Ohio College visit from MidAtlantic: Miami, Cincinnati, Dayton

Parents Forum
1

DS is a HS junior in the MidAtlantic area. He is a B+/A- student who prefers math over writing but not STEM, probably business. He is studying for the SAT and expecting mid 1200s with emphasis in math. He is also a varsity athlete - won’t play in college but likes the school sport spirit.

Our state flagship is very competitive especially for business so we are considering other options but trying to stay under $50k COA.

Ohio comes up on our radar with schools that are a good fit but not terribly far. Can anyone share their experience with these schools? Especially if kid is out of state? Job placement? DH left the Ohio area after college due to limited career opportunities and is very skiddish about it but that was long ago. Any other recos outside of Ohio? Thanks!

2

Can you do a match me? There are plenty of schools that will work under $50k, perhaps including in your state.

Miami Farmer is very good but over $60K before merit. I don’t know his GPA but he may not get $50K. Cincy will be $50K ish with living b4 merit and Dayton will need merit.

But you need to do a chance me - I’m sure a lot of schools will come up well.

Columbus is still growing and I know Cincy and Cleveland are doing well relatively. Job wise - the South is booming but you can go to school anywhere and get anywhere - so I would worry less about that and more about fit. Kid find jobs if they hustle and don’t if they don’t, etc. and that’s moreso in schools without the pedigree.

Please do a match me template - and be specific - your state, GPA, courses taken, etc. You can say how far they are willing to go and more. There are plenty of schools you can be under $50K, maybe even most - but it also helps to be a bit flexible geographically speaking - so if any areas are off limits, let us know. If weather, sports, greek life and more are an issue, let us know. Does size matter - Dayton is small, Miami is big, Cincy is multi campuses - let us know.

When I read the link, it doesn’t say to list the classes - but how many years of English and to what level will the student have? Same with math - how many years/which level, science, social science and foreign language.

Let us know the state - why? There are some programs that might exists in other states that give you a discount.

Then we can help you better vs. just guessing at the desire - as a lot of schools will work.

Thanks

How to post a ‘Chance Me / Match Me’ thread – START HERE - Chance Me / Match Me - College Confidential Forums

1 Like
3

There are a number of national companies with headquarters or a decent presence in Ohio now. You can check the Cleveland area, and other locations.

A big plus about being in Ohio is the cost of living is decent.

As you noted, there are some excellent colleges both public and private in Ohio.

I would suggest you review the costs, and visit some places. Things have changed quite a bit in Ohio over the last generation (I grew up there and I see the opportunities my nephew and nieces have there now).

2 Likes
4

Thanks! We have a trip planned to visit these three. My thoughts were the same- a number of large companies and lower cost of living.

1 Like
5

I spent 17 years in OH. All three of these schools are popular choices and students are happy and successful at all of them.

Dayton is a Catholic university so students need to OK with the theology and philosophy requirements.

Cinci attracts students who want to co-op and tends to have a more pre-professional vibe..

I live in the Chicagoland area now, and Miami seems to be the most popular of these three OH schools for students from here. I believe more than 1/2 the students at Miami come from out of state. Miami students all seemed to be super happy and enthusiastic about their school. It’s a special place.

My D has a number of friends who stayed in OH and all are very gainfully employed, from a wide variety of majors. My daughter lives in NC but her company is also based in OH.

1 Like
6

Thanks! We have family in Chicago and will also look at schools there.

1 Like
7

You asked for other recommendations - hence the request to match me.

Miami is over $60K. Today $60,500 for tuition, room and board. So more when you go. Then you have books, transport and more - greek life, going out, etc. It’s rural - an hour from Cincy, small town, and the next sizalbe town a bit away.

I asked for GPA because here is their merit:

Merit Scholarships for Fall 2027 (Domestic Students)
Weighted High School GPA 1 Ohio/Reciprocal Resident (annual amount) 2 Non-Resident (annual amount) 2
4.30+ $9,000 $22,000
3.95-4.29 $6,000 $15,000
3.75-3.94 $5,000 $14,000
3.50-3.74 $4,000 $8,000
  1. Miami uses weighted GPA (4.0 scale) from student transcripts as provided at the time of application. If your school does not calculate a weighted 4.0 GPA, Miami will recalculate your GPA for you, adding weight based on coursework difficulty. If you have taken rigorous classes, your recalculated GPA likely will be higher than your high school GPA. See additional information for international students below.

You need to achieve a GPA to obtain in.

So you need to look city by city.

You say Ohio is not terribly far.

Are you driving to Ohio or flying (to Cincy, given these schools) - because depending on where in the mid atlantic, you have PA schools which fit your profile - like Millersville, Temple and other PASSHE schools. You have WVU which will be under $50K, etc. And you could hit these on a drive.

