<p>After rereading this thread (and it is old) I suppose we should point out Florida State University was rated a “Budget Ivy” by the Fiske Guide in 2010: </p>
My daughter could have picked either and chose FSU because it’s listed as one of the universities that’s good for creative people. UF’s has a good creative writing program but didn’t have one of the top film schools in the country, even if she was only going to minor in it.</p>
<p>CollegeData.com rates FSU as moderately difficult to get into.</p>
<p>FSU isn’t difficult to get into. However, UF isn’t that difficult either. Realistically, they’re state schools, and the majority of kids that attend these schools are of state-school-attending caliber (that’s right, I had a girl in my math class w a 25 ACT…blasphemous in CC world). Creative arts depts are stronger at FSU, science and engineering can’t be beat at UF…this is the common knowledge. Visit both campuses and see which one you’d like better.
I thought Tallahassee was too cramped so I decided against FSU. Gainesville is more spread out and cleaner in my opinion…a definite college town.
You will succeed wherever you go if you fully apply yourself academically and choose a path which catalyzes personal growth.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Pulling up research that is happening at FSU doesn’t make it better than research I could pull up from UF, or any other school that matter. The success of the research is hardly determined by the school it’s conducted under. The schools only significant contribution is the funding, any credit for admirable work should be given to the researchers themselves. Anyone from either school is going to argue that their alma matter is superior, or at least reputable. If you ask most people, I’m sure their first instinct is that UF has a better science program, and FSU has better arts. The fact of the matter is that neither of these perceptions matter. I know that both schools have successful programs in each of these areas and it is the student who trail blazes their own path. If you study and have half a brain you can be successful in any program at either school. Just put the argument to rest, if next year’s applicants are still having trouble deciding where to matriculate, then the most beneficial thing to do is visit both campuses and more importantly try and schedule appointments to delve further into your specific department of interest so you can make an educated decision rather than take advice from biased graduates/students.</p>
<p>And to clarify there is nothing wrong with being biased, I know I certainly will be when I graduate, because everyone should be proud of their roots. I just don’t believe that there is a one size fits all solution for a problem as specialized as where to pursue a higher education. Each person should experience both institutions to decide which one fits them best.</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, it is indicative of how little people know of the history of Florida State and Florida to presume UF has better sciences than Florida State.</p>
<p>Central to understanding the schools is that FSU is more liberal arts oriented, which INCLUDES mathematics and the sciences. UF is one of two state agriculture schools (FAMU is the other) and is somewhat more applied science oriented. </p>
<p>For example, likely the most remarkable chemical process to come from ANY Florida university EVER was the synthetic process allowing commercial-scale production for [Taxol[/url</a>], the anti-cancer medicine which was originally extracted from Pacific Yew trees. The tree process was too expensive and incapable of meeting demand for the drug, so intensive and extensive competitive research was undertaken to synthesize the drug, a race, as it were. The race ended when FSU chemistry researcher Robert Holton figured out a successful process first. Last time I checked Taxol paid more royalties to FSU than any other single patent earned for any other Florida university - ever. This includes what UF earned from the sports drink Gatorade. See: <a href=“http://www.nature.com/bioent/2003/030101/fig_tab/nbt0901-881_T1.html[/url]”>http://www.nature.com/bioent/2003/030101/fig_tab/nbt0901-881_T1.html](<a href=“http://www.rinr.fsu.edu/fall2002/taxol.html]Taxol[/url”>http://www.rinr.fsu.edu/fall2002/taxol.html)</a></p>
<p>Another example, in physics, is where FSU in the main, with UF in a secondary role joined to win the National High Magnetic Field Lab from MIT and other schools. The Lab, the only National Laboratory to my knowledge in all of Florida, is at FSU.</p>
<p>A third example is more general, but still involves the Arts and Sciences and represents probably one of the first national, objective, assessments of academic quality at universities… FSU earned the first chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in Florida in 1935. PBK chapters are earned by about 10% of all universities in the US. UF did not earn a chapter until 1938.</p>
<p>These two schools are the heart and soul of higher education in Florida. They are the flagship universities of Florida, they are the originals. Students would do well to be accepted to and graduate from either.</p>
<p>I’ve attended graduate school at both FSU and UF. I graduated from FSU and am now a UF graduate student continuing my research. Both schools are very difficult in science. I’ve spent a lot of time in the FSU Dirac Science Library for advanced chemistry courses, and they were hard. I am studying applied science at UF, which is very strong in Gainesville. </p>
<p>My FSU graduate degree helped me get a great job. I could have just kept working. But I wanted to continue my research. So I’m at UF right now, which I enjoy.</p>
<p>In regards to social life, Gainesville and Tallahassee are somewhat similar. The population size is about the same, and both are generally “southern towns” - mostly southerners with a Protestant background like the map shows in this link.
