Yeah I kind of agree. I mean, there is still like a 40-50% chance of getting in their honors program anyways. In addition, for some reason I got more of a “highschool” vibe from FSU with how compact it is. Thank you everybody so much for your input. Hopefully I’ll remember to provide an update in a few months about my final decision.
Zinhead, I would beg to differ on your UPenn/Penn State :: UF/FSU. This is like comparing Yale and UConn. Apples and Oranges.
UF isn’t to FSU what Penn is to Penn State. UF is to FSU, perhaps, what Penn State is to Pitt, a more proper comparison might be what UCI is to UCSC.
And if people in Florida go PSU/Pitt, UCI, UCSC, whaaaa?, well you get the reaction to people outside of Florida regarding these two schools. I’ll repeat, though, that clearly in Florida, people have strong reactions, but it seems to me that those are more related to devotion to particular football teams than to a perception than one is more elite than the other. No one would confuse FSU with USF, either in Florida or outside of it, for instance.
There may be a matter of “vibe”, too - where OP feels most comfortable.
@Madal1: do update your thread once you’ve done your overnights and can compare/contrast the two of them.
Remember that it’s not just UF vs. FSU here, but UF regular vs. FSU Honors. On my FL spreadsheet, the average GPA for UF is 4.3, and the average GPA at FSU is 4.1, for instance. To me, that’s very similar. 25-75 ACT score range is also very similar. So, keeping in mind that the average freshman at FSU has a 4.1 and the average honors student has more than that, FSU honors students are well above the regular UF student and the regular FSU student, while not as strong as UF students, are still strong students.
If small, interactive classes are what OP is looking for, she’ll find that in Honors (at UF, FSU, USF, UGA, or wherever), but she won’t find it in “regular” (at UF, FSU, USF, UGA, or wherever). It’d be lying to her to say otherwise. If it doesn’t matter to her, then it doesn’t, but pretending that UF will have mostly small classes, especially for freshmen (which seems to be what OP believed), is just wrong.
I don’t work for any Florida school and I can absolutely tell you with certainty that people outside of Florida do NOT make the distinction as both are perceived as the state’s flagship. But if you want to test this, go ask Blossom and Taxguy, who actually hire college grads, and ask them point blank: between a FSU Honors student, 3.6 GPA, good internship; and a UF student, 3.6 GPA, good internship,; who do you hire? I am willing to bet that their answer will be “no difference” or “the difference won’t be FSU vs. UF but their particular skillset”.
@Madal1: you should do that too, BTW. Find Taxguy and Blossom, who are high-level people who hire college grads. See whether they make a difference. If they say “UF”, go with UF, but I’m serious when I say I am willing to bet that their answer will be that they don’t distinguish between both universities.
I agree that if it were UF vs. FSU, it’d be easy. And if you get into UF Honors, it’s easy too - UF Honors all the way.
Competition is NOT what premeds want. Premeds need to become grade conscious and manage their GPA carefully since, if they slip below a 3.7 (something that’s very difficult to achieve in college), their chances at med school start to drop dramatically.
That networking opportunity: how much will you be able to use that contact? I agree it’s another difference.
I’d still go to UF.
MYO wants you to go to FSU because your GPA may be higher because there is less competition. That speaks volumes in itself. If that is your real goal then go to where ever the competition simply doesn’t exist and make your grades.
But I don’t think that’s what you want. You want a great college experience and I think UF will give you one. Despite all the UF and FSU are the same thing talks, the stats are higher for Florida (including sending students to med school) and people know it. Your opportunities are greater for internships also. I don’t know what your stats are but you may be able to get into Florida Honors at any rate…
gouf: that’s not what I’d advocate if there was no Honors College and if OP weren’t premed. But premeds have no choice but to go where the combination of strength of classes + certainty of being top 10-20% of EACH class taken, is, since the primary factor for med school is not where one went to school but what GPA and MCAT scores one got. The second cut (at interview level) is based on experience (research, shadowing, volunteering). But without a top GPA and strong MCAT scores, there’s no interview.
I hope this dilemma can be resolved by OP getting into UF Honors - that, in my opinion, would be the best outcome.
