Hello, prospective FSU students! I’ve noticed a lot of people asking about the academic rigor and prestige of FSU versus other universities. As an Honors student, a Presidential Scholar, and an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) leader-in-training, I can offer a lot of information and answer questions about FSU academics and involvement. This is my attempt to break through FSU’s reputation as a lesser university and a party school, so please feel free to ask me anything. I study neuroscience and have two years of neurophysiological research experience in one of FSU’s many labs, so I can tell you pretty much anything about our psych program, our bio program, and the research opportunities available around campus. I can also answer any questions about the Honors Program, Presidential Scholars, UROP, fellowship opportunities and awards through the Office of National Fellows (e.g. Rhodes Scholarship, Fulbright Fellowship, etc.), and Study Abroad, as well as some questions about the CARE Program, Honors Medical Scholars, Honors Legal Scholars, Service Scholars, Global Scholars, financial aid, living situations, meal plans, getting involved etc.
I hope some of you find this thread helpful!
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Anyone is free to ask or answer questions in this thread.
As a potential honors student who is a bit on the introverted side and not a huge partier, are there any students who are more studious and not just huge parties? I don’t plan to rush, so I’m worried that the huge Greek prescence will put a damper on my social life as a non-Greek.
Also, as an honors student, if I were accepted, I would live in Landis. As an honors student and Presidential scholar, do you live in Landis? If so, how social of a dorm is it? Is it overall a noisy dorm or is it pretty quiet and relaxed, being the honors dorm?
Finally, given that you are a Presidential Scholar and honors student, what were your test scores and GPA? I hear admittance to the honors program has become heavily competitive. I have a 3.83 UW GPA and 4.45 W (however FSU recalculates; this was just on my transcript), and am a National Merit semifinalist (hoping to become a finalist in a few weeks) and have a 2260 SAT score (not superstored). Would this make me a competitive applicant for the Presidential Scholars program, provided I proved good responses on the application?
I really love FSU and toured the school in early October, and visited the Honors, Scholars and Fellows House. Both my parents attended FSU, and really want me to go there, but I’m still worried that it’s more of a haven for partying Greeks than studious intellectuals, and that UF has more studious, intelligent students (still quite the pernicious stereotype, but is it really true?). Help me get over my perception of this university as the school for UF rejects (I don’t hate the school, I’m a huge Seminole football fan, not a Gator lover). Pleas prove me wrong!!!
I’m definitely introverted too, so I completely understand your concerns. We’re all heard the stereotype that FSU is full of partiers who only go there because they were rejected from UF. I can assure you this is utter nonsense. There are tons and tons of very serious, studious students who aren’t particularly into partying. Even though there is a large Greek presence on campus, it’s nothing that would affect your social life. I ended up making more friends at FSU than I did my entire high school career.
Presidential Scholars are required to live in Landis their first year in order to ensure a smooth transition into college life. Landis, being the Honors dorm, has pretty strict quiet hours and is not a noisy dorm. I had no issues with noise when I lived there, and even if you do, people are generally really respectful if you ask them to quiet down. A lot of studying usually goes on in the common areas.
With your scores, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. The Presidential Scholars Program, while an academic, merit-based scholarship, looks for far more than just your testing scores and GPA. We give a very thorough look into who you are as an individual, what passions drive you, and your commitment to giving back to the community. It’s a highly competitive scholarship (there were ~700 applicants last year, 100 were selected to come back for interviews, and 26 were awarded the scholarship) that looks for individuals who stand out from everyone else with comparable testing scores.
I was accepted to UF and rejected their offer–a common story you hear from FSU Honors students. FSU is a diverse campus that offers havens for both partiers and bookworms, as well as the people who fall somewhere in between. You just have to make the decisions to surround yourself with the right people. FSU is not any less rigorous than UF, and the stereotype is simply just that–a false stereotype. FSU has produced three Rhodes Scholars (one of the most competitive academic scholarships in the world that awards full tuition and acceptance to Oxford for a PhD) since 2006 (the most out of any Florida university, to my knowledge), as well as countless other international awards and fellowships. Go to FSU’s Office of National Fellows website for more information about awards won by our students this past year. FSU has countless resources to help you become the best human being you can possibly be.
If you love FSU, reject the blatantly false stereotype people put on us Noles and help our school prove them wrong. Best of luck with Honors and Presidential Scholars applications, and in making the school choice that is right for YOU and only YOU (not what anyone else thinks).
Can you explain what the couple of days on campus for the Presidential Scholars weekend was like? I’m applying for it and almost have my essays finished. I have a 3.93 GPA and 33 ACT, and I think these essays are some of the best I’ve written. I’m really hoping I get an interview or at least into the general honors program.
My D is only a high school junior, but it looks like it may come down to a decision between FSU and UF for her.
