For all my qualms about the name of the place, Miami (OH) turned out to be one of the most beautiful schools I've seen thus far in the country. Similar to Carleton, which I talked about in my first post, Miami was pretty far out there. Nestled between a couple of major interstates (neither of which run anywhere near to the town of Oxford, where the university is), Miami was truly a diamond campus in the heart of the Midwest. I really didn't have much idea of what to expect at the school. One of my cousins attended, majoring in business. He was the preppy sort, but also played club soccer there, so I decided it couldn't be THAT bad. What originally was just a pass-through turned into an unexpected pleasure of a school.
We rolled into town at about sunset, which was lovely. It had been raining for a half hour or so on the way in, so I was kind of in a bad mood. I mean, let's be honest here, we were driving to some college I knew virtually nothing about, in the middle of what I surmised to be a rural town. It was anything but. Oxford reminded me of a pleasant New England oceanside town, complete with cobblestone streets and old churches built into small plazas. The admissions lady was friendly, although there was a large fraternity gathering with members coming from all over the U.S. for a weekend retreat of sorts. Speaking of which, there were a large number of fairly interesting sorority and fraternity houses, somewhat removed from the center of campus. They were nowhere near as elaborate or fancy-looking as the ones on the U of I campus, but the admissions lady informed us that Greek life is popular with around 30% of the student body. The quad was great, as you can see in the picture above. It was so cool during the evening, but evoked an air of immense excitement and anticipation for the bulk of students to arrive back from summer break.
I also really liked the athletic facilites present. From what I could tell, there was two large rec centers on campus, and one unbelievably nice football field. I guess something I've always looked forward to in the college experience is being able to go watch a big football team play. One that is D1. While Miami is D1, they're typically a weaker team. But that didn't keep me from being impressed with their field. It was like something out of a classic movie, Remember the Titans. Nestled in a valley, Yager Stadium reminded me more of an intimate high school football field, where I have so many soccer playing memories. It was quiet, yet you could picture it bustling with activity on gamedays. Imagine the picture at the right, but with all the trees in the background color brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, or better yet, covered in snow.
While the campus absolutely fascinated me, I was curious about the academics. The ACT range is 26-30, but is expected to rise to 27-31 this year. So Miami is by no means a second-rate university. Students know how to both work hard and have fun. Pictures on the virtual tour show students having fun playing football in the quad, listening to lectures, and throwing snow at each other. And that certainly seemed to be the atmosphere when I was there too. Students were all too willing to talk about the university in a positive light. All the labs seemed relatively up to date and well-equipped, which is something that I, who am looking to major in biology, found especially nice.
And every students' biggest concern, food, was rectified. We ate in downtown Oxford, a VERY easy walk from the heart of campus. I have to say, in comparison to some somewhat nice other small towns, Oxford was lovely. Cobblestone streets, colonial houses, and lots of red brick storefronts, all which fit in with the surrounding collegiate buildings.
Overall, Miami offered lots for a school of it's size in the Midwest. I forgot to mention, earlier, that you can also automatically get a $5, 000- $10, 000 scholarship depending on your ACT/SAT score and your GPA. I really loved the campus, the relaxing, yet professional vibe of the school, and the allure of many good times to come.
Since I didn't know much about Miami Ohio, I was interested to see what you had to say about the campus. It seems like a really nice place, and I like the way you describe the town as similar to places in New England. Their first-rate academics, food, athletic facilities, and merit scholarships make it sound like a great place for you! Are you applying?
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Miami University in Ohio until now. This blog entry is a nice introduction to the school. Your coverage provides a lot of helpful information about its different features, from athletics to academics. I hadn't previously considered applying to this college, but as usual, your blog has convinced me to do even more research about it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard about this college, I shared a similar initial reaction. Everything about the university seemed weird: Miami U in a city called Oxford. But after reading your blog, the university seems quite attractive in many different aspects. I do enjoy how the college is located in a smaller city, kind of like UIUC, but it's unfortunate that there aren't any big, prominent cities nearby. All in all, seems like a great university to apply to!
ReplyDelete