The holidays are here...

As freezing temperatures approach us, I can’t help and get excited about the upcoming holidays and a new year! I yet continue to be hopeful for a little more snow. Just to inform you all, our office will be closed:

December 24-29th
&
January 1 and 2

We definitely realize that during this time, a lot questions may arise. Especially since our last deadline is coming up February 1, 2008. If during the time our office is closed you have any general questions, do not hesitate to “Ask Swoop,” who is our virtual advisor. You can type in a question, and he will assist in finding it online. He can be found on our admission website at:

http://www.miami.muohio.edu/admission/index.cfm

Or, if you are a first-year applicant inquiring about the status of your application, please use our application status check website at:

www.muohio.edu/appcheck

Early Action applicants who have received notice regarding their incomplete application may submit missing items through the postmark deadline of January 7. Instructions for completing your application can be found at:

www.muohio.edu/admission/apply/firstyear

Hopefully some of these links are able to assist you during the holidays. Have a safe and fantastic holiday season and we will definitely catch up in 2009!

Greek Life

Hi there!

It’s getting a little quieter each day on campus this week as our students are wrapping up the first semester of the year. It’s finals week, and as some students finish their last minute studying, others are already enjoying Winter Break! Some coffeehouses in town are even open 24 hours to help students stay caffeinated while they study!

After Winter Break, many first year women who are interested in joining a sorority will return a little earlier than others to begin Formal Recruitment. Have you thought about going Greek? It’s a great way to get to know different people around the university, get involved in the community, take part in philanthropic events, attend socials, and create lifelong friendships. Many Greeks enjoy some fun competition during Greek Week in the fall.

Many students find a place in the Greek system at Miami, while others get involved in one of the 300 student organizations on campus. No matter what you are interested in, I encourage you to get involved!

To learn more about Greek Life, visit http://www.units.muohio.edu/saf/GRA/

Counselor's Past Jobs

Hello All!!

For the last few months, and in some cases years, we have been getting to know some of you pretty well. For those who applied for Early Action, we are in the middle of reviewing your applications. This means we are getting to know you even more. However, I thought maybe some of you would like more information about some of us. Therefore, this blog posting is about a few of the counselors and the past jobs we once held. Enjoy!

Liz Baxter…
During one summer in high school she had a temporary job doing data entry at Rumpke Waste Management Truck Maintenance office. She was told in advance to wear shoes that she didn’t need to keep after the job was over. On her first day, she walked into the relatively nice office building (located in the landfill), presuming this is where she would work. Instead , she was told to go to another building out back, right next to where all the garbage trucks were parked. She couldn’t even begin to describe the smell…

Jen Herman…
She did field plot testing research for the development of herbicides…tyvek suit and everything.

Chandra Joos deKoven…
One of her work study jobs was as an event staff for the hockey games and she used to sit next to Howard Dean (he was Governor of VT at the time)!

Derek Dubose…
Disney Performer, Giant Eagle Cashier, Bag boy at Fishers Foods, Paper Boy, Tour Guide.

Jonika Moore Diggs…
Radio DJ/Board Operator – WMUB Radio
One time she was working the 12am-6am shift. Unfortunately, everyone had to work one per week. She never really thought people listened to radio that late/early. However, she was wrong because when she fell asleep during her shift she was jolted awake by the phone ringing. When she answered, a gentleman asked if she was ok because there was dead air. She informed him she was ok, thanked him for calling and showing support. She quickly hung up and announced the weather for the hour. Needless to say she NEVER fell asleep again while at work!

Ann Bader…
She was a College instructor at Columbia College (in Missouri) and at Miami’s regional campuses teaching European and American History. She also taught 4 summers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.

Chrissy Ormond…
While on summers home from college she ran a tennis camp for disadvantage youth in Aurora,IL. She hired 10 coaches and there were 150 kids that came each day!

