I want to go to a party school that has good academics. My unweighted GPA is 3.6 and my weighted is 4.00. My act score is 28 and I’m in the top 25% at my school. I’ve had a job for 2 years and completed 35 hours of volunteer service(I’m hoping to increase that). Most of my core classes have been honors/AP. I’ve gone to state for DECA two years in a row and I’ve been team captain for softball for 3 years. I just want to know which school would be best for me
USF (University of South Florida) in Tampa for a full time party school. May not satisfy your desire for good academics–but your idea of “good academics” is not clear.
For a smaller, more refined social atmosphere, consider Rollins College in the Orlando (Winter Park) area. Has just over 2,000 students. (But you will have to study.)
Flagler College in St. Augustine has about 2,600 students. Fun, social atmosphere. Good academics.
You should be able to make the USF Honors college to have stronger academics.
Seconding Rollins.
Run the NPC and show the results to your parents to see if they’re affordable.
Take the ACT again to get to 29 and the top bright futures award.
University of Miami has the Academics, and as although most of the partying is done off campus,
Florida State University is definitely a party school. You didn’t mention your major but FSU is ranked highly in many of their programs. Very good academics and you’ll have an easier time than at UF I think (heard that many of the professors there are brutal)
I would recommend you do some research. Your stats are just one piece of an admissions search. Fit, location, programs, financial feasibility are other variables as well.
There are numerous websites out there that would help you look at these things. I recommend starting with the FL SUS matrix and going from there.
Take the ACT again, get a 29 for Bright Futures, reach 100 volunteer hours, and then apply to USF in Tampa. That sounds like the best match for you.
FSU might be a little bit of a reach for you with current stats, but it sounds like the vibe you might be looking for. Also takes Bright Futures.
We all know one can find a “party” crowd at most any university. The question is whether one can “party” and still be successful at a university that also has “good academics”.
As a non-Floridian who visited a year ago, I had very limited knowledge or opinions of any of the Florida universities. I also did not have any formal allegiance nor loyalty to any particular school in Florida.
During the campus tour of UF, I did get the “vibe” that it attracted a more serious student. The tour guides focused on academics, the libraries, and the different majors available at UF. They also mentioned (a few times) the national rankings of the university instead of focusing on the prowess of the Gator athletic teams.
At no time did the tour guides take up time showing us Greek row, the athletic locker rooms, a rock climbing wall, or a lazy river (all of these things have been emphasized on other college tours in which I have participated). The UF tour guides did mention student life throughout the tour but remained focused on the academic benefits of being a student at UF. Although the tour concluded at the football stadium, it seemed to be based on practicality because it was in the center of campus and allowed shaded seating for the group for a Q&A session with the tour guides.
In summary, I walked away with a new-found respect for UF. It definitely seems the “party” scene aspect on campus is minimized while the “good academics” aspect is emphasized.
The party scene can be easily found on any college campus, although the COVID situation has complicated that greatly and has made on campus life generally miserable and a far cry from the college experience that kids want. But assuming that resolves and campus life returns it is well accepted that UF is the best school in the state by a considerable margin, followed by FSU (if you don’t consider U Miami which is a far more expensive private school) , then further down the list USF, then much further down all the rest. I know its easy to say but if you can get the ACT up to 29 you have a shot at UF but likely wont make the cut there but would be more competitive at FSU and USF. If I were you I’d work on that ACT and apply to all three and see what happens. Good Luck