<p>For those who attend university of miami, how is your experience in terms of academics, social life, cost of living, friendliness of students, school spirit and pretty much anything else you can add. Thanks!</p>
<p>I am a Freshman Marine Science Chemistry major living in Stanford. I love Miami!
Academic: Miami is a mid-sized school with about 10,000 undergrad students. This allows class sized to be small. There is no escaping the large 100 level lecture classes with 100+ students but as soon as you move into high level classes, class size drops significantly. I am taking a marine physics course with 8 students in it so it is easy to get time with the professor. The professors at Miami are very good. I can say that I have only had one professor thus far who I did not like. Every single class is taught by a professor, not a TA and many of the professors are the leaders in their fields. Miami also has a lot of opportunity for research. I don’t know what field you are interested in but what ever it is, there are plenty of options for internships if you look for them. Many of my friends are doing research in labs or working as interns for large companies including the Miami Heat as freshman. </p>
<p>Social Life: As I’m sure you can guess, Miami has a very active social scene. If you like to party, there are lots of options every weekend. If you are looking for other actives, there are plenty of other things to do as well. There are clubs that hold events at night and on weekends where you can go kayaking and horse back riding and scuba diving. You can also get involved in drama productions through QuantUM and Hurricane Productions. There is an on campus movie theater and there is often a show in the Ring Theater put on by the Theater Students. </p>
<p>Cost of Living: There is no getting around the fact that Miami is an expensive city. The school offers most of the amenities that you need but if you want to go shopping it can get expensive depending on where you go. However, I find that if you need to live on a budget, it is very possible. </p>
<p>Friendliness: I have found that Miami has a very friendly student body. There are always those few students who are not the nicest but they are few and far between. It is very easy to make friends on campus. And there is no distinction between upperclassmen and freshman. I have a number of upperclassmen friends who don’t look down on me as a frosh and I have never been put down or anything for being a freshman. </p>
<p>School Spirit: IT IS ALL ABOUT THE []_[]!!! You will find that Miami is in now way lacking in school spirit. Sports events are always packed with students supporting the teams and everyone here is proud to be a Miami Hurricane. During Homecoming week, there are many events to get the student body ready for the football game and everyone comes out for ceremonies on the lake that include a fireworks show. During sports fest, you show your Res College spirit by competing for your dorm (lets go Stanford!) </p>
<p>Anything Else: Getting around the city is pretty easy. Miami runs shuttles to the grocery store and local mall. There is also a metro rail stop right across from campus that can take you to the local Target, Best Buy, BB&B and sports authority as well as to another large mall. The metro is also the best way to get into down town and to the airport. If you want to get into the Grove (where the local clubs are) a taxi is the best option. </p>
<p>Greek Life: Greek life is growing on campus and now about 28% of students are involved in Greek life. This is a good number because if gives you options. If you have no interest in Greek life then you can go through your four years at Miami without taking notice of it. However, if you are interested in Greek life, there is now a large enough portion of the student body involved for it to be a force on campus. If you are interested more in Greek life or have any other questions, feel free to PM me. </p>
<p>Thank you so much! And I will pm you with more questions! </p>
<p>Food: The food is pretty good. It is obviously not like home cooking but it is a whole lot better then my high school’s food. There are two main dining halls on campus, one next to the freshman dorms and one next to Mahoney/ Pearson, the upper classmen dorms. They always serve sandwiches and a grill station that has hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken burgers, and grilled cheese. There are also 4 specialty stations that operate during meal times that serve things like a roast chicken dinner and tacos. There is also a stir fry station. One of these four specialty stations will always be vegetarian. There is also a salad bar available. The dinning hall food is pretty good and has enough variety to keep things interesting. There are also a couple of other food options on campus. The Ratskeller is a bar fare restaurant in the Student Activities Center that serves things like wings, quesadillas and sandwiches. there is also a restaurant, Line, that serves tex-mex. And there is a food court at the University Center that has sushi, a salad bar, a wendy’s and more. For a complete list of restaurants, visit the Miami website.</p>
