This Miami University Is Not in Florida
2023-11-05
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1Valerie Do of Vietnam is in her third year of college at Miami University in the Midwestern U.S. state of Ohio.
2The school has about 19,000 students, including about 1,000 international students.
3It has a good reputation for giving students an authentic college experience.
4The small city of Oxford is pretty in the autumn and spring.
5The brick school buildings are arranged on wide green spaces with walking paths.
6But Miami University is definitely not in Florida and not close to any ocean beaches.
7The University of Miami is in Coral Gables, Florida, and about 15 kilometers from the famous beaches.
8Do only found out, after she was accepted, that the school she had applied to was the one in Ohio.
9Some international students and those who work with international students say these kinds of mistakes are common.
10For example, one international student remembered being confused by the difference between Washington, D.C., and the northwestern state of Washington.
11Do recently got attention from news websites such as Insider and the Daily Mail after telling her story on the social media site TikTok (@dankgiao).
12Do often uses TikTok to discuss her experiences as an international student.
13One of the videos shows her explaining how she learned to pronounce difficult English words.
14In another, she discussed the costumes she wore during the Halloween holiday in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
15Earlier this year, Do made a video about her discovery that Miami University was in Ohio, not Florida. About 2 million people watched it.
16"I didn't realize it was in Ohio until I got the acceptance letter," she said.
17"I basically went through the whole application process without knowing it's in Ohio."
18Many commenters offered sympathy that she was going to apple orchards instead of beaches this autumn.
19But in a follow-up post, she said she was happy with her experience in Ohio.
20Do said she went to Miami for a number of reasons, including a good financial aid offer, "the vibe of the school" and the business program.
21She said Miami looks like the colleges shown on TV and in movies like Animal House.
22Dan Sinetar works with international students at Miami University.
23He and his colleagues help students like Do feel comfortable once they arrive on campus.
24Sinetar said many international students make the decision to come to Miami without visiting.
25So, he helps to "set the expectations" of what it is like to live in southwestern Ohio before they arrive.
26He said some international students worry about how they can find food they are familiar with, so the office tells them about food stores with products from around the world.
27But other issues are more complicated.
28"You know, race and ethnicity is a big topic in the U.S. and obviously impacts how people might engage with you. But there's many international students who might be coming from a country culture where they don't have those issues."
29Before students arrive in the U.S., Sinetar said, Miami works to help them learn about what they should expect.
30The school has peer orientation leaders who help new international students get comfortable.
31Do, in fact, is one of them.
32Sinetar said it is difficult to move across the world for school.
33"For many international students, it is their first time living away from home," he said.
34Sinetar said that he and others at Miami often hear students discuss the Ohio and Florida confusion.
35One reason for this, he thinks, is that the international students often work with education agencies that help them apply to colleges.
36"Sometimes," he said, "students are a little disconnected from the process."
37Arkar Chen is from Myanmar.
38He attended college in Los Angeles and now works for a computer software company in New Jersey.
39"The agency probably thought she knew she was applying to the university in Ohio and didn't think to tell her that," Chen said.
40He said he did not use an agency and as a result, he was more prepared for his time in Los Angeles.
41However, he still had some surprises.
42"From one neighborhood to the next, it can be very different," he said.
43Chen noted that Myanmar is a poor country, and he did not expect to see so many people in the U.S. living in poverty.
44"In pop culture, when you mention L.A., you know people think about Hollywood the beach and stuff like that.The good images. But in reality, it is not so much different (from Myanmar). I guess you could call it a culture shock."
45Chen said it would be smart for international students to think about choosing an American university close to where family or friends live - in case the culture shock is too strong.
46"Because having someone able to help you is really invaluable, especially when you came alone to a foreign environment," he said.
47Another former international student is Christian Cao from Vietnam.
48He currently lives in Toledo, Ohio, close to the border with Michigan.
49He is an engineer who works with robotic systems in the automotive industry.
50He had not heard of Do before the recent stories.
51He said he did not think her situation is very common for international students in 2023, but he understands how the confusion could happen.
52Cao said young people in Vietnam know about most major universities in the U.S.
