College life is full of tradition and lore no matter where you go, there’s bound to be a collection of things you shouldn’t miss out on before graduation. Here are five things you should do before your time at Miami University is up.
1.) Toasted Roll
No joke, if you like sweets go to Tuffy’s in the student union and get a toasted roll, it is fantastic. If you like Cinnabon, you will enjoy this classic Miami treat. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Sometimes I would get one with a skim milk, just to mess with the cashier. You just have to try it.
2.) The Folklore
Any good college that has been around for a couple of hundred years should have some good stories to tell and great traditions to share, and Miami University does not disappoint in this department. If you meet your spouse at Miami, it is called a Miami Merger.
There is some folklore that goes with that I don’t want to spoil all the secrets! There are also some good ghost stories that you’ll hear about associated with certain buildings like Peabody or Reid Hall. The latter was my freshman dorm which unfortunately no longer exists. The story there was about an RA named Roger who was apparently murdered when trying to break up a fight.
As the story goes, he fell against the door and left bloody hand prints, which refuse to fade away. I can honestly say that I remember seeing these handprints still there on that door, yikes! Keep your eyes peeled for strange occurrences on campus.
3.) Get Involved
There are so many great opportunities to be active after class. I was involved in Circle K International (the world’s largest collegiate service organization), a fraternity, intramural sports, and on and on. I had more fun in those four years than I had ever had before and was constantly participating in various organizations.
The Greek life is fantastic at this school, even if you think a fraternity or sorority is not for you, there likely is a group with folks that you would be proud to call your friends. I did an “Alternative Spring Break” one year where a group of students and I took a university van down to New Orleans, where we volunteered during the day and then partied at night.
The study abroad program is always one of the best in the nation. Many of my friends went to Luxembourg for a semester, and if I had it to do all over again, I would consider this (or some other country). Miami has a campus inside a castle in Luxembourg, need I say more?
4.) Wine Tasting Class
There is a course in the botany department called “Viticulture and Enology” which is a class where you learn about wine, how to make it, how to taste it, and so forth. This was one of my favorite academic experiences at Miami, and it is a hard class to get into because, well, it involves drinking alcohol!
If I remember correctly, it was a 2-3 hour lecture on a Thursday night, where most of it was a lecture but the last half hour was a tasting. After class, the professor would stick around and we might continue tasting a bit. This was a hard class where we did learn a lot, but it was also fun and, what a concept, we might actually use it in life!
5.) Use the Recreation Center
If you didn’t get enough of a workout walking to and from class or doing intramural sports, the rec center is a great place to lift some weights or do some cardio. Perhaps you want to play a game of racquetball or run on the indoor track? The café had a calzone I would often get which, strangely I didn’t find anywhere else on campus. Yes, sometimes I would go to the rec center to eat dinner, they made a good calzone!
Bonus: Hockey Games
So, really there are at least six things you must do at Miami University! Going to a hockey game is a big deal;it is a huge social event on campus! Miami is very serious about this sport and usually has a high ranking team so make sure you go to some games!
If there are things you want to learn to avoid at Miami University, check them here.
Michael Bromberg is a 2005 graduate of Miami with a BA degree in psychology