Miami University-Oxford Top Questions

Greek life makes up about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of our student population. I don't participate in those activities, but I do in other major parts of campus life. I am a co-chair of Colleges Against Cancer, which is a group that organizes Miami's Relay For Life each year. We attract all walks of campus to our event. It's a nice place for campus bonding. Other well-known groups include student government and RAs. There are a lot of activities going on both on and off campus. Uptown, there are restaurants and bars, but also a small park with fountains. My friends and I have often played in those fountains. If you're looking for something more low-key, AfterDark is a group that shows movies or hold events like comedians on Friday nights. I typically attend because the events are free and often the movies haven't come out of DVD yet!

CSSFA.CACA. they usually celebrate festivals and have many activities.

As I mentioned, Greek life (involvement in sororities and fraternities) is very prevalent at Miami. Sororities and fraternities team up to promote philanthropic causes like the Ronald McDonald House or Cincinnati Children's Hospital, host social events, and recruit members. "Rush" is a huge deal on campus at the end of every fall semester for incoming students. I am not involved in the Greek community (I didn't "rush"), but I still feel like I am a part of the Miami community. Occasionally I feel left out of conversations among a group of sorority girls who are all going to the same party one night, but I have a tight group of friends and feel like I'm a part of other subsets of Miami "culture." Student orgs/clubs are incredibly popular at Miami. Clubs range from professional groups (business, engineering, teaching societies, etc.) to philanthropic groups (who put on events to raise money for charity) to club sports (including Quidditch) to interest groups (people who are concerned about recycling; a student-run radio station) to cultural groups (Asian American Associations, Indian Student Association, Black Student Association, Middle-Eastern Student groups, Latin American student groups...the list goes on!). All of my friends are involved in at least two clubs- one is in Associated Student Government, another founded her own club that started a Writing Festival, another is in an Architecture society, and another is in a dental club. There's a club for everyone at Miami, and if there's not, you can start one! Partying and "going Uptown" (to High Street in Oxford, where there are many bars and restaurants) is a big part of Miami social life. You can enter bars when you're 18, but, obviously, can't buy drinks until you're 21. House parties are common in the residential part of Oxford, especially at fraternity houses (there are no sorority houses). However, bars and "clubs" (where there is a dance floor) seem to be more popular at Miami than other universities I've visited.

I am very involved in the business school, so most of the organizations that I am familiar with revolve around business. Some of the most popular groups include the investment banking club, entrepreneur club, supply chain organization, mentorship programs, and many others. I am personally involved with the Center of Business Excellence, and I am working on starting a consulting club in the business school. As for the dorms, it depends on the culture. The dorm I lived in freshman year was very open with students working in the living rooms, leaving their doors open, etc. The campus has a lot of activities for students. There are music events, shows, sports, restaurants, and all sorts of events (most of which I don't attend because I am too busy).

With so many different student organizations, there are a lot to choose from. I am currently on the Speech and Debate Team and in Stage Left, the musical theater club. The Speech team is a very fun group of people to befriend. Same with the musical theater club. I participate and also attend weekly meetings to stay active in the club/team. Students in residence halls definitely are open to meeting new people. There are always some doors open or people just knock to come say hi. This is how I met my closest friends! The theater is very active on Miami's campus. With our theater department and Stage Left, there are always some performances going on to attend. Athletic events are also very popular on campus. Students always go to the sports games to cheer on the Miami Redhawks. People go to parties to blow off steam, like every university its a part of the campus, but it is up to the students in go or not. Its just an activity some people participate in on the weekends to blow off stressful weeks! On a Saturday night, there are a lot of things to do that don't involve drinking. You can stay in and have a movie night with friends, go uptown to a restaurant, go to the movies, or even just go to the club to dance.