Diana Burbante…
Her first job in high school was a party hostess at Check E. Cheese’s back in her hometown of Brownsville, TX. A part of this job meant she had to occasionally put on the Chuck E. Cheese costume! The funny thing about being in a costume is that people cannot see facial expressions but for whatever reason she kept catching herself smiling whenever she posed for pictures. After this experience, she went on to college where she worked in the Office of Admission as a campus tour guide for two years and a student tour guide coordinator for two more. You would think that ideally, this current career would have made sense, but she wanted to travel and see the world upon graduating with her undergraduate degree. So, when she was approached by a flight attendant recruiter to apply for a flight attendant position, she did just that. She flew domestically for two months (She got to visit almost every state!) and moved onto international flights for the rest of her tenure. She had the opportunity to visit Spain, Italy, Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland while living in New York City.

Brian Jicinsky…
My first “real” job was doing construction for my father’s construction company. Few highlights…falling two stories headfirst into a dumpster containing boards with nails sticking out and using the airnailer and punching my finger as a nail went though the board. After seven summers of building and remodeling houses, I started working with middle and high school students as a camp counselor. This was also during the time I was an undergraduate student. During the school year I was a tour guide, student ambassador, and employed by the Student Life Office planning programs. These are just a few of many past jobs!

Hope this helps you get to know us a little bit better. Happy Holidays!

The day is almost here!

Hello!

I’ve been hearing from some of our Early Decision applicants about how anxious they are to
get their admission decisions - it's almost time to stop biting your nails!

Well, we’ve almost wrapped up our early decision review of next fall’sapplications, and admission decision letters are scheduled to be mailedout tomorrow (Friday - 12/12)!

One quick note about your decision: if you’re an Early Decision applicant,and you don’t get your letter before the 15th, you can also get the decision on the application check website after 5:00 p.m. EST on 12/15.

Good luck, everybody!

Was I admitted?

The reason why I really enjoy birthdays and holidays is the surprise to see what’s inside the present box! I always get super anxious for this upcoming holiday, not only do I enjoy shopping for presents, but receiving them is just as enjoyable. This feeling was a bit similar to receiving the letter in the mail about my first choice for a University. For students who decided to apply for early decision, you don’t have to wait until the letter hits your mailbox this year!

So, what other way are you able to receive this, you ask? Well, remember the log in and password that was provided to you to check the status of your application? This will be the same one that you will need to check on whether or not you were admitted to Miami. Your decisions will be available at 5:00 p.m. EST Monday, December 15th! You should be receiving an e-mail today if you are a completed early decision applicant to let you know about this exciting information.

If you don’t receive this e-mail by Tuesday, please check your spam box (which is a very common place for our e-mails to be). If after checking your spam box, this information hasn't gotten to you, please do not hesitate to contact your admission counselor whose information you can find at:

www.muohio.edu/askacounselor.

I hope this information helps ease a bit of your worries about your letter not getting to you on time or getting lost in the mail. So, less worrying and more shopping time or time to do whatever you enjoy!

Go Global!

Dumela! (Hello!)

Anyone interested in service? Miami has tons of ways to get involved in the community—whether you tutor kids after school, build homes with Habitat for Humanity, walk and groom dogs at the Humane Society, or prepare and serve meals at the Cincinnati Drop Inn center, you are bound to make an impact on someone else’s life. To learn more about getting involved with Community Service opportunities, visit http://www.units.muohio.edu/saf/service/.

Miami students can’t seem to sit still! They actively seek out these types of service opportunities, and continue to do so even after they graduate. When I was a Miami student, I tutored children after school and also volunteered at a Senior Citizen’s center. Once I graduated, I knew I wanted to continue to love on other people. I recently returned from a trip to South Africa, where I joined 200 others to serve the town of Mamelodi by building homes, planting vegetable gardens, playing with kids, and visiting with AIDS patients. We also had the opportunity to learn more about Apartheid and even go on a safari!

