<p>I’m going to major in mechanical engineering and I’m really lost on what to do. I was set on UF
for a while, but I’m second guessing myself.</p>
<p>UF:
Supposedly the best school for my major between these three schools
More prestigious
Liked the campus and the city. After I visited, I was really excited about college.
I’m waiting for honors colloege
Waiting for financial Aid info/scholarships (if any)
Dorms are pretty crappy, my main issue is communal bath so I’m gonna try to get into the apartment style.</p>
<p>FSU:
Although UF is ranked higher for engineering, FSU is top STEM school in FL and it has a seperate
campus for engineering
Research Opportunities for undergrad
Got into Honors College
Received $2,400 a year scholarhship
Waiting on Financial Aid package info
Love that I would still be in FL but as far away from home as possible
I don’t know much about their dorms, but they seem a bit more decent than UF.</p>
<p>USF:
Good engineering program
Would go basically for free
TOO CLOSE TO HOME. Literally my main reason for not wanting to go here.
Provost program where I could get my bachelor’s in 3 years instead of 4, but it would probably
be less because I already have at least one year of college credits done.
Great school, but is known for accepting almost anyone and not to sound snotty, but it would
bother me to be sitting next to someone in class who slacked off in high school while i tried
my hardest yet we end up in the same place.
Nicer/newer dorms</p>
<p>I just really need some input. The FSU student I talked on the phone with told me that between
UF and FSU, I really couldn’t make a wrong choice because I would have great opportunities at both.
I’m just barely considering USF. How close it is to home is such a deal breaker, but free college sounds
amazing. I’m hoping I get a lot of money from FSU and UF because then I could knock USF back off the list, but I feel like UF may not be too generous and that was originally my first choice school. </p>
<p>Where to start…where to start…Lets go by through it by school.</p>
<p>UF:
It does have the best ME program in the state, but you can succeed at any ABET accredited program (which all three are).
It is more “prestigious” for engineering, especially in the state of Florida. However, the ABET accreditation process reduces the need for “prestigious” school when it’s time to get a job. So, it’s a plus but not a deal maker by itself.
Merit scholarships started to come out last Thursday, so you’ll know in a few days.
Communal baths are not that bad, and you will pay extra for the “apartment” style. At UF it would be the difference between $2,484 a semester for a typical dorm, vs… $3,352+ for the honor dorm(Hume).
UF engineering has far more “research” opportunities than FSU. However, you don’t need 20 choices, just one will work. :)</p>
<p>FSU:
FSU’s engineering program is fairly weak, as compared to UF (or even UCF and USF), If you’re interested in Physics or Chemistry, then FSU can be viewed as strong in “STEM”, but not if you’re planning on majoring in engineering. You can succeed (see above), but the engineering programs are not yet comparable.
All three schools have research opportunities, FSU comes in second between the three schools (but most of it’s research funding is in ME!). The below link will total higher education R&D expenditures in engineering.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf13325/pdf/tab29.pdf”>http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf13325/pdf/tab29.pdf</a></p>
<p>Honors college is a plus, but make sure you understand how these programs work.
Scholarship $? BIG PLUS! 
FSU dorms have more options for private baths (which will cost extra $$), but keep in mind that several “residence halls” are only available for returners. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.housing.fsu.edu/Quicklinks/Residence-Hall-Rental-Rates”>http://www.housing.fsu.edu/Quicklinks/Residence-Hall-Rental-Rates</a></p>
<p>USF:
Free? that’s hard to beat.
Would you be living at home or staying on campus? And will you have a meal plan or be eating on campus? If so, I think you’ll find that USF will seem “farther” from home than you think.
I also think you’ll find the other students in your engineering classes will not be the “slackers” from high school. Calc and Chemistry will filter those out fairly quickly.
Finally, sometimes it’s a good thing to be a big fish in a small pond.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply @Gator88NE ! 
