The University of Miami's future rankings?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Miami - Florida
1

<p>So two years ago US News ranked UM 47. Last year UM made headlines dropping 9 spots to 38. Now UM is 44. </p>

<p>Thats a lot of jumping around! </p>

<p>It seems like UM is right on the brink of pushing into the prestigious tier. </p>

<p>Looking at it realistically, where do you think UM will be in a few years? In 5 years? in 10 years?</p>

<p>Do you think it is going to stay in the 40-45 range? Do you think it will push into the 30s? Maybe even break the top 30? Is it possible UM could lose ground, especially when Shalala retires, and maybe fall back into the 45-55 range?</p>

<p>Thoughts encouraged!</p>

2

<p>I was surprised that Miami lost a few spots this year too - I think it might be slightly inaccurate. However, looking towards the future, I think Miami will make progress. This is why:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I started looking at UM two years ago. The 25-75 percentiles for SAT scores for accepted students were about 1200-1300 from what I remember. This year, those numbers jumped to about 1260-1400 based on the information on their website.</p></li>
<li><p>This year Miami jumped from the “highly selective” to the “most selective” tier.</p></li>
<li><p>They have the space and resources to expand. For example, I was accepted to Tulane, and although it is considered a better school than Miami, I think Miami will quickly overcome that notion. Tulane has no room to expand campus-wise (it is a very compact campus) and although it is in an extremely nice neighborhood, once you leave that area it is in the ghetto. Miami has a great campus, so it has potential for more building etc, and is in Coral Gables. I have heard rumors that Miami will be renovating the Standford dorm, which could attract applicants in the coming years, whereas many schools ranked higher than Miami have already passed their peak.</p></li>
<li><p>You have to keep in mind the schools that are currently ranked higher. One example is the UC system. The UC schools are great schools, but are in financial trouble. I think this will greatly impact their future rankings. If the UC schools lost their places in the top 50, Miami would jump several spots.</p></li>
<li><p>Miami has only a few core freshman classes, especially for certain majors. This means hands-on faster, which means more experience, which means higher-quality graduates, which means a better employment rate/grad school placement. This is appealing to prospective applicants, thus improving the applicant pool.</p></li>
<li><p>Over the course of the last 20 years, Miami lost their thug reputation. My dad went to Notre Dame, the school that in the past had the infamous “Catholics vs. Convicts” rivalry with Miami. Miami has completely changed people’s perception of them, going from a thug school to a top 50 school. This is a major indication of the fast-paced improvement Miami makes.</p></li>
<li><p>Majors are important. Miami has a big architecture program. Architects are among those with the highest unemployment rates, and I’m not sure how Miami graduates place. This could be bringing the school down. However, their science programs are doing very well. A degree from Miami with a major in one of their science programs is more prestigious than one from a different program.</p></li>
<li><p>Losing party school rep. No longer ranked top 10 or 20 party schools. More education-focused applicants will be attracted rather than party-focused applicants.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I would not be surprised in Miami broke 40 by next year. 30’s would come next. I really can’t say what will happen when Shalala retires (whenever that will be), but I would hope someone else would step up and continue her efforts.</p>

3

<p>I think UM admins are aggressively trying to bring UM into that top tier. In my opinion, the universities that truly carry a sense of prestige with their name are probably the top 30-35. UM isn’t quite there yet, but it’s not far off. </p>

<p>The problem that is unfair to UM is that people who aren’t all that familiar with the university still see it, to some degree, as a party school. I’m from Oregon and when I tell people UM is my first choice, over schools like Boston University and George Washington University, they are quick to ask me why or remind me that “UM is a party school!” The truth is, UM is ranked slightly higher than BU and GW, but cities like Boston and DC are much more academic in general than Miami. This perpetuates the misconception. </p>

<p>USC has this same problem. USC is ranked 24th in the nation, and while it regarded as a great, fairly prestigious institution, there are still those people that look at it as “university of spoiled children” because it does attract an often affluent crowd that likes to have fun. When you compare USC to schools around the same ranking like Georgetown or Tufts, I think people who don’t know any better would view Gtown or tufts as better, despite the fact that USC is ranked above tufts and just barely below georgetown. </p>

<p>It seems like universities that are in cities known to be less academic and more superficial are often the victims of unfair or down right incorrect perceptions. </p>

<p>UM is always going to attract students who do like to have fun, even if it breaks the top 30.
Of-course, that isn’t to say those students can’t also be academically inclined. </p>

