Student Body

world changer · 07-31-2007, 12:19 AM

I really like Miami, but I read in a college guide that the majority of the student body is snobby and close-minded.

I realize that all stereotypes have exceptions, but for the most part, is this true?

mistermurph18 · 07-31-2007, 01:51 AM

im gonna be a freshmen next year and i cant wait (ive never been called a "snob" ever) already met my roommate at orientation and hes cool, not a "snob" either. Many students do come from wealthy backgrounds though, but it is the few who flaunt it that give Miami its rep.

nicesocks · 07-31-2007, 09:47 PM

that's the stereotype at mu but not everyone is like that

aussiek517 · 07-31-2007, 10:51 PM

There are 14,000 undergraduates-- do you think one stereotype applies to most students? Probably not. IMO, your college experience is shaped primarily by your closest friends. I don't think any of my friends are close-minded or snobby, and I found it much easier to make friends at Miami than I did in HS.

sh60614 · 08-02-2007, 07:13 PM

I've linked a report that Miami commisioned recently. Towards the end, several administrators and faculty directly address the issue of Miami's student body. They would probably be in the best position to judge as they're close the situation but not as emotionally biased as an alum or student.

http://www.miami.muohio.edu/provost/...nal_Report.pdf

binx · 08-03-2007, 08:01 AM

That was a fascinating report - thank you for posting the link. It should be required reading for every Miami student. It profiles the successful Miami student, it outlines the direction of the school, and it discusses potential problems.

corbis11 · 08-03-2007, 10:44 AM

If I had to describe the miami student population in one sentence I would say that they are from an upper-middle class family, played a sport or two at the varsity level in high school, were popular in high school, are smart and good-looking. Of course, this is a huge generalization, but it is true on many levels.

believersmom · 08-03-2007, 12:39 PM

Excellent report on MU.

mistermurph18 · 08-19-2007, 08:40 PM

actually, i need to update my post on here

ive been here for a few days now and there are definitely some huge *****es here

sh60614 · 08-20-2007, 12:18 PM

Miami does have a huge number of rich kids. For instance, 55% of their student body comes from families with over 100K in income. This is opposed to a 38% average for selective public universities and a 54% average for selective private universities.

Personally, I don't think that the Miami "attitude" is solely the result of money. Frankly, a lot of these kids simply think that they're a hell of a lot better than they really are. They didn't get into their first (or second or third) choice schools and show up to Miami with a real need to overcompensate. That's why they're still banging that tired "public ivy" book in everybody's face despite it being a quarter century out of date.

From the comments of a few Miami kids that I've met who grew disenchanted with the place, I really believe that the administration actively fosters this superiority complex.

A perfect example is this recruiting video: http://www.miami.muohio.edu/admission/miami/miami.cfm

Does anyone in their right mind really believe that Miami is full of kids who could have gone to Yale, Notre Dame, Duke, Michigan or Vanderbilt? Maybe those kids were considering those schools. Right up until the thin envelope showed up in the mailbox!

mistermurph18 · 08-20-2007, 03:03 PM

hey... i was just bashing on a few people that i had met so far, not the entire school

believersmom · 08-20-2007, 06:20 PM

"Miami does have a huge number of rich kids. For instance, 55% of their student body comes from families with over 100K in income. This is opposed to a 38% average for selective public universities and a 54% average for selective private universities...They didn't get into their first (or second or third) choice schools and show up to Miami with a real need to overcompensate."

sh60614-
Just out of curiosity, where did you find these statistics?
And just in case your question was NOT rhetorical, yes I DO believe there are students of a high calibur for whom Miami IS their first choice over the likes of the schools you listed - because I know several who currently attend who fit that scenario.

Where is it that you attend?

corbis11 · 08-20-2007, 07:20 PM

sh60614 is an ohio state, or should I say THE ohio state university, homer

The statistic about family income is true. It is somewhere in that link posted, I believe, and was also posted in the student newspaper last year.

aussiek517 · 08-20-2007, 09:01 PM

A good number of sh60614's posts bash Miami. S/he (not sure which) goes to OSU. The 55%, like corbis said, is accurate or at least very close. On the other hand, Miami has really outstanding need-based financial aid for a public university. Miami as a whole does not have thousands of students who were applying to HYP, but certainly many Honors students have profiles similar to those accepted at Ivies and other top schools. And the same could be said at OSU-- you can't tell me that the entire freshmen class could have been accepted at top tier schools. However, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Wellesley, Williams, Swarthmore, Amherst, and Pomona immediately come to mind as schools at which some of my friends were accepted...

binx · 08-21-2007, 08:19 AM

I read sh60614's post with interest. Like in political debates, where the candidate spends his time bashing the opponent as opposed to stating his own strengths, I tried to figure out why sh60614 was so defensive. I am seeing the pot calling the kettle black here "with a real need to overcompensate"?

I'm sorry that OSU's administration apparently doesn't believe in their school?

I am also assuming that he finds something "negative" about earning over $100k - which suggests he might be majoring in social work or something altruistic? Good for him. And that he has never met anyone worth knowing who earns more than that, which perhaps is an area he will grow in while at school. Maybe OSU has a token rich kid or two he can befriend. It's interesting that he sees Miami as an "also ran" school - a second choice or worse, but doesn't see Ohio State that way.

I do not live in Ohio, so I do not fully understand the competitive aspects between the schools. To me, they are very different schools. D did not apply to OSU; it was not a fit. Nothing offensive in that - it is merely one of 3000 or so schools she did not apply to. She chose only to apply to schools with a focus on undergrads. I'm guessing that the "few Miami kids that I've met who grew disenchanted with the place" did not choose their school based on fit. One of the things that impressed me with MU when we were looking was how many, many alumni and current students we met who absolutely love their school. I believe it was stronger there than at any other school we looked at. In fact, I think they have a huge percentage of legacy admits.

However, there is some truth in what sh60614 writes. We do earn over 100k. My D is attractive. Miami was not D's first choice; it was merely the one that gave her the most outstanding scholarship. Although I believe it has turned out to be the best choice for D, I suspect she is holding out for a week or two before making her final judgement. She is not an impulsive, rah-rah school type, so it's probably good that she didn't go to that kind of school.

I was concerned about the "snob" reputation of the school, because my D is decidedly NOT a snob. I am happy to know that in the first week of school, everyone she has met has been extremely kind and friendly. By golly, everyone there seems really happy that there is a Wal-Mart in town. Judging from how crowded it was on move-in day, apparently not too many people are "too good" to shop there.

Depite the "white bread" aspect of MU, my D seems to have collected friends of several different colors, sexual orientations, religions, majors, all within the first few days. Maybe they're all being nice to her because we earn enough? (But as far as I know, nobody asked.) Her roomie is a first-generation college student. We forgot to ask how much her father earns.

Re: the comment about Public Ivy, "despite it being a quarter century out of date" - I believe the last time it was named a Public Ivy was 2001, but maybe time is flying even faster than I thought. I have another child, though, who graduated from a "Private Ivy" - and we always thought of Ivy as a football conference term. Since none of us play football, it was a non-issue. My kids chose their schools for other reasons.

[Apologize in advance for the sarcasm. It comes too easily to me, and I usually edit it out, but don't have time today.]