Miami University -- Oxford
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Supply Chain Operations
Minor: International Business
Student Self Identifies as: Filipino/Asian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m in a sorority.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Filipino/Asian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: I went to a private all-girls Catholic high school in Cleveland, OH with a graduating class of about 200 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: Supply Chain Operations
Minor: International Business
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in a sorority.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
There are a lot of case studies. Group projects are huge. The coursework hasn’t been too, too bad. The last semester you had a final group project, two exams, and mini-assessments in between. I’m doing my capstone class next semester so we’ll see how that goes.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or especially poorly?
I think the professors are really good. Some of my favorite and best professors I’ve had have been in my Supply Chain Operations courses. A lot of the classes correlate with each other, which is helpful.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s competitive or collaborative?
I think it can be both competitive and collaborative. Supply Chain Operations is a smaller major compared to Marketing and Accounting, so I probably had around ten of the same people in my classes every single time. It was nice getting to study with them, but also sometimes compete against them. Especially in our Enterprise Systems class, we would compete a lot with different groups. But, a lot of the time it is collaborative, which is nice.
What has been your favorite class in your major?
Enterprise Systems
What has been your least favorite class in your major?
Purchasing. I liked the concept but it’s kind of a dry concept. My professor didn’t have much structure, he was a great guy but the material was dry so classes were hard to go to.
How accessible have your professors been?
Really accessible actually. Their office hours are very lenient and meeting with them outside of class is always helpful. They’re very accessible by email, they always answer right away, so that’s really nice.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I wanted to do marketing at first. I don’t regret switching at all because I’m getting the marketing experience as well as management experience. The Supply Chain Operations major is really good in the workforce because it’s needed everywhere.
Reasons to Attend
1) The education, which is one of my main reasons I went. There are really helpful teachers.
2) The campus feel. If you really want a campus vibe this is the school.
3) The size. [There are about 17,000 undergraduates.]
4) I love everyone here. It’s fun.
5) The study abroad program is great.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you want a small school.
2) If you’re out of state, it’s one of the most expensive public schools in Ohio. [For the 2018-2019 academic year, total costs for an out of state student were about $49,000.]
I’m very biased, I love Miami.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Dodds Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Tappan Hall in a triple
Junior: A house off campus, with eight other people first semester and seven other people second semester.
What was your favorite living situation?
The house for sure.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I personally feel safe walking home alone, I know other people don’t. I think it’s a pretty safe campus.
How was transitioning from Cleveland to Oxford?
It was really easy because two of my best friends came to Miami with me, so I had friends automatically. I also knew other people from high school who I knew that went Miami. My hall was very social, so that helped a lot freshman year. As long as you’re outgoing you will be fine.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Kenwood, it’s a shopping center in Cincinnati that’s like 45 minutes away.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I like going uptown. I’m going to be a senior, so going to the bars is probably my favorite part of nightlife. There’s not really much to do in Oxford, so it’s mostly just bars. Thursdays are my favorite night, I’ll probably go to CJ’s and end up at Brick Street most nights. I’ll go to just CJ’s on Friday nights and then Saturday I’ll do whatever we do during the day and then either Brick Street or CJ’s after. For some of the bars, there is an 18+ line and a 21+ line to get in.
What have been some of your favorite times at Miami?
All of my guy friends are in one fraternity, so I really like going to their theme parties.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
I wouldn’t say it’s huge. I can say that because through Greek life I’ve met all my friends, but I have friends that aren’t in Greek life and they have just as much fun as I do.
How happy are you with the nightlife? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I love it. If they could add one more bar that’d be cool. Now that I’m 21 I’m going to be annoyed by the freshmen even though I was one of those people at some point [laughs]. I like it a lot. I can’t wait to get back.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Through my sorority. My best friend is my freshman year roommate and I met some friends on my freshman hall. Also, two of my best friends from high school went there so I stayed close to them.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It can be cliquey. At least for me, I am friends with a lot of different people in a lot of different sororities and fraternities, so that makes it a lot easier for me. I’ve noticed a lot of girls stay with the same girls and guys. If that’s what they like, that’s fine.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Miami’s primarily White. I don’t see many international students going out. In terms of sexual orientation, it’s pretty open. I know a good amount of people that are gay or lesbian and I think Miami does a good job of being open to that.
Do you think people are generally happy with their choice of Miami by the time they graduate?
Yes, at least my friends do. I feel like a lot of people either love it or hate it. If people do hate it, they get out. All of my friends love it and we don’t want to leave by the end of this year.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not really, but that’s also because of me not reaching out as much as I should. The career fairs have been huge in me finding jobs and practicing interviews and talking to people, so I think that helps a lot.
Have you learned any computer programs through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
Yeah, Excel is a big one. Freshman year I had to take a class that was essentially all Excel and PowerPoint and that was very helpful. Recently, I’ve learned SAP and a little Oracle SQL.