<p>Hello, I was just accepted to USF but UCF is my first choice school. However, I have yet to hear back from UCF and I sent all fo my stuff in during September... Anyways, could somebody tell me the pros and cons of both schools and which one is better in your opinion and why? I'm definatly going to attend one of the two. It would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>You go first, Johnny. You know yourself better than anyone else, why is UCF your first choice now?</p>
<p>I’m not sure… I have just always liked UCF and I only first heard about USF this summer. I am a Virginia resident btw. But as I read more into USF it seems to be very similar to UCF. They both are schools on the rise, they both have fairly modern buildings and classrooms, they both have very nice dorms, and both schools have about equal athletic teams. It just seems like they are completely equal to me. So I guess what my real question is would be what are the major differences that would make you chose one school over the other? Thankss :)</p>
<p>Oh my gosh, well if you were from Florida you would know that USF is a much more known and respected school than UCF… Yeah USF still has to fight to get out of the shadow of UF, because everyone is nuts about that school, but USF has a lot to offer! Their Honors College is awesome, my sister is a USF Honors College grad and she loved it. </p>
<p>What is your major? Bc I guess it depends on your major which school would be better, but coming from someone who is local, USF is just a bit more known than UCF overall… at least that’s how I see it. UCF is sort of a back-up school for a lot of my friends in case USF and UF both don’t take them.</p>
<p>Oh lol I didnt even know that, thank you! Is it because USF has been around longer that its a more respected school? And I am looking to be a political science major.</p>
<p>Haha, yeah I don’t know why, I think UCF has gotten better in recent years, but I have older siblings that went to school when UCF was pretty lame… lol. Well as far as Political Science I don’t know much about that, but for natural sciences (Biology, Chem, Engineering, Medicine) USF is very respected and they always have a lot of research going on!!</p>
<p>Okay here, look what I found: [USF</a> :: Government and International Affairs](<a href=“School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies”>http://gia.usf.edu/el/)</p>
<p>Apparently they have some internship opportunities that sound cool :)</p>
<p>Like I said, I don’t know much about political science (I just searched the site and found that, lol) but if you come to USF maybe you’ll see me there bc I just got accepted yesterday! woohoo! :)</p>
<p>Johnny–research the schools well before you post anymore. UCF is better reputation-wise. Virginia has great schools–stay there. and your reasonings for choosing a college (dorms) is pretty lame. Go to Holiday Inn…</p>
<p>@tampacutie congrats!! And yeah they do! Thanks for your help 
what made your sister chose USF?
@gouf78 I’m adopted and my biological parents live around Haines city in Florida and I’m trying to get to know them better so my reasons for choosing a Florida college are more than just acedemics… I think my reasons are pretty good.</p>
<p>The two colleges are ranked approximately equally by US News.</p>
<p>To me, UCF would be better, because Orlando is, at least to me, a more fun place, and much less rough, than Tampa. Also, UCF is constantly building new stuff, and its facilities are very modern.</p>
<p>But academically, it probably depends on what you major in.</p>
<p>Okay, Johnny! Sorry if I gave offence in any way. You do have good reasons.
Have you visited both campuses? I have and I like USF better campus-wise. It seems to have a better residential feel. UCF is more of a commuter school (welcome arguments here).
Research what you might want to do with a poly-sci degree (law shool or whatever) and which would serve you better. UCF is better for computer science I know but I don’t know the reputation for other fields.
Good luck!</p>
<p>Johnny, you are not alone in trying to weigh UCF vs. USF, and you are right they are similar in many ways. I’ve wondered sometimes why some students opt for UCF instead of USF and I personally think many UCF students do go there because of its proximity to all the Orlando area theme parks–especially Disney World. UCF has a theme park feel to it to me with its concentric roads all around its campus; the UCF campus seems just like EPCOT to me! I truly think a lot of UCF’s students think going to UCF will be like going to Disney World every day. If you ever really need to blow off some dust on a rollercoaster…Busch Gardens is only 2 miles from USF! BTW, USF’s campus is just as safe as UCF’s, I don’t know what Floridadad in his above post is really tryng to infer about Tampa being “rougher.”</p>
<p>I’ll be graduating from USF next spring; I really love USF–it has been one of the best experiences in my life. I’m not going to try to convince you to attend USF, I’m just saying it was the right choice for me. Good luck and much happiness with your family in Florida!</p>
<p>In reading all the posts here I wanted to respond. I applied to both USF and UCF. I want to major in Industrial Engineering. I was accepted to both colleges for Fall 2012 and was automatically accepted into the Honors Program at USF. (USF’s Honors College is much easier to get into than UCF’s) Also USF offered me alot of money to go there. I am born and raised in Tampa along with my parents. USF is and will always be known as a commuter school. We just did both of the Open Houses at USF a couple of weeks ago and UCF this past weekend. On the weekends USF is dead! If I saw 10 students and it was homecoming weekend that was too many. UCF was awsome so much going on and truly a college campus! They don’t send out their scholarships until mid Nov so I’m hoping that they are close to what USF offered. With Florida Pre-Paid and Bright Futures anything else is topping on the cake. </p>