<p>Best Thing About Being A Cane: There are so many reasons I love being a cane so its hard to pick one best thing. For me, I would say it is the opportunities I have here. As a Marine chemists, attending one of the best Marine Schools in the country is pretty amazing and the opportunities are countless. Other things I love include the atmosphere here, the approachable of professors, the number and variety of clubs on campus.</p>
<p>The Worst Thing about Being A Cane: This is a good question and one I always asked when I spoke to current students on college visits. There is usually one or two negatives about the school and Miami is no exception. For me, the worst thing about being a cane is the red tape that I sometimes have to cut through to get what I want. As a double major double minor student, my schedule is really tight and it is important I take all of the classes I need to in the semesters I need to. When I was signing up for spring classes, I had trouble signing up for one of my required physics courses because it was offered first only to engineering students. I had to go through my adviser and speak two three members of the physics department including the dean to get into the class and it was quite a headache. Other then that, there is not many downsides to going to school here.</p>
<p>The Dorms: I don’t know what you have heard about the dorms but they are pretty average for college dorms as far as I know. They come with a desk and book shelf as well as a dresser. The closets are very large for a college dorm room. If you haven’t seen a picture of them yet I can send you some of my room. I live on Stanford RT 7 and love it here. Some things to consider about freshman housing: while living in a single has definite benefits (privacy, ability to control AC, ability to sleep whenever, no worry about music or tv), I would suggest rooming with someone freshman year. Having a roommate provides a quick automatic friend on during orientation and the first couple days of school. You can use room surf or other such websites to find a roommate with whom you are compatible. Also, splitting a room means you that you don’t have furnish the room by yourself. I brought a microwave and futon while my roommate brought a mini fridge and TV.
As for which Res college is better, that question is very subjective. I am inclined to say that Stanford is better but that is partially just because I live here. Some pros to living in Stanford are:
-slightly closer to classes
-there is a covered walkway from the lobby to the Hecht/Stanford dining hall
-Stanford has music practice rooms
I sure someone will have similar comments about Hecht so if you have the chance, I would suggest you visit both res colleges and make a decision. As a freshman I would not want to be in Eaton because I feel that it would be hard to bond with the rest of your class. You wouldn’t be a part of the Stanford/Hecht rivalry during sportsfest and you might miss some of the res college events that are hosted by Stanford and Hecht. Again these are personal opinions and you should weigh the pros and cons of each res college before making a decision.</p>
<p>Events: Orientation week is filled with new student events including Canes Fest where you can get info about all of the different clubs on Campus and the freshman picnic held at President Shalala’s house. Homecoming week is also filled with activities such as the homecoming parade and foot ball game as well as a concert in the BUC and the boat burning on the lack the night before the game. There are also a lot of smaller events held around campus including student run shows. There are on campus parties held by Canes Night Live that include carnival games, a zip line, A SNOW BALL FIGHT, and other events. There are open mic nights at the Wesley Coffee house every Thursday. You can also go on weekend trips kayaking, para-sailing, and snorkeling. There is even a campus movie theater that shows free movies on Wednesday and Saturday.</p>
<p>The City of Miami: I have only been into the city in a couple of times this year. Getting into down town is pretty easy via use of the metro rail. I went in to go watch the annual Red Bull Flugtag event which was a blast. UM usually has a plane that enters and we did pretty well this year. Getting to South beach is a little more difficult and the best way to do it is to rent a zip car from the university and drive. The trip is about 30 min. Other then that, I haven’t really explored the city much.</p>
<p>Parties: As I’m sure you have guessed, partying is not a problem at UM. Typically you have to decide between two types of parties, house parties in coral gables behind campus or Coconut grove clubs. I know that many students go the to grove on Thursday night and then go to a house party on Friday or Saturday night. The best way to get to most of these events is via a taxi unless the house party is close by.</p>
