The best thing about going to the University of Miami is the fact that you go to the University of Miami. As pretentious as it may sound, being a Hurricane is an experience like no other, and cannot be simply decided by one football game or a certain class. Some students may point to our spirit and the excitement our athletic programs generate; this is a good answer. Some students may talk about our incredible professors, small class sizes (52{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}, according to US News, of them classes with less than 20 students) and prestigious academics; also a good answer. Some may brag about our beautiful campus, location, and thirty minute commute via public transit to famous South Beach; also a good answer. Going to the University of Miami is an experience that is comprised of all the incredible things the university has to offer to its students; unique and interesting classes taught by respected, friendly and most of all well-educated professors only too happy to teach students. The awesome school pride that pervades every part of University life here, from dorm life, classes, football games and even, on some memorable occasions, bathrooms. The “just right” size of the school, where you will always be meeting new and diverse fellow students but feel at home and comfortable in a campus that takes maybe twenty minutes to walk across (not that you would need to, thanks to our school-sponsored, campus-exclusive) ‘round the clock bus service). There are far too many aspects of the Hurricane Experience that need to be just that; experienced. But rest assured that every aspect of UM excels in its field. Even the administration has proven itself incredibly helpful, friendly, and easy to work with, unlike some other unfortunate institutions whose administrations are marred with red tape and inefficiency. The administration is able to work with the “just right” size of the student body, which means every prospective student, and has no problem quickly scheduling one-on-one meetings with counselors, advisors, professors, deans, or whoever may be necessary. Things like recovering a lost UM ID card or sorting out a problem with one’s financial account are handled on a personal level in one of the university’s many offices with a friendly smile and remarkable speed that one would never expect of such a complex institution, but not unusual at all for the University of Miami. It’s not unusual either to see the friendly and incredible President Donna Shalala walking around campus to grab a coffee, meet with a professor, or just to chat with her students and get a real sense of what’s going on in her school; in fact, school-sponsored meetings with the administration to deal with problems or just to see if there are any are held on a regular basis. I don’t even live on campus, being a Miami native, and I have made use of the school’s useful on-campus clinic when I felt sick earlier in the year. As a student, my schedule seemed too busy to include a trip to my doctor, so the on-campus clinic was very convenient. I waited maybe a few minutes and was seen by a professional physician and quickly diagnosed with a common cold, all without the hassle (or cost) of having to see my own doctor. Speaking of my status as a commuter, the school does everything it can to include and account for all types of students; residents, commuters, transfers, and even the significant portion of the student body that hails from an entirely different country altogether. At the beginning of this semester, a change in the established parking system made finding parking nigh impossible after noon, a death sentence for a commuter, and within the first month of the semester the administration in charge of parking held a meeting with the commuter student body to see how to best address the problem. Changes were made to the parking system soon after, and parking has not been a problem since. Though this may not have much bearing on a resident student, it just goes to show how responsive and helpful UM’s administration is. Taking into account all these factors, it’s impossible to pinpoint one. The University of Miami is an experience that will define and change an entire lifetime.