Miami University-Oxford Top Questions

People refer to miami as Jcrew-U and I think that it is a very true stereotype of this university. Our school is very greek. But because it is such a large university there are still tons of kids that don't fit into the jcrew mold.

Miami is is one of the most unique college environments in the United States. People either who go to school here or went to school here, love Miami. The students are known for their 'work-hard, play-hard' attitude that resonates through the student body. That being said, I find that students here care about their education but also love to have a good time. Some of the stereotypes are attributed to the heavy presence of Greek life on campus but people are generally open-minded if you don't make the cliques an issue.

The stereotype of students at Miami University is "J. Crew U". This means that everybody wears clothing from J. Crew and are usually dressed in a "preppy" way. This stereotype is not true. Yes, there are those who dress nicer to go to class but there is a healthy mix of stereotypical and non-stereotypical Miami students on campus.

The main stereotype at Miami is that all of the students are rich, white, and beautiful. The girls are titled "Miami girls" and are thought to be spoiled brats who are unused to how the real world works. Both the female and male body are often thought to drink themselves to the point of intoxication and beyond, and then often go and destroy public property. I would say that the stereotype definitely holds true to some extent. There are a lot of rich people at Miami who party a lot, and probably when they shouldn't. But there are some "normal" kids there as well who study, do their work, and go out and enjoy themselves on the weekend. There definitely are people who fit the stereotypical Miami girls, but they don't make up the entire population.

Miami University students are one of a kind considering their work hard, play hard attitude. Every night of the week, you will find a large amount of students studying hard in the cubicles of King Library, and during mid-term or finals time, studying space is very difficult to come by at any time of the day. However, students definitely know how to have fun outside of the classroom as well. Throughout the weekend, the uptown of Oxford is always littered with guys and girls hanging out at the bar, and if not they are not there, they are certainly at one of the many off campus houses having a good time with friends.

The biggest stereotype at Miami University is that all of the students dress a certain way. Miami has earned the nickname “J.Crew U” in order to describe the preppy style adopted by a lot of the students and Sperry shoes, Coach bags, and pastel polo shirts do tend to dominate on campus. I heard a story once from a campus tour guide about a mother on the tour who asked if North Face jackets were required. All of this being said, Miami has so many students that every style is represented. No one is going to feel left out for not owning Sperry’s. I have never heard of anyone being ostracized for not wearing a certain brand. Rest assured that even if the casually preppy look isn’t your thing, Miami still could be.

The stereotype is that we are a bunch of rich kids who party all the time. The university actually has the nickname "J-Crew U" because of it. While there may be some validity to the stereotypes we aren't all like that. Lots of people do have money but just as many don't. Miami is also really rigorous academically. Not everyone goes out every weekend and parties either. Some days it feels like that but there are a lot of people who don't.

The stereotype of Miami University is generally two-fold. The first side of the coin is from outsiders who have never been on campus, only who have merely passed through, and made such general assumptions from a fifteen second cursory glance at the students walking the streets; the second is from other reviews, whether peer or professional, about the quality of academics pertaining to the assumption that the intelligence level is much higher than other universities. It's been my experience, however, that most stereotypes are only accurate when one searches for data to support them. If one goes in with an open mind, they will find that these stereotypes are grossly inaccurate. Miami University is filled with a lot of highly intelligent people--however, these people generally make sure that everyone knows how smart they are. However, I cannot say that one stereotype outweighs another--I've seen my fair share of jacks and frat kids, sorority girls and geeks, and just about every other stereotype that one can imagine. But since none of them have been so overwhelming within their numbers to strike a chord within me, I would have to say that, while all stereotypes are present at Miami University, none are so overwhelming that they encompass my view of my University. Unless, of course, one takes into account all of the fraternity and sorority members who just happen to have the advantage to post their "stereotype" more freely--most stereotypes don't usually paint bedsheets and hang them outside of Shriver.

The most common stereotypes people form about Miami University are we are all a bunch of rich frat boys and sorority girls. All the girls wear UGG boots, Northface, and J Crew, while the boys can be spotted in coral colored shorts and Sperrys. Sure, this is a pretty accurate statement- many of the girls in my 9 A.M. classes show up looking like they've spent hours getting ready. The stereotype is definitely accurate. But not everyone follows these styles. It's one of the reasons I love Miami. There are all kinds of people here, and many of them do come from pretty well off families, but there are many students who are putting themselves through school entirely. I run into all kinds of people on a daily basis, and I'm usually pretty satisfied with the type of people I come into contact with. The stereotype of the rich kid does not make the personality of the student. Miami is full of hard-working students who make going here a truly great experience.

Miami University offers a wide variety of students, no matter what your friends say! Although we do hold the stereotype for our greek life (frat stars, beautiful sorority girls, etc...), Miami University offers so much more than that! As a non-greek affiliated student, I have made so many friends and have become involved in so many other ways! Of course I have friends in sororities and fraternities, but this just opens the door for me to meet new people, which is always a blast! Prospective students are always shocked to hear that only 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of Miami University's students are in Greek life, so make sure to always keep that in mind! There are so many other students on campus who do not participate in Greek life. No matter where you are at Miami University, you are bound to turn around and find a friendly face willing to help and maybe even become a life-long friend!