<p>I've been second guessing UF a little after I got in(and so has my mom, she's also annoyed about not receiving anything from UF). UF at my school is nearly everyone's dream school but after we got in, a lot of people are rejecting UF for UCF and USF.</p>
<p>If you'd ask me last year where I wanted to go, I would've said UF in a heartbeat.But it was pretty well known that you're not going to get any merit aid from UF. At least there's bright futures.</p>
<p>But with the news of UF qualifying for tuition raises, and the fact that other in-state schools offered lucrative scholarships, more and more of my peers are turning away from UF.</p>
<p>When I visited, I loved the campus and environment much more than USF but that doesn't hide the fact that USF is giving me their Presidential Scholarship and that I can do their 7yr medical program. UF's 7yr only accepts 12 people AFTER fresh. year</p>
<p>On top of all that, I was waitlisted at my dream school, UPenn. I may not qualify for in-state financial need but I sure do for out of state. And UF doesn't refund your housing deposit but USF did so USF's deposit was sent in. So in the event that I do get off the wait-list, I could have the housing deposit back.. (but i guess this is a minimal financial thing compared with how important education is)</p>
<p>But I still have to choose where I will send my admissions deposit.. UF or USF and then if I do decide UF, then I have the housing deposit thing to clear up. :/</p>
<p>I also got the presidential scholarship from USF. They basically gave me a full ride (I’d only have to pay $10 a year). And yet, I’m still choosing to go to UF. Is it stupid? Yes. Logically, I should go to USF. But I visited both colleges, and I know that if I went to USF, I’d be miserable there.</p>
<p>I don’t know why, but I just didn’t like it. It’s a brilliant school, but it just didn’t call to me, you know? Trust your instincts as to what school you’d like to go to. Because if you go somewhere you hate, you’ll only regret it. (:</p>
<p>^thank you for your input! At first I was all to hating USF -mostly due to the fact my parents wanted to force me there since like freshman year of high school. But still I do love the UF environment so much matter… but now I have come to accept that USF isn’t all that bad. I don’t hate it. I don’t think I’ll be miserable. haha and now my parents want me to consider UF just as much.</p>
<p>full ride at USF isn’t rly that many $$$. Should def go Ivy if they let you in as there’s many more doors open but theres just as big a jump from UF all the way down to USF </p>
<p>Now the med school thing specifically could be legit but are you in for sure already? I still wouldn’t want to give a year of the college experience and do my 3 at a commuter school but if your dad is a doctor and youve seen a ton of what its like already might be right. Soooo many premeds change out of it though theres a lot of ******** to get through to make it into med school even if you don’t find it too difficult.</p>
<p>^for the 7yrs program at usf anyone who is invited honors can attempt the program. I’m in honors but i think there is some “official stuff to do” maybe at the end of your freshman year. but i know it is not as competitive to get in as UF.</p>
<p>my dad doesn’t do anything medical related. my mom was a doctor in china but when she came here those type of things don’t transfer. </p>
<p>and yeah that was another concern. I know I say i want to go into medicine and I’m sure but who knows what might happen… and UF is better than USF for everything else…</p>
<p>If I get off the waitlist and into Penn, I’m going.</p>
<p>I also got waitlisted at Johns Hopkins and I think I might stick on the waitlist for that too…</p>
<p>Haha, my mom is a USF alumni, and she tried for the longest time to make me like it. I took my ACTs there, and I just did not like the campus. I love UF so much; hopefully I’ll get aid there.</p>
<p>If I were you, don’t do anything until you find out for sure whether you’re into Penn and John Hopkins or not. Once all decisions are final, then decide exactly where you’d be happy. Happiness isn’t just money. It’s also where you’d be content living, where you see yourself being for at least two years.</p>
<p>Don’t like the campus. hmmmm. Too many kids say this, how come? My take on it
is the layout and the cheap yellow/orange brick. USF has that correctional institution
feel to it. Hey, Intro to Psyc taught at USF is the same as Intro to Psyc taught at
UCF, or Intro to Psyc to taught at UF. I suspect 6 of one, half dozen of the other!
