Determining moment in decision to attend Miami?

[thechuck_2112]

MUfan suggested this topic over in the "overrated/underrated food" thread:

What, exactly, was the determining moment in your decision to attend Miami?

During my senior year of high school, I was down to four schools: Notre Dame, Swarthmore, Davidson, and Miami. I did overnight visits everywhere. I ruled out Swarthmore and Notre Dame because I didn't receive any financial aid (and they were thus out of my reach). Although I didn't get any money from Davidson either, I was convinced I'd end up a Wildcat as I had fallen utterly in love with the place when I first visited as a sixth-grader for my dad's reunion. So it was down to Davidson and Miami.

I did an overnight visit at Miami in the middle of April, right before I had to send in my deposit and all that stuff. My host had an exam (evil professor, doing that right before finals week) during the day, so I wandered around Oxford aimlessly--Uptown has to be uphill, right, so that's how you get there?--and found Looney T. Bird's. Earlier that week, I had handed in my senior English research paper, a 30-page opus on the history of British progressive rock. As I perused the selection at Looney's, I saw a used copy of what many consider to be the first prog album, King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King, on the shelves.

It was at that moment that I knew I could go to Miami.

Mind you, I hated my first semester here because of roommate issues. In fact, I was thisclose to sending in a transfer application to Davidson. But it was a CD at Looney T. Bird's I saw on an April afternoon in 2000 that got me to come to Miami. (And besides, once I was rid of that &*@#&( roommate after freshman year, things got much, much better.)
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"Psycho was low on talent. Psycho was low on athleticism. Psycho can play on my team any day. Psycho has the biggest heart of any player I have seen."
--mollautt

"You white people are crazy!" -- Matt Sussman

[MUfan]

Cut and paste from my other post:

[DevilGrad]

[Syc Brown]

The first time in Oxford. Driving up 27. Farm, farm, farm, farm, farm, Millville, farm, house, farm.............., Miami!

There is nothing like it. Driving down Talawanda St on a Saturday afternoon towards Millett.

.........Then Ron Harper dunked.

[MUDawgFan]

Schools in the south are a little bit different.

One could make a legitimate argument that there are at lease 5-10 good schools in the state of Ohio to get a solid education (taking out such factors as campus beauty or size). OSU, UC, Miami, OU, BGSU, Case Wes all make the list.

Back home, its typically 1-3 solid schools per state (excluding tiny schools like Samford, Elon, Furman, and Davidson). In my case in Georgia, the only 3 were UGA, Tech, and Emory. I'm not a math guy so tech was out, Emory was too expensive and UGA has 45,000 students.

So although I would remain a staunch Bulldog Fan, I looked outside of the state. It came down to Miami, IU, Notre Dame and College of Charleston.

I chose Miami because of the campus tour I took. The tour featured a group of female triplets who still to this day rank as some of the most stunning looking females I had ever seen. I was shocked at how pretty they were and thus chose Miami over IU and CC (I was wait listed at Notre Dame).

I had decided to call the triplets Friday, Saturday and Sunday....

To this day I'm still looking for them.

[Steverem]

Mine is a story in two parts. My first actual visit to Miami was in the winter of my senior year (not to be confused with the "winter of my discontent," but I digress). I had just spent the morning touring Wittenburg University in Springfield with my parents and my brother (who, due to a brain cramp, decided to attend there). We arrived on campus slightly before noon as a light snow began to fall. We did the campus tour thing, as well as a little wandering on our own. It was a Saturday, and we happened to notice that Miami was playing a 2:00 game at Millett. After a little prodding, I convinced my parents that we should attend--just to get a little bit of the true college flavor.

Well, I guess at this point I should point out that my senior year of high school coincided with Ron Harper's senior year at Miami. I couldn't tell you who Miami played that day (I think it was one of the directional Michigan schools), but Harp scored the first eight points of the game on dunks--the last of which he alley-ooped to himself. Now, I know I've been one of the guys here who has been somewhat critical of the ol' b-ball arena, but having come from a high school that could've fit it's entire student body on half of the student bleachers behind the north-end basket, I was mesmerized by both Harper and the college spectacle surrounding the game, and imagined myself as one of the "bleacher rats" in the future.

