off the list.</p>

4

<p>St. Mary’s one of those hidden jewels: Great LACish type schools with not too stiff sticker price, much like W & M.
As such, your D/S will get excellent Liberal Art education @ St mary.</p>

<p>One drawback is its location: it’s in the middle of nowhere; situated in the wasteland of southern MD, nearest city (DC) is more than 2 hour drive away. But your D/S will be well fed with those juicy blue crabs all year long.</p>

5

<p>Have you visted any of them? I doubt she could make an informed decision without a visit.</p>

<p>The only one I've seen is Miami-OH-my D is also accepted and seriously considering it. It's a great size (15,000), wonderful extracurriculars, great school spirit, absolutely gorgeous campus, terrific academics (it's mentioned as an "other ivy" in NYT). Drawbacks are that it's in the middle of a cornfield in OH, transportation isn't the best, and there's somewhat heavy emphasis on the greek system (if that's not her thing).</p>

6

<p>Yes, she's visited all of the schools mentioned and likes each one for very different reasons. She's skittish about St. Mary's because very few of her friends (in northeast FL) have heard of it. She also expressed concerns about greek life at Miami OH, but loved almost everything else. Kenyon & Miami OH are both pretty remote. </p>

<p>While St. Mary's is remote, my sister lives in Baltimore County, so D at least can get off campus for a weekend away, if she wants. Actually, it was my sister who told us to look at St. Mary's--she works for the Univ. of MD and said that SMCM is a secret treasure. We visited last weekend and the staff and faculty struck me as being extremely committed and enthusiastic about the school and the students.</p>

7

<p>I won't be changing anyone's opinion here, but it is grossly unfair to write-off UF as just a big "party-school". In fact, it is likely the highest-rate academic school on your list. With 85% of students there in the top 10% of their HS class, and the remainder basically talented artists, musicians, or national/Olympic class athletes.....you will find a large number of very committed kids in attendance. Such a large school may not fit your D's needs...fair enough...but don't categorize it as just a big party school.</p>

8

<p>She has some very good, although diverse!, choices. If she wants to test her "can I live outside of the NYC region" mettle then I'd consider Miami. It's a great school. But she won't find that it has a NYC/Long Island flavor. For some that would be good. For others, well, they'd feel outside their comfort zone perhaps. Even at St Mary's the other 30% is probably from NY, LI, or NJ!</p>

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<p>Rogracer, I can't agree with you more about UF. My original post states that my daughter considers UF to be a big party school. UF is a tough ticket to get these days, and husband and I are disappointed that she doesn't want to attend. Of course, any school, especially a large state university, is going to have a party crowd.</p>

<p>I should mention that she has been deferred SCEA from Yale and is a Danforth nominee at Washington University in St. Louis; they are her reach schools.</p>

10

<p>We also worried about the "party" reputation of UF and discouraged our kids from attending (despite full rides). My daughter insisted and is now a freshman at UF. There are parties, but no more than the elite school where my son goes. The stats of incoming freshmen at UF are astounding. My daughter was right; it is a great school and it's getting better each year.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I think it is very impersonal at times. Billing, housing, class scheduling, bus schedules...are a headache. No one seems to want to help very much. I'm hoping as time goes on, my daughter will better understand "the ropes" of life at a big state university.</p>

<p>For now though, she's happy and challenged. The engineering department seems wonderful so far.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

11

<p>Sounds like your D has some pre-conceived notions about UF that are not really accurate. I wonder if you could set up an overnight visit...maybe at Hume Hall. She might be surprised. Some incoming freshman have expressed utter shock at how "brutally hard" some of the majors can be...not exactly a recipe for party time.</p>

<p>Good luck in any case.</p>

12

<p>It she is at all interested at NYC go to fordham. Miami will bore her esp. if she isnt into greek life</p>

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<p>I bet there's lots of kids at Miami that would beg to differ. I really like Fordham, don't get me wrong, but Miami is in fact quite a bit higher ranked (if that matters), more competitive to get into, and a very good school. True, it is not in the Bronx, but, hey, there IS life outside NYC! :)</p>

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<p>I agree. Being a student at miami who is looking to transfer is just giving you an opinion. Yes Miami is a great school but what I was saying if she loves the idea of the city this is not it. People get to involved in looking at rankings as well.</p>

15

<p>why did D apply to UF in the first place if she never had any intention of going there?</p>

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<p>gotalife9007, first off, let me offer my congratulations to your daughter - she has some very good schools to choose from.</p>

<p>I have been offered scholarships to both Fordham and Miami (OH), and I am seriously considering both. I also know a bit about St. Mary's and UF.</p>

<p>To me, a student who is looking for a medium-sized school, Fordham and Miami seem like the obvious front runners on your daughter's list...however, this may not be true for your daughter. If she wants a big school, scratch St. Mary's off the list, and if she wants a small school, scratch UF off the list. </p>

<p>My takes on all the schools:</p>

<p>St. Mary's - good reputation especially in Maryland, small class sizes, very tight knit community. Definetely encourages interaction between professors and students. Might be lacking in school spirit. It's also quite isolated.</p>

<p>Fordham - A good school and one of the few true campuses in NYC. So it's in the Bronx...Manhattan is only a subway ride away. There's also campuses in Lincoln Center and Tarrytown if the Bronx isn't her thing. They had a reputation as a safety school a few years back but that is quickly changing. </p>

<p>University of Florida - I'll admit that I am a football fan, and just the thought of being able to see that team play would be appealing to me. That being said...UF is also known to be a very strong research university. Sure, it has a reputation for parties, but what school doesn't have parties? The only thing I would be concerned with is the size of the school...it's very big, as I am sure you know.</p>

<p>Miami (OH) - I'll be able to tell you more after I visit this weekend. From waht I know, it's a beautiful campus in a small college town and is quite isolated from city life. Still, Cincinnati and Dayton are only a half-hour drive, so city life is closer than it is at St. Mary's, but it's no NYC or even Gainesville. The university stresses undergraduates and the liberal arts.</p>

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<p>Cincy and Dayton are actually an hour away. If she plans to fly home for breaks it is $80 bucks each way to an airport by taxi. Good idea to find a friend who has a car</p>

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<p>Thanks to everyone for their insight. Citygirlsmom, we asked D to apply to UF. As a NMSF, she was invited to attend a reception/information sessions/overnight this past summer. The attendees were given the opportunity to apply to UF under non-binding early decision. We asked her to apply and keep an open mind, figuring that she'd fall in love with the honors program and Hume. As time went on and she visited her other choices, D became more resistant to UF. It's certainly very different from the other schools on her list, and it's the only one we asked that she apply to. At this point, it looks as though she's not going to join the "Gator Nation." ;-)</p>

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<p>i hate your daughter</p>