and at usf, I would be living on campus. I live close but about 30-45min drive which I wouldn’t want to commute every day to go to class. Also considering I don’t have a car lol. I’m not exactly sure if I would get a meal plan or not. </p>
<p>Do the research opportunities at UF include undergrads? I know a lot of schools mainly have these opportunities for grads. I also was going to do Beaty Hall because it’s only $200 more a semester and it’s right next to the typical freshman dorms that I would have ended up in (Broward and Jennings areas).</p>
<p>Btw thanks for the unbiased answer, being a gator and all! Lol</p>
<p>NP :)</p>
<p>All three schools offer undergrad research, but you have to make an effort to get into it! Please read the attached link. Even though this is for UF “honors”, it applies to any UF student and the general advise works for any college. The key is ** “approaching faculty”**; you have to be proactive in approaching faculty about research opportunities. You do NOT need to be an honors student at any of these universities to do undergrad research. It’s open to all students. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.honors.ufl.edu/Research.aspx”>http://www.honors.ufl.edu/Research.aspx</a></p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Well now another factor came into play…I was rejected by the uf honors college, unfortunately. So now uf is the only school I wouldn’t be an honors student at. </p>
<p>Everyone one at UF was/is an “honor” student. :)</p>
<p>At UF, it’s a nice to have, but it’s hardly required (especially for engineering). You still will have access to research, etc. It’s really up to you to take advantage of it…</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s true! I also visited FSU over the weekend and the school is absolutely amazing. They do a great job taking care of the campus. I visited the college of engineering, which is shared with FAMU. It was a Saturday so there was no one there to talk to, but I wasn’t that impressed by it. The building was nice and all, but it was smaller than I expected, especially when it is shared between two schools. It was kind of obvious that engineering isn’t that schools best feature, but I was told by a student there that they just received a ton of funding for engineering this upcoming year. I think I could definitely still do well in FSU’s engineering program and still be able to land a job with a degree from this school. I know that UF is one of the top 15 schools businesses consider for hiring engineers, which makes it that much more attractive. I think at this point it may be difficult to make my absolute final decision until I receive my financial aid information. FSU and UF are pretty late with that.</p>
<p>The financial aspect is definitely the biggest thing here. Generally the order for this would be UF, FSU, and then USF.</p>
<p>Do you want to live in FL long-term or do you want to perhaps do grad school out of state? Think about the different options you may consider. If you want to stay in FL, I’d normally say go to UF just to mildly differentiate yourself from the local candidates in whatever city you are in. For example, a UF grad generally favors better against a USF grad in Tampa. But, UF is not free anymore and tuition is increasing 16% per year. Once I left the state, I realized everyone else in the country viewed all the schools as basically the same thing (UF = FSU = UM = USF). </p>
<p>USF is emerging with great opportunities and the engineering program is locally respected. I understand not wanting to be near home but don’t automatically discount it. I know plenty of people from Tampa who went to USF and lived a very college-centric life (parents weren’t intrusive).</p>
<p>While we are made to believe there is a magical gap between UF and FSU, they are basically the same thing. The UF honors program is not a big deal, don’t worry about that (I was in it). I don’t think UF is worth $30K more than USF or $15K more than FSU. See what aid you get and how the numbers fall.</p>
<p>I have to disagree, there is a significant gap between FSU and UF in engineering. In fact, the engineering programs go UF > USF > FSU. </p>
<p>UF has better engineering faculty, a better faculty to undergrad student ratio, spends more on each student, does more (a lot more) research, has better facilities and better job placement (for engineers) resources. None of these things matter to Joe Sixpack in Kansas, who can’t tell UF from FSU, but they will to you while attending school (and they will to recruiters when you apply for your first job out of college).</p>
<p>Now, once you get your first job, where you went to school will not matter as much as what skills and knowledge you have earned. So, in the long term, you can succeed at FSU/FAMU (or any ABET accredited program), but that doesn’t mean all programs are equal. :)</p>
<p>Now, with all that being said, you really, really want to avoid/limit debt, so the financials do matter. If, for example, you got your BS from USF in three years, then go to UF (or USF) for your masters degree, you will save one years worth of cost (about $18-20K, including room and board). Same goes for the “Combined BS/Masters program (4/1)” program at UF, that would earn you your BS and Masters in 5 years.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.mae.ufl.edu/undergraduate/Undergrad_DegreePrograms.aspx”>http://www.mae.ufl.edu/undergraduate/Undergrad_DegreePrograms.aspx</a></p>
<p>Saving a year is worth more than the scholarships. Sometimes you do have to go to the program that’s not as strong, if that’s what makes financial sense.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant that as an overall institution, UF/FSU are the same. For engineering in particular, I agree with the Gator88NE, it is UF>USF>FSU. I knew some fellow UF classmates who went to good grad schools for engineering like UT-Austin, but I think that is also acheivable at the other FL schools as well.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, here are the USNews rankings for the schools’ Mechanical Engineering programs (graduate):</p>
