Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
Location: Oxford, Ohio (30 minutes Northwest of Cincinnati)
Undergraduates: 14,727 (full-time)
SAT I Range: V560-640; M580-670
Expense: $25,000 (tuition, room and board)
Phi-Beta-Kappa: Yes
Applicants: 14,977
Accepted: 70%
Graduation Rate: 80%
Returning Freshmen: 90%
Of those that apply to Miami University, they are also likely to apply to: In the North=Villanova University, SUNY Binghamton, Boston University, Penn State, and the University of Vermont. In the South= University of Richmond, William and Mary, University of Virginia, University of Florida, and the University of North Carolina. In the Midwest= University of Michigan, Notre Dame, Indiana, Ohio State and the University of Wisconsin. In the West= Pepperdine University, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Loyola Marymount University, University of Washington and the University of San Diego.
As students say at Miami University, “We are the first Miami!” Miami University was founded in 1809, a full 116 years before their Southern namesake the University of Miami (1925). Like fine wines, with age comes excellence. Miami University has been consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the United States for some time. Indeed, if you visit, you would be hard pressed to find anything that resembles a “public” institution. From its subjective admissions review process, to the student body, to the beautiful Georgian style architecture of the Colonial American period, everything about Miami looks, feels and appears to be private. Of course, the price of attendance is significantly less, making Miami University, much like William and Mary, one of the most unique public institutions in the United States.
Beyond all else, the classroom experience at Miami will most closely represent a smaller liberal arts college, that is to say the classes are small and intimate with very few large lecture style classes. This is very difficult to manage from a public university perspective, but Miami seems to be able to accomplish this with aplomb. Though Miami is a Doctorate granting institution, the majority of degrees conferred are undergraduate (BA/BS), thus teaching undergraduates is, perhaps, Miami’s greatest strength. If you want an intimate reciprocal classroom experience at a public school price, Miami may be a perfect match.
As is typical of Comprehensive Liberal Arts Universities, Miami has a wide selection of theoretical based majors (liberal arts) as well as pre-professional based majors (those majors which prepare students to perform a specific vocational function in society). The business school is one of the best in the Midwest and nationally competitive with other top undergraduate programs. The schools of architecture and education are both first rate, as are any of the science majors and music! Interestingly enough, Miami is one of only eight schools in the United States to have a Pulp and Paper Science Technology degree…jobs are virtually guaranteed upon graduation.
Miami’s campus could have been stolen straight from a Normal Rockwell painting…the words “classically beautiful” don’t begin to describe its scenery. I’ve been to over 400 campuses throughout the United States and I would rank Miami’s as one of the top four or five, certainly better than all eight Ivy League schools. Athletics play a part in the collegial fabric of this institution. The Miami Red Hawks play at the NCAA Division I level in all sports and compete in the MAC conference, the strongest of the mid-major conferences. Their most recent famous alum, Ben Rothlisberger, was the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL. Teams are nationally competitive in football, track, baseball, golf, soccer, basketball and softball. Miami is also considered the “mother of all fraternities.” Many of the first Greek social organizations colonized on Miami’s campus over 100 years ago, thus the fraternity/sorority system is quite strong (but does not dominate the social atmosphere).
The town of Oxford is as quaint as a college town could be, and quite possibly only existing because of Miami University. There are restaurants, clubs, shopping and many other amenities, and Cincinnati, only 30 minutes away, is a great all-American city with professional sports, museums, restaurants, and culture.
This is a gem of a school that sometimes gets lost in the “name shuffle.” Upon scratching beneath the veneer, one finds a world class university that acts like a private university but has the cost of a public one. Most of the students are balanced socially and politically, but the odd liberal or conservative young man or woman will find their place and voice as well without feeling alienated. Overall, an A+ school!