<p>We just got back home from an overnight trip to Tallahassee to see FSU. We arrived there about 5pm yesterday and took a quick drive through the campus. One side of the campus is bordered by a not-so-nice area that was very run down and my son started to complain. We went and had dinner and went to bed early so we could return in the morning for our official tour.</p>
<p>There was a light fog hanging over the campus and against the live oaks and brick buildings - it looked almost magical. While we were waiting for our tour to begin - we took a few minutes to go inside Doak Campbell stadium (I'm a huge football fan so that was very special for me) and it's a great stadium. The brick exterior is just beautiful.</p>
<p>The tour led us past the football and baseball stadiums and the Leach gym. We wandered through beautiful gothic brick buildings and a live oak canopy over a walkway. We went inside the Suwanee Room and yes, it looked a lot like Hogwarts (LOL). We saw a sample dorm room, looked over Landis Green and my son could see the dorm that he had selected as his first choice - Deviney. We ended up in front of the Westcott building with the large fountain outside and then took a bus back to the stadium. </p>
<p>He was down to choosing between FSU and UCF and toured UCF a couple of months ago. He liked it but I did not sense the enthusiasm that I had expected. So when we returned to the football stadium at FSU, I asked him what he thought and he said "I LOVE IT!!". Sold!! We stopped by the FSU store and bought a license plate holder (house divided FSU/UF) since my oldest son is at UF, a couple T-shirts and a FSU sticker for my sons car. I so wish that my oldest son had wanted to see FSU - he likes UF but I can tell you that I love the FSU campus more and I wish that he had been more open to FSU. It's contained, easy to get around, the bus system is easy to use and it just feels right. It is, by far, the prettiest campus I have seen anywhere. I can't wait for my son to move in and get on with the next phase of his life. It's very exciting!</p>
<p>FSU was third on my son’s list after Clemson and UF…until he visited FSU. When it’s right, it’s right. He absolutely loved his first semester and has no regrets whatsoever about his decision. Everyone that we have come in contact with at the university, both before accepting and after admission, has been first rate.</p>
<p>my daughter just finished her first semester at FSU and is absolutely in love with her school!!! She is coming down from Buffalo, NY where, as everyone knows, our winters are brutal!!! She loves everything about FSU! and so do we!! We came down and went to a football game during Parent Weekend~that was really exciting! The campus is beautiful! and what struck me the most, is the genuine friendless seen everywhere on campus! My daughter very well her first semester–4 A’s, and one B+~missed a 4.0 by 2tenths of a point! She lives at Landis now, but will be moving off-campus next year. Landis is a nice dorm, but having to pay for the meal plan, is not worth it for her. She does not like the dining hall food at all~she ended up only using 50% of her meal allowance last semester, and we were still forced to buy the meal plan for spring semester. Other than the meal plan, we are all so very pleased with FSU~GO NOLES!!!</p>
<p>@mdkskj - glad to hear that your daughter is very happy at FSU and doing so well. There was a college review site that had a lot of negative things to say but after seeing the school, I could not imagine all of the negativity. Strange. I’m from the northeast but have lived in Florida for 11 years and I love the southern feeling of the school.</p>
<p>My son is going to get a meal plan anyway because he it a big eater since he is athletic. He too may get sick of the food but we’ll see. His 1st and 2nd choice in dorms do not require one.</p>
<p>After years of looking into this phenomenon I have concluded much of the negative data ever posted about Florida State University comes from the UF camp. Not so much by actual UF graduates, but more by UF wannabees and fans. </p>
<p>Never underestimate the FSU-UF rivalry, kept alive in this realm by UF fan insecurity. Very seldom does it seem to go the other way.</p>
<p>Amazing, but more fact than fiction. Keep an eye out and judge for yourself.</p>
<p>yes parent. most of the negativity is from the UF fans (not necessarily alumni, as you said - they’re actually nicer) but most of the UF hate is actually from all around.</p>
<p>cliffs-
everyone hates UF
everyone but UF loves FSU</p>
<p>JenaS62-
Thanks for your review and if I could ask a question -
Realizing that the campus is very nice, what about the surrounding area /
and the surrounding community ? How bad really is it ? The area surrounding UF on all four sides appears very average, but safe and which area are you referring to as run-down ?</p>
<p>@ what parent2noles said, I’ve noticed that negativity quite a LOT when I first started to think about FSU. Particularly coming from either, UF fans, UF students, UF associated (mom, dad, sister, bro blah blah blah went to UF) it was really disgusting to hear that, and I definitely didn’t want to be part of that. (even though I got accepted to UF, I declined)</p>
<p>It is a real bias. Since UF had the main journalism school (the other is at FAMU) they have the ear of the media and the media bias towards UF and to minimize FSU news is incredible.</p>
<p>@daviddj - the bad area appeared to only be on one side of the campus from what I could tell. One side is attached to a downtown area where the state capital building is and many of the fraternity and sororities are located. Maybe someone who has spent more time on the campus could give you more info as I only drove through. I will say though that I would not walk through the one side after dark.</p>
<p>Which corner of campus are you talking about? If it’s where I believe (the area adjacent to the FSU soccer practice fields… sort of the area that’s south to southeast of Wildwood/that area), then yeah, that area is pretty bad. Once you get about two blocks from that edge of campus, it’s pretty run-down looking.
That worries me, since the new parking garage being built almost borders this area, and although it is very close to Wildwood/Ragans/Traditions it’s still a very unwelcoming location.</p>