University of Miami or Harvard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard for 4 years and then move to Florida. I would not pick a school based on weather.

I would not pay full price for Harvard unless you are paying Op.

[Anonymous]

I would not be willing to pay for my kid to go to the University of Miami, or anywhere in Florida. How is this even a question.

[Anonymous]

Harvard - especially if you are a varsity athlete - opens a lot more doors than U Miami.

You already know if your kid has what it takes to be a pro. There's a 95% likelihood that your kid will need a "real job" sometime in the future post-college.

I know quite a few guys who played football at Harvard. They were a terrible team, middling athletes. But all those guys ended up extremely wealthy because boosters love to hire them in i-banking, PE, tech sales, consulting, etc.

A Harvard athlete will have a much higher lifetime income than the average Harvard student. So many doors are opened to the athletes.

[Anonymous]

I don't like how you all are such complete sheep for Harvard. If Harvard comes calling, you will all drop everything, fall in line and say "yes". Like it's the best path for every human.
It doesn't matter where the kid wants to live, what he wants to study, what kind of college he wants to attend. He must attend Harvard. Even if he's miserable there, he must attend Harvard.
Because nothing else matters than college pedigree and future job prospects.

[Anonymous]

Again, WHAT IS THE SPORT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't like how you all are such complete sheep for Harvard. If Harvard comes calling, you will all drop everything, fall in line and say "yes". Like it's the best path for every human.
It doesn't matter where the kid wants to live, what he wants to study, what kind of college he wants to attend. He must attend Harvard. Even if he's miserable there, he must attend Harvard.
Because nothing else matters than college pedigree and future job prospects.

Just telling it like it is. The kid will probably have a totally great life if he does U-Miami, especially if that's where he will be emotionally fulfilled. Harvard can certainly be a toxic place. But that's true of any university that might not be a good fit for the kid.

However, Harvard - particularly in varsity athletics - opens waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more doors than U-Miami. Doors that remain open for life.

Your kid needs to weigh the realistic trade-offs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't like how you all are such complete sheep for Harvard. If Harvard comes calling, you will all drop everything, fall in line and say "yes". Like it's the best path for every human.
It doesn't matter where the kid wants to live, what he wants to study, what kind of college he wants to attend. He must attend Harvard. Even if he's miserable there, he must attend Harvard.
Because nothing else matters than college pedigree and future job prospects.

Just telling it like it is. The kid will probably have a totally great life if he does U-Miami, especially if that's where he will be emotionally fulfilled. Harvard can certainly be a toxic place. But that's true of any university that might not be a good fit for the kid.

However, Harvard - particularly in varsity athletics - opens waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more doors than U-Miami. Doors that remain open for life.

Your kid needs to weigh the realistic trade-offs.

OP here. He is good enough for D1 schools but not good enough to be a pro. He plays one of the elite and wealthy sports.

As far as networking is concerned, his grandfather and uncle are already in the wealth management and investment banking business so he will be fine with either Miami or Harvard. At the moment, he thinks University of Miami is a better fit for him than Harvard. He just can't see himself in the Northeast cold weather between November and March.

[Anonymous]

Even if they make it to the pros, most pro careers are short. NFL stands for "not for long". You remember the big names in many sports but most come and go very quickly.

I grew up in Florida and August in Miami is just awful. The Gables is independently nice but Miami is a city where nice areas immediately abut terrible ones and that includes Coral Gables. It's still Miami with all its insanity.

[Anonymous]

I think you are searching for permission to let your son, an adult, give up Harvard for Miami, so here it is. I assume he is making an informed decision based on what he knows about both schools, both locales and his own preferences. It's not like he's giving up Harvard to try his hand at professional surfing. Attending University of Miami is a perfectly valid life choice. Best of luck to him.

[Anonymous]

To the posters in this thread:

If someone offers you a good deal on a bridge today, I suggest you decline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid loved U Miami and would certainly have been clinically depressed and most other colleges. Her peer group was super smart and motivated (despite several being uber wealthy). None of them stay in Florida after graduation. It's just a great place for college years.

I'm the exact opposite - I lived 10 minutes from Boca for four years, and wound up severely depressed. Moved to a colder (and smarter) climate and perked up within a year. In S. FL, it was simply too hot and humid for me to be comfortable spending any time outdoors. Once I moved, I spent as much time as possible outside.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford cash pay for Harvard, do Harvard. If you cannot, do Miami. I'm a Miami alum, loved the school and area too. But student loans are the worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't like how you all are such complete sheep for Harvard. If Harvard comes calling, you will all drop everything, fall in line and say "yes". Like it's the best path for every human.
It doesn't matter where the kid wants to live, what he wants to study, what kind of college he wants to attend. He must attend Harvard. Even if he's miserable there, he must attend Harvard.
Because nothing else matters than college pedigree and future job prospects.

Just telling it like it is. The kid will probably have a totally great life if he does U-Miami, especially if that's where he will be emotionally fulfilled. Harvard can certainly be a toxic place. But that's true of any university that might not be a good fit for the kid.

However, Harvard - particularly in varsity athletics - opens waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more doors than U-Miami. Doors that remain open for life.

Your kid needs to weigh the realistic trade-offs.

OP here. He is good enough for D1 schools but not good enough to be a pro. He plays one of the elite and wealthy sports.

As far as networking is concerned, his grandfather and uncle are already in the wealth management and investment banking business so he will be fine with either Miami or Harvard. At the moment, he thinks University of Miami is a better fit for him than Harvard. He just can't see himself in the Northeast cold weather between November and March.

Sounds like he will fit in well with the wealthy kids who attend either school. U-Miami is definitely more about partying, clubs, & a heavy drug culture. It's in friggin' Miami and there's tons of crazy wealthy foreign students who attend just to enjoy Miami.

Harvard has some of that too, but it's a lot more low key. Pretty much everyone lives in Harvard dorms for all 4 years, so the differences are not as obvious. No one has cars at Harvard, less conspicuous consumption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS has already got accepted to Harvard as a recruited athlete but takes a gap year to attend college in Fall '22 so that he can do sport training full time between Fall '21 and May '22. He is currently in Boca Raton for training and loving every minute of it, especially the weather.

He also got accepted to University of Miami but turned it down because he thought Harvard would be a better fit for him. Miami offered a 50% scholarship and none from Harvard.

He has been on the University of Miami campus at least five times since arriving in Boca Raton and he loves the campus and the weather there. He is now contemplating enrolling at University of Miami in Fall '22. Miami's coaching staff told him that he would be welcomed there and that they will honor the 50% scholarship.

He loves the weather and the atmosphere at the University of Miami. Havard offers a great education but it does not offer the weather climate of Miami. Right now, he is 51% Miami and 49% Havard.

Thoughts?

Depends. Does he intend to pursue his sport as a career after college and more importantly, is he that good? Is it a sport where such a career is possible? If yes, pick Miami.

If career will be based on academics, go to Harvard. No-brainer. This is assuming money is not an issue.

Our DC had admission to Miami (full ride) and another school (not Harvard calibre, but a rung below and costs about the same as Harvard. No financial aid). They chose the latter. Admission was based on academic merit and future career will be based on academics.

[Anonymous]

If he sees himself settling in Florida there is nothing wrong with going to U-M. He will have a huge network of friends near him afterwards.