<p>I think for UM to truly be recognized unanimously as a top university at the national level known for renowned academics, it would have to be ranked in the low 30s, maybe even top 30. </p>

<p>As for where I see UM in the coming years, I do think it will probably slowly persevere. A More competitive freshmen class and more impressive average stats aren’t really enough though, because most every university tends to get a bit more competitive each year. Nevertheless, I think UM will probably be in the mid to high 30s, within a few years. Breaking the top 30 would be a pretty big challenge and I think if it did happen it would take the better part of a decade at least.</p>

<p>Wow, that was a lot of writing. I guess senior year has given me too much time on my hands! :D</p>

<p>I too would like to hear what else people have to say on this topic. It is interesting.</p>

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<p>UM is so up-and-coming, it’s not even funny. They have money. They’re $1+ billion into the Momentum2 campaign ([Momentum2:</a> The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami](<a href=“http://www6.miami.edu/momentum2/]Momentum2:”>http://www6.miami.edu/momentum2/)). Campus is being renovated: Stanford’s elevators are getting renovated this summer, the $20 million (yes, you read that correctly) new student activities center is underway and set for opening in Summer/Fall 2013 (<a href=“http://www.miami.edu/index.php/news/releases/a_new_center_for_student_life/[/url]”>http://www.miami.edu/index.php/news/releases/a_new_center_for_student_life/&lt;/a&gt;). There’s room for growth and expansion, and it’s happening before our eyes. The university is throwing massive scholarships at top applicants, perhaps more now than ever, and it’s becoming more and more each year. We’ll see the effects of this in a few years, when graduates move on to top grad schools and land decent jobs. </p>

<p>Plenty of top universities have respected names and prestigious reputations, but they’re already there - they don’t have to work to earn it anymore, and you could argue that they’re now vulnerable to be overcome. And UM is rounding the corner and coming up - quickly. </p>

<p>The only thing holding UM back in terms of rankings is its former reputation as Suntan U. It’s still working to shed this reputation, thankfully, because it doesn’t deserve it. When you live and learn here, you can really see how UM is advancing in so many aspects.</p>

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<p>This is a great topic of discussion. I was speaking with provost LeBlanc (the guy in charge of academics) about it, and he had some good points:
The US news rankings doesn’t really take into consideration some things the university values really highly, like class size or diversity (we’ve been top 10 in diversity since forever)
A lot of the investments being made in producing better faculty or graduate programs (which really guide impressions; who ever hears about liberal arts colleges?) have serious time lags, and Dona Shalala, who has driven a lot of this focus, only came in ~2005.
At the current academic plan (including increases in freshman retention rate and 6-year graduation rate), we should be at the level of the other universities in the Association of American Universities, the top Research schools in the country by 2020. We’d also be the youngest private such institution. I think 2020 is a great year personally because it’d be when we’d be leaving grad schools and the prestige of our Undergrad education would play with employers.
As for USNews guessing games, the average SAT goes up every year (currently at 1325, expect a settling in the 1400s) so a mid-30s slot wouldn’t be impossible for a long-term bet. </p>

<p>if only they updated academic rankings as frequently as they do basketball ones…</p>

6

<p>really surprised this thread hasnt gotten more hits, but yeah would it surprise people to see umiami jump into the usc, boston college, wake forest group of top 35 schools with great athletics and surpass that other tier of schools that includes gw, tulane, and boston u?</p>

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<p>bump thread</p>

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<p>Can anyone comment on UM’s future regarding its engineering department? I’m considering UM, University of Rochester, and North Carolina State University for electrical engineering. I know the latter two are better known for their engineering… Are there any recent significant improvement towards UM’s?</p>

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<p>@Oaktown, I think UM is trying to etch into the Boston College, NYU, Rochester, Tufts range but right now it is still more associated with Northeastern, BU, GW, Tulane level schools.</p>

<p>I think it will happen if they keep up their efforts. They’ve been pretty successful thus far in really pushing UM upward but it isn’t easy. I think UM will probably break the top 40 on the next issue of USNWR. From there it may slowly lower. I could see it being in the 31-35 range in 5 years.</p>

