University of South Florida question...

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of South Florida
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<p>Hi, I'm new to this website but i've seen commentaries from here on many occasions. However I feel as if im at a standstill because I can't seem to find any posts/threads pertaining solely to the University of South Florida. I'm planning to attend in the fall semester and I would like to know some information about it. Maybe I could be lacking good search techniques; but nonetheless I haven't stumbled upon any enlightening information. I'd like to know if anyone had any insight about this university. I'd like to hear about the student life especially housing stuff because I'm quite aware of the statistical info. I've visited the campus and adore it but I'd like an honest student (or parent!) viewpoint. </p>

<p>Thanx!</p>

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<p>my cousin goes there and says he likes it but the school is suppossedly in the ghetto...</p>

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<p>o wow well when i went there i didnt really notice but thanks for the info.</p>

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<p>It's isolated, not "in" the ghetto. It is an up and coming school and was just tacitly designated one of 3 "flagship" schools in Florida along with the big dogs, UF and FSU. They are one of only 64 Research 1 universities in the Country and they are getting stronger every year. It is a GREAT student for anyone who wants a big state university flagship experience and doesn't have the grades or SAT's for florida or Florida State. I really think it is the 4th best university in the State.....in order are Florida, Miami, Florida State and then USF. The school has tons of research opportunity for undergrads. It is only going to get stronger, and it has a physical therapy school. It also has Moffitt Cancer Center and a Med school that rivals UF in admissions standards to bolster it's credentials.</p>

<p>Some negatives....although it is a good school, it probably will not have the ranking status of UF or FSU foe a long time. The SAT Scores are ~200 points below UF, so the quality of student isn't quite there but there are still TONS of really smart people there as it has 40,000+ students. USF just hasn't been around long enough to claw its way to the status UF/FSU. </p>

<p>Bottom line: up and coming solid school, especially if you don't have the credentials for UF or FSU. They send plenty of students to top grad programs. As a side note, if you prefer a small college atmosphere over the flagship experience, take a look at the St. Pete Campus...it's small, quaint and located right on the Tampa Bay...gorgeous campus! </p>

<p>Disclaimer- i went there for my MS in chemistry and am not a UF MBA student.</p>

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<p>o ok thanks. so i shouldnt have any problems with students, is everyone (or at least a majority) friendly??</p>

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<p>USF seems to be a hot bead of mid eastern terrorism cells, too....forgot that one.</p>

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<p>wow umm u went from very positive to a polar opposite but i'll take it all in</p>

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<p>No, I'm sorry but I do believe that USF is solid school with plenty to offer. </p>

<p>That doesn't change he fact that USF has a recent history of being hot bead for middle eastern terrorism though. </p>

<p>USF</a> Professor Called Leader Of U.S. Terror Cell - Local News Story - WTVJ | Miami
Feds</a> expose Florida 'cell'
Goose</a> Creek Terror Case - USF Student’s Brother Caught Sending “Sinister” Coded Signals : Homeland Security National Terror Alert - Homeland Security News
Hillsborough:</a> Case against pair shown</p>

<p>"<a href="http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/15/Hillsborough/Case_against_pair_sho.shtml"&gt;http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/15/Hillsborough/Case_against_pair_sho.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>TAMPA -- Members of the campus community at the University of South Florida knew Sameeh Hammoudeh as a father, part-time Arabic instructor and dedicated doctoral student.</p>

<p>But in a 121-page indictment unsealed Thursday, the U.S. government portrayed Hammoudeh as a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an international terror organization that prosecutors claim is dedicated to destroying Israel.</p>

<p>The Justice Department says Hammoudeh served as the fundraising proxy for Sami Al-Arian, a USF professor prosecutors say is the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the United States.</p>

<p>The government alleges Hammoudeh helped funnel money to Middle East terrorist operatives and used the Islamic Academy of Florida in Tampa as a front for terrorist fundraising.</p>

<p>"I was shocked when I heard the news," said Mark Amen, director of USF's Globalization Research Center and a professor who has known Hammoudeh for years. "He is a scholar. He is someone who is wholly focused on his academics situation."</p>

<p>"He is extremely scholarly, very, very bright, very thorough," said Trevor Purcell, chairman of USF's Department of Africana Studies and a professor who sits on Hammoudeh's doctoral dissertation committee. "He is very gentlemanly and well-mannered."</p>

<p>Asked if Hammoudeh exhibited any of the zeal attributed to terrorist sympathizers, Purcell said, "I have never seen anything in his writings that would set him apart like that."</p>