53But 10 years ago, there were not many education agencies visiting Vietnam and recruiting students for schools in the U.S.
54He agreed, it is still possible that not everyone would know there is a Miami University in Ohio.
55By the time Do understood Miami was in Ohio, Cao said, "She already got accepted, she already got the scholarship. It would be a waste of time and money trying to find another university."
56But, as Cao said, "Maybe it's not the life she expected, but it is not bad at all.
57She's making friends and still making progress."
58Cao said a student's college experience depends on what they are hoping for after they graduate.
59In his case, he was interested in studying engineering, so he did not mind that Toledo, Ohio did not have a big nightlife.
60"If you're a person like me, I don't party at all," Cao said.
61"I just made friends and spent most of my time doing what I wanted to do at home...Ohio would be a great place for me."
62Cao said life in Vietnam and other Asian countries is very different from life in the U.S. Young people spend a lot of time studying and living at home.
63"When you move to America you break out of your shell," he said.
64"You experience a lot of new things and it's a big step up from your regular life."
65Cao went on to say "it doesn't matter where you are, you could be at a small university in Alabama. It's just a huge step up in terms of learning and adulting."
66Sinetar of Miami said one way students can learn about life in America is through the school's program of matching international students with American families.
67He said local families who want to meet people from other parts of the world can sign up to spend time with the students.
68They attend events together on campus and visit American homes.
69Cao said he could see how that kind of activity might be more appealing in Oxford, Ohio, than in a city such as Dallas, Texas.
70Dallas has a large international community, Cao said.
71"Sometimes," Sinetar said, "there are these really deep relationships that are formed. Sometimes the international students have said 'yes, I look at these people like an aunt, uncle or grandparent.'"
72I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Jill Robbins
1Valerie Do of Vietnam is in her third year of college at Miami University in the Midwestern U.S. state of Ohio. 2The school has about 19,000 students, including about 1,000 international students. It has a good reputation for giving students an authentic college experience. The small city of Oxford is pretty in the autumn and spring. The brick school buildings are arranged on wide green spaces with walking paths. 3But Miami University is definitely not in Florida and not close to any ocean beaches. The University of Miami is in Coral Gables, Florida, and about 15 kilometers from the famous beaches. 4Do only found out, after she was accepted, that the school she had applied to was the one in Ohio. Some international students and those who work with international students say these kinds of mistakes are common. For example, one international student remembered being confused by the difference between Washington, D.C., and the northwestern state of Washington. 5Do recently got attention from news websites such as Insider and the Daily Mail after telling her story on the social media site TikTok (@dankgiao). 6Do often uses TikTok to discuss her experiences as an international student. One of the videos shows her explaining how she learned to pronounce difficult English words. In another, she discussed the costumes she wore during the Halloween holiday in 2021, 2022 and 2023. 7Viral video 8Earlier this year, Do made a video about her discovery that Miami University was in Ohio, not Florida. About 2 million people watched it. 9"I didn't realize it was in Ohio until I got the acceptance letter," she said. "I basically went through the whole application process without knowing it's in Ohio." 10Many commenters offered sympathy that she was going to apple orchards instead of beaches this autumn. But in a follow-up post, she said she was happy with her experience in Ohio. 11Do said she went to Miami for a number of reasons, including a good financial aid offer, "the vibe of the school" and the business program. 12She said Miami looks like the colleges shown on TV and in movies like Animal House. 13Dan Sinetar works with international students at Miami University. He and his colleagues help students like Do feel comfortable once they arrive on campus. 14Sinetar said many international students make the decision to come to Miami without visiting. So, he helps to "set the expectations" of what it is like to live in southwestern Ohio before they arrive. 15He said some international students worry about how they can find food they are familiar with, so the office tells them about food stores with products from around the world. But other issues are more complicated. 16"You know, race and ethnicity is a big topic in the U.S. and obviously impacts how people might engage with you. But there's many international students who might be coming from a country culture where they don't have those issues." 