TexasBoy06

I know that these two schools are very different, maybe even polar opposites, but I'd still like to compare the two, and any feedback at all would be greatly appreciated.

After visiting both schools, I could really envision myself attending either; the campuses are beautiful, the student bodies are of adequate sizes, and the overall vibes were pretty positive.

I come from a suburb of Dallas/Ft. Worth, so I'm fairly acclimated to both the city and countryside.

I'm really not sure what to ask specifically, so instead I'll just list what I'm looking for in a school.

-I'm interested in one-on-one interaction with professors, or at least intimate classes. I'm not the type of student who will be able to sit in a large class (45-50+), take in all the information without much participation, and then go back to the dorm and motivate myself to study. Although Miami is a fairly small public (15,000), I feel as if St. Joe's would be a better academic experience because of it's Jesuit nature, and the fact that classes must be smaller. The data online is misleading, and any insight into public vs. private education in general would be awesome.

-I don't necessarily favor a Greek system, but they usually go hand in hand with parties, which is a pretty big draw for me. I've been turned off by several schools where the kids resort to visiting other colleges in the area or HAVE to go to bars due to a lack of a social scene on campus. In this category, Miami seems like it has a huge edge, but I'd love for anyone to tell me about social life at St. Joe's.

-I really, really don't want to go to a commuter school. Although it's impossible to commute to and from the remote town of Oxford, Ohio, it concerns me that the vast majority of kids come from Ohio/Indiana/Kentucky, and all the problems associated with that. I've also heard that kids at MU care more about Ohio State/Browns/Bengals football more than much of anything else, an negative indicator. I'm really interested in finding out whether or not St. Joe's is a "suitcase school" as I haven't found much information on the matter. For anyone with any kind of knowledge, I'd appreciate some details as to whether or not the Pennsylvania kids dominate campus and constantly leave.

-And finally, I'm wondering whether going to a completely isolated town in Ohio will be a negative experience both socially and academically. On the one hand, as lame as it sounds, kids are trapped in Oxford and thus forced to socialize with each other. Conversely, Philadelphia provides exponentially more opportunities for a college student. That being said, do most kids even do internships during the school year anyway? Would I use the city all that often? I really don't know much about this topic. I'm probably going to major in Diplomacy, PoliSci, or East Asian Studies(I'm not Asian).

I'm not too worried about the reputation of either college because I'll hopefully be going to a very nice law school, which should outweigh the name of my undergrad.

Absolutely anything would be really helpful, so thanks in advance.

TexasBoy06

Bumping for a response?

crazed

My son also applied and was accepted to Miami.
Merit aid for OOS was minimal (and we don't qualify for any need based) so my son is not attending. However, I really like the school and it seems like a great public with a private feel.

My close friends daughter is at St. Joe's (Philly) and is currently a freshman. it is a perfect fit for her. There is plenty to do, especially with Philly outside your door. She loves the kids. Classes are good. Not easy for her (business major). Extra help is available and she is tutored in her weak subject. They find the campus and dorm safe. Lots of clubs to join. She spent spring break on a school sponsored community service venture that she loved. Lots of kids from outside PA. She is not from PA. They have fraternities/sororities, but I know little about them. I would not hesitate in telling you to go there. (My dentist went to St. Joes too and his daughter is a student there now.)

Know little about Miami of OH but at least there is a separate CC link for that. The school looks great and I'm sure the kids and parents can give you insight.

I expect, though I may be wrong, that Miami has many more instaters than St. Joes.

Goo luck. You have great choices.

TexasBoy06

Thanks for the response, it's really encouraging because I like St. Joe's.

diontechristmas

Honestly, St. Joe's is a terrible school filled with people who think they're better than people who go to state schools simply because they go to an overpriced private school. Not that MU doesn't have its share of pretentious, preppy rich kids, but it's a much better school, has a better social scene and has a football and hockey team.

SJU has no diversity, and other than NJ/NY kids, the school is mostly kids from St. Joe's Prep and other religiously affiliated schools in the area.

Take it from someone who has lived his entire life 5 minutes from SJU; you'd be making a financially irresponsible mistake by attending SJU over MU.