Miami wants to prepare you to be a global citizen. You may choose to study abroad in China, Luxembourg, Italy or Australia, or even volunteer with Alternative Spring Break to El Salvador, Mexico or the Dominican Republic. My Miami education helped prepare me for my African experience and gave me tools and confidence to go global. I hope you will too!

Meredith

Cyber Monday & Honors Program

Happy Cyber Monday! “The term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. [1] Whereas Black Friday is associated with traditional brick-and-mortar stores, "Cyber Monday" symbolizes a busy day for online retailers. The premise was that consumers would return to their offices after the Black Friday weekend, making purchases online that they were not able to make in stores. Although that idea has not survived the test of time, Cyber Monday has evolved into a significant marketing event, sponsored by the National Retail Federation's Shop.org division, in which online retailers offer low prices and promotions.” –Wikipedia

In between your online search for the latest gadgets at the lowest prices, you may want to navigate to our honors webpage: http://www.honors.muohio.edu/ Why you may be asking? Well because it is a gift that you can’t put a price on. Some perks associated with the program include: Individualized Plan of Study, Personal Advising, Honors Seminars, Community Service and Leadership Opportunities, Priority Class Registration, Honors Residence Halls, Creative and Leadership Projects, and One Summer of Tuition-FREE Classes. Not to mention a great resume builder that any employer or graduate school would love to see.

Does any of the above interest you? If so, you are probably asking how do I become an honor student? It is as easy is 1-2-3.

1. Complete the Miami University Application:
http://www.miami.muohio.edu/admission/apply/
Your application to Miami University needs to be complete before the honors program will review your honors application. These are two separate applications! The link above will take you to our Admission website where you will learn about the requirements for our application and what we need to be submitted before your application is complete.

2. Submit the online Honors Application:
http://casnov1.cas.muohio.edu/honors/honors/admission.html

3. Submit the Honors Recommendation Form with letter of recommendation:
http://casnov1.cas.muohio.edu/honors/honors/HonorsApplicationRecommendationForm09.pdf
Make sure it is sent to Miami University, Honors Program, Oxford, OH 45056

I hope you find some great bargains as you shop this holiday season and don’t forget to check out the one of the greatest bargains available…an education from Miami University!

Brian

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

...Winter! Well, for some Midwestern folks, maybe not so much. Our weather lately has been pretty fantastic. Not too cold, not too hot. Just today our high is 43 F with rain. That’s right, it's raining, not snowing. A huge reason why I love and voluntarily moved to the Midwest is due to the beautiful seasons, my favorite being fall and second favorite being winter (due to the snow of course). Snow is something that I’m very much looking forward to seeing this winter, but since we currently do not have snow in Oxford, going to hockey games makes it a lot better! This past Friday & Saturday, our No. 7 ranked hockey team played against the No. 9 team Michigan at our Goggin Ice Arena. Kudos to them for playing an outstanding game and winning 2-0 Friday and 2-1 Saturday. For highlights of the game please visit http://muredhawks.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/mioh-m-hockey-body.html.

Also playing this weekend was our women’s basketball team, 2008 MAC Tournament Champs! These women not only played a great game, but also had an outstanding victory against IPFW (Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne) 73-57. Go RedHawks! For highlights of that game you can visit http://muredhawks.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/mioh-w-baskbl-body.html.

Saturday, as well, we had 32 high school juniors and seniors on campus. These students were here as part of the Multicultural Leadership Program-Summer Leadership Institute (MLPSLI) “Reunion.” MLPSLI is an intensive residential, pre-college program during which academic, leadership, and career-choice activities are explored through collaborative work with our corporate and other educational development partners.

***These are some of our MLPSLI students during their "Application 101: session and "How to understand your Financial Aid" presentation as well as a picture of the women's basketball game we attended.