I’ve been on the USF campus a dozen times over the years – blah. UF UCF pretty cool!</p>
<p>Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. USF isn’t composed anymore of nothing but buildings with the mono tan brick veneer exteriors…those days are gone. Over 50% of the building space at USF Tampa today has been built in the last dozen years. The tan brick style isn’t used at USF anymore, replaced with more architecturally pleasing designs and colors. The USF campus is modern, bright, cheerful, and functional. Anyone who hasn’t visited USF for a few years is in for pleasant surprise with their next visit. USF’s four year old Marshall Student union is the largest university student union in Florida. Juniper-Poplar, a dormitory with about 1000 beds and its own dining hall, was opened two years ago. A new building to house USF’s well established medical college is scheduled to break ground in about one year. Too, the USF athletic district in the last year has opened new soccer, baseball, and softball stadia, and installed a new football practice facility featuring 3 state of the art practice fields. USF’s Sundome arena, home of USF basketball, will complete a $35 million renovation this May with comfortable seating for 10,000. Please stop by the new USF and pay us a visit if you haven’t been to USF for a few years!</p>
<p>I went just a couple of weeks ago. It still seemed icky to me.
But that’s just me. I love old buildings. Which is why I’m moving to Europe someday.</p>
<p>Nicki, aren’t you from Tampa area? It would make sense that you simply wanted to blow Tampa to experience a new environment for college away from Tampa–nothing wrong with that. Few buildings in Florida are over 50 years old. USF tore down its 50 year old student union building to build the new Marshall student union 4 years ago.</p>
<p>lizard-- If biz draws me to USF I’m pleased to stop on by. Many FL kids get a
solid education at usf. Just sayin that the campus could use more thoughtful layout,
etc.</p>
<p>I am from the Tampa area, yes. But I can say, objectively, that I just do not like the area. Tampa is just not a nice place, in many parts. Lots of it seems scuzzy and run-down. USF itself is nice. I’ll admit that. It’s modern and… well-designed. I just don’t like that type of architecture, and I just didn’t like the vibe.</p>
<p>Please put 0 eggs in your Penn basket. I’m sorry, but waitlists at Ivys are shams. Congrats on being put on it, that shows some real potential, however the chance of being admitted off any ivy waitlist is roughly… 0%</p>
<p>the area around USF is kind of a downer to go through. i feel like gainesville’s atmosphere is so much more upbeat than USF’s or tampa’s. Especially these days; tampa has hardly even begun to recover from the recession.</p>
<p>but i grew up around the less vibrant areas in tampa. maybe its possible to go there and maintain a positive perspective of what its like to not be wealthy or upper middle class in tampa.</p>
<p>it would probably do me well to meet some of the more ambitious students at USF too. this is only my personal experience through seeing people on facebook and a few people i stay in contact with, but i’ve only seen dim lights stay dim or bright lights dim after going there from high school.</p>
<p>^what do you mean by “bright lights dim after going there from high school”</p>
<p>Today I told my favorite teacher(she graduated from UF) that I was probably going to USF if I don’t get off the waitlist. She gave a loud NO! hahah it was pretty funny because she kept arguing with me, trying to convince me UF. but then again that’s where she graduated.</p>
<p>I love UF’s campus, environment and all but I don’t see that much of a difference to not save the money. I’m just hoping the honors environment at USF can be comparable to UF.</p>
<p>At this rate, I’ll probably be making my admissions deposit on May 1st 11:59pm haha.</p>
<p>i know a couple of people who were by all measures smarter than me during high school who went there. they are still smarter than me i’m sure, but my general impression is that they haven’t had the same opportunities that i have had, and haven’t grown to what i perceive to be their full potential. i’m sure most of them are happy with their decision, but one good friend of mine in particular has been disappointed in his prospects because he didn’t go elsewhere.</p>
<p>i think UF offers more opportunity, has a more engaging student body, and has an environment where its easier to focus on academic/professional growth–especially if you’re a tampa native.</p>
<p>basically what i meant by the dimming lights metaphor was that i’m skeptical of the atmosphere there; UF has way more optimism than it should have (i’ll be the first to admit we can be more arrogant than is right just because we love being gators), but USF seems to have the opposite problem, which i think is infectious, and since its a negative feeling, i think it can be somewhat toxic.</p>
<p>granted, i don’t go to USF, so i don’t really know how it feels. i might be so stuck up that when i talk to some USF students i just feel sorry for them for no reason and i’m making this up because i’m a jerk.</p>
<p>^ Yeah, you’re wrong. I’m a student at USF; everyone I know at USF is upbeat and positive. The atmosphere at USF is far from negative. USF is filled with many bright stars/students.</p>
<p>I just looked at my financial aid for UF. It was pitiful, 2 large loans… at least there is bright futures but I thinK I’m heading more and more toward the USF direction…</p>