<p>The flagship universities stick together...Machen and Wetherell team up...</p>
<p>The Gators and the Seminoles have finally found something they can agree on...charging students more tuition.</p>
<p>The presidents of the University of Florida and Florida State teamed up Thursday to pitch a unique tuition program to a combined meeting of the Gator and Seminole caucuses. Called the Academic Enhancement Pilot Program, it would charge UF students an additional $1,000 a year to attend the school. The fee would not be covered by Florida Bright Futures or Florida Prepaid. If passed this session, the program could be used at FSU in the future.</p>
<p>The presidents insisted they can't compete with higher-tuition universities like Penn State.</p>
<p>"It's not even a fair fight, but we are expected to compete," said FSU President T.K. Wetherell, adding that the financial disadvantage Florida universities face in academics wouldn't be tolerated in athletics.</p>
<p>Sen. Steve Geller of Hallandale Beach questioned whether the program would violate the state's contract with parents in the Prepaid program.</p>
<p>But it was clear that by recognizing their commonalities, the two universities had a better chance of selling a tough program at a tough time, especially since Gov. Charlie Crist has promised not to increase tuition this year.</p>
<p>"The Seminoles and the Gators ought to support each other whenever and where ever we can," UF President Bernie Machen said. "When you help one of us, you help the other one."</p>
<p>Although I understand where there going with this, its to try and improve the academics at the schools-but the main reason florida universities have been rising is because of high school graduates staying because college is basically free with bright futures....so i guess we'll wait and see- this is how it usually starts a 1000 here 5000 there.</p>
<p>I do not agree with raising tuition so that the schools can become even more selective and have a even higher enrollment of OOS students. It locks more Florida students out of the equation.</p>
<p>Florida prepaid university plan was supposed to guarantee to cover the cost of tuition at a state university. This is not fair to people who have paid their money 19 years ago to be sure their child would not have to worry about getting a college education. Already the transportation fee is not covered.</p>
<p>Florida Prepaid is not an entitlement. You prepay for what you choose to prepay. You can prepay tuition, dorm, fees. If one chose to prepay tuition, dorm and fees for four years, a student could easily earn the $1000 over the summer for the extra fee. I do not begrudge the efforts of UF and FSU to try to boost themselves up. I never really thought that the prepaid plan would cover "everything." And the Bright Futures lottery money scholarships are over and above the prepaid programs. It is said that 90% of students at FSU and UF also qualify for either 75% or 100% of tuition. If you prepaid tuition, that money comes to you to spend on other fees, and would easily cover the $1000. The State of Florida also has a 529 account you can start, and the literature makes it clear that one should consider putting money away for those expenses not covered by the prepaid plan.</p>
<p>Those extra expenses were supposed to be board, books and other expenses.
Tuition, local fee and dorm are supposed to be covered fully in the prepaid plan.
Current owners of the plan should not have to pay this additional fee.
This fee could be covered in the future for new plan owners so they know what they are getting up front. Existing plan owners should not be charged for something that is being thrown in after the fact.</p>
<p>I also want to know exactly what the $1000 would be used for. It seems UCF was able to acquire funding for a stadium and a medical school without the additional fee by private donation sources. How will the $1000 benefit the undergraduate students? Is this fee in addition to a normal cost of living tuition increase?</p>
<p>UCF has not secured funding from the Legislature for their proposed med school. The way the BOG blog is running, if that's any clue as to how it will go in the Legislature, it's not a sure thing.</p>
<p>Cybermom, my guess is that they will say to upgrade facility, attract top notch faculty, enhance capability to promote the school. If they can attract more top notch OOS students they can gain 2X the tuition that they could get from a Florida kid. Those slots then become even more selective then they are today. Net benefit I think less kids get to go and more get shut out of ever being able to attend.</p>
<p>I think if it will make FSU more selective then it's a good idea. There are way too many people attending this university who don't seem like they should be attending college at all.</p>
<p>Amw a interesting comment. With the criteria being where it is today at FSU it doesn't seem like a non capable student academically could get in. Now of course there is the dimension of maturity, motivation, and attention to your studies but I think that is a different conversation.</p>
<p>Well it seemed in my physics class last semester a lot of the people sitting around me didn't seem competent at studying. Getting an A or A- in that class really should have been nothing. It's basic physics, very very minimal math. That means you just need to read the book and understand the concepts. It's mostly memorizing.</p>