TexasBoy06

Your review of the school is anything but flattering...

That being said, I'm white, and I go to a private school, yet I do not consider myself pretentious nor preppy, so I hope this is just a stereotype from an outsider.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

diontechristmas

I never said you were.

MomofWildChild

While I would have stated my opinion a little more diplomatically than dionte, he does make some good points. You will find that most of the St. Joe's students are from the immediate area with some reach into NJ and NY. It reminds me of SMU with a Catholic overlay. That said, the academics are fine. Just make sure it is a good fit for you. (I also grew up in the area and spend a lot of time there still)

irishbird

Just to let you know: dionte Christmas probably attends Temple U. in Phila. since Dionte Christmas is the name of a great Temple basketball player. Temple is a sports rival with Saint Joseph's since both schools compete in the Atlantic 10 conference. Take what he says with a grain of salt.

RE: SJU student body, they come from more states than just PA, NJ and NY. It is much more of a Mid Atlantic regional school. It's still a small school with @ 4200 undergrads but they come from 38 states and 34 countries. While there will not be a large amount of Texans, it doesn't sound as if you were too concerned with that since you are looking at Ohio and Pennsylvania for school!

Slightly more female (52%) than male and pretty evenly split between College of Arts & Sciences and Haub School of Business. Saint Joe's also has a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and an AASCB accredited business school. Frats and sororities exist but don't overwhelm the social life. Strong school spirit - The HAWK will never die! Good athletic programs (Div 1) and strong orientation to service activities as most Jesuit universities will have.

MomofWildChild

Yes, dionteChristmas has been quite open about his Temple affiliation, and Temple does have a strong rivalry with St. Joe's.
While Temple is D1 athletics, it isn't a powerhouse except for some years in basketball.
Miami-Ohio is not a huge athletic school, either.
Do you want to go to college with a bunch of midwesterners or a bunch of northeasterners?

pierre0913

go to Miami (Ohio)

diontechristmas

Yes, I do go to Temple, but I also live on the Main Line, just a few minutes from SJU. I also went to basketball camp there when I was younger. The OP can certainly take my opinion with a grain of salt if he so chooses, but the bottom line is that SJU is not remotely worth the money. MU is a much stronger school, with a better social and sports scene.

I never claimed we were, but we're one of the top 8 teams in the history of NCAA basketball, so I'm quite content with where we are. And actually, MU has a pretty nice sports scene for not being the flagship in OH.

crazed

I'm neutral.
I believe Miami is preppier.
St. Joe's school spirit is basketball related.
I don't believe that St J is a commuter school.

The poster likely got some merit aid at St. Joe's and minimal at Miami though this may not be the case.

The best bet is for you to visit. Philly is a diverse area and it is my understanding that St. Joe's is in a good area and has easily assessable off campus student housing unlike other parts of Philly.

If you have specific St. Joe's questions, PM me with them and your email address and I can have my friend email you with the answers. I know both their daughter and the parents have been thrilled with the St. Joe's experience so far.

TexasBoy06

I'm not too concerned about sports; if I was interested in a good football/basketball/baseball team, then I wouldn't have turned down UTAustin.

To be honest, I'm leaning toward Saint Joseph's, but if it's a school where most kids only go for the classes and spend all their free time off-campus, then I'll lose my interest. I'm fine with the fact that it's a NY/PA crowd as long as they don't leave at every opportunity.

Does the SJU student body resort to partying at Penn/Drexel/Temple/Nova? I like the fact that Miami is self-sufficient in that regard.

Also, am I incorrect in assuming that I'd get less personal attention at Miami? I went to a public school for 9th/10th grade, and private for 11th/12th, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience at the latter.

To address crazed's post, money is not an issue, and I will definitely PM you later, thanks.

Thanks again.

diontechristmas

Wow, you turned down UT for either MU or SJU? Wowwwwww

Anyway: They would not be allowed here. The party scene is really, really lame at SJU. Like at Nova, it revolves around the lame bars in the area.

As far as the student body, it's more of a commuter school than Temple and Nova. Other than some of the out of state kids, the PA kids aren't even suburban kids; they're from Philly.