<p>I'm writing this post mainly as a way to help relax myself as I await my admissions decision from FSU. It is by far my number one choice and I quite honestly haven't found another school that rivals the "home" and acceptance feeling I felt when I was at FSU. Tallahassee is an amazing city and the campus is phenomenal yet at the same time, everyone I met in the city and on campus were extremely nice and made you feel as though if you were to come to FSU, you would be apart of something greater than any one individual. There was a true sense of community and I loved it. I am a native Floridian who has lived in GA for about 12 years now. I have been accepted to the University of Alabama which is another beautiful school that is great for what I want to do but, it was lacking the sense of acceptance that FSU had. I've looked into UGA and it's nice but again, lacking the same thing. All throughout high school, I thought I would go to the University of Florida because it is a great school and I have pre paid college. This past summer, my parents convinced me to tour FSU since I had talked them into going down to Gainesville to visit UF. I know that traditionally UF is regarded as the better school academically but sometimes, statistics and opinions by U.S. News don't count for anything when it comes to the actual experience. FSU seemed like a more academically enriching school that was located in a great CITY. It's nice to know the school is not located in a place where there is football, a bar, and then nothing (cough Auburn cough). In my eyes, FSU is hands down better than UF when it comes to the overall education you are going to get and the real world experience you are going to gain. At FSU, your future and education seems to be a serious matter and therefore, you are actually Jon Doe and not just a number</p>
<p>I love FSU with all my heart and I can only hope that on midnight on the 28th, I can open up my application profile and see a big 'ole acceptance notification waiting for me! :)</p>
<p>to close this out,
Beat the Gators! Scalp 'em boys!</p>
<p>best of luck. i hope you get your wish. fsu is a great place and i agree that all the folks involved with the university that we have interacted with (from students to parents of students to admissions to alumni to teachers) have all gone out of their way to make you feel welcome to university.</p>
<p>our son also anxiously awaits his decision!</p>
<p>Not trying to sway your decision or anything, but Tallahassee is NOT nice city. It's actually very dilapidated, ghetto, and even crime-infested outside of the immediate parameters of the university. If you're staying within the confines of the college, there shouldn't be too much to worry about but just don't walk down the street late at night on a Saturday. </p>
<p>Gainesville is a crap town, but it's over-saturated with rednecks and white trash as opposed to the South Central/Harlem feel I sometimes get in Tally.</p>
<p>I couldn't agree with you more about the atmosphere one finds at FSU. In our college search, we have visited every major institution in Florida as well as many across the Southeast and none of them held up in comparison to FSU. When looking at the total college experience at FSU our dd was completely sold on it (as were my husband and I). We visited UF, but our dd didn't like it at all. She missed the hospitality that she felt in Tally, both on and off campus. In fact she disliked UF to such a degree; that in spite of their academic reputation and desired programs for her chosen field, she refused to apply to their institution.
She is FSU all the way and is trying to wait patiently for the big day of Nov. 28!
I hope that Nov. 28 proves to be a day of celebration for all FSU applicants.</p>
<p>Oh by the way in regard to the comment concerning crime, it is unwise for any student at any university to walk around late at night by themself. It is because of this that every university we have visited (including FSU) offers some sort of safety service that will pick you up and deliver you back to your dorm front door.</p>
<p>sorry but ***, ladistar you sound like some arrogant person who comes from a uber rich community with a fence and security guards...i've never felt unsafe on campus, and about the city itself every city has its undesirable areas you just have to be smart about not getting yourself into one of those situations.</p>
<p>ladistar, I respect your opinion but I am going to have to kindly disagree. EVERY city has their bad and run down parts. Athens for example (home to UGA) has a very "ghetto" area to it and probably more so than Tallahassee yet, Athens is still one of the top college towns in the country. The key advantage that Tallahassee and Athens have to many other towns is that their is actually stuff to do. There are great bars, great restaurants, and great places to hang out. I live in a very white bread upper middle class to upper class area in metro atlanta so for me to say that FSU felt very safe and clean seems to be proof in itself. I am personally ready to get out of suburbia because the comparison I just made there, about based on where I live is how I can gauge crime, actually discugsts me because it makes me feel snobbish haha. In all honestly though, college and a college town in general is what you make of it. Try going to Auburn or Alabama. Virtually no crime at Auburn and not so much at Alabama but, they are the most boring places! Well actually Tuscaloosa is decent but still. Hence, this is why all the kids at my high school who are not ready to leave lily white land go to Auburn :} haha</p>
<p>This seems a bit like a veiled negative reference to African Americans and I am just going to have to disagree with it. Yes, some African Americans are criminals as are some of other races. </p>
<p>However, I have met some of the BEST people I have ever known from the African American community. I mean that these fine people would literally give you, a white person, the shirt off their poor back to see that you get home safe.</p>
<p>How would I know this? I worked as police officer on the street in a black community. They proved it to me - a Southern white male cop. They did not have to - but they did. The African American community is a very caring, sensitive community if you listen and learn. </p>
<p>SKIBIRD made some good points about crime. Just like tourists on vacation, students in college should not let a false sense of security cause them to take foolish chances. Crime can happen anywhere. Take advantage of the Night Nole Bus, S.A.F.E. ride program, blue light trail, lock your door, go out in groups -- this is just using good common sense.</p>
<p>FSU really is as beautiful and friendly as people say.</p>
<p>I strongly disagree with ladistar's comment. As someone who lives in Miami, I would trade this place for Tally in a second. Tallahassee has history and a strong sense of community. Not to mention, it's a very fun college town.</p>
