<p>Hi I'm a transfer student and I've been accepted to UF, Flagler college, and FSU and I've pretty much ruled Flagler out and now can't decide between UF and FSU. I've hear that FSU has one of the best creative writing programs which will be my degree emphasis, but at the same time UF is supposedly the better overall. Price is not a problem and I have no care about the football teams, I just wanted to get insight into which would offer better academics for my major and life on campus.</p>
<p>UF for sure! If you don’t mind me asking, what was your overall GPA when applying to UF?</p>
<p>I’d go with University of Florida</p>
<p>My overall gpa was 3.72 but should be about 3.8 after this las semester before transferring.</p>
<p>You are correct about [Florida</a> State’s Creative Writing](<a href=“http://www.english.fsu.edu/crw/]Florida”>http://www.english.fsu.edu/crw/) program. It’s much better than the other school, which is an ag school. If farming is your game, that’s the school for you.</p>
<p>Rather than point out that FSU has a respected creative writing program and leave it at that, p2n continues to make derisive comments regarding UF. There are, in fact, alternative sources that suggest UFs is better:</p>
<p>Poets and Writers
[2011</a> MFA Rankings: The Top Fifty | Poets and Writers](<a href=“http://www.pw.org/content/2011_mfa_rankings_the_top_fifty_0]2011”>2011 MFA Rankings: The Top Fifty | Poets & Writers)</p>
<p>NRC
[English</a> Language and Literature Rankings — PhDs.org Graduate School Guide](<a href=“http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/english/rank/]English”>http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/english/rank/)</p>
<p>My remarks aren’t derisive. They’re accurate. UF is an ag school first and foremost. While you may wish this fact away, it is correct.</p>
<p>For example, UF claims additional per student funding through the [IFAS</a> program](<a href=“http://ifas.ufl.edu/]IFAS”>http://ifas.ufl.edu/) which actually is intended as something other than funds for English students. This makes UF look better funded to some rating services (like US News) than it actually is.</p>
<p>We FSU grads see this funding/rating issue as unfair. It is, however, quite amusing UF supporters deny the essence of the university - which started as the Florida Agricultural College.</p>
<p>Sorry but while Florida does hav an impressive ag program it certainly is NOT an ag school. According to Princeton Review the most popular majors at UF are Biology, Mechanical Engineering and Psychology. According to the website, the college of Arts and Sciences is the largest, followed by the College of Engineering which is also the largest professional school.</p>
<p>I don’t know why FSU fans always have such an axe to grind with UF. FSU is a perfectly fine school in it’s own ways and doesn’t need such defensiveness from it’s alumni.</p>
<p>Farming is why UF was created and funded. The UF ads proclaim their “land grant” status all the time. (BTW, UF shares land grant status with FAMU in Florida ) Had I written “engineering” instead of farming I doubt there would have been so vigorous a response. There is nothing to suggest UF’s ag program has diminished one whit since its founding in 1905.</p>
<p>Were I a farmer I’d feel slighted. What’s wrong with being a farmer? Florida State is simply better for English.</p>
<p>UF is ranked higher in English on USNews as well as the other ranking services that Rogracer linked.</p>
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<p>See: <a href=“http://www.english.fsu.edu/crw/[/url]”>http://www.english.fsu.edu/crw/</a></p>
<p>In this area I’d trust The Atlantic over U.S. News. You don’t go to an auto mechanic to have brain surgery. At least most don’t.</p>
<p>Also take a look at funding - even in 2006, a flush year by most standards in Florida, [UF’s</a> College of Liberal Arts and Sciences had budget trouble.](<a href=“Sample Page - College of Liberal Arts & Sciences”>http://www.clas.ufl.edu/gov/minutes/20061004.html) This speaks to the priority of this school (UF) to its bread and butter work - agriculture.</p>
<p>My main thing is that most of these rankings are for masters and phd programs. If I were getting either of those, of course fsu is highly highly ranked, but for undergrad, I never find too much information.</p>
<p>Have you looked through the course catalogs and faculty rosters to see if either school’s offerings more closely matches your interests?</p>
<p>Yea I’ve been looking at them and it appeared that uf had a greater variety of english classes, even one all about 80s bands and post punk, which sounded awesome. Both schools had the fiction workshops for creative writing.</p>
<p>While you are correct that these ratings are for the gradate division programs please note that the talented grad students in those programs teach some of the undergraduate level courses. This consideration is how the graduate program ratings become relevant for undergrads looking for a program. Being a tenured faculty member does not mean you can teach undergraduates. In my experience some of the best teachers are those grad students, despite the general perception they are weak educators and merely a stand-in for the tenured faculty.</p>
<p>The only way to really tell which is the program for you is to go and meet with these faculty members (and their grad students, if possible). Make an appointment, spend some time.</p>
<p>General ratings can be helpful, but they don’t tell the whole story. You may be impressed with program ratings and then find out they really aren’t helpful for your education.</p>
<p>For example, like I’ve mentioned above, these ratings can be inflated and distorted and not related to your area of interest.</p>