What Students Say about Miami and Other Information |
Because the Director of the Howe Center for Student Writing will have the pleasure of working with Miami students, we thought the following report from July 28, 2009, would help you understand Miami as seen through students’ eyes.
Miami University is featured in the Princeton Review's The Best 371 Colleges - 2010 Edition as one of the nation's best institutions for undergraduate education. Miami was chosen for the book based on student surveys regarding dozens of topics from academics to college life, as well as general observations from Princeton Review editors.
Miami received an academic rating of 80 according to the Princeton Review, which mentions that “choice is central to the Miami experience with more than 100 major departments.”
Students commented, “Professors at Miami are extremely personable and are always willing to lend an extra hand.” One junior told the editors, “I’ve never run into a professor that was not approachable when needing help, and most of them are very passionate about sharing their knowledge with the students.”
Campus life at Miami also received high ratings with a 73 for quality of life, 77 for fire safety and a 75 green rating. According to the Princeton Review survey, Miami students said the campus offers “countless social, academic, political and career opportunities” as well as a “great college experience.”
The book notes that “academic programs definitely prepare (students) for the real world” and students added that Oxford is “a town built for college life” with “wonderful food and activities.”
Students told the editors that Miami is working to recruit a more diverse student body, and “each student is very open to diversity and welcomes it with open arms.” One student wrote, “The students here are typically friendly and intelligent, and all seem to apply to the ‘work-hard, play-hard’ mentality.”
Another wrote that Miami students are “passionate, driven, very career-oriented, involved around campus, and very social.”
The Princeton Review gave Miami’s admissions process a rating of 93 noting that 50 percent of incoming students at Miami had SAT scores above 1200 and that last year, 92 percent of incoming students had volunteered in their communities during high school while 67 percent participated in varsity sports.
U.S. News & World Report in its 2009 edition of America's Best Colleges, ranked Miami 26th out of 164 public universities in the country. Additionally, Miami placed high among all top-tier national universities, ranking 66th out of 262 that offer a wide range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees.
Recently, PayScale.com, a global compensation data Web site, ranked Miami as having one of the best returns on investment. Miami ranked 8th out of nearly 150 Midwestern universities for best salary potential after graduation. According to a survey of employees, the starting median salary for Miami graduates is $47,100 and the mid-career median salary is $96,100.
Miami University offers a liberal education plan, research opportunities, co-curricular activities and support that have ensured students success for 200 years. With an average time to a degree at 3.7 years, Miami also has one of the highest graduation rates among national public universities.