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<p>spidermc25: Come on over to this thread where we’ve been talking about engineering at UM. </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-miami-florida/1481310-help-decision-engineering-major.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-miami-florida/1481310-help-decision-engineering-major.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I guess a lot of people from outside Florida are just getting to know UM as a solid institution, but if you lived here you would know that you are dealing with the best University in Florida and one in the best in the US. UM Health is probably among the best network of research and medical care facilities anywhere in the country. The Bascom Palmer Institute, the Project to Cure Paralysis are all part of the U.
What Donna Shalala is now doing is revamping the Engineering and the school of Business so they too can became as successful as their medical school. Most universities are at a stagnant phase in time, but the U is at an exciting time of growth. Academics are taking seriously, and most kids that come to only have a good time realize that the either they shape up or they ship out. No one can convince you were to go. You have to believe that where you are going is the right place for you and you have to ultimately feel pride in attending that institution. Good Luck in your decision, I am sure it will be the right on for you.</p>

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<p>Thanks, LINYMOM!</p>

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<p>MikeJohnson’s comparison to USC is a great one. It has taken/is taking decades to overcome past stereotypes. Throw in rival schools (UCLA and Berkeley) who want to keep the stereotypes alive and you realize the difficulty in changing attitudes. For Miami, it will always be stuck with people wanting to believe great educational publications like Playboy Magazine calling it a great party school.</p>

<p>You can’t live and die by someone else’s rankings, you can only crank out better and better graduates. The top 15 aren’t going to change probably ever. Then you get into the 15-30 range where you have a lot of great schools like, BC, USC, Georgetown etc. For Miami to move into that group someone is going to have to move down and I don’t see that happening. So the real goal needs to be to educate people that it’s not 15-30 but 15-40 and then get into that pool and stay there.</p>

<p>Living well is the best revenge. Don’t get obsessed with the rankings.</p>

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<p>Couldn’t resist… [Doris</a> Day - Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be) - YouTube](<a href=“Doris Day - Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be) - YouTube”>Doris Day - Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be) - YouTube)</p>

<p>my grandma used to sing me this when I was a kid</p>

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<p>I have visited the U of Miami campus. You can already see the results of their Momentum 2 campaign in their Student Activities Center opening in August 2013 overlooking a manmade lake.
[Student</a> Activities Center | University of Miami](<a href=“http://www.miami.edu/sa/index.php/student_activities_center/]Student”>Student Affairs I University of Miami)</p>

<p>My brother went to UC-Berkeley for undergrad engineering and is now getting his MS in engineering. Not too long ago, he would not have considered this. The campus is beautiful and the city in which it is located is affluent, Coral Gables. I can see U of Miami be spoken of in the same tier as that of Georgetown and USC within a decade. </p>

<p>This is school is very good at branding. Their mascot Ibis looks very good on all their clothes and accesories.</p>

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<p>I went to the Singer Stamps weekend with my son and was VERY impressed with the quality of student present.The University is doing a great job of throwing merit money at it’s top applicants, and this is going to be very important in raising the level of the academics.My son had several friends who were highly qualified who would have considered Miami if they had known how much merit money they would have gotten. Instead ,
they went to places like BC, Rochester, BU etc and got nothing. Unfortunately, Miami still has not completely overcome the party school image. I frequently hear “Oh Miami, that’s such a big party school”. Old reputations die hard.
I don’t know why U.S. News dropped Miami this past year. I also don’t understand why their rankings have become the gold standard. Miami is certainly headed in the right direction, and I expect them to crack the Top 40 soon.</p>

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<p>I am not from florida, so I have never heard of any party reputation that Miami may have. In California it is known as a big sports school, that’s it. USC is no different. Talented Kids who have full rides and squander there blessings is always inherent. Personally I see little if any damage such a reputation has in academics/employment or whatever the metric is. When my father decided to attend UC Berkeley in 1971, the comments he received were "oh you want to party’’. In fact at Berkeley, we saw UC Davis and as lightweights in comparison to us and Santa Barbara as quieter than UCLA. If I am not mistaken, Brown University just made news the other day for its naked sex party getting canceled. </p>

<p>The Bible for students is US news Rankings, areas of excellence and complete individual subjectivity after that. But guess what, employers use rankings too. And grad schools use research/citation impact rankings. Good schools are money makers. They expand their capabilities for research grants through building facilities and academic strategy. They also are successful at expanding their endowment- by whatever means. The larger the endowment the more return it produces. This means both in subsidizing talented students as well as receiving passive income from investing it. Harvard has a 36 billion dollar trust which gained 5 billion in interest over the last few years. This is because Harvard isn’t just a school it is a for-profit real estate company. Harvard owns more real estate than anyone in Boston-transfers its profitable non-taxed return back into the endowment fund-it’s a cyclical process that makes it almost self sustaining.</p>

<p>The U seems in my opinion to be in that game. That should be all that matters. </p>