Hi again! I am new on College Confidential, but I have already posted (and gained some valuable feedback) about a few colleges in New York State. However, I was a geographically diverse college applicant, and decided that I might want some warmer weather and less snow/ice, so I applied to Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. I was very happy to learn that I was accepted, and was offered a fairly generous merit scholarship. I was curious what your thoughts/opinions were on Florida Southern College and what its reputation is down in sunny FL for elementary education. I was also offered the opportunity to apply for a Prestige Scholarship, but was inquisitive about the institution as a whole before I applied for a larger scholarship. I would appreciate any thoughts on Florida Southern College itself, the elementary education program, the school’s reputation in FL, and also Lakeland as a city. Thanks so much!!!
I visited last year. Gorgeous, resort-like campus. There seemed to be a lot of emphasis on business. New buildings going up. Students seemed happy.
Thanks for your reply!! Does anyone else have any thoughts on the college or the city of Lakeland? Your input is much appreciated, thanks!
I am from Lakeland (born and raised) and went to Florida Southern College. It is one of the most beautiful campuses due to the Frank Lloyd Wright architecture if you are into that kind of thing and the college is on Lake Hollingsworth which is one of the older upper class communities of Lakeland. FSC is highly respected in the community and there is a strong partnership with Publix among many other local businesses. I was a business major but from what I could tell, the education program was excellent. I remember growing up there were always interns at my public schools from the college.
Lakeland as a city is not very active. It is a family driven type of town. Downtown is nice and starting to get trendy but if you are from a large metropolitan area Lakeland will feel like a small town. The good news is that Tampa and Orlando are short drives away. Also, the beaches on either side are well within a 2 hour drive. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Wow, JJT1230, thanks so much for your lengthy and informative response. I really appreciate you taking the time to share all that information with me. I was just wondering, is there a lot if crime in Lakeland? I was reading some newspaper articles about the area and there seemed to be a lot of crime. Is this true? Also, can you tell me anything about the local school district (Polk County)? Again, thank you so much!! I really appreciate it.
Crime is not bad at all in Lakeland especially since it is a family oriented town. Like every other town, Lakeland has its less desirable areas but most people know to stay away from the bad parts of town. Crime tends to be only in certain areas of town. The school district is huge as there are multiple parts of Lakeland as well as Polk County in general. The county is a very large county. I can’t speak for Winter Haven, Bartow, Mulberry, etc., but the South Side of Lakeland tends to have newer and nicer schools (Valleyview for example) assuming that we are talking about elementary eduction. The Northside of town is growing rapidly as well but it is like a separate town as well. I am from the Southside of town and lots of nice neighborhoods and families that care about their kids eduction.
Thank you so much @JJT1230 for the valuable information. If I have any more questions, I’ll be sure to ask you since you seem to be very knowledgeable about the city of Lakeland and Florida Southern College. Thanks again!!
I am from snowy NY and attended Florida Southern College. This is the best decision you could ever make. The campus is beautiful, the teachers are amazing, & I built friendships that have lasted over 20 years.
Lakeland is beautiful. I only saw one seedy part, but that’s because I volunteered as a tutor in the projects. You are very close to Tampa and Orlando so you will have plenty to do in the way of beaches and amusements, but remember to focus on your studies and not get swept away by the beauty and fun alone. The organized yet optional structure of the school clubs, sports, & events from introduction to homecoming are wonderful!
You will feel so welcome that it’s not even as though you are far away from home. Even if you think you are not interested in Greek life, give it a shot and visit the houses anyway. Participating in that led to some of the best friendships of my life.
I hope this helps. Good luck in your journey.
Thank you @DJF88991 for your response! I’m glad to hear so much positive feedback about FSC and Lakeland. Thanks again!!
Actually, @DJF88991 if you don’t mind me asking, what was your major at Florida Southern College? I am interested in majoring in elementary education, and you stated that you volunteered as a tutor (did you major in education)?
One of my relatives was in a sorority at Florida Southern and she absolutely loved it. It was a great experience for her, and didn’t detract from her studies at all because she went on to go to medical school. At a tour there recently we learned that they have a new Friday night comedy club at the school. Between school activities and the admittedly smallish downtown there seems to be enough for students to do socially. Also they are very big on interships, they have a lot of connections.
Hi, I have also been accepted to FSC as a nursing major. I am from the northeast. Wondered how the nursing program is, was told students need to maintain 3.5 gpa! Any info about nursing?
Liked the nursing building but the FLW buildings seemed dated (srry). The newer modern buildings were nice.
Does anyone have information about which ones are the 'better" sororities? and when is rush? Interested in sorority life but at some schools it gets really competitive.
I did not major in education. I was a Biology major, then switched to business. Tutoring was just my volunteer interest. Thank you & good luck!
Thanks to everyone for responding!!