MLPSLI participants must meet the following criteria:

• Student from an underrepresented population or who has a commitment toward promoting a deeper understanding of and appreciation for cultural diversity
• Completion of the high school junior or sophomore year (preference will be given to current juniors)
• Completion of a challenging high school or college preparatory curriculum (AP, Honors, IB, post-secondary courses etc.)
• Leadership talent demonstrated in both school and community activities
• Good academic standing, most successful applicants have a minimum 3.1 cumulative GPA; however, students who have less than a 3.1 cumulative GPA but rank in the top 20 percent of their graduating class are encouraged to apply.

If you are interested in participating in the program for this summer, applications will be available sometime in early 2009 or visit our website at www.muohio.edu/mlpsli.

I hope everyone has a outstanding Thanksgiving this Thursday, and if you go out shopping this Friday for Black Friday, be safe. I definitely know firsthand how crazy it might get! Let me know what you’re doing. I will be here in town eating a feast with my partner and his family.

Turkey time!

I know Thanksgiving isn’t until next week, but I’ve already had my fill of turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn, green bean casserole, rolls and apple cider. This past Monday evening, the Miami University Student Ambassadors, or MUSA, held their annual MUSA Thanksgiving dinner. I am the staff advisor for MUSA so I get to work closely with these dynamic students, and also I can enjoy the perks like fun dinners such as Thanksgiving! The MUSA Thanksgiving is a time for all of us to eat great food (prepared by all the members), relax, have fun and catch up with each other before everybody goes home for Thanksgiving break.

MUSA is a volunteer student organization that works very closely with the Office of Admission. The MUSA members are here to greet you when you walk through the Admission doors for your campus visit. Kate Mathers, the MUSA President, may email you. On some visit days you might get to eat lunch in a dining hall with a MUSA student. A MUSA member will chat with you if you’ve arrived early for your visit and you’ve got time to kill. And the members are easy to spot—they all wear the MUSA black polo and have MUSA nametags. So if you are on campus for a visit and you see one of these students, you’re in for a treat! These ambassadors are a great resource and are happy to answer your questions or give you their perspective on what it’s like to be a student at Miami. Here is the MUSA website if, you’re interested: http://musa.mugroups.org/ .

You can email MUSA at any time if you have questions about student life at Miami or if you want to try and talk with someone that’s from your hometown area. Their email address is musa@muohio.edu . What better way to get a feel for our campus than to talk with students who are living through the Miami Experience right now?! Email them today. Their inbox is waiting. :)

Why Miami?

We hear it all: Miami of Ohio, the University of Miami of Ohio, the University of Ohio at Miami. “Can I come by for a tour while I am visiting grandma in Boca Raton?” “Can I send my application to the Ohio campus of University of Miami for admission to the Coral Gables campus?” “Why are YOU Miami?”

The last one we hear the most. To begin the answer we quote noted historian and President Emeritus of Miami University, Philip Shriver, “Though the Miami name also belongs to a university in southeastern Florida, it belonged first to a small college on the American frontier." Miami University was chartered on February 17, 1809, by the Ohio legislature who chose the name Miami University for the second university in Ohio (Ohio University in Athens was founded in 1804). We were named for the Miami Indian Tribe that inhabited the area now known as the Miami Valley Region of Ohio. We also have two Miami Rivers (the Great and Little), Miamitown, Miami County, New Miami, and Miamisburg in this part of Ohio. We are in Oxford, Ohio, a town named for one of the world’s most famous college towns, Oxford, England. There was a university here before the town!

In 1809, Florida was still a colony of Spain; it became a state in 1845. The village that grew into the city of Miami was chartered in the mid 1840s and incorporated as a city in 1896. Local citizens founded a private university, the University of Miami, in 1926, fifteen years after Miami University’s Centennial celebration. We share a name, but are two independent and separate institutions, although the current President of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala, is an alumna of The Western College for Women. Western College was a private woman’s college that was also located in Oxford, Ohio. It merged with Miami University in the early 1970s. Today the Western Campus is one of the most beautiful and historic parts of Miami University, and you will find it on the eastern edge of campus! WHY WESTERN? That’s a story for another blog!