Yes I’ll definitely be applying for honors at UF, just not counting on it. Honestly I do want the college experience and feel that basing everything off of GPA would be a bad idea. I’m going to do visits, conduct more research, wait to hear back from UF honors in April, and determine where I’ll be happiest. Also, I’m a guy.
The Honor’s program is a nice to have but (IMHO) not a must have for either school. I like the honor’s program at both schools, but it’s not for everyone.
Is the honor’s program something you want to pursue for 4 years? Understand the Philosophy behind these programs (it’s all about engagement) and determine if this (vs something else) is where you want to send your time and effort. A lot of students drop out by the time they are juniors (at FSU and UF), since at that point they lose most of the benefits (early registration and honor sections of required courses) and don’t find the reward worth the effort.
Once you’re into your major, all of the upper level classes will be regular courses and not honor “sections”. See the following link to get a sense of what Honor courses (or honor sections of regular courses) are available:
http://honors.fsu.edu/University-Honors-Program2/Course-Information
At UF, I would guess, an honor’s student may take on average of two honor courses (or honor sections of standard courses) a semester, but that drops down to zero by the time they are juniors (other than the 1 credit honor classes). If you’re bringing in a lot of AP/IB/AICE credits, you can be a junior in one or two semesters. To complete the honor’s program, you have to do more than take honor classes (or sections), you also have to earn “enrichment” points. See UF’s chart.
http://www.honors.ufl.edu/uploads/docs/Completion%20Chart%20-%20Honors%20Program.pdf
Yup, generally speaking, the Honors college allows students to bypass the hassles that are frequent at large public universities during freshman and sophomore years, through early registration and smaller classes, special lounges, and other perks; hence a relatively high percentage dropping out of Honors after sophomore year, while those who stay on till senior year tend to be those who want to go to graduate school and can thus have more use for the special advising for fellowship, research priority with funds for conference travels, and senior thesis. Honors programs that provide students with free tickets to a variety of cultural events on or around campus do so because they see it as important (also, I think that they want to see those tickets used :p).
I noticed that you can get points for study abroad, internships, and research, both of which I plan on doing in college. Does the honors program assist you directly in earning these points, or just passively help you through more access to guidance, but otherwise any other student would have the same opportunities. If all honors does is prevent a couple of minor hassles for a short period of time, like special facilities, priority registration, and more access to people that tell you what you can otherwise just research and pursue yourself, then in my opinion it wouldn’t be worth it to pass up a better school. However, if it directly links you to research, internship, and study abroad opportunities (not including grants to fund them), then those are some serious benefits.
I can only speak a bit about UF"s. Other students do have access to the same opportunities. Being in Honor’s, for example, doesn’t get you into a an undergrad research spot, ahead of any other student. You will get additional advising. Read through the Honor’s section on research. You’ll notice that all of the recommend steps can also be taken by any other student.
http://www.honors.ufl.edu/Research.aspx
You also have the same study abroad opportunities, though UF honors does have honor’s only scholarships including one for study abroad (up to $1000).
http://www.honors.ufl.edu/Honors-Program-Scholarships.aspx
Another way to look at it, being a regular student does not disadvantage you vs an honor student. Honor student’s may be more “aware” of opportunities, and being part of the honor’s college may push you to apply/engage/take advantage of those opportunities.
At either university, you need to engage with campus. You need to find your “tribe”. Perhaps the honor’s college will be that tribe. Maybe not.
Good Luck!
In that case, I think I have made my decision. Currently I’m in my sisters apartment at UF, and I think that UF would be the best fit for me. Regardless of if I get into the honors program or not. I have a great support network here with her and my dad’s best friend, yet I’m far enough away from my parents where they can’t just come up and visit, but still close enough in case of an emergency. Also, I feel that one of their Jewish fraternities here will be a great fit for me. Since honors benefits seem to be fairly minor, it’s not worth it to pass up on a better school. Thank you everybody for this in depth discussion. I’m beyond appreciative of it. Go gators!
“There is a difference in public perception between the two, just as there is between UPenn and Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State and Georgia and Georgia State.”
You undermine your point with this exaggeration.
