FSU: Three Rhodes in Four Years

College Search & Selection
21

<p>

That is incorrect, since I know of at least one school that has done better. </p>

<p>UNC Chapel Hill has produced four in the last three years (2 in 2006, 2 in 2008).</p>

<p>[Two</a> Moreheads Tapped For Rhodes Scholarships](<a href=“Carolina Alumni”>Two Moreheads Tapped For Rhodes Scholarships - Carolina Alumni)
[Carolina</a> Has Two New Rhodes Scholars](<a href=“Carolina Alumni”>Carolina Has Two New Rhodes Scholars - Carolina Alumni)</p>

22

<p>FSU: nobody cares</p>

23

<p>^^^Obviously you do, since you posted on this thread.</p>

24

<p>

</p>

<p>Yep. As others have stated, UNC can claim one more than FSU in the past couple of years.</p>

25

<p>

They hired two strippers to perform at university owned housing. That’s still scandal material to most people.</p>

26

<p>

</p>

<p>Do you really think ESPN would be talking for days about the headline “Duke Lacrosse players suspected of hiring strippers to perform at party”? I highly doubt it. Please do not compare it to allegations of rape.</p>

27

<p>Honestly, does FSU having three Rhodes scholars require making an entire thread? I mean it’s a great thing, but I’m getting the vibe that your intentions in creating this thread were to suggest that FSU is not getting the respect it should and has suddenly jumped up the academic ladder? </p>

<p>It’s not a bad school, especially for public (although private schools are usually cheaper anyways after F.A so the point you made about price is irrelevant…) but how can you say 3 students speak for an entire school? If next year the winner of the Nobel Prize is from a community college would that boost them to HYPSM status, or even at all? No.</p>

28

<p>

Give me a break. You come on with a sanctimonious remark and expect not to be challenged? However, the rest of your post somewhat redeems this and your earlier remark. What you say about reputation and alumni are correct for Florida State as well. I don’t work for the school but I am an alumnus and have a kid in med school there and another ready to graduate. I can say FSU is careful with hiring and management but with some sports programs especially the talented athletes cannot handle the widespread attention and abrupt media accountability for their actions. The university and athletic support programs spend likely millions on staff and facilities, not to mention all the volunteer help they receive to help these young adults succeed but some still fail. They receive second chances, but it costs them and still a few screw themselves out of a fantastic, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is tragic when you figure in what these students lose when they err. The staff member made a serious error in judgment and she paid the price for her transgression. Unfortunately, it cost the university as well. </p>

<p>Such issues are not particular to Florida State, but every major sports program in Florida: FSU, UF, U Miami. All have the same sorts of problems. The schools compete for the same athletes who bring the same issues. “Rampant scandals” is a bit much, don’t you think? I suspect if you post the name of your school I could find a couple of sore points to discuss. If it is a major university and a major sports competitor there may well be more than a couple. The Internet tends to make holier than thou positions untenable.</p>

29

<p>

I think the OP summarized it well. Why can’t we celebrate the success of another public university in the “battle” of the elite students? Does it take away from the achievement that this public U is also a sports powerhouse? Not at all. IMHO, it adds, not the least by showing that our flagship state U can do two significant things at once! </p>

<p>To put this in perspective, take a look at this article by U. Mich: [url=<a href=“http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:Z7Snl_NO7pwJ:www.michigandaily.com/node/21332+michigan+“rhodes+scholar”&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us]The”>http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:Z7Snl_NO7pwJ:www.michigandaily.com/node/21332+michigan+“rhodes+scholar”&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us]The</a> real reason you didn’t win a Rhodes scholarship | The Michigan Daily<a href=“sorry%20about%20the%20cached%20link.%20%20The%20original%20is%20no%20longer%20available.”>/url</a></p>

<p>What I find sad about this discussion is the comparisons to other schools. For instance, is it fair to even compare a state U to an elite like Harvard? Or Brown? (fault the original quote for this!). I think not, given the differing missions of the two kinds of universities. </p>

<p>It is admirable that a state U can recruit and nurture such top talent. We can only hope some of the effort trickles down to the rest of the student body. For all I know, it may have already.</p>

30

<p>

</p>

<p>FSU is certainly worthy of respect for producing three Rhodes Scholars in the past four years. At the same time, Florida State also loses some credibility when it feels the need to spread inaccuracies about its academic reputation-first the claim that “every incoming freshman has a 4.0 and 1400” and now the claim that “no other public university can match us with Rhodes Scholars.” Two minor embellishments, but embellishments nonetheless. Why the need to spread such misinformation? Can’t they be proud of the way things actually are without tweaking or omitting stats to make them look better?</p>

31

<p>Cuse0507,</p>

<p>If you want to parse every inaccurate statement made in a U press release or by a U official, you’re welcome to do so. But to me, this press release is small potatoes. You want to look at whoppers? Just go listen to any adcom presentation by an Ivy where they tell you that (1) there’s no advantage to being an alum, just a light thumb on the scale, or (2) that their athletes get no boost, for a start.</p>

32

<p>Nonsense, Cuse. FSU’s president was corrected by a staffer in the same article. The boast could hardly be taken seriously if you read the article. Likewise, FSU did not say the could not be matched, but merely they have not been matched for the relevant time period.</p>

33

<p>Some worried parent is looking for validation. Cookie?</p>

34

<p>

</p>

<p>Exactly, and that claim is false. UNC produced more Rhodes Scholars in the mentioned time period than FSU did. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>My mistake, then.</p>

35

<p>What is your proof? The recipients must all come from the same school, not just the same system. While UNC has three recipients in the 2005 - 2009 period it is not clear they all came from the same university. Even if they did, that merely ties FSU.</p>

<p>See: <a href=“Office of the American Secretary | Office of the American Secretary”>http://www.rhodesscholar.org/scholars&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>and: <a href=“http://www.northcarolina.edu/[/url]”>http://www.northcarolina.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Unless you have some compelling information that is not apparent from these two websites it looks like all your allegations are false as well.</p>

36

<p>Is it a worthwhile accomplishment and one that FSU should be proud of and use in promotional materials. YES. Does it catapult FSU into the ranks of elite public universities? Absolutely NOT. All it shows is that FSU has been particularly good at selecting and mentoring a few students at the very top of the pyramid to compete in the Rhodes competition.</p>

<p>West Virginia has been good at this for decades and, I believe, ranks among the highest all-time public university producers of Rhodes Scholars. Has this resulted in WVU being included amongst the Berkeleys and Michigans of the world? Has it resulted in a top to bottom high caliber student body? Has it resulted in a world class faculty and election into the Association of American Universities? No. Like FSU, they’re nowhere near being admitted into the AAU and are still considered a third tier public.</p>

<p>Congrats to FSU for a nice accomplishment, but in the larger scheme of things, it’s ultimately a minor accomplishment.</p>

37

<p>

I provided links in a previous post (#21). UNC Chapel Hill has produced 4.</p>

<p>Although I certainly don’t mean to belittle FSU, I did wish to correct an untrue claim.</p>

38

<p>Looks like IB and I are on the same page. Nothing against FSU, just trying to make sure that people are given accurate information.</p>

39

<p>Oh I see - one won in the Canadian Rhodes competition. The competition would not be quite the same. FSU’s claim is still accurate.</p>

<p>Per US News FSU is the 48th best US public and 102 overall. That’s Tier One if you’re interested in such ratings.</p>

40

<p>This distinction has caused FSU to add “U.S.” to the claim. The FSU website now reads:

</p>

<p>See: [The</a> Florida State University](<a href=“Florida State University”>Florida State University)</p>