Univ Dayton vs Miami Oxford OH

College Search & Selection
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<p>We are in the process of finalizing our college decision. My daughter has been accepted at both schools with the option of joining their honors programs. I am not sure it is necessary and want to make sure she has an experience in college that is not all studying without any downtime to socilaize and be an active member on campus. Any thoughts?</p>

<p>Dayton had offered her a nice merit based 4 yr scholarship that will bring the cost of tuition down to our instate school (Univ of IL) we have not heard from Maimi - I believe they will let us know in March. We know that she did not receive their Honors Scholarship - I am not sure what other Merit ones will be available. Most likely we will not be in the running for need based financial ones. With two in college maybe...waiting on FAFSA results.</p>

<p>We visited both schools (UD snd MU) on the same day and it was a bit rushed so we did not get a feel for the surrounding Oxford commuinty. Both campus seemed to have a lot to offer and I can see her attending either. Didn't realize Dayton was a Catholic university until we arrived which a a bit of a bonus for me since we are Catholic. They did not push any religion during the Dayton tour which was good since my daughter had been shying away from the religious schools. Having only attended public schools - she seems a bit intimidated by the schools that really push their religion. Dayton focused more on their community service and overall service projects as their goal.</p>

<p>My questions to those of you in the know....
From what i am reading/hearing - Miami seems to have a rep as being preppy, snobby, ivy league-ish either you fit in or you dont....I did not see that on our tour. I saw a bunch of kids running around in their sweats and pony tails. not in their Burberry's and penny loafers. The campus was beautiful and the students seemed like any I had seen on our visits to other schools. What was I missing?</p>

<p>To futher confuse us...
A teacher at her school questioned her selection of Miami as a top choice - telling her she wasn't Jewish or rich so why would she go there? That was a surprise to me? As stated above we are not choosing a school based on religious demographics so we really didn't research affiliations....Is Miami considered a Jewish majority school? We didn't discuss an faith based topics on our tour. Do only well-off students attend this school? Will the middle class kids stand out? </p>

<p>Education Major....we live in IL and the majority of education degrees earned in our state for Primary Ed would be K-8 - To my knowledge Miami offers only a Pre-K thru 3 degree and then jumps into Middle School options with concentration on certain teaching subjects. Has anyone out there attended UD or Miami that lived in IL and came back to teach here?</p>

<p>sorry its so long....she told me last night that Miami has moved up to one and Dayton is second. I want to make sure she will be happy and is making the right choice.</p>

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<p>cbc,</p>

<p>I always love it when teacher x, who barely got out of directional state U’s school of education, makes such comments.</p>

<p>Ok, she was probably talking about the private University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, not public Miami University. Still a total foul, UMiami has a significant number of Jewish and upper income students, but not the majority, I can assure you.</p>

<p>On a side note, S was admitted to both your daughter’s choices. MU came off as kind of isolated with an admissions attitude (MU was one of my S’s safeties, 78% admit rate), so off the list it went. Dayton is nice, but it can’t seem to shake the “I didn’t get into Notre Dame, so I am here” rep.</p>

<p>Good luck to your D, she will do great no matter where she ends up!</p>

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<p>My S graduated from Miami and his closest friend went to Dayton. My son is very outgoing and fit in very well at Miami. His best friend was very shy and Dayton really changed him for the better. I think the students at Dayton are some of the friendliest I have met and a perfect fit for a student that may worry about making friends. </p>

<p>As far as the area around each college, well the town of Oxford is essentially the campus with limited activities. My son and his friends would often go to Dayton or Cincinnati if they wanted to get away. Miami is rural while Dayton is a little more urban. From an academic standpoint, Miami has a better “rating” but it really depends on fit. I agree with BaghDAD that the teacher from your daughters school was confusing Miami University with University of Miami. It is a little odd for a teacher to make a comment regarding your D’s religion.</p>

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<p>My son loved his Miami visit. We had a fabulous guide who shared a lot of lore. My son is also outgoing and sees himself fitting in well. Didn’t see any snobbiness at all. Haven’t been to Dayton.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for your replies. I think I will take her back to both schools and see if she can shadow students and talk to advisors. I wish she could stay overnight with a student but that might be out of her comfort zone so hopefully this method will work out.</p>

<p>Additional comments are welcome…I need all the insight I can get :-)</p>

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<p>I went to Dayton a number of years ago but I think as much as things have changed a lot has stayed the same. I came from CT to OH not knowing a soul. Dayton was the best experience of my life. I am now encouraging by KY D to consider Dayton.</p>

<p>I don’t agree with BaghDad about the Notre Dame comment. Dayton and Notre Dame are just very different places. My D has never seen a “B” on a report card and is a National Merit Scholar but considers Dayton a place she would be happy. That’s what is important.</p>

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<p>micawber,</p>

<p>Don’t think I don’t want Dayton to be recognized for what it is, its just a vibe that keeps coming back around there. Dayton is trying to emphasize its Marinist identity, its hoops team and its partnerships with DoD. I’m glad your daughter would look beyond where people want her to go and go to a fine school which fits her best.</p>

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<p>A person who works for me grew up in Mass, attended Dayton and decided to stay here. He loved the school and the area.</p>