Chicago is farther - but you have Loyola (Jesuit - you also have Loyola MD in the mid Atlantic), Bradley - a bit further, Northern Illinois, UIC and not much father a school like Marquette.

Back to Ohio, you have Ohio U. Not far South of it is Marshall and not far North of Dayton (2 hours), you have BGSU and then Toledo.

If this is exploratory, that’s great - and MIami is the biggest name mentioned, excellent for business.

But if $50K is a hard cap - and we don’t know what the transcript says for weighted - but today you’ll need a 3.75 to beat your $$ - barely - so if he doesn’t have that, you set yourself for disappointment or a higher spend if you go and he likes it - vs. say an Ohio U.

Good luck.

1 Like
8

Yes- thank you for the scale above. I am aware of how the merit works at these three schools and that is why we are considering them. DS could get the 3.75 weighted if he can maintain / improve his grades which isn’t out of the question. We are very clear to DS and previous kids about our budget and what stats are needed to get there. Cincinnati is within our budget without merit so that is less stress for DS. Dayton sticker is high but there is a possibility for merit there as well. Our HS has an odd weighting system (inflated in my opinion) so it is interesting to see how different colleges interpret it.

9

Ok. Don’t forget, the merit will be determined at admission, not graduation.

Were you seeking more schools? You asked for it in the first post. Hence the need for more detail.

Here are Miami Farmer stats - not in detail but they show a very high knowledge rate - meaning they know the outcomes of most kids. Note the salary includes bonus - presuming a target annual one.

I put UD too. No knowledge rate shown so we don’t know what % of kids are in the stats..

Here are U Cincy too. 72% knowledge rate

If you’re in Cincy and like Dayton, then Xavier is another to look at.

Good luck

1 Like
10

Thank you!

1 Like
11

I am assuming the subjects used in the recalculated GPA are math, english, social studies, science and language?

12

Does your school show a weighted average on a 4 point scale ? If so, that’s what it says they are using regardless of how they weight or what it includes per their disclaimer.

If not, they will recalc and don’t assume it’s just those 5 subjects. You don’t know how they’ll recalc. Most common seems to be +.5 for Honors and +1 for AP.

If your transcript doesn’t show weighted, then you might ask an admissions counselor. Some count +/-, others don’t.

When you noted $50k and the profile, it’s why I showed concern up front. I’m not a huge fan of visiting schools you have zero chance of attending. If he falls in love but you can’t or don’t want to pay, you create an issue.

I would suss this out first. Hopefully the transcript shows a weighted GPA. But if not, reach out to an adcom for guidance on what they include and how they weight.

You didn’t provide enough info up front - gpa, courses taken, to even guess.

Good luck

13

So they show a total weighted gpa # and total unweighted gpa #. For individual courses, they do not show weighted, only unweighted and no +/- only a letter grade. if they just pull the weighted total, there is a very high probability DS would get the highest merit. If they exclude elective courses then he would be on the cusp assuming no major changes this year.

14

If the weighted is based on a 4 point scale, then you’d be in good shape.

Even if it were the 2nd, you’d be ok - but don’t forget, other costs (flights, greek life, whatever).

So then yes, it sounds worthy of a visit.

Hope he enjoys. It’s a nice school (reminds me of a William & Mary - sort of LAC-ish) but not much around which is why my daughter eliminted it. But if he likes that rural, small town environment, it could be a winner.

I do think the Farmer school is well thought of - and really the entire university. My son’s school (south of Nashville) sent a few for sure.

Good luck.

15

Thanks again. DS may also not like that rural setting. We will visit Miami, U Cinn and Dayton in one weekend so it will be a good sample of different sizes, rural vs urban etc.

1 Like
16

And if you have time add Xavier since you’ll be in Cincy.

Have fun.

1 Like
17

Where did your son end up attending?

18

My son went to Bama but never considered Miami. His Midwest school was much bigger but more compact than others its same size. Given you mentioned family in Chicago, you might look at Purdue too if he likes Miami but can go bigger. It will also hit cost.

My daughter went to College of Charleston. She applied to Miami and got in. It was a fit - til we visited. She wanted urban. That it wasn’t. She had the same with Elon and to an extent James Madison but JMU technically has an interstate running through it and that mostly threw her off. Gorgeous campus and since you are mid Atlantic, it’s another fine b school that will beat budget. If he likes Miami, it could be worth a look as there is some shared characteristics in my opinion.

It’s good you are going to learn what your student will like - and then you can create a final list with that knowledge.

In her case we didn’t have all the visits done b4 applying so some you learn aren’t right for you - after the fact.

1 Like