What's Oxford like? (Cincinnati, Dayton, Hamilton: spring break, public schools, university)

[lepoisson]

I am considering applying to a job at Miami University. It looks like Oxford is your traditional smaller college town. Would you consider it to be a classy college town? Would you be happy living there long term?

[woxyroxme]

Oxford is a fairly nice place out in the middle of nowhere but big enough to have everything you would ever need. I would say it would be considered a classy college town, it isn't near as rowdy as Athens.

[SWOH]

Welcome!

I'm a Miami Alum.

Honestly, you hit the nail on the head that it's a smaller traditional college town - think Bloomington or Ann Arbor but a tiny sliver of the size. It's a great place to live and as college towns go it's "classy" but keep in mind it's college and you won't have to look hard to see the wild undergrad party scene. Bearing that in mind, it's also an amazingly walkable city with decent public transportation if you want to use it (I never did just because town was small enough to walk everywhere almost as quickly). Also it's perfectly safe, and shopping options are definitely not unbearable (the "big box" stores are about 30-50 minutes off in Hamilton or West Chester).

Overall, between the low cost of living, high walkability, and thriving cultural scene I'd say Oxford is a solid pick.

Good luck!

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I am considering applying to a job at Miami University. It looks like Oxford is your traditional smaller college town. Would you consider it to be a classy college town? Would you be happy living there long term?

Note many of the people that attend Miami U think fairly highly of themselves. That is the culture of the school. The 'my daddy is this' type mentality. As far as public schools in Ohio it is very much the silver spoon in your mouth school. More the I drive Beamer given to me by my parentstype student than the I have a $1000 Ford Focus I scraped up and saved up the money for crowd. That is not to knock the education one gets there but just an opinion I and many others have formed on the type of person this school attracts.

As for the city, it is exactly as described above.

[Rosebush1]

Originally Posted by HPY1

Note many of the people that attend Miami U think fairly highly of themselves. That is the culture of the school. The 'my daddy is this' type mentality. As far as public schools in Ohio it is very much the silver spoon in your mouth school. More the I drive Beamer given to me by my parentstype student than the I have a $1000 Ford Focus I scraped up and saved up the money for crowd. That is not to knock the education one gets there but just an opinion I and many others have formed on the type of person this school attracts.

As for the city, it is exactly as described above.

Miami is Ohio's public ivy with selective admissions. Fifty per cent of students are from out of state and pay pretty high tuition rates to attend. Everyone I know who attended raved about their experience.
Students and alumni love Oxford and the university. It is somewhat preppy but hardly shallow and uncaring as the previous post suggests.

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by Rosebush1

Miami is Ohio's public ivy with selective admissions. Fifty per cent of students are from out of state and pay pretty high tuition rates to attend. Everyone I know who attended raved about their experience.
Students and alumni love Oxford and the university. It is somewhat preppy but hardly shallow and uncaring as the previous post suggests.

I din't suggest is it shallow and uncaring; however, now that you mention it, I would put the student body there much closer to shallow and uncaring than any other public schools in the state. I believe the student body at Miami U is much more the self-serving type than any other public school in Ohio. There is big difference between volunteering for self fulfillment (i.e. to get ahead or get admitted to school etc.) vs volunteering for an altruistic goal such as actually trying to make a difference. I would tend to put the Miami U student body in the self serving category. I have friends and family that went there, and left after a semester or a year for other Ohio schools for that exact reason. That doesn't mean the faculty and staff aren't knowledgeable nor does it mean it is a bad school. I just want the OP to know how I, and many others, view that university. I'm sure the students, alumni and faculty see it differently.

