University of Miami

The University of Miami has 12 schools and colleges offering nearly 350 undergraduate and graduate majors and programmes. Undergraduates choose from more than 100 majors in nine schools and colleges, among them the School of Architecture, the College of Engineering and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Graduate study is offered through the Graduate School, the School of Law, the Miller School of Medicine and online programmes such as a Master of Public Administration or a Doctor of Education in Applied Learning Sciences. Continuing education includes professional certificates and a Bachelor of General Studies degree completion programme.

The University of Miami is known to undertake a holistic approach in its admission process; this means that all parts of a student’s application are considered, and there is no minimum GPA or test score required for admission. The Admission Committee does not recalculate high school GPAs, but these provided by the school are going to be used. Each student’s application is carefully evaluated, while decisions are based both on academic strength and relative competitiveness of the student within the applicant pool.

All applicants have to submit The Common Application, which also includes an essay; and application supplement; an application fee; a Secondary School report; official high school transcripts, and official SAT/ACT scores. A letter of recommendation is required, too.

As far as international students are concerned, they are very welcome to the university. 10% of the student body is represented by international students.  Still, all students whose native language is not English are required to submit official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

The University of Miami awards academic scholarships to all students, based on their academic achievements. Students are recommended to apply for admission so that the admission committee can review them for a possible academic scholarship award.c

For returning/currently enrolled UM students, there are additional scholarships for which students can apply; namely, athletic, music scholarships, etc.

Campus housing is provided only on the main campus – Coral Gables. There are five residential colleges, combined with a University Village that is comprised of seven buildings and two parking garages. Each of the  residential colleges has been assigned faculty members (Masters and Associate Masters), student affairs professional staff members (Area Directors & Assistant Area Directors), and student staff who live there with the purpose to support and promote student well-being, safety, academic achievement, student learning, and development.

Both single and double rooms are available, but singles are assigned based on seniority living on campus, for which reason entering students are usually assigned double ones. All rooms and apartment bedrooms are air-conditioned and equipped with a bed, dresser, desk, chair, trash can, and window coverings. 72+-channel cable television and local telephone services are also provided.   The university aims to assign roommates of similar age, class standing, and smoking preference. Other requirements are that all non-local freshmen students have to live in the university’s premises for two academic semesters, with the only exception when freshmen students live with parents or legal guardians in Miami-Dade or Broward Counties.

As far as University Village is concerned – it is an apartment-style residential community with 12-month agreements, and is available both to juniors and seniors. These apartments are fully furnished, while also including in-apartment washers and dryers, a stove, refrigerator, microwave, & dishwasher, together with free reserved parking.

All housing facilities are co-educational with men and women living on alternate floors or alternating separate suites or apartments. Wireless internet is available throughout campus, too, while Special Interest Housing is also offered within the residential college system. Students are strongly recommended to apply for housing as soon as possible after paying the enrollment deposit.

The Coral Gables campus is served by the Miami Metrorail at the University Station. The Metro connects the institution to Downtown Miami, Brickell Coconut Grove, and other Miami neighborhoods. The main campus is about a 15-minute train ride from Downtown and Brickell.

The Medical campus is also connected to Coral Gables by the Miami Metrorail. To end with, there is a campus-wide free shuttle service, operating a route from the Coral Gables campus to the Virginia Key campus, which includes stops at the Vizcaya Metrorail station on weekdays.

The University of Miami highly stresses the importance of activities pursued by students outside the classroom, for which reason their motto is ‘Live to learn, learn to live’. Starting with the residential halls, there are over 100 programs within each one, offering the opportunity to students to join various academic and cultural sessions. This makes it extremely comfortable for freshmen to meet new people and socialize with students with similar interests.

The over 200 students’ organizations on the other hand, provide students with the true feel of a big university. Because of the diversity of the student body, covering a great range of backgrounds and interests, there are 270 clubs, organizations, fraternities and sororities overall. The areas they cover are academic, athletic, cultural/international, department, health and wellness, honorary, media, national, performance, professional, religious, programming board, social, and umbrella. Some of the more notable organizations include  service groups such as Habitat for Humanity and Amnesty International; the Ad Group and American Society for Civil Engineers – both professional ones; the Sailing Hurricanes and UM Film/Theater Club, which are hobby groups; the Ibis yearbook, WVUM-FM, and UMTV – all task groups.  Also, the Student Government is open to those wishing to develop their leadership skills while also supporting the interests of fellow students.

On top of that, there are regularly organized campus-wide events, run by student groups; there is the annual Canes Film Festival, showcasing 40 short films written and directed by university students. There are intellectual symposiums as well as events, concentrating on recreation, like Sportsfest; Finally, International Week is dedicated to music, traditions, and cuisine from around the world.

Miami definitely is a place most students would love to spend their university years at. There is the authentic Cuban culture, represented in Little Havana; there is South Beach, famous for its clubs and bars, while sports fans will not be disappointed with a great range of professional and collegiate athletics.

On top of that, there are many restaurants and hangout places nearby campus that allow students to go out without having to drive all the way to the beach. Students are also very pleased with local malls and shopping opportunities that the city provides.

To wrap it up, the atmosphere is busy, and often crowded by tourists, but student life is fun, and full of a great number of points of interest:  American Airlines Arena; Coconut Grove; Everglades; Lowe Art Museum; Metro Zoo; Nikki Beach; Pro Player; Stadium Space; Florida Keys; The Oasis; Vizcaya Mansion, and others.