liland

It's coming down to the last minute and my son still hasn't made his decision between UM and Boston University. He did an overnight in a dorm with a friend at BU and would like to overnight at UM. He called the admissions office and they said that they don't offer overnight visits for admitted students. Does anyone have any ideas? He's 18, so I guess that he could stay at the Holiday Inn across the street from UM. He also heard that final exams start next week, so he's wondering if it will even be possible to sit in on a class, meet with students (since they'll all be studying for exams), etc.

Have any of you visited UM on your own? If so, where did you stay? Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

BruinsJEW

I'm not sure it is the best idea for your son to visit at this time. Today is really the last day of classes since many professors/ lecturers are using Friday for makeup exams day and then we're off for reading days from Sat-Tues, exams start the 30th of April.

A lot of kids are busy studying in Richter day in and day out and he would not experience the real MIAMI EXPERIENCE at this time. He would not get to have a "true" academic and social learning experience.

Hope this helps!

Where are you from?

Ask him if he prefers sunny falls and winters or layering up and walking to class in below freezing temperatures, :P, I think he will make up his mind fast if you're from the South, LOL. Also, not sure if you know this but BU has major grade deflation and this is not good if he wants to go to graduate school in the near future.

liland

BruinsJEW, Thanks for the information! You're right - there is a major difference between the weather in Boston and Miami. We've lived in tropical countries and more recently in colder climates, so since my son is used to both, I'm not sure that weather will be the determining factor.

We've visited UM twice, once in September and once in January. Both times I was struck by the beauty of the campus, but I have to ask, do you find it difficult to study in an environment that looks more like a resort than a university?

As we're fairly familiar with the academic aspects of both schools, I think that my son really wanted to get an idea of the social climate on campus before making his decision. I've read quite a few threads on this topic, but how would you describe UM? It seems as if it's not a big party school, but that there are quite a few things going on during the weekend, both on and off campus. Does someone need to have a lot of money and a car to enjoy themselves at UM? Also, what's the biggest plus and minus of being at UM?

BruinsJEW

Personally, I'm very self-determined and motivated and studying is natural for me. I do what I have to to be successful, so the beautiful weather and campus are not distractions for, but it all depends on the person I guess.

Umm...as for Miami not being a party school, that is definitely false. With one of the nations hottest club scenes being only minutes away from campus, some kids get distracted by all that and then realize that they better learn how to prioritize. However, every school is a party school...it's college. There are gonna be kids who wanna party and kids who are not into it and are searching for more of a chilled social life. Miami offers both.

Biggest plus is the academics and campus
Biggest negative is the big percentage of "fake" people. I was at Maryland and I would say 1 out of 8 was arrogant and thought they were so much better than everyone else. Here its more like 1 out of 3 or 4 that are very much conceited and think them and their friends are the coolest thing to hit the university.

CavStudent8813

Bruins hit it on the money! The academics at Miami are good and the number of fake people are definitely the down fall. I am a freshmen at the University and I can give you a great deal of insight into how my first year here went. First of all I am from Virginia, right outside of DC, and I would like to say that my experience at Miami has been exceptional, however next semester I will be transfering to William and Mary. However, I would not give up my experience here for anything. Here are a few things to consider about U of Miami.

Cost: Miami is a great place to go to school and the campus is beautiful. However to be honest the University is extremely expensive and the cost of coming here must be considered. This is largely the reason I will not be here next semester...

Academics: The teachers here are really good. They are more than willing to meet with students outside of class during office hours, and if their hours dont work iv found almost all of them more than accomidating. Some of the science classes are not the best however. A few of them only have one professor who has been teaching for a while and a few of the science professors in particular are not as good as the rest of the professors here. However, I have not run into any of these professors at all yet, and my experience with classes have been awesome.

Student Body: The kids here as stated by Bruins like having fun and partying. You will find some kids that literally go out every night however this is not the average kid. However, i would say that most of the kids do go out once a week on either thursday, friday or saturday night. The club scene is extremely popular with many of the kids here. I do not have the money, nor the desire to go clubbing. It is somewhat disssapointing that almosst all of the parties are off-campus. This is extremely frustrating for kids without a car, particularly freshmen. However, finding a ride is usually not a problem.