Georgia State is a commuter school. Comparing UGA to GSA is like comparing UF to Valdosta State – apples and oranges. Michigan, and certainly UPenn, are both in a different academic league from either FSU and UF, though FSU and MSU are on a similar level.
Floridians are notorious for overestimating UF’s prestige outside of the state. No one really disputes that UF slightly outranks FSU in most areas, but the difference is not nearly that dramatic.
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Priority registration alone is worth it in my opinion. At an overcrowded university, it may mean the difference between graduating in 4 years and not 5, and in all cases means you don’t have to take an important class at an inconvenient time for you (or when your abilities aren’t optimal, be it early morning or right after lunch), can avoid the horrible instructors and choose the ones everyone’s raving about, or senior year can schedule in such a way you have one day free for a one-day-a-week internship.
The other perks - honors dorms, smaller/interactive classes, special advising, special funding for study abroad and conferences, free passes for cultural events…- are, I suppose, less key, although they do impact the quality of experience.
In the end, it seems OP likes UF more, so rational reasons don’t really matter anyway. OP should go where she feels she’ll fit in best and it’s UF. 
Yes but isn’t drop/add a thing? Even though that might be a pain in the ass, doesn’t it still make it pretty likely that I’ll get the classes I want? Also, I feel that the longer graduation time might be a bit extreme. My older siblings went to fsu and uf while not in the honors program and had no problems graduating in 4 years.
If the expenses are close to the same, I’d probably go with UF. If FSU is courting you with significant extra grants and perks, I’d seriously consider going with them instead.
Medical school is terrifyingly expensive, so money talks. The difference between UF and FSU is not substantial enough to justify piling on a significant amount of additional debt. You might also want to see if USF or UCF will give you even more money. They are less “prestigious,” but the name on your undergraduate diploma is not that important compared to GPA and test scores.
If you get an MD from any US allopathic school, you are good - trust me! 
graduation times vary. If you’re qualified to be in honors, you should be able to graduate in 4 years - my remark was more general (as other students than you will be reading this thread)
Drop/add doesn’t make it likely for you to get the classes you want. They may help but it’s not like the 11 am class will empty out while the 8 am will be full, or the awesome instructor will have many spots to spare. Some students have to wait several semesters to get into some classes they really want and won’t budge :p.
There’s a priority system, so that, as a freshman, you’re lowest on the totem pole. The only way to bypass this as a freshman and sophomore, and be able to choose your classes, is priority registration. Essentially, it’s a guarantee you’ll never have a class at an inconvenient time or with a bad instructor, unless you choose to. You can be on the waitlist for the classes you want and get lucky, but it’s never a sure thing; go and ask any current college student, they’ll tell you priority registration is worth its weigh in gold. (You can start a thread in the general “college life” forum, simply asking “is priority registration worth it”?)
HOWEVER, it sounds like you really like UF better, so go with your gut.
Plus, there’s always a change you’ll get Honors at UF, too (= problem solved, you get the best of both worlds
Last comment on priority registration (I promise!). If you’re bringing in a large number of AP/DE/IB/AICE credits, you may find yourself registering as a sophomore or Junior in your first year. (that was the case with my daughter at UF, last semester). Priority registration may only be available for a semester or two…but by then, being a “junior” will give you an advantage of freshman and sophomore’s applying for the same class.
It’s not that hard to graduate at either school in 4 years (especially a successful pre-med student that can keep a 3.5+ GPA). What drives up the average time to graduation isn’t over crowding, but the schools policy of letting freshman and sophomores (and even juniors) explore several majors before deciding on a final major. Over 60% of freshman at UF will switch majors at least once. However, once you’ve completed 6 semesters, it becomes much harder to switch majors, as both schools (and the state of Florida) want you to graduate within 5 years (10 semesters).
Below is UF’s policy for First Tiime in College (FTIC) students on changing majors. UF expects FTIC’s to complete a major in 8 semesters (120 credits). As you can see, it’s a fairly lenient policy.
Hello@madal1 not sure if you’d read this now 6 yrs later and we are the sand junction as you were, FSU Hons Vs UF - where are you now? Did you finish the premed route, did it help you with applying for med school?