Oxford, OH: Nestled in the small town of Oxford, Miami University is a beautiful school. All the buildings are pretty red brick and impressively tall trees spread across campus to make for a remarkable autumn. At first glance, Miami University is absolutely picture perfect.

So what’s the catch, right?

At first, I couldn’t find anything about Miami that didn’t appeal to me. It’s a beautiful school in a small town with a successful hockey team, a student population of 15,000 and impressive academics. The students play hard, but they work hard, too. When I went back to Miami a second time, though, I saw it in a new light. It was still beautiful and still had all the qualities I had fallen in love with, but as I wandered the streets of Oxford, I realized there’s not much to do in town. If you like Mexican food you’re in luck because there are quite a few Mexican restaurants. There’s a Cold Stone Creamery, an incredibly small Starbucks, and a few really expensive clothing stores that I doubt people actually shop at, and that’s about it.

Also, there seems to be a “type” of student who enrolls at Miami. Observing the students between classes, I noticed that most of the girls seemed to be wearing huge sunglasses, Ugg boots and North Face jackets while carrying Coach purses. While this is not a bad thing - I couldn’t survive a Minnesota winter without my cozy Uggs - it’s just something I noticed. In fact, every single girl on my tour also fit that description. Coincidence? I think not.

Overall, though, Miami is awesome. There’s always something going on, and the tasty Tuffy’s Toasted Rolls in the Student Union are to die for. Miami offers a great education in a beautiful place at a somewhat affordable price. Put on your North Face and check out their website at muohio.edu.