<p>As are all of you whose kids are NMSF's, we are receiving new batches of mail daily.Yesterday's contained the most enticing offer so far from UCF..it amounts to tuition,room and board,a free laptop and depending on the major,other perks..in S's case it would be a paid internship.
This is combined with the coincidence of UCF being mentioned at ANOTHER University where we attended an Open House over last weekend.H and S were attending the session for potential majors in S's area of interest,where program is top rated though U is decidedly not top rated.When officials running the session were asked who their top comepitiors were,UCF was mentioned in the top 4.
S and I had discarded their mail prior to this,but of course now our interest is peaked,to say the least.
So who out there can help me with any knowledge/information?Especially parents in Florida?Especially concerning out of state students experience..but really any nugget of info would be helpful.We cant do any more visiting until late winter/early spring.
Thanks very much!</p>
<p>I am a Florida mom. At our high school UCF is considered a safety. First choice is U of F, followed by Florida State. My son decided to go out of state. UCF is a very big school, with most kids from Florida. There are some good programs and others are weak. Make sure your major is one of the good ones. It is considered a big party school, but I guess that is true of alot of schools. The location is good, near all the attractions and close enough to beaches. Be sure to visit. I hope this was helpful. Good luck!</p>
<p>We are Floridians and can echo Candace's comments. My D gets three e-mails from UCF/day and got the big scholarship offer for NMSFs also. She also pointed out to me that one of her friends who graduated her IB program last year was pretty much able to enter with Junior standing due to APs and IBs. My main concern, particularly for an out of stater, is the commuter nature of the school. A lot of kids go home on weekends, etc. I have discouraged her from applying there as I think UF would be a better fit and give her more of the college experience if she were to stay in state.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses! Do you feel UCF is more of a commuter school than UF? S already filed the UF application but as I said our interest was piqued by the reccomendation of the particular program.Are there other aspects of "fit" and "college experience" that you are concerned about besides the commuter nature of the campus?</p>
<p>I would not think that UF is a commuter school as much as UCF. But both schools do have a very high percentage of kids from Florida. Also, many kids go with a circle of friends. So there might be a feeling of exclusion for out of staters. But I am sure than an outgoing person would make friends at either school. What bothers me about going to a state school from out of state is that you have to be a much better applicant than in state applicants. It is kind of like being a better house than the rest of your neighborhood. Does that make sense? Truthfully, my son used UF as a safety and did not consider UCF.</p>
<p>ucf has grown this past decade..many students commute..very large student population..alot of new buildings including one of the best student campus centers ive seen..</p>
<p>Wow! When I taught at UCF, it was a very small school with no national presence whatsoever! Of course, that was almost twenty years ago now. </p>
<p>Anyway, it still is much more of a commuter school than UF would be. UF draws many more students from out of state, so if that's a concern, there it is. But if the particular program your child needs is excellent at UCF, that has to be YOUR primary concern.</p>
<p>The local wags refer to UCF as "Unlimited Construction Forever."</p>
<p>Good second level film program.</p>