<p>thank you soo much! You’ve been really helpful to me with all this insight! I pray I get in! And I will pm you if anything! Thank you again so much for answering all of my questions!</p>
<p>Great information. My son’s heart is set on going to the U and this information was very helpful.</p>
<p>Can any other students please comment on school spirit, sporting event attendance and social life?</p>
<p>School spirit is huge here. You see Miami gear everywhere, most students make it part of their weekly wardrobe. Football always attracts a big crowd from the students; basketball has started to pick up steam in terms of student attendance, but they have had issues attracting crowds in the past (although next season’s team is looking pretty good, so that should start to change). Social life is what you make of it. Whatever interests you have, there’s bound to be a club or activity for it. There are all kinds of people at this school, so you can find and make friends pretty much from any crowd. If you have any specific questions, feel free to message me!</p>
<p>My son is going to THE U next fall. He’s deliriously happy. Thanks for all the information!!!</p>
<p>congrats to your son @Tennismom15 ! You should be quite proud and you will be satisfied I think. Now you are welcome to join the UMiami Parents FB page (just search “U of Miami Parents Connection Group”) . Lots of information and dialogue between us parents (and nice people too)</p>
<p>Go Canes! Welcome to the []_[] family @Tennismom15</p>
<p>@Tennismom My son is a freshman at the U and is SUPER ACTIVE in Club Tennis. If your son is a good player, he can make the travel team. They play all over the state (including at Crandon Park, where the SONY ERICSSON tourney was just played) and they came within inches of making nationals in Arizona. The courts have lights so they can play at night and are right near the freshman dorms. Club Tennis works great because my son is an engineering major - while he would have loved to play on the team at college (could never play on D1 - he’s not that level), club tennis is perfect for a demanding major. Especially club tennis at a college where you can play year round. I see that you only have 5 posts, so not sure if we can communicate on PM. Let me know if your son going to the U is the tennis player in your family; then I can PM you my email address.</p>
<p>I am also in the UM Parents Group on Facebook… let’s connect!</p>
<p>Has anyone got any insights on international students? I’m from the UK, do you think the U will help with the culture change and move? That information was amazing, especially because I can’t visit the campus. This uni looks amazing, definitely my top choice so far!</p>
Bump
I don’t see one (or a few) big admitted students day(s). Looks like the regular generic tour 6 day/wk. tour schedule on the admitted student campus visit page. We have been on 2 campus tours during the summer but were hoping to attend a larger admitted student event during the school year if D got in. Anyone know if they just don’t do those at UMiami? D was hoping to get a chance to mingle with a larger group of admitted students prior to deciding. Thanks!
@pineview You may have already received this email if you have been offered admission to the university, but there is what they call a “FutureCane Day” on April 12th. This seems to be the sort of event you are looking for.
Also, I have a few questions about the U as well:
1.) School Atmosphere:
I have heard some people refer to the U as a commuter school. With 38% of students living on-campus, it seems like there may be some truth to this statement. However, I have read that 85% of freshman live on-campus which, to me, seems more indicative of the commuter vs. residential feel of the campus.
I would appreciate some insight on this topic.
2.) Transportation:
I am very interested in research, however the faculty conducting research in my field of interest appear to be located/based on the medical campus.
Is there a campus bus/shuttle that runs between the main Coral Gables campus and the medical campus?
Also, how safe is the light rail train to take from the main campus to the medical campus?
Miami is a large city, and I suspect the train could pass through some rough areas between the two campuses.
3.) Housing:
How bad is the housing lottery system? (I’m not quite sure how the housing process works after the first year and I was wondering what the consequences would be if you are not selected to have on-campus housing)
Thank you!
Hey, @tennis mom, I’m looking to go to UM i know this is a late response but I’m very curious to know everything your son did to get in. I am a junior now and UM is definitely my top choice. It seems very hard to get into but I will do anything to get accepted there. How does you son like it? And if you don’t mind me asking, what were his grades and SAT scores like so that I know what I need to do to get in.
Thanks so much.