Synchronized Skating

I’m not too far removed from the college or graduate school life of a student, and, today, I maintain many of the characteristics that I did when I was a student (AKA I am cheap!). I know what it is like to have every dime you make go toward tuition, leaving very little money for entertainment. Therefore, I love to look for fun events at low cost or even better…FREE! Miami is great with offering events at low cost to students (often free) and the following website provides an overview of events going on this year: http://events.muohio.edu/?sid=7&cid=76&view=calendar&day=today

However, this blog posting isn’t about campus events, rather it is about one of my new favorite sports teams, Miami’s Synchronized Skating Team. Since elevating from a club sports team to varsity status in 1996, our teams have dominated the rink! The collegiate team has won 10 National Titles, the Senior Team has won the U.S. National Championship twice (1999 & 2006), and in 2007 they were the first U.S. team to medal at the World championships bringing home the silver!

This past weekend all three teams; Junior, Senior, and Collegiate; took the ice at the Goggin Ice Center for the “Parents Weekend Exhibition.” After watching the teams perform some of their upcoming programs all I can say is, “WOW.” They are a must see! Best of all, it was free! In case you missed them this past weekend, check out the link for the team’s full upcoming schedule: www.muredhawks.com.

Go Hawks!!!

Brian

Hey!

Are any of you taking a standardized test soon? Standardized tests are one of many factors we look at as we review applications, so you should really try to do your best on these tests. I’m sure sitting through the exam on a Saturday morning is exactly your idea of fun, right? There is an SAT date coming up in a couple of weeks (December 6) and the next ACT date is December 13.

Did you know that we will mix and match scores for the SAT? So, if you’ve taken the SAT two times and the first test date had your best Math score and the second date had your best Critical Reading score, we will add those two together to form a new high score for you. It’s the opposite for the ACT---we use only your highest composite score for the ACT.

We will also use only your highest score, so we’ll throw out your lowest test scores. That being said, there is no harm in taking a test multiple times! Even if you have had two or three or four (or more!) test scores sent to us, we will give you the benefit of the doubt by only using the highest score.

So study up, get lots of rest and don’t forget your calculator as you head into the testing location in a few weeks!

Get a feel for College!

Happy Wednesday!

This past weekend was a busy one for the Office of Admission. We hosted Bridges: A Program for Excellence which was an opportunity for high-achieving, underrepresented students to come experience the Miami life for a couple of days. Students from all over Ohio were able to spend the night in the residence halls, eat in the dining halls, and experience what college at Miami is like in the classroom as well. We also have a summer program for underrepresented students called the Multicultural Leadership Program Summer Leadership Institute. It’s a week long program that gives you a taste of college life. There are some great scholarship opportunities with both of these programs if you are accepted and attend. Be sure to check these out if you want to see what Miami has to offer!

By the way, any of you planning to attend CollegeWeekLive today or tomorrow? Come chat online with current students and admission counselors from 3pm-10pm EST at www.collegeweeklive.com! We’d love to chat with you!

Applying tips...

Greetings!

I write to you today from beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida! I’m at a Marketing Conference right now and am not complaining about being surrounded by palm trees! By the way, I personally think Snow White was the best costume for Halloween in our office—even if she did get arrested by the “fashion police”.

Back in Oxford, our office is certainly buzzing right now. With our Early Decision deadline this past weekend and our Early Action deadline not too far away (December 1), we’ve been receiving tub after tub of postal mail. If you are a high school senior and you are still thinking about applying, check out our application at www.muohio.edu/apply. We are a member of the Common Application, which makes applying to colleges a little easier on your part. You just need to fill out your account with the CommonApp, and you can send it to over 360 colleges! Just remember that we have a supplement to fill out in addition.