<p>According to a special USF report on WISE -- the World and Islam Studies Enterprise think-tank founded by Al-Arian -- Hammoudeh, 42, was born and educated in Jordan, then worked at the Arab Studies Society in Jerusalem before coming to the United States in 1992.</p>

<p>He entered the country on a British passport, spoke at an Islamic Concern Project conference and was encouraged by Al-Arian to seek admission to USF. After his wife and family joined him in Tampa, Hammoudeh pursued a master's degree in political science, according to the USF report.</p>

<p>Hammoudeh earned a master's degree, then pursued another in religious studies. He became a teaching assistant in 1995.</p>

<p>Most recently, he was working on a Ph.D in applied anthropology.</p>

<p>Hammoudeh and his family live in a 2,300-square-foot brick home in the Raintree Terrace subdivision in Temple Terrace. The home is valued at $145,147, according to county property records.</p>

<p>At least a half-dozen federal agents were still at the home hours after Hammoudeh's arrest Thursday.</p>

<p>The federal indictments detail a series of phone calls, facsimile letters and cash transactions the government says tie Hammoudeh to international terrorist fundraising.</p>

<p>The court papers say the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was involved in paying compensation to martyrs who committed terrorist acts against Israel. Hammoudeh is described in 1992 as helping "modify a computer file" containing the wills of three "co-conspirators" who had carried out a suicide act on the Isreali border.</p>

<p>The indictments also detail irregularities at the 160-student Islamic Academy of Florida where Al-Arian and Hammoudeh served as directors, suggesting the school was a fundraising front.</p>

<p>Hammoudeh and Al-Arian instructed an academy staffer last year to tell a woman who wanted to donate money to the Palestinian cause to simply write a check to the academy, court papers say.</p>

<p>Sean Hopwood, a senior studying international business at USF, said Hammoudeh never brought up politics in Arabic classes and never expressed any hatred toward Jewish people.</p>

<p>During Ramadan, Hopwood said, Hammoudeh invited the entire class to his house for a traditional meal and a discussion of "peaceful concepts" -- cultures and their differences.</p>

<p>"What I'm hearing now makes me upset," Hopwood said.</p>

<p>-- Researcher John Martin and staff writers Tamara Lush and Babita Persaud contributed to this story.</p>

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<p>1 more....
Former</a> USF professor Ramadan Abdullah Shallah behind Tel Aviv suicide bombing: Israel targets Islamic Jihad leader for assassination - Militant Islam Monitor - Militant Islam Monitor</p>

<p>But there were other reasons for leaving the U.S. when he did. U.S. authorities, prodded by embarrassing media revelations, were beginning to look into his ties and activities. In Tampa, Ramadan Shallah posed as an adjunct professor of economics at the University of South Florida (USF) and an administrator of a USF-affiliated think tank, the World Islam Studies Enterprise (WISE).</p>

<p>Also working with Shallah at USF and WISE was Khalil Shikaki, Fathi's brother, who now, reportedly, is a professor at An Najah University in the West Bank. Still another major, direct connection between WISE and Islamic Jihad is Basheer Nafi, who was described by WISE in 1991 as "director of WISE from London." However, he was also an original founder of Islamic Jihad and was believed by some observers to be the likely candidate to succeed Shikaki. When that task fell to Shallah, Nafi stayed in the U.S., working at the International Institute for Islamic Thought in Herndon, Virginia, which WISE has listed as its largest source of financial support. Nafi was deported in 1996.</p>

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<p>I don't know too much about it but here is a thread (sorry if you've already seen it)</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/36010-university-south-florida.html?highlight=university+of+south+florida%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/36010-university-south-florida.html?highlight=university+of+south+florida&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>thanks for the thread, i hadnt seen it.</p>

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<p>Yeah I'm sorry, that thread doesn't really do USF any justice =/</p>

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<p>USF needs its own seperate forum.</p>

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<p>yup i agree.</p>

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<p>I don’t know what your trying to imply with your comments but there is no real safety issues at USF. Yes, there is a very large and vibrant arab community there but unless your are a bigot this shouldn’t be a problem.
I’m currently a high school senior and have been accepted into UCF Honors, USF Honors , as well as UF( idk if i got into honors yet.) I’m probably going to USF because it is offering me a 48000 dollar scholarship b/c i am a national merit finalist in addition to the 100 percent bright future scholarship.</p>

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<p>and how is the housing? i have heard they are old and not in good shape? </p>

<p>and how are roommates selected??</p>

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<p>The oldest buildings of any kind, including classroom and administration buildings, on campus are 50 years old and there aren’t too many of them that old; most USF buildings are less than 15 years old. Some of the dorms (Juniper-Poplar) are only 2 years old. All of the dorms are relatively “new” and all are in excellent shape.</p>