<p>I'm looking to go to school for engineering (most likely civil & structural or mechanical) and I'm tryin to figure out who has a better program overall. I am going to attend a community college first as well. The choices are either Ohio State Univ. or Univ. of Florida. Any info would be helpful.</p>
<p>The one that is in your state is the better school. There is not enough difference between the two schools, or most state universities, for that matter, to warrant paying OOS tuition for your undergrad.</p>
<p>The out of state tuition doesn’t matter because I am a resident of ohio while my parent is florida</p>
<p>Both are great engineering schools, both have great football teams – I would give Florida an edge over Ohio State as it would have slightly more favorable weather during the winter months than Ohio State. I’d say, apply to both, and if you get into both, choose the school that you would be happier at. Don’t worry about the rankings.</p>
<p>Also if I start out at a community college will the transition be too hard</p>
<p>I don’t want to brag, but I am probably a good person to answer this question.</p>
<p>I am attending the University of Florida. However, I was also accepted into Ohio State. After doing a little research, UF became the clear choice for me, and I am so glad that I am attending UF.</p>
<p>First, the engineering down here is amazing- there are amazing professors that will work with you for hours on end to help you with coursework, research, internships, resume development, etc. The list goes on. When I saw Ohio State, I saw an unorganized program that is motivated by their pocketbooks and their football team. Whereas UF accepts the best of the best (most national merit scholars of any university), Ohio State accepted my peers from High School that were extremely unqualified in terms of GPA and extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Second, UF’s graduate school and research program is hands down better than Ohio State. In addition, I hear that UF favors its undergrads in the grad school process. The common notion down here is that UF loves its gators. It is one of the top 20 grad schools in the nation as well.</p>
<p>Third, and probably the biggest advantage UF has over OSU, is the employment opportunities. UF has a bi-annual career fair in which almost 100 companies for engineering attend to give internships and co-ops. I went to the one in the fall, and it was amazing. Well structured, well planned, AND even though you graduated you can still attend the career fairs at UF. Many of the top 15 engineering companies recruit solely from UF out of any of the states in Florida. Ohio State on the other hand, I heard has a much smaller career fair. Idk if you know this or not, but the Ohio region is a dying region. Companies are moving out, and this has severely affected OSU’s company employment</p>
<p>Fourth, UF has a great social scene and even though the campus is large, it is not cumbersome to get around. Whereas when I visited Ohio State, the campus was just too big and you would literally need buses to get between classes, which is not the case down here. And the weather down here is great.</p>
<p>UF has a much better engineering program, I can assure you that. I have done my research into both Ohio State and Florida, visited both schools and their professors, got accepted into both, and decided UF. Best decision I have ever made, hands down.</p>
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<p>Check the articulation agreements between the university and the community college. If the freshman and sophomore courses needed for your major are all or nearly all available at the community college, then the transfer should be easier than if you need to do a lot of “catch up” after transfer. Sometimes, you may need to go to more than one community college to cover as many of the freshman and sophomore courses as possible.</p>
<p>Typically, two years of math, introductory physics for scientists and engineers, English writing, and introductory humanities and social studies breadth courses are available at community colleges. But check for other courses that may be needed, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Computer science (more for computer science and computer engineering majors)</li>
<li>Electronics</li>
<li>Statics (civil and mechanical engineering)</li>
<li>Materials</li>
<li>Organic chemistry (chemical engineering)</li>
</ul>
<p>Burgsoccer09 what type of engineering are you majoring in. Is that burg as in miamisburg</p>
<p>Also does anyone how UF civil engineering program is</p>
<p>UF has a great engineering program. Keep in mind, this is undergrad so where you attend school isn’t that important… especially for a public school, anything outside of Berkeley(and probably GTech) isn’t going to be that different in terms of prestige.</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions but would a better pick than florida state in regards to the same major.</p>
<p>No, Florida State engineering sucks. And UF does have a great civil/coastal engineering program. ANd nah man, the “burg” is perrysburg</p>
<p>I would go to FSU for a lot of different majors, but I wouldn’t go there for engineering.</p>
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<p>Huh? FSU is ABET-accredited for civil engineering, so among the realm of non-top schools in the subject, shouldn’t it still be a reasonable choice? (Though UF or OSU may be better.)</p>
<p>Sure it is a reasonable choice, but I still wouldn’t go there. The school is shared with FAMU and it is probably ~3 miles from campus. I also have several friends that graduated from there and they felt like it was a bit rundown and a forgotten aspect of FSU.</p>
<p>I’m not saying I wouldn’t go there because of anything to do with prestige, I just wouldn’t want to go to a school that shares a college of engineering with another school… especially when I could go to UF.</p>
<p>Both OSU and UF are probably good choices, especially if you qualify for in-state tuition. I think it would just depend on where you feel most comfortable.</p>
<p>“Whereas UF accepts the best of the best (most national merit scholars of any university), Ohio State accepted my peers from High School that were extremely unqualified in terms of GPA and extracurriculars.”</p>
<p>Looking at the data, ACT/SAT scores are almost identical. I know of many bright in-state students,with great scores, grades and extracurriculars, who did not make it into OSU. Maybe OSU was looking for geographical diversity. ;)</p>
<p>“Third, and probably the biggest advantage UF has over OSU, is the employment opportunities. UF has a bi-annual career fair in which almost 100 companies for engineering attend to give internships and co-ops.”</p>
<p>OSU has two big engineering expos. The biggest was just held in October, with over 200 companies attending. My daughter received internship offers both years she went to the Expo. This year she didn’t go because she already received a full time offer from her internship.</p>
<p>I think UF’s biggest advantage is weather. I would love to not have to deal with the cold! Other than that, I think they are probably pretty close in what they offer; you should check them out and see what you think while you are there.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^^exactly what I said. OSU is more concerned about “geographical diversity” while UF is concerned about getting the best and brightest.</p>
<p>Edit: LOL the GPAs are nowhere close. UF 2011 freshman class had an average weighted GPA of 4.2, whereas OSU had a weighted GPA of 3.84. Not even close if u ask me</p>
<p>Go Gators!</p>
<p>Also what type of materials should I look at, and read. To prepare me educationally before I start school.</p>
<p>You should have a strong background in all of the math through trigonometry and precalculus, so that you are ready for calculus. Having had calculus (AP or community college) is a bonus, and could let you take more advanced math courses (effectively giving you free elective space in your schedule), but is not generally required.</p>
<p>Having had high school physics and chemistry as background for university level physics and chemistry (if required for your major) is highly desirable.</p>
<p>Of course, good writing skills are important for all students.</p>
<p>"^^exactly what I said. OSU is more concerned about 'geographical diversity’while UF is concerned about getting the best and brightest."</p>
<p>This could be true. I just see that the ACT and SAT scores are nearly identical. </p>
<p>“LOL the GPAs are nowhere close. UF 2011 freshman class had an average weighted GPA of 4.2, whereas OSU had a weighted GPA of 3.84. Not even close if u ask me.”</p>
<p>GPA’s are not standardized, so I find it more fair to compare the ACT and SAT. Not trying to start a fight, just giving my opinion. </p>
<p>I notice you didn’t say anything about the job expo, which you said was probably the most important reason to choose UF over OSU. </p>
<p>FWIW, the OP should visit both schools since he/she has family in both places. Maybe neither one of them will be a good fit. Who knows? Glad you are happy with your experience at UF. What year are you in? My daughter loves OSU and is happy with her choice. She will graduate in June.</p>