Which college should I go to: UF, FSU, UNF, or UCF?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi! I have having trouble deciding which college I should go to. I know it is a very personal choice, but I am just asking you all because you seem to know a good bit about colleges, in terms of what they are like. Of course I can look up what they’re like but I like to hear about people’s personal experiences and/or other information I can’t find online. :slight_smile: By the way, UNF is in my hometown. I wouldn’t have to pay for housing or food because I can just live at home. Is the “true college experience” worth the money? I mean I have Florida PrePaid and bright futures, but UNF most likely costs significantly less than universities such as UF and FSU. What are the college’s atmospheres like? I am a quite reserved person. Who has the better dorms? What are the major benefits of each? Are there things to do outside the college? Which has the best professors? Any info helps.

Thanks in advance!

2

Also… although I made good grades in high school… I am terrified that I will fail my college classes. I’ve taken dual enrollment, but my community college classes are nothing like university classes. So if anyone could give me advice on that topic, I’d greatly appreciate it!

3

To start all of the Florida schools you mentioned have roughly the same cost for tuition (within 1k of each other).The only major difference would be the room and board cost, and travel if you pay for your own car. IMO, it’s important to be able to live away from your family in college if you are financially able to, so you can start taking baby steps towards independence. If you do decide on a school farther from home, the Prepaid and Bright Futures (congrats!) should be able to help make living without free housing and food more affordable. Whether it’s worth the financial implications is really up to you!

To speak to your worries about the college atmosphere, it really is what you make of it. I can only speak for UF, but getting involved on campus, even if it’s just one club or sport, makes a world of difference in how happy you are. The good thing about Florida schools is that you can always make a big school small by finding your niche of friends/ people with similar interests.

Dorms are dorms, for the most part. Again, I don’t know much about the other schools, but they’re fairly good at UF (nothing fancy). I’ve heard UCF has more opportunities for apartment style living, if that’s something that you’re looking for!

I’m a strong believer that when it comes to academics, you get out what you put in. Get into research/internships while you’re at school, make relationships with professors, etc. It depends on what field you’re interested in, but UF has a lot of funding for STEM research, so it draws lots of professors and grad students here.

One last note, if you’re worried from now about college classes, you’re probably a diligent student haha! The first semester of college can be overwhelming, but if you put in the effort and aren’t afraid to ask for help, you should be good. Most schools have some sort of free tutoring for students, and all professors have office hours. I’d invest in a planner (saved my butt so many times).

If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out! Hope I was able to help!

4

Thank you so much! That was a lot of help. I appreciate it!

5

@idkwhatimdoin I have some experiene direct and indirect with UCF, UNF and UF. My older daughter is in Burnett Honors college at UCF, I took classes at UNF and have a family member in 2nd year at UF. Younger daughter picked UF. It really depends on what you’re looking for.

UCF offers some crazy scholarships. Older Daughter is able to pocket money every semester (she also has prepaid and Bright Futures) which is great because she wants to do grad school. With Burnett Honors College, her honors classes are capped at like 26 students so you get a personal experience. It’s a big college (#1 by enrollment in the US) but some how they make it work. Everything is new there (including about 1/2 the dorms) so it doesn’t have the old ivy-covered feel that many want.

UNF is small, but most things are new. They offer somewhat smaller scholarships but if you’re living at home, you’ll come out ahead for sure. Classes are pretty small but I had pretty good instructors. There’s a lot to be said for not having living expenses. But that being said, if you want the away college experience, you won’t really find it. UNF tried to mandate living in dorms for freshmen but recently gave it up. TBH, though, of the kids we knew that went away to college with older daughter, about 1/3 are back in town at UNF (we’re local). Living away at college is not for everyone.

UF has the hype, the sports, the reputation and seems like you can major in just about anything. It’s overcrowded and my family member had mandated online-only class days so they could accommodate more people. I’d say that to go there, you have to REALLY want to. I’ve heard the students are incredibly competitive (understandable based on how hard it has become to get in). People REALLY want to be there love it. My younger daughter REALLY wants to go there and was accepted for fall. She wouldn’t consider anywhere else.

My fav is UCF because it seems to offer a lot that checked boxes for me. I don’t have any recent FSU experience (most of my family went there but that was quite a while ago).

6

UNF because it reads as if you really do not want to leave home & may not be ready for the “true college experience” yet.

Otherwise, depends upon your intended major area of study.