[Bible</a> Belt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Belt]Bible”>Bible Belt - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>I think traditional Catholics and Mormons may not be happy with Gainesville and Tallahassee because of the mostly Protestant emphasis. But I am a moderate and don’t really mind at all. Southern belles are great - LOL. I had a “southern” girlfriend at FSU.</p>
<p>Both choices are good & both schools are competent. Forget u.s. News. With states that offer 2 flagships (aka: Something university or something state university) this general means one school is the academic flagship & one is more regionally based to admit students who want to stay in state. Neither choice here is going to degrade you. If you have the marks, then uflorida is the better of the two. Of course then it comes down to football.</p>
<p>I saw a thread on CC yesterday saying that UF was highly ranked in the “beautiful campus” department, but when I visited recently, I didn’t think it was that nice. To me, it looked like a big unorganized unwieldly sprawl.</p>
<p>And I would think that Gainesville would quickly become a very boring town to go to school, except for the partying and football. </p>
<p>If my son gets into UF, I would likely go because of financial reasons, but I agree with the other postings that Miami would be the better choice for a kid who wants to go to school in Florida, if money were not an issue. He WANTS to go to UF, but I honestly don’t think he would be a good fit, because he has zero interest in football, and is not a party type. </p>
<p>Also, I have found some people my age (50+) who went to UF to be rather arrogant and very impressed with themselves. They strut like they went to Harvard or something. For example, I went to Georgetown Law School, and the UF educated lawyers I have come across act like I went to Podunk Law School. These people were invariably “southerners”.
(Florida, for all its New Yorkers, is still a southern state) </p>
<p>I don’t know much about FSU. Perhaps the same would apply there too.</p>
<p>No one cares about these two schools. I thought this forum was intended for a discussion of elite school, not two run of the mill public schools.</p>
<p>What a jerky thing to say. Do you think you are impressing people by your arrogance? This is a college board. Posters are free to discuss the merits of UF and FSU to their heart’s content. They serve the needs of some students, and those students aren’t any less important because they aren’t Ivy-bound.</p>
<p>I sincerely hope your SN isn’t reflecting association with Haverford, which is a school I have a lot of respect for.</p>
<p>Let me just say that I am in the Honors program at UF and the Honors dorms here are exactly the same as the ones at FSU. Actually, they are called suites, and on average, UF dorms are bigger than the ones at FSU. The average FSU dorm is REALLY small. I have many friends who have complained about their size. As an Honors student, I get to register early as well–I’m sure that is typical of Honors programs across the nation. FSU is a great school though and congrats to your daughter!</p>
<p>Because apparently you searched for this thread and resurrected an old, irrelevant thread. If this topic interests you, you should start a new thread.</p>
<p>I have lived in Gainesville, Florida (where UF is) for 5 years and I have to say, it is the perfect college town.</p>
<p>You should know that by posting this thread, there is tons of bias because well UF and FSU rivalry…and UF is way better.</p>
<p>But from my own experience as a regular kid living in Gainesville, it really is awesome. Gainesville is a small town so it’s really peaceful and you get to know literally EVERYONE and it creates a HUGE WARM community. </p>
<p>Sports: UF destroys FSU in every sport. PERIOD</p>
<p>You said yourself that UF is ranked around 50 while FSU is ranked around 100. Even though rankings are not everything, there is a reason for the huge gap between 50 and 100. You even said yourself that UF is ranked 15 in your business interest. 15 is not bad AT ALL…its really good.</p>
<p>UF campus is really big and very nice. It provides the perfect college experience and is the PERFECT college town. Just outside the campus, there are tons of areas with restaurants, cafes, hardware stores, BEST BUY, OLIVE GARDEN, etc. It’s beautiful.</p>
I had a “southern” girlfriend at FSU.</p>