<p>I was unable to fly to FL. this weekend, but I will be visiting the []_[] next week. How was your visit ? Any cool and exciting stories to tell? Are the workout facilities and outdoor pool really as good as they say? What was the vibe?</p>
<pre><code>I guess I’ll give you the details of my entire day. Sorry for the lengthy post, but since you want to know, I suppose it doesn’t hurt to be informative.
It was fantastic! My host was really nice and showed me around most of the campus. The vibe was really nice. As I was walking along with her, a lot of people would wave to her and say hi. Considering that the campus is huge and that there are a lot of students there, that sorta it made it seem like a really friendly school. `
The first thing we did was eat breakfast in Stanford dining hall. Since we I was given one meal voucher from the school for Cane for a Day, I used it. I had an omelet, but the eggs tasted fake. So, I suppose the quality of the food is just as bad as high school food. I got to visit her dorm in Stanford, which was nice. I got to see the communal bathrooms, which aren’t that bad. The a.c was really noticeable; to me it was a relief since it was hot outside, but it also made me wonder how cold it might get on a day where I might spend a lot of time inside.
We decided to visit the Lowe Art Museum afterwards, since her English class was cancelled (aww), but since I love art, this was a great idea. We arrived 15 minutes before it opened, so we decided to visit her sister’s dorm in Mahoney. Mahoney was really nice and gave off a more sophisticated vibe. Inside her sister’s room, I also noticed her sister’s room was much bigger, but they also had a different layout, where they had a bathroom connecting 2 rooms. I liked the vibe more of Stanford, though, since it seemed to be alive, whereas Mahoney was kinda quiet when we went in. The Lowe Art Museum was pretty cool, but unfortunately, some of the displays were closed. While we were inside, we ran into another Cane for a Day person named Emma, from Tennessee, and we talked for a minute or so before continuing on. I was really impressed by UM’s art collection, especially its ancient art, which is a big plus for me.
I passed by the pool several times and I can say that it seemed like a normal pool, but I was impressed by the 4 levels of diving boards. Since it was a hot day, I saw quite a few people there chillaxing throughout the day. We then went to her math class. Though the building is noticeably old, it was not run down. We waited for a few minutes outside since we arrived early. Once inside, I noticed that not a lot of people went to class; there were maybe, at most, 15 kids. The classroom looked old and was a bit dirty, but the desks and chairs were clean and gum free, which is not what I expected. The math teacher was dry and not at all interesting, I’m sorry to say. I almost fell asleep, and yet this was a small class.
Throughout the day, I also got to talk to my host about a variety of interesting tips about the university. One was that freshman can do a room mate search that pairs you up with someone else that has similar interests or behaviors. She said her roommate was perfectly matched with her, to a t, since they had the same bed time and noise levels. Her roommate is an international student, which she says has provided her with an awesome opportunity, since she is able to learn more about her roommate’s culture. She also said that it wasn’t a good idea to have an unlimited meal plan, since it was so expensive and most people wouldn’t eat that much. She has a 14 meal plan and recommends it. She says that the third meal can be cooked by you or microwaved. There’s a little convenience store inside the Whitten center where you can get some things, but everything appeared to be marked up and super expensive (a recurring theme at UM). She suggested going to a local CVS or Publix. Another tip was taking advantage of the free tutoring that’s offered. She also suggested getting involved in clubs, but not to the point where you are in too many clubs. Also, she said it’s not a good idea to take as many classes as you can per semester, since you might spread yourself too thin.
I was then taken to the musical theatre department, since that was my host’s major. I am not a musical theatre major, so it was interesting to hear from someone who had a totally different major from me. I was mystified by the sorta secret entrance (well, it wasn’t that secret but it was a bit hidden). We were hoping to sit in on a class, but there was only one class going on, and it had a locked door. So, she showed me the rooms and stages within it, which was cool.
My host then decided to take me to my department, which is psychology. We asked how to get there, and found out it was located in a parking garage (how weird). We started heading there before realizing how hot it really was, so we decided to enter the nearest building, which was the athletic center. And, wow. The athletic center is truly amazing. It looked so fancy and state of the art. Outside of the athletic center, there were some tennis courts, and the people there were blasting high energy Spanish music, which really made it feel like it was Miami, especially since everyone was laughing and having a good time. Once we arrived to the Flipse building, we were both feeling dehydrated, but the trip was worth it. Though it was a busy day with no room for walk-in appointments, which according to a guy that worked there was unusual, he was able to really help me out. He gave me a whole ton of interesting pamphlets and info that related to what I wanted to know about my major, including research and study abroad opportunities, which was really helpful. He even gave me the card of his boss, in case I wanted more information. The accessibility to those resources and programs really stood out in my mind, and it really emphasized UM’s research superiority.
Like I said before, we were absolutely parched, so we decided to eat lunch. We ate at Mikos, this really great panini/wrap place. They have make your own panini for $6.35, which is pretty expensive for a panini, but I was hungry, so I paid the price. But, I have to say, the panini was absolutely delicious. It sorta sucks, though, that a drink was not included, so I had to pay about $2 more for a small soda.
Afterwards, we sat down on the rocks by the lake. There are like 3 levels to get down to the rocks and we hopped down to them. The different levels reminded me a lot of Machu Picchu. While we were there, we felt the breeze, which was nice and we talked until my dad came to pick me up. She left, but my dad and I didn’t leave the campus. My dad ate lunch at the Rat (nickname for the Rathskeller). The prices were expensive (no surprise) and the service took forever. The burger quality was really good though, and the fries were tasty, but not at the same quality level of the burger. We then checked out a bit more of the Student Activities Center and were pleasantly surprised by how new and nice looking it was. We loved seeing the gliders, these picnic tables that are covered and can move. (This is a picture of them: http://assets3.thrillist.com/v1/image/971679/size/tl-horizontal_main )
Overall, I thought it was a great experience. It’s too bad you couldn’t do it, but I hope you can vicariously experience that through my post. It also helped me to get the overall feel that UM is pretty cool, though you have to watch out for the prices of everything, since everything there is over priced. I suggest you eat lunch inside one of the gliders, if you can, or relax by the lake. I loved the vibe of the school, and this experience helped me to really consider UM as a serious choice.
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<p>RicewithMilk, THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to write out a thoughtful, and detailed, response to my thread. This is EXACTLY what I hoped for. The good, the bad and the truth. I can not wait to visit Miami next week. I plan to spend at least 2 days on campus. Back in the day, my dad lived in Mahoney, and he is really excited that I am leaning towards the []_[]. After I visit, I will post my thoughts here.</p>
<p>Everyone viewing this thread who visited this weekend, let’s hear about it.</p>
<p>No problem! I tried to be as informative as I could, since I’m sure there are others that couldn’t go to Cane for a Day. My dad also went to UM, but as a law student, so he didn’t have the undergraduate experience. According to my dad, there have been a lot of changes in the campus, one of them being the change of the Rat’s location, and a lot of the buildings have been renovated, so it’s nice to see that. Have fun visiting Coral Gables! </p>