17Before students arrive in the U.S., Sinetar said, Miami works to help them learn about what they should expect. The school has peer orientation leaders who help new international students get comfortable. Do, in fact, is one of them. 18Sinetar said it is difficult to move across the world for school. "For many international students, it is their first time living away from home," he said. 19Sinetar said that he and others at Miami often hear students discuss the Ohio and Florida confusion. One reason for this, he thinks, is that the international students often work with education agencies that help them apply to colleges. 20"Sometimes," he said, "students are a little disconnected from the process." 21Reactions from international students 22Arkar Chen is from Myanmar. He attended college in Los Angeles and now works for a computer software company in New Jersey. 23"The agency probably thought she knew she was applying to the university in Ohio and didn't think to tell her that," Chen said. 24He said he did not use an agency and as a result, he was more prepared for his time in Los Angeles. However, he still had some surprises. 25"From one neighborhood to the next, it can be very different," he said. Chen noted that Myanmar is a poor country, and he did not expect to see so many people in the U.S. living in poverty. 26"In pop culture, when you mention L.A., you know people think about Hollywood the beach and stuff like that. The good images. But in reality, it is not so much different (from Myanmar). I guess you could call it a culture shock." 27Chen said it would be smart for international students to think about choosing an American university close to where family or friends live - in case the culture shock is too strong. 28"Because having someone able to help you is really invaluable, especially when you came alone to a foreign environment," he said. 29Another former international student is Christian Cao from Vietnam. He currently lives in Toledo, Ohio, close to the border with Michigan. He is an engineer who works with robotic systems in the automotive industry. 30He had not heard of Do before the recent stories. He said he did not think her situation is very common for international students in 2023, but he understands how the confusion could happen. 31Cao said young people in Vietnam know about most major universities in the U.S. But 10 years ago, there were not many education agencies visiting Vietnam and recruiting students for schools in the U.S. 32He agreed, it is still possible that not everyone would know there is a Miami University in Ohio. 33By the time Do understood Miami was in Ohio, Cao said, "She already got accepted, she already got the scholarship. It would be a waste of time and money trying to find another university." 34But, as Cao said, "Maybe it's not the life she expected, but it is not bad at all. She's making friends and still making progress." 35Beaches overrated? 36Cao said a student's college experience depends on what they are hoping for after they graduate. In his case, he was interested in studying engineering, so he did not mind that Toledo, Ohio did not have a big nightlife. 37"If you're a person like me, I don't party at all," Cao said. "I just made friends and spent most of my time doing what I wanted to do at home...Ohio would be a great place for me." 38Cao said life in Vietnam and other Asian countries is very different from life in the U.S. Young people spend a lot of time studying and living at home. 39"When you move to America you break out of your shell," he said. "You experience a lot of new things and it's a big step up from your regular life." 40Cao went on to say "it doesn't matter where you are, you could be at a small university in Alabama. It's just a huge step up in terms of learning and adulting." 41Sinetar of Miami said one way students can learn about life in America is through the school's program of matching international students with American families. 42He said local families who want to meet people from other parts of the world can sign up to spend time with the students. 43They attend events together on campus and visit American homes. 44Cao said he could see how that kind of activity might be more appealing in Oxford, Ohio, than in a city such as Dallas, Texas. Dallas has a large international community, Cao said. 45"Sometimes," Sinetar said, "there are these really deep relationships that are formed. Sometimes the international students have said 'yes, I look at these people like an aunt, uncle or grandparent.'" 46I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Jill Robbins 47Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. 48_________________________________________________ 49Words in This Story 50authentic -adj. a true example of something; real 51apply -v. to seek entry to a school or program 52confused -adj. mistaking one thing for another; being unsure 53costume -n. clothes worn by someone who is trying to look like a different person or thing 54realize -v. to understand at a specific point in time 55vibe -n. the feeling a person gets from another person, place or experience 56colleague -n. a fellow worker 57engage -v. to get involved with something and to be interested in it 58peer -n. a person of similar age, rank or ability 59orientation -n. training and information given to someone who is starting a program, course of study or job 60culture shock -n. the experience of being surprised and confused by the culture of a new place 61recruit -v. to seek out people to join an organization, school, military service or a company 62adulting -v. (casual) to take on responsibilities and do things like a grown up or adult 63We want to hear from you. Did you attend school in the U.S.? What were some things that surprised you?