If you stay home & attend UNF, you can afford to go away for graduate school.

7

Thank you for your input & opinions, everyone! I want to have to “true college experience”, so I can try and become more independent. I know going away would probably be best for me, I am just considering UNF because of its housing benefits (AKA, living with my parents lol)

8

Honestly, if I were you I would not go to UNF BECAUSE you would be living with your parents. Sure, you may save some money, but especially with Bright Futures and FL Prepaid to help with the costs (congrats on those btw!), you’d be much better off going out of town and either living in the dorms or getting an apartment with some friends. You’ll be much more connected to campus life and therefore probably have a better experience overall with your school. Plus you’ll be able to be much more independent, which will allow you to have more of a “traditional college experience” as well!
By the way, I absolutely love your username hahaha.

9

Since you got into UF, did you get into the honors college at UCF or FSU? If so, those two would be the ones I’d consider first, because academics are excellent and the honors college, with better dorms, smaller interactive classes, more personalized advising, helps students integrate into the large university without feeling too alienated.
Strictly speaking, if you could get into UF, seeing how crazy competitive it has become, I wouldn’t attend UNF, which is mostly a commuter school for students who aren’t very academic. It’s not bad but it’s not in the same universe as the others.

10

Would living in the dorm or on your own require taking out loans?

Do all of the schools offer the academic majors and programs that you are interested in?

11

Thank you everyone - and no, I didn’t get into any honors programs. I did for UNF, but not FSU or UCF or UF. My test scores weren’t high at all. I think it was my essay & GPA that got me in. No, I wouldn’t have to take out a loan. I know it sounds bad, but I don’t know what I would like to major in…I have a few ideas, but I am hoping to find out what I like best during my freshman year. However, the ones that I am interested in, they all offer. So I guess the determining factor comes down to where I feel at home best. Thanks again for the info! And thanks for liking my username! Haha, made it when I truly had no clue what I was doing.

12

Look at the honors college’s page for both FSU and UCF. Look at the conditions: did you have to complete an application? If so, do it. A good essay is often more important to get in. In some cases you have to apply - there’s no automatic transmission from admissions to the Honors college. If you have a good research paper, attach it. In your message, talk about the subject or class topics that get you really excited and the books you’ve read about them, and express how you want to be in an atmosphere where such works or ideas are passionately discussed by peers.
If you get into one of these two honors colleges (ucf or fsu) that should make your decision easy.
Getting into UF is no small feat. It means you’re able to function at a high level academically. So, you owe it to yourself to find the right place for that development.

13

Live in a dorm at least freshman year. It’s impossible to become integrated into campus life living at home. Once you make friends and see opportunities you can decide whether to live at home in later years.

14

You wouldn’t have to take out any loans? Then UF is the easy choice. There is a reason why UF is a top 10 public university. It will offer you far more options, it spends far more $ per student, has a far better Student to faculty ratio…

There are a few exceptions on why you may want to select the other schools, but they are usually based on major (FSU is stronger in a few majors), or expense. If expense isn’t an issue (no loans), then it’s hard to make the case of the other 3 schools.

As the others have said, there is a lot of value to moving away from home for college (if you can afford it). At the same time, UF will be close enough that you can still visit home (or have family or friends drive up and visit you), a few times each semester.

15

Some people consider dorming to be a significant part of the college experience. However, that may not be for you and you absolutely never know. If you know anyone that goes to any of the schools, I would consider asking them for their opinion about the majors, dorm, and campus life.

16

Thank you, everyone! I will look into the Honors programs. Thanks for all of your advice, it really has helped.

17

I would try to tour the colleges before you make a final decision. In regards to receiving the full college experience, UCF’s campus feels more like a college. When I toured UF i felt more like I was walking around a town. As for dorm life, UCF definitely offers better dorms for freshman. I would say you really have to look at what your major is like at each college. UF is more of a research school so if youre not in a STEM major, the other schools may be a better option.

18

Unless they have changed the rules, you MUST live on campus for the first year at UNF. No exceptions. My friends had 5 kids going to college and they live just a mile or two away, and the school would not make an exception, so most of them went to FSU where she could rent and apt and they all lived in it at various times.

My daughter’s friend who went there lived in the dorms and went home most weekends.

19

Yeah I’m definitely touring all of the schools, I already have them scheduled. And they changed the rules @twoinanddond (according to my parents, I haven’t looked into it). Thanks for everyone’s help!