UMiami partying: Perception vs. reality
It’s not exactly what you’d expect
If you’re like me and come from a town far far away from the sunny beaches of Miami, then you can understand where I’m coming from when I say my friends have no idea how people party down here.
Miami’s not a small college town, which makes it fun to see my friends get super confused as I tell them I’m not gonna drive 45 minutes to visit them for lunch at South Beach. If you’ve ever been harassed by a friend or family member that’s never been to Miami then you totally can relate to these perceptions people have about going hard in the 305.
What we wear
Perception: “You go to U Miami? Don’t you have to wear a club dress and heels every time you want to drink?”
Reality: Thats why we have The Grove. Yeah it’s not anyones preferred location, but the beer’s cheap, you can go in jeans and a shirt, a bikini and coverup, and even the stupid costume you wore to the mixer that night. No heels required. Plus what’s better than those tacos next to Tavern after a night singing at Moe’s. See, I told you grove for a reason.
Our tailgates
Perception: “Your football fans are mostly locals and your stadium is like an hour away. I bet your tailgates are small and boring.”
Reality: It’s awesome watching thousands of locals bleed orange and green in the good name of college football. Plus the entire student body owns so much UM gear we’d hurt your eyes. The pre-pregames are a great wake up call, the busses get you pumped (or the Uber if you don’t wanna be ‘rachet’) and the tailgate let’s you rally.
We spend a shit ton of money
Perception: “You guys spend hundreds of dollars every night on shots.”
Reality: Maybe that’s true on the occasional night at Wall or Story, but we have so many options to go out you can pretty much control what you spend. There are house parties, frat parties, the Grove, Brickell, Downtown, Wynwood, South Beach. Go with five dollars or go with a Black Amex, you’ll still have a good time.
We party on yachts
Perception: “Y’all spend all of your time partying on yachts.”
Reality: OK, guilty – this totally happens. Every weekend I’ll see my friends tagged in pictures of them lounging on the tanning deck of a Bertram. But at the same time, can people call the inflatable pool swans their boats? Cause if so, people spend a hell of a lot of time at frat pool parties, which are one of the most fun parties we got here at the U.
You will get sick of partying here
Perception: “UM partying is so intense it looks like something I would want to experience for a day, and no longer than that.”
Reality: Since we aren’t stuck in a college town, we have something new to do every day, and thats what makes us the greatest university in the nation. So when you’re in the same dive bar you go to everyday in the middle of nowhere thinking about how great it would be to be drinking a rum and coke on Miami beach, remember, it’s all about the U.