The first time I came to Miami, I fell in love with the campus immediately. It's absolutely beautiful--Robert Frost called it the most beautiful campus in the nation. I tend to agree. I have a lot of my classes on our Western campus, and even though it is pretty much the opposite end of the world from the rest of my life, I love going back there, especially in the fall and spring. It's beautiful--the paths and trees, the flowers and the pond with the swans. People may say that there is too much sameness with all of the brick buildings here, built to match and compliment one another, but I think it adds something really charming to our campus.
Probably one of the worst and best things about Miami is that it is really set apart from everything else. I mean, granted, Ohio is not exactly the picture of bustling, big cities, but we can hold our own. But in Oxford, we are about 45 minutes outside of Cincinnati, surrounded on all sides by farmland. It's the middle of nowhere, and sometimes, you feel like you are trapped in what is affectionately called "The Bubble." But it's also really great to be immersed in this college atmosphere, with our Uptown full of restaurants and bars to fit our lifestyle.
I do wish Miami had more school spirit. Our sports aren't great overall, and coming from Columbus, where Ohio State is King, there is a noticable lack of school pride. That being said, I was surprised to find the hockey craze that took over this winter. People camped outside our ice center--literally camped, in tents, overnight, sorority girls, no less. Their mission: to get good seats for the game. So maybe we are just selectively spirited.
My best, ultimately amazing, coolest experience here was my time on our Luxembourg campus in Europe. Luxembourg is a tiny country in between France and Germany, and although beautiful, is certainly uniquely its own place, to say the least. But in my four and a half months in Europe, I had the absolute best time of my life. I learned so much about myself, about people, about traveling, and I miss it every day. It was incredible. I definitely encourage anyone and everyone to go abroad--you learn so much more than you ever could in a classroom, you make incredible friends, you get to see the world! All the cliches of course, but in this sense, they're absolutely true, and they are memories that will last forever.
People are either impressed or put off by the fact that I go to Miami. They have heard the stereotypes, of both academics and students, and so depending on which ones they heard, I get an either/or reaction. But, Miami is my home now, a place where I've really learned so many things--more than just academically, and in spite of its faults, something every university, every place on earth has, it is a really great place to spend 4+ years and I would not have done it anywhere else. Well, maybe somewhere where it was a bit warmer. But other than that...