<p>BaghDad, good comments about the hoops identity and DoD affiliation. I disagreed with your Notre Dame comment. We’ve hired a number of Dayton (and Notre Dame) grads and I don’t see that at all.</p>

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<p>Agreed on all accounts. Two fine schools, with a bit of difference in atmosphere and emphasis. The Marianists are a religious order of brothers. That particular order at Dayton is more liberal than some in New York (Chaminade High School on Long Island). They have a very unique sense of spirituality and working to better the human condition. Dayton also has growing ties to the DoD with a nearby Airforce Base, home of the “Dayton Accords” regarding “former Yugoslavia.” Lots of top level secret programs there.</p>

<p>I recommend it highly. Congratulations.</p>

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<p>On the contrary, University of Miami is known for having a large Hispanic population. I haven’t really heard of it as a Jewish majority school.</p>

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<p>According to Wikipedia, 22%
[American</a> Jews - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews]American”>American Jews - Wikipedia)</p>

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<p>Erin’s Dad,</p>

<p>Funny, over the years, I keep running into UD undergrads with the No ND, I’m here lament…maybe I keep running into the wrong students. Oh well, perceptions from different vantage points I guess.</p>

<p>Not to stray off topic too much, but UMiami does have a strong and vocal Jewish student population, however it is not the majority “group” on campus. It depends on how you slice the pie. Stats will tell you there are 45% white non-hispanics at UMiami. How many are Jewish? How many are Muslim? Gee, how many whites are of Irish descent? Italian? When will we stop hyphenating each other? Look, the most important thing is that teacher x was insular and closed minded…find that a lot in the Midwest, I’m afraid.</p>

<p>CBC’s daughter will do great anywhere she goes, Miami or Dayton are the ones benefitting in either case.</p>

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<ol>
<li><p>That teacher is a racist. That is a very weird comment to make. It sounds more pointed than a simple observation.</p></li>
<li><p>If money is no object, Miami Oxford has the better reputation, but that sure sounds like a great scholarship at U Dayton.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>I don’t know what the Jewish numbers are at Miami-OH, but my SIL (who is Jewish) went there because of its Jewish population. </p>

<p>From Erin’s Dad’s post that the Jewish population is 22%, I’m guessing that my SIL meant that the school had a stronger Jewish presence than what is found in the US…where Jewish people are about 2-3% of the population.</p>

<p>Your D just needs to go to whichever school she likes better. Does she have the opportunity to spend some time in some classes at either school?</p>

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<p>We’re talking about Miami Ohio, not U Miami.
U Miami has 22% Jewish population.</p>

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<p>I think MiamiU has a Jewish population of about 6% according to Hillel.org.</p>

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<p>Actually, although I will likely be attending Miami U myself next year, I have to say its rep. has been falling like a lead brick. This year alone, its rep. fell 13 spots on USNWR in addition to other losses over past years. Also, it had race relation problems in 2005-ish that lead to nasty lawsuits and a way tarnished rep. in academia. The school, at least from my own personal observations, also seems to have a much more “party” atmoshpere than U Dayton or other schools in the area. PR’s reports on Miami U’s lack of understanding for anyone “diverse”; in beliefs, gender attraction, color, etc. seems to be unusually strained.</p>

<p>Still, for business and the (non-physical science) liberal arts, it is definitely the better choice. Miami is among the best in the state for life sciences and pre-med, as well. Only one of the two schools taht offers Architecture, but for most it is worthwile to just go to U Cinci- DAAP for a far better education. Miami also has the best options for high achievers with its superior Honors program.</p>

<p>UD, on the other hand, appears to be doing quite well in many regards. Its reputation is on the rise, its campus has expanded and is currently expanding further with purchases of many nearby properties for building new buildings and for use for the research institute, and it has many stellar programs. </p>

<p>They are ranked among the overall “happiest students” by Princeton Review (which kind of discredits claims of the school being for “Notre Dame rejects”), the school itself is among the top five for “saviors of their cities” (yes, service is a paramount feature at UD, and in fact seems to be where the school’s religious beliefs are channeled), and its Entrepreneurship Program is #4 in the nation, requiring each individual to start their own business in the community. In addition, the school is adding some great new minors and majors in fields pertaining to alternative energy and energy conservation.</p>

<p>U Dayton definitely wins for Engineering and Physical Sciences of the two schools, especially considering its great connections to Wright-Patterson AFB (after all, two Daytonians invented flight ;)) and the amazing science resources it has. Also is strong in entrepreneurship, and I suspect has stronger History and Theater departments considering its ties to Dayton. I also personally think it has a better campus and atmosphere, but maybe that’s just me ;)</p>

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<p>^^^^
“(after all, two Daytonians invented flight )”</p>

<p>Correction, they engineered a way to achieve heavier than air flight…And now that the easy assembly line auto bucks and NCR are gone, Dayton is belatedly trying to tap into the aviation industry again. WPAFB employs some fine UD educated engineers, but UD can’t save the city from mismanagement and neglect, the prevailing theme for the last ten years.</p>

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<p>Mom2collegekids,</p>

<p>The original OP was from Illinois, so a fair chance Teacher X was referring to the more well-known University of Miami.</p>

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<p>This is not a good forum to debate urban affairs. If you wish to do so, I highly recommend that you join City-Data. I could easily refute your narrow-minded misconceptions about the fair city of Dayton there anyday :)</p>

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