Staff/Dorms/Food: This is another major weakness at the University. The food service is a common complaint by many of the students. It is not terrible, but I must say is far from great. The staff in the caf is terrible on the other hand. They are extremely unfriendly and not helpful at all! The freshmen dorms are quiet honestly very small but once you get to be a sophmore you can live in one of the suite style dorms, which is MUCH larger than the freshmen dorms. If you do by chance come to visit this weekend, get in touch with me and well see if I can show you my dorm in mahoney/pearson (i was placed here because of athletic housing).

Off campus: As stated earlier almost all of the parties will take place off campus. It sure is nice to have the beach 15 minutes away! As for the people around the campus, frankly they arent very nice. The drivers are terrible and there are some areas, relatively closse to campuss that arent good to be at late.

Hope this helps!

crazed

CAN YOU STAND ONE MORE OPINION???

This is from a mother's prospective so it may be somewhat limiting. Miami and
BU have great reputations and your son can get a good education at either. I would weigh cost and location. By location I don't mean the weather. That should not play a factor in success or happiness at a school (although I do know that the kids at UM love the weather and the opportunity to be outside so much. The grounds are lush and beautiful all year round. No sitting outside in the cold and wind or snow to watch the football games.) By location I really mean city vs suburbs. From what I've read on the BU site, you don't have campus feel at BU. A few schools in Boston have true campuses, but I do not think BU is one of them. Miami is close enough to the city for what you want but the campus is in suburbia. There are many great areas for the kids to go with friends other than SouthBeach and bars. They can walk to Sunset Place- a large outdoor mall- for shops, restaurants, movies, etc... Coconut Grove for more of the same, but need to take the cane buses or public transportation to get there. They are accessible to malls, beaches, etc. Also, close enough to see local sports and concerts.

On campus there are numerous activities/clubs if your son is inclined to join.

Obviously, there is a club/bar scene off campus and plenty of kids who do that. While it may be upscale here, there is no doubt this same atmosphere exists at almost every other school and BU will be no different and surely lots of clubs/bars to choose from there. Even schools in rural towns will have plenty of bars (in some areas that is all they have!!!) so the kids that want to go out will do it anyway. Kids who stay back will have to find something else to do (and this is no different than when we went to school.)

There seems to be great advising at UM. The kids meet with their advisers at least once before registering for classes each term. They are very accessible. The kids seem to be treated well.

Teachers: I'm sure you'll find good and bad at every school. At least the kids have the internet site to get information on a prof when picking a section of a class. If there is only one prof teaching a required course and you have to take it, so be it. Suck it up. This is life.

Classes: For my son, at least, have been small- most 20 or fewer students, largest 60 or 80. Not bad. All profs. No TA's!!!!!!

Dorms: yes, freshman dorm rooms are small but adequate. 5 foot long closets though and great roomy bookcase over the desk and storage in and on top of the side of the bed. Not a reason to discount a school.

Food: No complaints from my son. Lots of fresh fruit and veges/salad. Seems to be a variety of places to eat on campus (and a huge variety off campus)

Wellness Center: Impressive

Lake and campus- very serene. Lots of places to sit outside and study or relax.

Weather: HOT HOT HOT from Aug to Oct/Nov??? Then it is beautiful for the rest of the school year. Bring umbrellas for daily rainfall (a pain but it keeps the grounds watered and lush.)

Campus parties: Doesn't sound like there are parties on campus. This may be true of lots of campuses though. When I was in school, the drinking age was 18 and parties in the dorms were the norm. Kids could register the "Keg Parties" and host a huge (and drunk and unruly) crowd. (sounds better than it was.) Most schools have dry campuses for many (good) reasons and I think the result is fewer parties.

Try to make a good fit for your son. I would definitely discuss his/your need for a campus feel and what the benefits of such may (or may not be) for him. No way to know where he will be happier. Good luck.

Cavstudent: good luck at W&M. I recently researched that school on the web for my HS son. In the past I thought it was private not a public school. (Virginians have such great IS choices.) Sounds great in every way, but seemingly just as hard as UVa for an OOS to get accepted so we will not be pursuing it. With IS tuition, this is great for you. Sounds like an ideal school in so many ways. ENJOY.