[Rosebush1]

[quote=HPY1;45834319]I din't suggest is it shallow and uncaring; however, now that you mention it, I would put the student body there much closer to shallow and uncaring than any other public schools in the state. I believe the student body at Miami U is much more the self-serving type than any other public school in Ohio. There is big difference between volunteering for self fulfillment (i.e. to get ahead or get admitted to school etc.) vs volunteering for an altruistic goal such as actually trying to make a difference. I would tend to put the Miami U student body in the self serving category. I have friends and family that went there, and left after a semester or a year for other Ohio schools for that exact reason. That doesn't mean the faculty and staff aren't knowledgeable nor does it mean it is a bad school. I just want the OP to know how I, and many others, view that university. I'm sure the students, alumni and faculty see it differently

Miami is a wonderful university with wonderful caring students and faculty. it is the envy of the Ohio public university system. I've never heard anyone demean it in this fashion and I've known scores of Miami students, including family members.
Every college and university has attributes that fit some students more than others. I wouldn't come here to demean any of them.

[WRnative]

If you like brick buildings, you'll love the Miami campus.

[kpl1228]

Proud Miami grad here. However, it ain't for everyone. There are left-of-center folks on campus, and you don't have to look TOO hard, but they certainly don't predominate. It is a Public Ivy and acts the part: huge Greek life, driven on traditional ivy-walled college aspects such as a terrific Glee Club, with the possible exception of OU in Athens and "parts" of OSU it is THE terrific state university. Great business college, solid school of education, great social sciences. Arts are there, but they definitely don't drive the school and one might even argue that they are somewhat of an afterthought. Sports are there, important as much for tradition as anything. Ungodly proud in the Alumni department. Earned and deserved chest-thumping (on an LL Bean cardigan, mind you) in that way.
It is definitely the kind of place where undergrad legacies from Rocky River and Grosse Pointe and Winnetka drive shiny new Miatas. As a commuter student, I did get tired of the geography professors asking "how many of you are going to EUROPE for spring break?" and HALF the class raising their hands. Unbelievable as a working student to comprehend.
As a result, the town of Oxford seems overwhelmed by the school sometimes. there is a definite Young Student Vs Older Townie vibe at times, but not hostile or uncomfortable (as can be the case in other schools...I'm thinking of Oberlin which I witness about every other day, where the town and its surroundings are small town Ohio, and the students and faculty are left of Lenin). Oxford is spectacular in the fall. It is not Madison or Ann Arbor though...it's too small and both of those college towns are larger and more "stereotypically academic"...politically and socially. Not to mention their identity drives them. Oxford really is not like that. Oxford somehow balances small town Ohio with College Town.
Despite the narrow mindedness of many at Miami, I truly treasured my time there. And the Miata-driving undergrads weren't nearly as insufferable as I had thought they'd be. And Cincinnati and Dayton are about 45 minutes away if I ever needed to get out of town. It can feel isolated there....like you are on a college island. Again...not for everyone.
The town and the college are like out of a movie. Great place to raise kids. Lots to do culturally and socially as a result of the college, and the local schools also.
Stop at Mac & Joe's (in an alley downtown) for lunch and have a burger for me.

[HPY1]

[quote=Rosebush1;45834958]

Originally Posted by HPY1

I din't suggest is it shallow and uncaring; however, now that you mention it, I would put the student body there much closer to shallow and uncaring than any other public schools in the state. I believe the student body at Miami U is much more the self-serving type than any other public school in Ohio. There is big difference between volunteering for self fulfillment (i.e. to get ahead or get admitted to school etc.) vs volunteering for an altruistic goal such as actually trying to make a difference. I would tend to put the Miami U student body in the self serving category. I have friends and family that went there, and left after a semester or a year for other Ohio schools for that exact reason. That doesn't mean the faculty and staff aren't knowledgeable nor does it mean it is a bad school. I just want the OP to know how I, and many others, view that university. I'm sure the students, alumni and faculty see it differently

Miami is a wonderful university with wonderful caring students and faculty. it is the envy of the Ohio public university system. I've never heard anyone demean it in this fashion and I've known scores of Miami students, including family members.
Every college and university has attributes that fit some students more than others. I wouldn't come here to demean any of them.

Honestly, you are the only person I've known to speak so highly of the student body there. I've never heard of it being the envy of the Ohio public university system either. The campus itself is nice. Ohio University is just a nice. There is a distinct difference between the student body at Miami, Athens, Bowling Green, Kent, etc.