Miami International Student, Elizabeth Bittner, a junior Computer Science major, is not your typical student. Being from Germany, she found her people an ocean away.
What was your college search process like?
Being from northern Germany (about 3 hours away from Berlin), Elizabeth knew that she wanted to go to college in the U.S. While her mom, aunt, and uncle all are Miami alumni, she wasn’t fully sure if Miami was her choice. Over spring break, Elizabeth flew to the U.S. and toured five different universities, but Miami stood out most.
“It just felt like home to me when I visited the school.”
What was your first semester like?
Throughout the whole move-in process, Elizabeth was excited, but also nervous. She quickly connected and found friends in her dorm. From all the Welcome Week activities to dining hall runs and hanging out in the dorm, she got to meet so many people, and make the most of the beginning of her time at Miami.
In addition, Elizabeth dedicated her time to classes and finding student organizations to be involved in. One of the clubs Elizabeth joined her first semester was the sailing team. Growing up, she had sailed since she was 11, so she wanted to continue and was able to meet a lot of people really passionate about sailing.
Elizabeth found many of her friends in Theta Tau. She heard one of them talk about how joining was the best decision they ever made at Miami. She made the decision to rush sophomore year and credits it for where she found a lot of her friends.
Elizabeth said that she was confident that coming to Miami was the right choice after she joined Theta Tau. “We did multiple events a week and every event I went to felt less like a club event and more like hanging out with your friends and having a fun time. It was something I always looked forward to during the day and we just laughed a lot and shared all these stories and it would just be extremely memorable.”
Theta Tau professional engineering fraternity
What opportunities has Miami given you?
Elizabeth was able to find an internship for a technology internship in Tampa, Florida. She participated in networking events and opportunities through the Miami Career Center, including the career fair. She has taken many classes that teach skills for life while encouraging career opportunities from the computer science department. Through Theta Tau, she also gained career experience and interview preparation strategies, which also helped her receive an offer.