<p>For those not from Tampa the USF campus is safe but the surrounding area is one of the worst in Tampa (known as “Suitcase City”). If you have to live off campus its not really a very safe area. Actually this past weekend a student was robbed at gunpoint at the ATM machine on campus. </p>
<p>The other downside to USF is that don’t have their own stadium they play at the Tampa Bay Bucs stadium so students get bused down to the stadium vs UCF its right on campus.</p>
<p>Hope you find some of the information helpful! Good Luck to you all!</p>
<p><em>rolls eyes</em> No area is “safe.” Ever. No matter where you live, someone could always act crazy and rob you, attack you, whatever. The key is being smart about it. My sister lived off campus and never had a single problem with crime. Now, she did keep her doors locked, didn’t leave valuables in the car, etc… She most certainly did not visit an ATM alone at night, either. My brother even lived in Ybor Heights for a year and had no issues. So, if you’re going to be scared off because of the area, fine. Personally I think it’s a silly reason to turn down a school. </p>
<p>Look into the schools, look specifically into what they have to offer for your major, look into scholarships, etc etc… nobody can make the decision except you. Your best bet is to visit the campuses in person because they have two very different “feels” to them… and see what fits you best!!</p>
<p>Let me start of by saying that a lot of what Rockoboy has said is just plain wrong.</p>
<p>To begin, USF is NOT a commuter school. If you wanna look up the definition of a commuter school you’ll find UCF as a prominent example. In fact, USF requires its freshmen to live on campus (if they don’t reside in the surrounding counties), while many other students simply decide to live right outside campus in college apartment complexes due to the fact that they are cheaper. UCF is the “second largest school” in the nation in terms of undergraduates, yet their lack of school spirit and identity makes me wonder if you can even categorize UCF as a university. The reason why there aren’t too many people at USF during the weekends is because our students aren’t limited solely to the campus. There’s TONS to do in Tampa, unlike Gainesville, Tallahassee, and many other college towns where nothing exists. In Tampa we have Busch Gardens/Adventure Island (literally a mile down the road), Beaches, shopping centers, Ybor City, and the list goes on, and our students take advantage of these opportunities. While many people think that by going to UCF they will be attending “Disney World,” they’ll be disappointed to learn that Disney is about an hour away, and good luck with Orlando traffic (Tourist Capital of the world). </p>
<p>To address the safety issue, you’ll find that USF and even Tampa, is comparatively just as safe, if not safer, than any other college town. Just look through UF’s newspaper and you’ll find reports of rapes and murders on an average basis. And as for the on-campus stadium ordeal, USF plays in an NFL stadium, a state-of-the-art arena which comfortably seats our students and fans while providing ample space for tail-gating right in the heart of Tampa. UCF’s Brighthouse Field is like one big high school stadium made out of aluminum, which if I’m correct, several people passed out at during its grand opening due to the fact that no water fountains were installed.</p>
<p>To those offended by my remarks on USF I apologize this is solely my opinion based on family members that attended USF and half my family is in law enforcement here in Tampa and half the problems around the USF area are not even publicized. Whatever college or university you choose its all of what you make of it. I applied to USF because that was my 2nd choice I’m just giving some insight to those who are not familiar with it. Playing in an NFL stadium is great but having a stadium on campus really gives you that college feel. USF has a huge alumni following so on game day the stadium is full with more alumni than students. That is just my observation from attending the games. As far as the surrounding areas yes Tampa has alot to do but nothing is cheap other than going to the beach. I agree no area is safe and everyone must be aware of their surrounding areas but suitcase city does exist and the area is high in crime. As far as definition of cummuter school that is my definition when i go to a campus on the weekend I expect to see stuff going on. Many of my friends that live on campus go home on the weekends and then go out from there because nothing is going on. Even the Greek Village was dead the weekend before homecoming that is just not normal to me. Anyway I wouldn’t have applied to USF if it wasn’t one of my considerations i just feel that UCF is a better fit for me. Good luck to all!</p>
<p>After visiting both, doing tours, and everything, I feel like UCF is the best fit for me. Don’t get me wrong, USF had an awesome campus, UCF just seemed more lively. I’m not concerned about the saftey of the surrounding city, I’m pretty sure I can hold my own. As for those calling UCF a commuter school, it seems to be gaining more of a traditional campus feel every year. Idk it just fit more for me. And it seems to also be gaining more national respect every year. Also, it just felt “right” on the UCF campus lol. Honestly, with all of the similarities between the schools and the very slight differences they had it just boiled down to the visits. So, I’ll give the same advice that @tampacutie gave, they have two different “feels” and a visit is the only way to see which one feels right for you! good luck to everyone else :D</p>