The Miami University culture relies on Greek Life and hockey. When students aren't in class they are usually doing something with their fraternity or sorority or at a hockey game if there is one. The friends I spend my time with now I knew before coming to Miami but it is certainly not hard to make friends around campus. The main activity that isn't dependent on drinking is going to hockey games or playing broom ball. However, even though these activities do not necessarily involve drinking, students still drink for both occasions. There is not much to do off campus other than go to clubs or hiking in Hueston woods, but Cincinnati is only an hour away and I believe there is a bus that goes to Chicago from Oxford. Last weekend I went to the clubs in the uptown area with one of my best friends fraternity and stayed in to study the next night. There is always something to do, especially if you're a part of Greek Life.

Greek life is a huge presence on campus. I was involved with a sorority for 3 of my 4 years. I can say that I know both sides of the spectrum, in terms of Greek and independent involvement on campus. I am writing director of Inklings, Miami's magazine of Arts & Letters. The most popular sporting events are hockey games. Our team is amazing and definitely brings pride amongst the student body.

The Miami hockey team is very popular on campus. When a big team comes to town, students sleep in tents in line to get tickets to the game the next day. Football, basketball, and soccer are not as popular but still have great student attendance and come up in conversation around campus. Student groups are popular and there is usually a group for every student based on what their likes and interests are. Miami is also known for sponsoring many guest speakers. Last year, Miami brought in the Dalai Lama and Condoleezza Rice to speak. Students always have their dorm doors open for friends to stop by and talk or hangout. Doors are usually only closed at night, during class, or while studying. The dating scene at Miami is active. People enjoy going on dates and enjoy meeting new people at parties or other social events. I met my closest friends in my freshman dorm building and then uptown this past year. The key is to be open and realize everyone is in the same situation as you in terms of meeting new people. Fraternities and sororities are very important on campus and have a large presence. Miami is known for a very popular greek life. However, greek like is not the only way to get involved and is just a sliver of the social atmosphere at Miami. People "party" mostly on the weekends (thursday-Saturday). Unless there is a special event or schedule, rarely are students partying during mid week. There is plenty to do that doesn't involve drinking. You can hangout in the dorm rooms, rec rooms (most dorms have a basement with a pool table, big screen tv, etc.), go uptown to a movie or out to eat, and go to the rec and play basketball. Off campus activities can involve or not involve drinking if you want them to.

Meeting people at Miami University is not a difficult task. The campus is overflowing with thousands of students, and opportunities to encounter them are prevalent as well. However, finding the people that have the potential to be your best friend takes some time. I was lucky enough to encounter an amazing group of students within my first semester as a freshman: the hip hop dance team. I tried out for the team without any hopes of actually becoming a member. My whole life I was acutely aware of my love for dance. Varsity Cheerleading functioned as a replacement for my passion throughout my high school years, but I always knew I belonged on a dance team. When I received the call informing me that I made Miami's Coed Hip Hop Dance Team, I raced out of my Chemistry Lab class to hide my jumps and jigs of joy. Being on the team not only led to my meeting some of my closest friends, but it also introduced me to various other activities and groups on campus. Our biggest performance of the semester happened to take place at Dance Marathon, an event where all of the major dance teams performed. Vision Dance Team, Hip Hop Dance Team, Miami Dance Team - all of these teams and more put on a show for this charitable event. Due to the number of dance oriented groups on campus, the popularity of dance on campus is obvious. However, the amount of group activities on campus is hard to keep count of as a result of their abundance. There is a team for nearly everything. Like arguing? Join debate team. Like being a leader? Join Community Council. Like dancing? Join Miami Coed Hip Hop Dance Team.

Fraternities and Sororities are definitely the most popular student groups on campus, but as long as you find your place, you will fit in no matter what. Personally, I am not in a fraternity, but the Men's Glee Club has become my home where all my friends have spawned from. Besides, from the Glee Club though, I am involved with The Cheezies, an a cappella group based out of the Glee Club that performs at various venues year round on campus. We are always very well received with concerts selling out for our fall, winter, and spring events. One tradition I find quite special at Miami has to be our Charter Day Ball, which occurs every three years to celebrate the founding of Miami University. It is a great opportunity to really see the university community come together and celebrate Miami as a whole.