One of my favorite parts of reading college applications is the essay (part of the CommonApp). This is where you get to let yourself shine and help us get to know you better. Take some time with your essay. Write about something that matters to you, or something that has helped shape who you are—something we can’t necessarily know from looking at your high school transcript. Just make sure you proofread!

Applying to colleges can be a stressful process, but we’re here to help you along the way. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks for stopping by our blog today!
Until next time,
Meredith

Halloween

Hello!

Now that the kids in the community have had their fun (see the previous blog written by Chrissy) it’s now time for us “Adults” to join in on the festivities! If you were one of the many visitors that walked though the Office of Admission on Friday, you were probably TREATED to an unexpected surprise of seeing many staff members partaking in the opportunity to dress up in our favorite Halloween costumes. We even held a contest but we won’t find out the results until Wednesday. I personally feel the Jolly Green Giant was the most creative! Do you agree with me? If not who do you think should win? Check out the pictures from the day and feel free to comment on this blog to give us your vote.

Speaking of voting... If you are eligible to vote this year, I hope you get out to the polls on Tuesday, November 4, 2008!

Brian

Greetings!

Tomorrow is Halloween and you can definitely tell around here in Oxford! The weather has finally switched over to its typical autumn ways, and the fall colors are in place on our tree-studded campus. Autumn is my favorite time in Oxford!

On Sunday night, the students held Safe Trick or Treat, an early opportunity for the youngsters in the community to trick or treat in the residence halls. The weather was great, the costumes were clever and not only was this a time for the trick or treaters to dress up, but the Miami students donned costumes as well. The Miami students always seem to love Safe Trick or Treat. Not only do they get to dress up, but they get to interact with the local community as well.

The dining halls are usually pretty festive on a day like Halloween. The Housing and Dining staff does a wonderful job decorating and getting students in the mood for holidays, and the food offerings are often themed towards the holiday being celebrated. Since we have over 20 different dining locations on campus, you can get pretty much any type of food that you’re looking for on any day! My favorite theme days as an undergrad at Miami were the steak and shrimp days. I’m hoping to get a piece of pumpkin pie from one of our dining halls tomorrow!

I hope you all enjoy your Halloween and don’t scare your friends too much with your costume!

Happy haunting!

Chrissy

More tales from the road...

As you all can tell from our previous posts, travel has been a big part of our lives for the past few weeks! It has been an eventful fall, to say the least…

From our travels this fall, (with apologies to David Letterman), we present the Top 10 Road Faux Pas:

10. Putting magnetic name tag in the same pocket as a University Credit card.
9. Putting de-magnetized useless credit card in special envelope and then throwing said envelope away when cleaning out the car.
8. Driving over tree debris during Hurricane Ike and getting a flat tire .
7. Holding an evening reception in the dark because of power outage due to said Hurricane.
6. Ad-libbing a 1 hour PowerPoint presentation for 500 people after the laptop and projector “refused to communicate.”
5. Locking keys in the trunk of car at a college fair.
4. Getting wrong driver’s license returned to you from high school security.
3. Not eating breakfast before a high school visit.
2. Passing out in front of a group of high school students during a high school visit (see #3).
1. Waiting at Akron-Canton airport to pick up President Hodge who has just landed at Akron Fulton airport.

Hello!!!

Welcome to fall in Oxford, OH! At least it finally feels like fall here. This past week we received our first frost of the season and the temperature has been in the 50s and 60s during the day. Although it’s sad to see summer come to an end, a new season presents new opportunities! This past weekend, I was able to enjoy some of the fun things to do in Ohio during the fall season. My wife, Kathy, and I decided to go to Blooms and Berries (Check out their website: http://www.bloomsandberriesfarmmarket.com/) in Loveland, OH (about an hour away from Oxford). Blooms and Berries is a farm that opens its doors to the public each fall to enjoy hay rides, a corn maze, a petting zoo, games for the kids, and, of course, an opportunity to seek out the perfect pumpkin from their patch. It was a beautiful fall day and we had a blast! Check out some of the fun pictures from my trip to Blooms and Berries!

