University of Miami

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by lawguy24

I applied to U of Miami law school and was wondering if their are any areas that a student could afford near the University.But after reading all these posts, it is rather scary. Is it really that bad? Would it be feasable to move to Ft. Lauderdale and commute to Miami? Are there areas I could move to outside of Miami proper that are safe. I have a wife and she will be working, I don't want anything to happen to her at or on the way to work. If it is so horrible, why did the real estate market sky rocket with the major increase in population? Wouldn't Miami have a negative population growth like Detroit if the city was so bad? I just want some honest feedback. Also, Im coming from Los Angeles, so Im rather use to traffic. Sitting on the freeway parked in one place for an hour is a normal thing here.

We just toured the University of Miami this past Monday.
What are your general thoughts about the school?
My daughter is interested in the School of Communications, Broadcast Journalism is her first choice.
I have mixed emotions about the university since touring it.
Anyone want to chime in with your opinion?
Thanks

[abrown17]

Originally Posted by londonbarcelona

We just toured the University of Miami this past Monday.
What are your general thoughts about the school?
My daughter is interested in the School of Communications, Broadcast Journalism is her first choice.
I have mixed emotions about the university since touring it.
Anyone want to chime in with your opinion?
Thanks

I graduated from UM with a degree in Print Journalism back in 2003. I think the School of Communications is pretty good and it has been getting more competitive in the last few years. I was given a lot of "real life" experience in my major and I think the same might be true for Broadcasting.

One of my complaints was that many of the classes you need to graduate are offered once a year, in one time slot, with a cap of maybe 16 students. It could be very restricting at times. I'm not sure if this is still the case.

What are your "mixed emotions" concerning?

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by abrown17

I graduated from UM with a degree in Print Journalism back in 2003. I think the School of Communications is pretty good and it has been getting more competitive in the last few years. I was given a lot of "real life" experience in my major and I think the same might be true for Broadcasting.

One of my complaints was that many of the classes you need to graduate are offered once a year, in one time slot, with a cap of maybe 16 students. It could be very restricting at times. I'm not sure if this is still the case.

What are your "mixed emotions" concerning?

I would say that I have mixed feelings about UM now because I felt it didn't live up to it's hype. I thought that for a university that is going to cost my out of state daughter nearly 50K a year to attend would at least have a football stadium on campus and that the buildings would not be circa 1970's. Plus I felt the dining options were limited. We've toured many campus's lately and other than NYC, this was my least favorite.
With that said, however, I felt that the broadcast journalism program was very hands on and seemed like it would be a good fit for my daughter. As far as my daughter is concerned, she is sold on UM. I, on the other hand, am not as willing to fork over my cold hard cash as easily.

[Mattie]

There is still a problem with required courses only being offered once/year. Because of that, it can be tough to finish degree programs in four years. I know several kids that had to return for the fall semester instead of graduating in May, but they are all bio majors, intent on med school. I don't know if that would happen in more general degrees. UM is expensive. The dorms were no worse than some of the others we toured, and better than some. Security on campus is very good, which was important to us. It is not a party school like FSU or UF, but there is a lot of campus spirit. The school intends to provide transportation to Dolphin stadium next year, I think via buses. It's not like the students could walk to the Orange Bowl either, so I don't see that as affecting attendance at the games. And there are sports right on campus, such as basketball and baseball.
We make our final tuition payment next month. I think it was worth it in my son's eyes. He's loved it there.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by Mattie

There is still a problem with required courses only being offered once/year. Because of that, it can be tough to finish degree programs in four years. I know several kids that had to return for the fall semester instead of graduating in May, but they are all bio majors, intent on med school. I don't know if that would happen in more general degrees. UM is expensive. The dorms were no worse than some of the others we toured, and better than some. Security on campus is very good, which was important to us. It is not a party school like FSU or UF, but there is a lot of campus spirit. The school intends to provide transportation to Dolphin stadium next year, I think via buses. It's not like the students could walk to the Orange Bowl either, so I don't see that as affecting attendance at the games. And there are sports right on campus, such as basketball and baseball.
We make our final tuition payment next month. I think it was worth it in my son's eyes. He's loved it there.

So overall you felt it was a good investment? I liked the fact that they are required to double major, I thought that was a great idea and much needed in today's changing society. The football field not being located on campus wasn't meant as a dis, I was comparing it to other places we had visited that had a more traditional feel (think Penn State). I mentioned on our survey that I felt it would have been beneficial to have had the opportunity to tour the areas in which basketball, baseball, etc are played. We were only showed the intramural sports field.
I am familiar with Coral Gables and South Beach/Miami so I feel comfortable with the surrounding areas.
What did you feel was the most beneficial aspect of the university? Did your son take advantage of the free tutoring? I thought it was very ethnically diverse, that was a pleasant sight. And a great opportunity to learn about some many other cultures.
Anyone else? Pros, cons, rumors?

[philly76er]

Originally Posted by lawguy24

I applied to U of Miami law school and was wondering if their are any areas that a student could afford near the University.But after reading all these posts, it is rather scary. Is it really that bad? Would it be feasable to move to Ft. Lauderdale and commute to Miami? Are there areas I could move to outside of Miami proper that are safe. I have a wife and she will be working, I don't want anything to happen to her at or on the way to work. If it is so horrible, why did the real estate market sky rocket with the major increase in population? Wouldn't Miami have a negative population growth like Detroit if the city was so bad? I just want some honest feedback. Also, Im coming from Los Angeles, so Im rather use to traffic. Sitting on the freeway parked in one place for an hour is a normal thing here.

It's not that bad down here. People complain about the traffic, but it's much worse in the Northeast and everyone knows LA traffic is the worst in the nation. There are lots of people down here that come from rural parts of Florida and the Midwest so they aren't used to traffic. I'm in sales, so I'm on the road all the time and traffic is not that bad.

don't listen to the complainers...misery loves company. The majority of the complainers here would rather voice the problems than solve them by trying to better themselves. It gets old listening to the same sob stories over and over.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by philly76er

It's not that bad down here. People complain about the traffic, but it's much worse in the Northeast and everyone knows LA traffic is the worst in the nation. There are lots of people down here that come from rural parts of Florida and the Midwest so they aren't used to traffic. I'm in sales, so I'm on the road all the time and traffic is not that bad.

don't listen to the complainers...misery loves company. The majority of the complainers here would rather voice the problems than solve them by trying to better themselves. It gets old listening to the same sob stories over and over.

ummmm, what does bettering ones self have to do with fixing the problems in south florida? Now if you would have said vote or get involved socially and politically I would agreed with you.

[compelled to reply]

How long before Broward becomes like this? When I read these posts, it feels like such a world away...I can not picture this lasting

[BUBBAboyTM]

I am a UM graduate (Broadcast Journalism/Political Science) and I can't recommend the school enough. Had a great experience... lots of intelligent kids from upscale families. It has a good balance of "party time" and "school time"... very active frats and sororities that are service based. The buildings are not the "hogwarts" type like Harvard LOL but they serve the purpose... I wasn't planning on taking the buildings with me anyway. The broadcast journalism program is by far one of the best in the country... internship opportunities are incredible. As far as commuting, don't go for it...live next to the campus. Coral Gables is the most beautiful area of Miami... very upscale and extremely safe. In the rare instance that there is a problem, police response is literally two minutes or less. You can walk in CG at any time of the night and the downtown is quaint with lots of really nice restaurants. Really good shopping nearby too and the location is 15 minutes to anywhere in Miami. As far as buying, now is NOT the time. Wait... you will thank me later. Rent for now until the market decides what it is going to do. Any questions... please feel free to PM me. Rick