<p>If you're looking for cookie cutter buildings, plastic pink flamingos, and brand new strip malls on every corner, then Tallahassee is not the place for you.</p>
<p>I'll admit that I'm not used to living in a run-down city. I grew up on an upscale part of Long Island and later moved down to Sarasota, which is probably the wealthiest area of Florida next to certain parts of Miami. Am I rich? Not at all. I'm just an upper-middle class guy trying to put himself through school. But I'm far from poor, so adapting to the Tallahassee outside of FSU when I first moved here was very difficult. I'm not necessarily afraid of living in a depressed area, but I definitely have my reservations about the conditions of Tallahassee and the natives (i.e. poors and white trash). This is not to say that I hate these types of people but I'm just not used to socializing with them on a regular basis. But it's been almost three years, and I have to say that I've learn to adapt to my surroundings and I now accept people from, say, a lower socio-economic class from myself, as my neighbors. I see it all the time, and it doesn't faze me like it once did.</p>
<p>Now obviously if you live within the immediate parameters of the university, you'll be surrounded by people your age and there should be little to no safety concern. But seeing as I live off-campus in a residential apartment five minutes from the school, I know what it's like when you don't have Tennessee Street right down the road and a million dorms, frats, etc. nearby. Try driving through some of the backroads in the town and tell me that you feel safe. I take TalTran to school and have been doing so since I was a freshman at FSU and I've driven through several dilapidated parts of town, and trust me, they are anything but impressive.</p>
<p>If anybody is offended by what I said in the previous post, my apologies.</p>
<p>Ladistar:
I think many of us have been to LI, NYC and Sarasota and can confirm that there are actually minorities and poor people in all of those places. Maybe not in your particular neck of the woods, but there still. I don't take issue with where you are from, but rather your quick classification of Tallahassee as a dilapidated and crime ridden city based on the poor and minority areas within it.</p>
<p>I have to tell you that we lived for 3 years in Tally while my husband was at FSU (D a Jr there now) and I've walked around the streets near Tenn at night and never felt threatened. Sure, there is the odd homeless guy walking around, but they are harmless. We didn't restrict our travels to the campus. We lived in the Killearn area and my husband's ROTC (Naval Officer) unit was at FAMU so we spent a good bit of time all over Tally and I can assure you - we felt safe and sound wherever we went. One of the best Cuban restaurants is down near FAMU so I'd hate to think you would miss out on that because you're scared to venture out...</p>
<p>What really concerns me about your post is your assumption that people in lower economic areas are somehow beneath you or ready to injure or rob you simply because they look different or don't drive a hummer. College, especially a State university, is a great opportunity to learn about other cultures and people - I hope you take advantage of that and expand your views a little of people who aren't white and wealthy. </p>
<p>Of course the poor areas of any town are more likely to have crime, but some sociologists (Soc is a great class to take) theorize that this has to do with satisfying basic wants/needs. There are studies that show countries with smaller disparity between the haves and have nots have greatly reduced crime because the majority of people have everything they need to exist and therefore less reason to try to take from other and less stress day to day that might lead to violence.</p>
<p>You might actually benefit from getting out into the community and meeting some low income families who are struggling to get by. You can contact the United Way in most areas by simply dialing 211 and from there you can find out what organizations/charities need volunteers (usually they all do). My kids have benefited over the years from being involved in Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, soup kitchens, and the Boys and Girls club.</p>
<p>I think you might find that these people have the same morals and values you were instilled with. They are you, just without a lot of money.</p>
<p>I was having a rough day earlier today, and I came on WAY too strong. For that I apologize, and I didn't really mean half of what I said. I took it out on this board for all the wrong reasons, and I would like to take it back.</p>
<p>I just want to clarify though that I am NOT rich or drive a hummer/wear hundred-dollar clothes or anything nor do I necessarily look down on poors. I was not used to being around people of a lower socio-economic status at first, but there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, I embrace getting out of my traditional upper-middle class bubble and experiencing different aspects of life. </p>
<p>The truth is that I'm unhappy in other ways these days, and I'm taking it out on the town as a whole. My college experience hasn't exactly been as fulfilling as I wanted it to be due to circumstances beyond my control (I'd rather not get into detail), and I think blaming it on the town and surrounding areas around the school helps me defray some of that sentiment. I guess taking it out on an anonymous message board helps somewhat, but only for the temporary time-being.</p>
<p>Anyways, I'l reiterate that I went a little overboard with some of my views and that while at the core I'm still uneasy about the town, it's not nearly as negative as I may have described it.</p>
<p>I hope you all understand, and again, I apologize.</p>
<p>Ladistar:
Next time you talk to your parents - tell them they did a really great job. It takes quite a strong and upstanding individual to self-evaluate and take responsibility for their errors. As errors go - this one wasn't bad!</p>
<p>You seem like the kind of person who takes hiccups in life as learning opportunities and that will really pay off for you down the road. You can also make a big difference in the lives of others if you can influence those around you to do the same!</p>
<p>Just like p2n said - forgotten.</p>
<p>Try to have a better semester come January and know that you could probably private message ANY of the parents who visit this board, me included, if you have issues/problems you need help with and we'd be glad to listen. I can't speak for everyone (though I guess I just did), but anything you say to me stays with me. I'll help if I can. Some of us old timers have been through lots of interesting situations and we might be able to shed light, in a non-judgmental fashion, in a way that other adults/kids around you who know you well can't.</p>
<p>I would hate to think my daughter was having a hard time and had no one to talk to. Although I'd like her to come to me - the reality is that not all kids feel comfortable talking to their parental units (sigh) about everything...</p>