She should have that stats for the Honors program and it is definitely something she would be interested in pursuing. The UROP however, is what really got her attention as she is interested in grad school. The admittance criteria for the UROP does not seem to be defined. How selective is the program? Was is the admission criteria? Is the best course to follow for those that need research experience for grad school?
For any Florida national merit semifinalists (and soon to be finalists, if you don’t get a rejection letter sometime in January), the FL legislature guarantees full COA to FSU (anything Bright Futures doesn’t cover), among a few other state universities in FL. If I happened to be named a finalist, do you think FSU would let me stack my scholarships? @obocks Do you have any idea of their general policies toward stacking scholarship $$? I received their University Freshman Scholarship ($1200/semester), so I was thinking, if I attended, I could put that stipend toward the cost of the dorm and meal plan that the NMF scholarship doesn’t cover. This scholarship is funded by the FL legislature and only began for the incoming class in fall 2014, so it’s relatively unknown.
On another note, I know that you must purchase a meal plan if you live in certain dorms, including Landis. What have you done concerning the meal plan, having lived in a dorm that required a meal plan? Did you get tired of the food in the dining halls, and was it worth the money? Any advice would be greatly appreciated
The interview weekend for the Presidential Scholarship is always the highlight of my year! When I went through it, it was SO nerve-wracking, but it was also the first year they offered the scholarship, so they were still working out the kinks. Everyone always seems to have a really fun time! I don’t want to give away any of the details of the itinerary, but you basically get treated like a VIP while you’re on campus in addition to the formal interview. Good luck with your application! With your scores, I don’t think you would have a problem getting into Honors.
@obocks Thank you! Would you say that the best way to get an interviews is through the essays or do scores and extracurriculars also play equal weight?
UROP is one of the best programs FSU offers, in my opinion! It gives students a comprehensive introduction to research, and is a great thing to have on your resume when applying to grad school. UROP is selective, but definitely less competitive than scholarship programs. I’m not entirely sure about the application process for UROP because I was automatically admitted through my Presidential Scholarship; however, I do know that it’s not a difficult application and just wants to screen in the students who are truly interested in research. Quite a few students are admitted to UROP each year. There are many talks about expanding UROP to include even more students, so I doubt your daughter will have a problem with being admitted as long as her scores and essays are strong, and her interest is clear.
Congratulations on your accomplishment! To the best of my knowledge, I believe that FSU allows you to keep any and all scholarships and financial aid that you have earned. That is definitely a question for financial aid though, because I don’t want to give you any incorrect information! I know that from all of my scholarships, I get a substantial amount refunded to me at the end of each semester that covers just about my entire cost of rent, so I’d imagine that you’d be allowed to keep something you worked so hard to earn. Any refunded financial aid is deposited directly into your bank account, so you can use it to put towards other costs like room/board and meal plans.
There wasn’t a huge difference in cost between the minimum meal plan needed to still live in Landis and the unlimited, so I went with the unlimited meal plan (meaning unlimited access to both buffet-style dining halls) with the VIP program. The VIP program allows you one $6 (if I’m not mistaken about the amount) swipe per day at select vendors around campus. The dining halls were certainly convenient to pop in and grab a meal at any point during the day; that being said, as a very health-conscious person, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the food. It usually tasted decent, but I felt that they never served enough protein and were lacking in healthier choices. It’s not the best food situation and it’s irritatingly expensive, though it’s certainly manageable and I avoided the dreaded freshman fifteen. The food wasn’t a deal breaker for me. If you have any dietary restrictions or allergies, you can talk to the manager and they will accommodate you. There is always a vegetarian station, and generally a few gluten-free options available.
The Presidential Scholarship selects applicants for interviews holistically. We are interested in who you are as a person and how you think, rather than just the sum of your parts. I hope that makes sense! Since it’s an intensive program, and not just a scholarship that shows up in your account that you just forget about, the selection process is complex. I know it sounds lame, but just be yourself! We want to get to know you through your application. Have cool extracurriculars and ideas that you want to be known? Make it obvious in your application how they give insight into who you are. Good luck!
Let me go ahead and say thank you for taking the time to do this it will really help a lot of potential students make a decision.
There seems to be a large stigma that ACT scores and GPA can lead to a full ride at FSU. However, after being accepted I simply don’t see how this could be possible. Just a basic background 33 ACT and 4.5 GPA. I was offered a freshman admission scholarship and am currently applying for the presidential and the service scholar. However, even assuming all of that works out there is still a large expense to be paid for attendance. Do more scholarships come later, can financial aid negate the costs? I’m mainly asking if there is more beyond what I know and could I achieve it.
You’re welcome! It’s my pleasure, and my goal is to help prospective students see beyond FSU’s stereotypes. If I help one student make a more informed decision, I’ll be happy.
