My S is considering ED to the U. Loves the campus, the feel, the size and the academics. We’re interested in the social life there. Can anyone give insight to what it’s like for a freshman boy? He likes to party some, but not into the club scene. Does anything happen on campus, or is it all in Coconut Grove or South Beach as they get older? Are there bars/parties to walk to or is every weekend an Uber or shuttle? How important is it to be Greek? Appreciate all insight!
Just some general info. The houses on Frat Row are within walking distance of the freshman dorms. There is plenty to do in Coconut Grove and on campus that is not centered around drinking, so age doesn’t matter.
Also, football is big, cheap and fun. The university provides free student shuttles to the home games and I recommend that even non-football fans go to at least two games just to check out the excitement and team spirit. (I don’t care for sports but didn’t miss a home game!)
Nice to know that it’s not just geek life and the clubbing scene. Do you think a regular middle class student will be able to have a good social life or is a hefty allowance needed for things to do?
As my frosh son is learning this year, they don’t let freshman boys into the frat parties anyway. Now the frosh girls on the other hand… 
He’s had a blast regardless. The Grove, the dorms, the football game, intramural sports, clubs - it’s never lacking for things to do socially. (Now we’re just hoping all that’s still standing in a few days. 
)
“Do you think a regular middle class student will be able to have a good social life or is a hefty allowance needed for things to do?”
My DS is a sophomore at Miami. From what I have seen and heard, the resident students are primarily (if not a majority than a significant plurality) middle-class to upper-middle-class. They tend to go off-campus a lot from Thursday to Saturday as there is not much to do on campus, and some of the bars in Coconut Grove will serve under-age kids. There is a significant minority of very rich kids but they seem to hang out with each other and go out to high-end restaurants, South Beach, etc. Last year when he was in the dorms, most of the kids had enough money to go off campus on weekends, with a very few exceptions where the kids were not given much spending money by their parents. (These parents it seems were just stingy rather than low income). I gave my son an allowance of $300 per calendar month for spending money plus some meals as he opted for only 14 meals in the dining hall (the food at Miami is not very good) plus I paid his Uber bill. For second semester, his Uber bills were getting out of hand so I just upped his allowance to $400 per month and made him pay his Uber bills.
londondad, thank you. That’s helpful information. Does it bother your son to have to go off campus all the time, or is it just part of what it is. Is he Greek?
^ I don’t think it bothered him to travel down to Coconut Grove or an off campus party on weekends as it only a 10 - 15 Uber ride from campus. He does not like to travel to South Beach too often due to the time and expense of getting there and back. It does bother me that he goes to a school with such a dead campus as I would have preferred him to be at a school with a more vibrant on campus life. He is rushing a frat this semester so he may start spending more time at the frat houses rather than the local bars!
@londondad I hope your son is safe and his apartment wasn’t damaged
^ Thanks. He was very proactive and got a cheap flight out on the Wednesday before the hurricane hit. His apartment complex came through relatively unscathed and he will be back on Tuesday.
Does UM require all freshmen to live on campus?
@Living61 Yes, freshmen are required to live on campus unless they already live in the area.