My next visit came on what might have been the most idylic spring day in history. The sky was a vivid blue, all the flowers were in full bloom, and Central Quad was teeming with lovely co-eds. I stopped by to visit a friend who was a freshman in Anderson. He gave me the more "student" oriented tour of campus, and it was at this point I decided this is where I wanted to matriculate. Once I received my acceptance, there was really little doubt as to where I wanted to attend. Plus, it allowed me to continue with the volunteer work I was involved in on the other side of the county. Can't say I've ever regretted my decision.

[Syc Brown]

[KCRedskin]

Since I was choosing architecture as a major, my school choices were limited but inorder to find a place I had to apply to 14 or so schools just to be safe. I had narrowed my list down to Carnegie Mellon, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and waiting on a wait list at UVa. I had literally licked the envelope to mail my Va Tech acceptance back and place it in the mailbox when I noticed that the mail had already come that day, and sitting in the mailbox was my Miami acceptance (hadnt considered the school at all up until then.) I was still prepared to become a Hokie, when my mom conned me into making the 10 hour drive from New Jersey to Ohio to see the school. She dragged me out there kicking and screaming -I was not going to go. We pulled into the parking lot next to Cook Field and by the time we walked from Cook to the front steps of the Res I had completely changed my mind. THere is no tangible reason that I can impart to you other than to say it just FELT RIGHT. It felt like home. It felt in that 3 minute span to be such a wonderful place that all of my predispositions and prior decisions became insignificant. Divine intervention with the mailbox? Maybe. If it was, I am eternally thankful for it.
_________________
"I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that could save me
I believe in the hope
and I pray that some day
It may raise me above these Badlands"

[Mowch]

I had to fill out a college survey the spring of my junior year at Centerville high school. One of the questions was “Which of the following schools are you most likely to attend?” They had listed every Ohio state-funded university. Well, I hadn’t planned on going to college in Ohio, as Northwestern and Michigan were at the top. I had never been to Oxford, and the only references of Miami I could remember were seeing ABC’s Jim Lampley review the MAC scores, and turning to channel 12 in Cincinnati to catch Reds highlights one day and seeing about a 5 minute clip on the opening of Yager Stadium. Due to lack of a better choice, I checked the ‘Miami’ box. Soon after, a packet of information came to my parents’ house.

I had just applied to Miami prior to attending a Red Carpet day the following fall. The Red Carpet event was my first time on campus, November 10, 1984. Remember it well. My high school was playing #1-in-the-country Moeller in the state football playoffs that evening (yeah, we won 10-7). It was dreary; cloudy with light drizzle. The leaves had already fallen from the trees. About as drab as the Miami campus can look… and I fell in love with it.

At that point I knew I didn’t need to apply to any other schools. This was back in the day when it was only mildly difficult to get into Miami. The Public Ivy’s book was either just out, or right around the corner. I spent most of the afternoon with goose bumps, thinking about what it would be like to walk around that campus every day. Received my acceptance letter in December and immediately notified Miami that I was on board.
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He's a demon on wheels...

[MU CLEVELAND 01]

The chicks. Period.

[Bash Riprock]

[Maz]

Growing up in northern Virginia, I've often had to answer the question, "Why Miami?" The story goes like this:

My senior year in HS, I was talking to my counselor about colleges and I rattled off my list of schools that I was applying to. I mentioned that I still felt like I should have another school in the mix, but I didn't know which one to add. She asked me if I knew anything about "Miami o f O hio". I told her, "I've seen their football scores on the sportstickers ... that's about it." The extent of her sales pitch to me was "I have two sons. One went to Harvard, the other went to Stanford, but I always wanted one to go to Miami." So, I figured ... what the heck, I'll apply.

After getting all my responses back, I had pretty much figured I'd end up in-state somewhere (although there was an infintessimally small chance that Michigan was going to take me off the wait list), but being the deliberate guy I am, I insisted on visiting Miami. I told my parents that it only seemed right that I should check the place out before deciding. My Dad and I left N. VA one Friday afternoon after school and drove almost 10 hours, only got as far as the exit off I-70 and got a hotel for the night. We got up early the next day and made the rest of the trip into Oxford.