Since I’m new to Oxford and to Ohio, I’m always seeking out new adventures. In fact, I would love for some suggestions from you! Feel free to make comments to this post and let me know where I should go next! Happy fall!
-Brian

Tales from the Road

Hello!

My name is Chrissy Ormond and I am an Admission Counselor.

I am currently writing from my hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. I have been in Cleveland for the past two weeks visiting high schools and attending college fairs. The fall months mean “travel season” for all of us in the Admission Office, as we work hard to recruit the best and brightest students around the nation. This fall I will have traveled much more than I have in the past couple of years. When all is said and done, I will have been on the road for six weeks! I love travel season, though, as it allows me to see parts of the country that I might not otherwise see. In the past five weeks, I have spent time in Seattle, Denver, North central Ohio and Cleveland. Next week, I wrap up my travel with a week in Chicago. Whew! Here is a picture of my favorite destination this fall, Seattle.














Although travel season is among my favorite times of the year, I will look forward to my return to Oxford next weekend after my Chicago trip. I am excited about next weekend because it is Miami’s Homecoming weekend! This is a weekend with lots of activity and excitement around campus! I graduated from Miami in 2006, so many of my closest friends will make their way (some driving, some flying) back to Oxford for Homecoming. And since I live in town all of my college housemates come back and stay with me. It’s a great time to catch up with my best friends from Miami!

I will be going to the Homecoming football game next Saturday (we’re taking on Kent State), and you will definitely find me at the pep rally, parade and fireworks. The theme of Homecoming this year is, “Old Miami, New Miami, Your Miami”. One of my favorite things to do is walk around town and check out all the house decorations. Each year, the University holds a house decorating contest for off-campus student residences. The decorations typically coincide with the year’s theme. The students in these houses are so creative! They go all out and I can only imagine how many hours they spend decorating their houses, trying to win bragging rights for having the most impressive display. Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain that day!

I hope you all have a super weekend!

Chrissy

Back from the North

Greetings!

I’m Meredith—another one of Miami’s Admission Counselors. I just returned from spending a little over a week in Northeast Ohio. I enjoy travel season because I get to travel in my hometown of Akron, Ohio. In addition to visiting high schools and participating in college fairs, I had the chance to visit my alma mater as well as to stop by my mom’s 4th grade class to talk to them about college. I also travel to Canton, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh.

I’m back on campus for a few days before heading out next week for Pittsburgh. This is my favorite time of the year in Oxford. The leaves are changing and the campus is beautiful! We’d love to have you visit and you can register online at www.muohio.edu/visit.

There is lots going on around Oxford this weekend. One of our sororities is hosting a philanthropy, “Strike Out Arthritis” featuring a softball tournament to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. The Hockey team is gearing up for their game against Ohio State on Saturday. There is also a Hike-a-Thon on Saturday. There’s always something going on at Miami!

I hope you all enjoy the upcoming weekend! If you live in the Pittsburgh area, I might see you next week!

Hello and welcome to the Miami University Admission Blog site! My name is Brian Jicinsky and I, along with a few other Admission Counselors, will be posting a couple of blogs a week. We encourage you to check back often, feel free to make comments, ask questions, and share topics you are interested to hear about.

What does Jay Leno, D1 MAC football, and Comedy with House and Vaughn have in common?? Well, all were part of this year’s Miami University Family Weekend held October 3-5. Each year, Miami invites families of students to come and enjoy a weekend on campus with opportunities to attend a wide variety of events. One of the feature events this year was an evening with the King of Late Night Comedy, Jay Leno. We also had other comedy acts, musical shows, and plenty of time to relax and catch-up with the family.

Building off of the theme, I too invited my uncle from Dayton to join my wife and me at the RedHawk football game. It was our first divisional opponent of the year against Temple, unfortunately we came up a few points short on the scoreboard. However, the team played hard and, as a fan, that's all you can ask for. The picture is of the University Marching Band from the halftime show of the football game. They were great!!!