<p>Besides that, I seriously heard one girl in my class bragging about her future as a trophy wife. She does not need to be here; FSU is not finishing school.</p>
<p>And the kids who don't come to class all semester... or the guy who looks 35 in one of my classes (Elementary Chinese) with no sense of hygiene and comes in late at least half of the days we have had class. He came in for the last 10 minutes of class today. He does not need to be here.</p>
<p>For my online class, there are people who haven't shown any activity on the discussion boards (which are mandatory) since the beginning of the class. They do not need to be in the class.</p>
<p>I feel that if people cannot or are not willing to keep up with their classes, go to class most of the time, do most of the homework, and study, then they should not be here. And there are far too many people like this at FSU based on what I have seen in my classes so far.</p>
<p>The slackers should be naturally weeded out in 1-2 semesters.</p>
<p>When any students grade point average (GPA) falls within the probationary range, the student will be placed on academic probation for one term. A student on probation must enroll for not less than twelve (12) and not more than fifteen (15) semester hours during the probationary term. If the student fails to remove the probationary status by the end of the term, the student will be dismissed.</p>
<p>cybermom, I agree if kids don't adopt a success oriented stratgey they will be gone.</p>
<p>amw to your credit your on the a strategy that works for you, you can't automatically assume that everyone else has to adopt that same strategy to either be successful or to meet their goals. Obviously I'm not defending not coming to class that is just plain stupid, and one's personal hygine habits shouldn't be part of the conversation. </p>
<p>I'll disagree with your assessment on Physics to a weaker student in science or a person in a non technical field I would hardly think that Physics is an automatic A. It is a challenging course and even people who put in extra time will struggle with it.</p>
<p>Back to the original thread I still fail to see how what one does after they get to the University is greatly influenced by their by their academic record before they got there as they had to have demonstrated that they were capable through GPA and test scores, class rank ect.</p>
<p>I agree with Ray - physics with calculus (a 5 hour course, I believe - plus a lab) is not an easy course, even for excellent and gifted students. </p>
<p>awm - if you're in the non-science, liberal studies physics then that's a different matter...from the context of your trophy-wife observation that's that class you took? </p>
<p>Maybe, if you want a challenge, you might want to take the physics with calculus series as an elective? I really don't see why an actuarial science major would be taking the science/engineering-major core courses, with the exception of calculus...</p>
<p>Here they are:
PHY 2048C (5) General Physics A
PHY 2049C (5) General Physics B</p>
<p>No one takes these courses unless you just love hard work or it's required.</p>
<p>I find influences for success, for example. I'm the first in my family to go to college :-). I am also the youngest and the first to graduate high school. I need to do good because I've gotten this far, I need to complete my dream of success. Also, I dont see myself doing anything other then medicine. If its not med for me, its nothing. Its my dream and I plan on working on it till I'm completely done.</p>
<p>And also, Something I wrote an essay on was "How america's younger generation take education for granted" I haven't always lived in the US but I was born here. And I see the difference in how kids here think nothing of school when in other countries kids are dying to attend even elementary school. In some countries girls are not even able to think about getting an education because their life is set from birth to serve her family and her husband. I think about this, alot. Not everyone gets the chances we get to better ourselves. I know alot of adults who wish they could of gone to college and done something different with thier lifes and on the same note adults who didn't grow up in the US and didn't make it past middle school because they have to quit and help the family with money. I dont want to be the adult who thinks about "What could of been" when I can just make it happen :-). Plus, I dont think its smart to miss classes your paying for :-).</p>
<p>bbecker, I've read all your posts with interest and I have given you Kudo's for your success. I've been to the D.R several times and by the standards I've seen there you should be very proud of what you have accomplished.</p>
<p>One thing you said caught my attention, for me it's Med or nothing. It sounds like from your aptitude that you have the tools to be successful and I hope that you get there, but the reality is that in Med programs the bar is set very high, a lot of kids don't make it and a lot of kids do. I think your goal is great, but from my perspective it shouldn't be a all or nothing attitude as sometimes things don't work out exactly as we plan them.</p>