BruinsJEW

As for advising, I personally find that aspect of Miami very annoying. If a class opens you have to run over to the Registrar office and do a drop/add form which means ninety percent of the time you will not get your class. At Maryland, everything was done online, so it was nice and convenient and you were more prone to getting courses that you wanted.

Good luck at William and Mary!

And is it true that Miami has one of the biggest transfer rates? I feel that I know so many kids transferring already and students talking about transferring to WakeForest, UNC CH, Emory, BC, etc).

rodney

To the OP: call the office of admissions and find out if your son can participate in "Cane for a day"...They were doing this a couple of weeks ago, but I'm not sure given the end of classes whether this is an option.....You shadow a current student in your area of interest and it's a great way to see if the school fits you....

liland

Thanks for all of the extremely helpful information! As my son doesn't visit CC, I'm going to print a copy of this thread for him to read. Hopefully it will help him to make a decision sooner rather than later. ;-)

BruinsJEW, According to US News, UM's freshman retention rate is 88% and Boston U's is 90%, which isn't a large difference. You mentioned that quite a few students are transferring out of UM - I'm wondering if most of them are freshmen or older students? Do they have similar reasons for transferring or do they vary according to the individual?

CavStudent, As someone who is transferring out of UM, your post was very interesting. It's obvious that you've had a good experience at UM which speaks well for the school. Thanks for your offer to show my son one of the dorm rooms, but I don't think that he'll make it to Miami this weekend. Good luck at W&M!

Crazed, it's always useful to hear a parent's thoughts about a school. You're right that the two campuses have a different feel. I keep asking my son if he would miss trees/green at BU. Personally, my eyes need a bit of relief from concrete buildings, etc. I thought that my son would be ready to make a decision, but he's having a really hard time. I think that he may wait until the very last minute...

rodney, Thanks for the suggestion. My son already contacted the admissions office and they aren't offering any programs like "Cane for a day" right now.

CavStudent8813

i swear he will miss the green and trees. More than that he will miss the seasons changing! Since I have been down here it doesnt seem like time passes. Every day is the same. Most people do not understand that this can get to you, but for me it does. I find it a VERY common feeling of students around campus that just dont like Miami, and VERY few if any have told me they want to live in Miami or Florida even after they graduate. A thought to consider.

my-3-sons

Here are some good older threads to check out.

Ask a current student anything and get honest answers


Impressions of a freshman.. so far

Is UMia any good?

There are also many more good threads if you go back through this forum. Good luck with the choice.

bitesizeemma

i also had to choose between UM and BU, but since i've lived in miami my whole life, it was actually a pretty easy choice for me haha.
miami is really nice for people who have never been here and would love to attend college here and possibly live here, but i just can't stand the town anymore. some of my main reasons for choosing BU were that it's in the center of boston and it's very urban, which i love, and it also has a great reputation just like UM.
of course the weather is totally opposite between boston and miami, but weather for me was not really a factor in my decision. basically i would just tell your son to make the decision based on how he felt after he visited the campus. when he went to BU did he really enjoy it or did he just think it was okay? if he hasn't visited UM and isn't able to, then i guess he has a tougher decision. good luck!

liland

my-3-sons, Thanks for the links to the older threads. They contained a lot of useful information about UM!

bitesizeemma, I wish that "something" would make my son's choice easier! He spent two weeks doing a summer program at BU last year and loved being in the city. But, he also loves UM! I think that he can easily imagine himself being happy in both places, so it's going to be hard to pick only one -- maybe he could spend the winter in Miami and the rest of the year in Boston?!? ;-)

His main concerns about UM are that he won't have a car and it seems as if you need one there. Also, he knows that he won't have a large allowance for going out, etc. He took note of the comment made by BruinsJEW about the "fake"/arrogant students. BUT, he still really likes UM...

ctmom

"His main concerns about UM are that he won't have a car and it seems as if you need one there."

Starting this fall, freshmen living on campus can not have cars, so he won't be alone!

BruinsJEW

You do not need one if you know other people who have one, . And there's Ibis ride that takes you all over campus and night service to The Grove and Sunset Shops. And everyone takes taxi cabs to South Beach because they know they'll be drinking and drinking and driving do not mix.