I forget what time of year it was exactly, but I remember it being a beautiful Spring day. We took a tour. We walked through Uptown. My Dad says he knew I'd made up my mind in the first 5 minutes we were on campus. I don't remember it that way. I do know that we were only on campus for maybe 3 hours and then we hopped in the car and headed back home. Somewhere between the Res and the stables, I had made up my mind.

[KCRedskin]

How many other schools in the MAC would conjure up these types of stories, seriously??? Maybe OU - it IS a pretty campus. But you can't tell me someone could tell you these "romantic" college selection stories at BG, Marshall, etc. etc. etc.
_________________
"I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that could save me
I believe in the hope
and I pray that some day
It may raise me above these Badlands"

[TJWaldo]

Our whole family drove up from Cincinnati one perfect spring Saturday morning so my older sister, who was considering Miami, could see the campus. I had heard about Miami -- mostly from my Grandmother who was a 1923 graduate -- but had never been there. I remember we parked someone near the Shriver Center and were immediately greeted by the Beta Bells. Having only seen the city colleges in Cincy, I was stunned by the beauty of the campus. Be the end of that morning, as an eighth grader, I had pretty much made up my mind I was going to Miami.

Three Little Sibs trips later, it was the only application I sent out, and I was accepted two weeks later.

Along with my older sister, my younger sister and two younger brothers are also Miamians, as our three of our spouses, including mine.

[MUDawgFan]

[Mowch]

[redhawkforlife]

As a kid I always hated UC and OSU. Don't really know why. I think at the time I decided that since everyone else liked them, I wouldn't.

That is one the first memories. Second, I went to soccer camp there when I was about 12. Staying in Flower Hall and hitting the snack bar late at night made me 'feel' like I was in college and it felt cool and independent. I knew then.

Third, my parents went to hockey games just as my brother became a freshman there (1993). I tagged along as a ninth grader and fell in love all over again. My parents would let my friends and I wander uptown after the game and I felt so cool. Don't laugh. I was enamored with Bruno's and the stories of Chuck Burgers. Ask KC Redskin, he may remember me. In fact, I kinda cheated by starting to play intramural hockey there my Junior year of High School.

All these things made it certain. I didn't care that it was close or my bro went there. I didn't care that majors were an afterthought when I applied. I applied to BG and OU b/c my parents made me. I loved it then and don't regret it at all. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
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Miami - the other, other love of my life

[Maz]

Being the youngest child, I had no L'il Sibs of my own to indoctrinate. But, the little sister of one of my best friends was made to apply to Miami by her mother ... who knew nothing more about Miami than the fact that I went there and I loved it. She was ready to go to William & Mary (I think), but her parents made her come visit me one weekend first ... it happened to be on a L'il Sibs weekend. Another HS friend of mine played football for UC ... he picked her up at the airport and drove up for the weekend. I gave her the tour around campus and we (my UC friend and my roommates) took her out to a few parties ... the whole time trying to play the roles of surrogate big brothers (she drew a LOT of attention from fellow party goers, if you get the nub of my gist). Apparently, she had a good time. I hear that as soon as she got off the plane, she told her parents she was going to Miami.

[sickwendell]

I basically decided after a trip I took down there my senior year in high school. I went down with my brother who had a really good friend who was a Miami junior at the time. He and all of his friends took me and got me in through connections to just about every bar in town it seemed like and got me, to put it lightly, trashed. And those nights at the bar, where I saw some of the best looking girls I had ever seen, convinced me that Miami was right for me.

Plus the sweet 16 run during my senior year in high school with Wally didn't hurt my decision
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Drinking Beer and Kicking *ss Since 1809

[Beatnik]

DawgFan, you're right on 3 accounts. In no way can NIU be considered a pretty campus. It's very plain, and spread out way too far. Plus, DeKalb is a much bigger town than Oxford... Lots of strip malls and such... think Richmond, IN.

Why did I go to Miami? It's the best school I got into, perfect distance from home, and the prettiest campus I saw. Pretty simple.
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I'm on the 15-day DL with a "crushed spirit".

[Beatnik]

Oh, yeah, and I almost forgot. One of the girls on my campus tour had the biggest boobs I'd ever seen.
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I'm on the 15-day DL with a "crushed spirit".

[MUfan]

[Papa Lou BSU]

[MU CLEVELAND 01]

Papa Lou...you're nearing 5000 posts! Just 29 more to go...

[missmiami]