Until next time,

Brian

Hello from Oxford and the Office of Admission. I am Ann Bader and I have been an admission counselor here for nearly 9 years and I love my job. I have a unique role on this blog team because not only am I the oldest member (by far!!!), but I also have the added expertise of being the mom of a current college junior and high school senior. So I can really identify with the parents out there. My Class of 2009 daughter is in the middle of application prep, tests taking this month, 4 AP courses and the general frenzy of her senior year. She just asked me to speak to her AP English class next week about the admission essay, brave of her! I have read 1000s of essays and I am here to tell you that there are a few key things to remember to write a successful college admission essay. First, pick a topic that makes you passionate when you write. It’s OK to be angry about something, elated, excited or frustrated, because the passion you feel will allow the next thing to occur - your personality will shine through. We want to get to know you and your essay is the best way for us to learn about how you think, what you hope to do, what has been important to you. Finally, we do not want to read about those other schools you are applying to, so be sure to proof read your essay before you send it out! It can be embarrassing to tell one school how much you love a different school. I am off, I have to read a stack of applications, attend a parent meeting tonight, and train this weekend to be a swim team official. Have a great weekend

Who am I?

Hello bloggers!

Happy Monday everyone! My name is Diana Burbante and I’m currently an Admission Counselor. Still fairly new, I began my position on January 2, 2008 and recruit students, such as you, from southwest Ohio (except Hamilton & Clermont counties) and the great state of Texas. Why so great you may ask? Well, I was born and raised in south Texas, which is also known as “El Valle” or “Rio Grande Valley” (for those who need a translation) and my family still lives there. I carpool as well with two other bloggers whom you’ll hear from later, Meredith and Liz. Outside of work, I enjoy playing fetch with Buddy, my 1yr old Beagle/Schnauzer mix (pictured below), traveling to Texas to visit my family, and hanging out with my friends.

Right now I’m getting ready to get on the road in a Miami car, which can vary at times. I can get one of three types of sedan’s: a brand new Impala (where I can plug in my iPod and listen to my own playlist), an older Taurus (where I have a cassette, yes I said cassette, adaptor to plug in my iPod as well) or our newer Honda hybrid (which I know I’m not getting because one of our other staff members has the only one in her travels through Akron, OH). Well, I’m off to finish getting ready for the College Prep Night in Dayton, Ohio’s Fifth Third Field. I will definitely let you know later how it went.

Welcome!

Greetings from Oxford, Ohio!

Thanks for stopping by to visit our Admission Blog! We are excited to share with you about our experiences as Admission Counselors (from left to right, Ann, Diana, Chrissy, Brian and Meredith). Right now we are busy traveling and recruiting students for Miami. Maybe you’ve seen us at your high school or a college fair in your town. Not sure who you might see at your high school? Check out www.muohio.edu/askacounselor. Click on your state to find out!

The beginning of the school year has been busy for students at Miami. Last Friday night was our UniDiversity festival, which celebrated Hispanic and Latino cultures in a festival in Uptown Oxford. The weather was perfect for the entire community to enjoy great food and music together. Saturday was our the 113th “Battle for the Bell” football game against the University of Cincinnati. The Miami-Cincinnati Victory Bell is the oldest non-conference college football rivalry in the United States. The first Battle for the Bell was in 1888 and was the first collegiate football game played in the state of Ohio. The original bell hung in Miami's Harrison Hall near the site of the first game and was used to ring in Miami victories. Unfortunately, we lost this year, but we look forward to winning the bell back next year!

Stay tuned as we update you each week about all the exciting events going on at Miami! We know that this is a really busy time of year for you (but then again, when is it not a busy time?), but don’t hesitate to drop us a line! We hope to be able to answer any questions you might have about Miami University. Good luck with your college search!