<p>UF: #26
FSU: #88
USF: #132</p>
<p>UF has a very good engineering school. Notice that FSU is actually ranked in the middle of the three schools for this major.</p>
<p>Wow, Percy/Tebow/Billy D, forgive me for underrating our school. If you’re sticking with mechanical, the answer above is enough.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies everyone! I just looked up my financial aid info for UF, and out of $20,870 cost per year (I’m an in-state student), I will be receiving just under $14,000 (including a $3,000 work study) in aid I will not have to pay back. This should cover my tuition, housing, and book costs based on UF’s estimates. The rest of the estimated cost for the school includes computer/cell phone (my parents are handling that), transportation, clothing maintenance, personal expenses, and then my main and also most expensive concern…FOOD lol. So basically, my actual education at UF is payed for, but living wise I may be a little short. They offered me about $7,000 in loans, but I’d rather not take that much out every year.</p>
<p>I’ve yet to hear from FSU for financial aid. When I try to check, it says “No self service access available for this term”. I have no idea what that means. </p>
<p>And now I’m confused…so is FSU better for engineering or USF?? And @Johnny H I know that I shouldn’t let the simple fact that USF is too close to home discount it, but I applied to it as a backup school. I only wanted to go there if I couldn’t go to the schools I actually wanted to. </p>
<p>FSU has the better overall engineering school ranking than USF, but it’s hard to say if it’s “better” for you. I’m sure both FSU and USF are fine. </p>
<p>UF has the best overall engineering school in the state. To be honest, I’d pay the extra $20,000, or so, and go to UF. That’s not an unreasonable debt load for a STEM major at a decent school.</p>
<p>And this is coming from an FSU student (not engineering).</p>
<p>@OP</p>
<p>Got it, so it’s between Noles and Gators. See what the FSU ends up giving. For now, it sounds like UF is coming in at a decent price that is manageable.</p>
<p>I think FSU is releasing financial aid info this friday. I have until the end of this month to make my final decision. Overall, I feel like what I truly want is to go to UF, and being that my major will definitely pay itself off when I get into my career field, it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. But if FSU gives me an offer close to that of USF, I would definitely be happy there too. The only school I really don’t see myself at is USF. It’s an amazing offer, but I would rather go to a school I will be happy at.</p>
<p>Here is some breaking news that you may want to keep track of:</p>
<p>FSU may FINALLY be getting its own CoE, instead of being forced to “share” FAMUs:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/02/4035634/plan-to-divide-shared-fsu-famu.html”>http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/02/4035634/plan-to-divide-shared-fsu-famu.html</a></p>
<p>FAMU isn’t happy, but a “shared” CoE was never a sustainable situation.</p>
<p>^^^This isn’t going to end well…</p>
<p>So, I was able to view my aid for FSU. Out of $21,684 estimated cost, I received $13,020 in grants/scholarships, but I added my bright futures onto what they estimated because they didn’t put it on there for some reason. So that is what the total should be. They also offered me $5500 in loans. I was upset because I was not offered work study on top of this. That would have made their offer more than UF’s, but without work study, it’s a few hundred less. But there is a problem here…this doesn’t add up to their estimated total cost of attendance. It’s $3,164 off. So, I guess I’m just supposed to just have that in my pocket. With what I wouldn’t have to pay back, My tuition, housing, and something called a differential fee would be paid for, along with maybe two of my textbooks. I could get a job, but how much more is that going to cover? I feel like FSU might actually end up being a little bit more expensive. But i may also decide to live off campus if I go to FSU, so that might make it a little cheaper, but Idk.</p>
<p>Actually, I’ve been thinking about it, and FSU would actually be cheaper because I would receive almost the same amount as UF, but without having to work. So working would add to my money there. Also, my friend found really really cheap (but nice) apartments close to campus that even for the whole year (not just the school year) costs less than dorms. My tuition, rent and utilities, books, and differential fee would all be payed for, plus around $700-$800 left over each semester. I would probably have to take out a very small loan to help pay for transportation, food, and personal expenses, but once I get a job, the loan I have to take out would be even smaller. My parents plan on helping me pay off those loans too. So, really FSU will be pretty cheap. Does it sound like the better option though? My main concern is having regret for not going to UF, the school with the better program for my major, one of the top schools engineering recruiters consider for hiring new employees, the more prestigious school. And I’ve been thinking I would maybe like to go out of state on to even better schools, possibly applying to Ivy league schools, for my graduate education. I know if I stayed in state to work, UF would make it a little easier to get a job. But wouldn’t UF also make it easier to get into bigger and better schools out of state for grad school. For jobs out of state, i’m not sure it would make much of a difference to employers. UF and FSU are basically the same thing to everyone else. So pricewise FSU is better, but education wise UF is better. Both are really big parts of picking a school, so I’m pretty conflicted still. (Sorry about the long comments guys)</p>