I’ve read the available posts and several threads mentioned concerns about the freshman class size including the graduation rate of USF and availability of classes at FAU Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College. I will really appreciate if someone could share latest data in regard to the graduation rate, class size and benefits of attending the full honor program of FAU vs. regular class of University of South Florida. Thanks in advance.
Wilkes at FAU: 424 kids enrolled as of January (from University Faculty Senate minutes with a memo from the HC to approve the creation of BS degrees; this is probably about as accurate as it gets, haha). Class sizes are usually 16 seats for discussion classes, but my largest class was 105 kids during the summer.
Don’t know the graduation rate, but I’d say it’s over 90%. I can only think of four or five kids who had dropped out; one was really gifted but college just wasn’t the place for him. The others dropped out for all the usual reasons of disinterest and drugs.
I just spent this semester commuting to and from the main campus for classes. I did training down there as a student employee. Here’s my two cents: there really isn’t a connection between main campus and Wilkes like they may advertise. People would say it’s “the best of both worlds”, but it isn’t. I’ve had to jump through hoops to take classes at Boca when they aren’t offered here. Commuting to Boca is one of the most miserable experiences I’ve had, (the roads are really just not safe) and I’ve lost a laptop and popped a tire on I-95, and witnessed two drunk people and 4 people having mental breakdowns behind the wheel on State Road 7. We are losing three good professors in the next year (temporary, I hope), including our biochemistry professor who makes his classes straightforward and useful.
Our campus lacks serious offices and resources. Caps and gowns were available from the bookstore starting on Monday, and graduations are TOMORROW. People didn’t get the things they needed. I only learned about the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance during training in Boca, and am deeply saddened that the array of resources are not made available through satellites here. I wish it wasn’t something I had to say, but things this year would’ve gone a lot better for students on this campus if we had an actual Title IX coordinator and victim services advocate here. I think the idea of the disconnect is really illustrated by the fact that we have a separate commencement ceremony from the entire university, and few kids go to the university commencement ceremony.
On class sizes: it depends on your major. If you are looking at neuroscience, psychology, biology, law and chemistry, you will graduate in four years. If you are looking at history, art, writing, literature, math, computer or data sciences, environmental sciences, philosophy, anthropology, you will be going to other campuses or going to school for a while. Calculus III is being offered in the Fall for the first time in 5 or 6 years.
If I left anything out that you still have questions about, let me know. I’m in a bit of a rush off shift at the moment, but I hope this gives you some perspective.
Thanks for providing the insight. I really appreciate it. How would you compare Wilkes’ honor curriculum to USF regular classes. My son is planning to pursue degree in business and marketing and I am wondering if he would need to attend classes in Boca campus as well. Thanks again.
For business, you have to go to Boca: https://www.fau.edu/honors/academics/majors/business/
There’s a good pathway to the MBA program at FAU, but you’d have to know about transportation, and bypass all the professors who will try to sway you to “just do economics” (it’s not the same, and the year and a half I spent deluding myself and trying to purse an econ degree was a waste). We don’t have anything remotely marketing related on this campus; management, finance, and accounting are all done at Boca.
Only other hurdle is the honors core, which would necessitate him taking a number of classes outside his field, including things like life science lab. I think this may be common to most universities nowadays (?); when it comes to some of the humanities cores, though, we are lacking in good professors and there are a number who desire to make their classes arbitrarily difficult. If you can map out a pathway to meet core reqs and major reqs, then it’s probably not going to be terribly difficult. (Core courses http://www.fau.edu/honors/documents/core-revised.pdf).
Commuting, though, takes serious time. Don’t underestimate it as “20-30 minutes”; it depends on bus cycles with no car, and with a car, it’s easily and hour and a half process for me to get there, find parking, and get settled. Commuting is really disruptive, but you could make it work with closer to 12 credit hours per semester. I had 16 and one class in Boca and driving gave me so much anxiety and I never entered that class feeling well.