For UMiami, I was so fortunate to interview two amazing people, Miko and Melanie! Both were so helpful and gave thorough responses and were so sweet! Definitely check out their responses if you're interested in applying to UMiami Thank you so much Mike and Melanie!
MIKO
Miko is so sweet and generous and offered to help me in helping other high school students learn more about college life at UMiami during this hard time. Her responses are so helpful if you are interested in learning what it's like at UMiami. Thank you so much Miko!
How would you describe the weather at UMiami? What would advise students to bring when coming to UMiami?
"the weather in miami is really hot all-year-round, except the one week around february where it suddenly gets a little cold. i would say bring lots of swimsuits and going-out clothes for the weekend, comfortable clothes for class like leggings and sweaters because some classrooms are really cold."
What makes UMiami? So special to you? Was it your first choice and your dream school?
"umiami is special because theres just the right amount of students and there are so many opportunities like greek life or clubs where you can make new friends whether you’re commuting or dorming! they host so many fun events and my favorite is the weekly farmer’s market because it offers such a variety of foods and is constantly changing so you never get bored. umiami was always my first choice/dream school because i was raised in miami and heard so many good things about it, and i know i made the right choice!"
What is your major and is it what you wanted to study since high school?
"im a psych major now but started as a film major. i wasn’t sure in HS what i wanted to study so i chose film because i enjoyed making videos with friends, but once i started i realized i wasn’t as interested as i thought. once i learned more about other majors and careers, i became really interested in psychology and even though i didn’t take any classes for it in HS, i thought it could be interesting and ended up LOVING it. i think it’s hard/almost impossible to know what you wanna do for the rest of your life at just 18 years old. my best advice is to not stress about it too much because most people change their majors multiple times before they graduate!"
What is one thing you wished you did more research on before applying to colleges?
"i wish i did more research on majors because like i said before, i switched from film to psychology which is a whole process because they’re in different “schools”. if i had looked more into the different paths, i might have realized it wasn’t for me. but again, you can’t know 100% at such a young age and umiami is flexible with switching so it all works out!"
What is one tip you would give to high school students, especially juniors who are currently searching for college to apply? Should they research how good the food is, the weather, or how prestigious the college is?
"to HS juniors: stop stressing so much! the cheesy “everything happens for a reason” is true. if your dream school doesn’t work out it’s okay. be grateful for what what did work out and make the best of it because after all, you probably applied to those colleges because you knew you can possibly see yourself there! the process gets a lot easier if you just keep an open mind and stay confident! if you can, go visit all the schools you applied to and see if there are any shadow opportunities (at umiami we have cane-for-a-day) so you can get to know the school AND yourself better! definitely look into the weather because that can affect your mood and state of mind! don’t worry about rankings of schools - your happiness and success is what matters most (:"
melanie
Melanie is so helpful and kind! Thank you so much for giving me tips to prepare for my common application! Like Miko, her responses are so beneficial if you're interested in UMiami and she is so sweet! Thank you Melanie and I appreciate your willingness to help others!
What makes this UMiami so special to you? Was it your first choice and your dream school?
"I think Miami is so special because there’s nothing you can’t do. We have the city element where you are accessible to major companies and connections, yet we have a beautiful campus and our own little community. The staff care about the students and you’re able to major and take classes across all disciplines and schools, which really allow students to explore other areas they didn’t know they were interested in. We have top sports and a fan base, the beach is 20 minutes away, and we have an Olympic size pool on campus. It never gets old. Also in a pure academic side we don’t have general education classes but a cognate system which is really unique and exciting."
What was your reaction when you opened your acceptance letter?
"When I opened my acceptance letter I was excited obviously. A month later I was on campus visiting and after weighing offers from other schools I realized UM was the right choice for me."
Personally, would you recommend morning or night classes?
"I hate morning classes, I skipped 80% of the 8am I was forced to take last semester. Afternoon classes are my favorite then evening, then night, then morning."
What kind of classes would you highly recommend students to take in high school before going off to college?
"I think taking classes that will set you up for your major/ program is the best thing you can do. Even though you might not place out of college classes the background information could save you a lot of time. I think everyone should learn personal finance before entering college, so if a high school has a class on that (I think mine did) I would highly recommend— side note if you can avoid loans do so, most of the time your “dream” school isn’t worth it the loans you’ll need to pay for it (even for Miami). Be wise with your money before college because those decisions can haunt you."
What is your major and why did you choose this major?
"My major is finance and marketing. I entered college a neuroscience major in the honors science program at Miami (mostly for premeds). I did neuroscience research in high school and thought I wanted to be a doctor, but after I was immersed in the premed environment I hated it. I then switched to sports administration because I was so eager to get out of my major, and then finally made the switch to marketing and finance. I don’t plan on working a 9-5 for the rest of my life, so these majors were picked so I have a strong analytical and business background to start my own company."