FSU does not provide any full scholarships based solely on merit–only need-based and for athletics. Between my FAFSA, Bright Futures, University Freshman Scholarship, Presidential Scholarship, AND Florida Pre-Paid, I have everything covered and receive a nice sum back each semester to cover my rent. The highest merit-based scholarships offered by FSU are through Presidential Scholars (which also awards a $12,000 supplement than can even be applied to study abroad–if it’s something you’re interested in, it’s a HUGE help. I wouldn’t have been able to go abroad without it.) and Service Scholars. There are other FSU Foundation scholarships for which you may be eligible, but again, these are primarily need-based. You will be automatically considered for these scholarships based on acceptance to FSU. FSU accepts any other private scholarships you have been awarded–take advantage of this.
I’m very fortunate that finances for undergrad were not something I had to be concerned about, and the Presidential Scholarship played a major role in that. If I didn’t have Florida Pre-Paid for my tuition and first year of room/board, I believe I would’ve found the financial situation rather difficult; my family is in that awkward middle-class position of making too much money to be considered for need-based scholarships, and yet not enough where college for myself and my siblings is affordable. I have several friends who did not have Pre-Paid and have taken out student loans to cover expenses. If you are coming in with IB/AP/DE credits, these significantly help your pocket. You might even be able to graduate a year early to really save money.
I hope this information is helpful! For more information or to fact-check anything I’ve written here (everything written here is my personal opinion, and is based on my own experiences and varying levels of knowledge of different FSU-related topics–I wouldn’t consider myself a financial aid guru), please visit FSU’s Office of Financial Aid website. College is notoriously pricey, but FSU has a very good return on investment if you work hard and take advantage of school resources.
We are visiting next week. My daughter has been accepted to FSU, and is applying for Honors. She is entering industrial engineering. She has also applied to Va. Tech and UF. As parents, we are concerned about the difference in program rankings, particularly with Va. Tech. Can you comment? Anything specific you would recommend for our visit?
Congratulations on your daughter’s acceptance! I unfortunately don’t know much about FSU’s industrial engineering major (I have a few friends doing chemical engineering who absolutely love it) or the engineering program in general, so I’m probably not the best person to ask about specifics. FSU’s College of Engineering is at an off-campus location, with bus service running back and forth from the main campus. Something to keep in mind is that FSU’s engineering program is absolutely no joke: it’s very difficult and competitive, and produces highly skilled graduates. We also have the MagLab in Tallahassee (I don’t know if this pertains to your daughter’s interests), which is the largest and highest powered magnet laboratory in the world. One of my best friends has been doing research in there and loves it.
Program rankings are definitely more important for selecting a graduate school rather than undergraduate. The truth of the matter is that nobody was ever denied a job offer because they chose to go to a public state university. Where you go for undergraduate doesn’t matter; it’s what you accomplish there. I can’t speak for the quality of the education at any of the three universities you mentioned, but FSU is different because it has countless resources for students to take advantage of. FSU has a fabulous program called the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program that, if your daughter were to apply and be accepted into the program, she would be able to conduct engineering research under a distinguished professor, with opportunities for giving conference presentations, publishing papers, and winning research grants. I don’t know what kinds of programs Va. Tech or UF offer, but UROP is a relatively unique program not offered by most universities. Graduate programs and employers are going to base their decisions off of far more than just the university’s name on her degree. She’ll have to do more than just go to class and finish her homework if she wants to stand out among her equally-capable classmates. Which university affords her the best opportunities to do so?
A lot goes into selecting a university, far more than just the ranking. If your daughter loves everything else a university has to offer and the price is right, then that’s the right choice for her. I hope you enjoy your visit! Make sure you stop by the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows house for more information about the countless opportunities FSU has to offer.
Thank you so much for the advice. We weren’t up to speed on the UROP program. Do you think that perhaps it’s a lot to take on for a freshman engineering student?
Of course! I completely understand your concerns. Everyone wants to make the best decision for their child’s future.
No, it’s definitely manageable, even with the engineering classes. UROP Colloquium meets once every two weeks, and students arrange their own schedules with their research professors, spending 5-10 hours a week in the lab of their choice. My engineering friends also participated in UROP their freshman year and never once found the work overwhelming. If you’re still concerned that it might be too much for her to take on, she can always apply to participate in UROP her sophomore year.
One of my friends did chemical engineering research under Dr. Steve Acquah, director of the Sir Harold Kroto Legacy Research Group and colleague of Noble Laureate and FSU professor Sir Kroto. When my friend–a freshman at the time–presented his research at the Spring Research Symposium, his poster had Sir Kroto’s official laboratory seal on it. Pretty neat stuff, right? It’s unfortunate that stories like this get buried underneath the stories about football and partying.
As for the College of Engineering being off-campus, that has never been something that has affected me since I do not study engineering. I would believe that it can sometimes be inconvenient for students who do not bring a car their freshman year, but it’s not a huge complaint from what I’ve heard. There is regular bus service to and from the College of Engineering and the main FSU campus, and most students are always down to carpool. This is definitely a question worth asking during your visit to see how current engineering majors feel about it, and whether or not it impacts your daughter’s feelings about FSU being an option for her.
