<p>FIU is a really good school. I enjoyed my time there tremendously and the academic quality rivals the best schools in the country. Some people will think I'm crazy for saying that but they probably haven't attended any other college. FIU is young but has earned about as many accolades as possible in such a short time period. The people of Miami need to wake up and support their largest university. The only things lacking in quality are the attitudes of some of the students.</p>
<p>I am attending FIU now and finally someone on here stated what I know is true. I am not sure about best schools in the country but I am sure it could rival the schools in Florida. I can promise you if we had a high powered football team people would think more highly of FIU academics.</p>
<p>Football has a lot to do with the perception of quality, especially in the south. I'm currently attending college at a flagship university in California and the quality of the professors, classes, etc is the same as that at FIU. The only difference is that the students work harder in general and have much more school pride here. </p>
<p>If you mention FIU to someone from outside of Florida and outside of the academic realm, they'll probably have a blank stare on their face. What's sad is that you'll sometimes get that same blank look if you mention the University of Chicago. That's why colleges spend so much on sports...national championships=academic quality to a majority of the people out there. OTOH, what really matters the most is that you make the best of the education you're receiving. You can get a bad education from Harvard but a great one at FIU. It all depends on how much effort you put into it, IMO.</p>
<p>Sorry for the rant, but I get sick and tired of all these elitists put FIU down like it's some joke school. These are most likely the same people who never attended the school, never truly accepted it, or like to complain about things like long lines and parking spaces that are too far away from their classroom. News flash: Other urban universities that are highly regarded make you write an essay about why you need a parking space on campus and then charge you over $500 a year to get one, instead of ~$54. Oh yeah, and they don't have those nice covered walkways to keep you dry as you struggle to walk 100 yards, on flat terrain, to the nearest lecture hall. I guess people will always find something to complain about, just like I'm doing right now!</p>