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Friday, October 18, 2013

A+ for Academics

When I was looking at schools, the strength of the overall academic atmosphere played a role in my decision making.


Image I took this week outside of Pearson Hall.
I was seeking a healthy balance. I didn’t want a school that would challenge me to the point where I didn’t think I could handle it, but I also wanted a school that would challenge me to think outside the box and do the best I could. I definitely found this balance at Miami.

All of my classes push me to think in different ways and to look beyond the obvious. While I think that my high school prepared me well for this, I don’t feel that Miami has set the expectations too high.
In my experiences here so far, my professors have been willing to help me when I’m struggling with certain topics in class, and it’s obvious that they want me to understand and that they want me to succeed.


At the beginning of each semester, almost all of my professors have expressed that they want students to visit them during office hours. That’s what office hours are for, after all. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about office hours, it’s that everyone should take advantage of them.

In office hours, everyone will receive individualized, or nearly individualized, attention on issues that they may be having in the class. This one-on-one time with the professor can really help, as it’s easier to really focus on any issues or problems with understanding the content.

What I have learned through attending office hours is that I’m usually not the only student in the class who is having trouble grasping a certain concept. Frequently, I find that other students will attend office hours when I’m there and we all work together with the professor to tackle problems that we’re having. 
Knowing I’m not the only student in the class who is struggling has definitely helped in some of my more difficult classes.

Academics are definitely valued at Miami, and it’s obvious through the willingness of the professors to help students succeed both inside and outside of the classroom. 

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