<p>Yeah, that’s what I figured too, eric! My school’s robotics program also introduced me to minor engineering concepts. There are a lot of Women in Engineering scholarships too, so that’s a huge draw XD</p>
<p>And yeah… I’ve got all of my UCF required gen ed classes out of the way except for 3, and so I was going to fill some of my time with more Comp Sci stuff. I knocked a couple of those classes out of the way with the AP CS testing too :D</p>
<p>WOW Arifriekinel, that will be a heavy load but it sounds like you have a wealth of knowledge already—I hope you get in!:)</p>
<p>Thanks, me too :D:D I’ve had my heart on this school for quite a while. I’m not exactly a social butterfly, so, aside from sewing, school is all I really have to do! I’ve been on this site all day in between sewing pieces. :P</p>
<p>Apologies for resurrecting an old thread (and for this ridiculous screen name I selected in high school…). I’m a proud UF graduate and am continually astounded by posters’ need to slag off other universities in the the Florida system. Honestly, all of our state’s major universities offer good programs – it all depends what you intend to study and the sort of environment you feel most comfortable in. UF and FSU have beautiful, “traditional” campuses and intense school pride. The former boasts great programs in medicine, engineering and the sciences while the latter has top-notch arts programs. However both UCF and, yes, USF (only ranked 3 spots behind UCF in this years USNW rankings) are up and coming. If one feels more at home in a city environment and a modern campus – UCF will perhaps be the school for you. While UF (and FSU) does have a bigger reach outside of Florida and is nationally recognized, major corporations recruit at all four of the universities I mentioned. So, as a general piece of advice for students wrestling with a question similar to the OP’s, do some serious inquiries into the programs you’re interested in- find job placement statistics, categorical rankings, etc. - rather than rely on the opinions of biased posters who are, in some cases, barely even out of high school. I do have to defend my alma mater for a minute though-- none of my friends were bored in Gainesville. A college town is not for everyone but there’s still plenty to do and students have a plethora of internship opportunities nationwide. Also, to the poster who contends that FSU has the more beautiful traditional campus, I’ll have to politely disagree. UF has a gorgeous campus though, admittedly, Tally itself is more aesthetically pleasing than Gainesville. Anyway, while I’d be inclined to recommend UF engineering, and most other programs, over UCF’s, Knights will certainly not be hard pressed to find a job upon graduation (especially in comp. sci.) or receive a subpar education. If you are confident in the strength of the program, go where you think you’ll be comfortable. Though I wouldn’t recommend choosing UCF over UF solely because the dorms are more palatial, that’s a bit ridiculous (way more ridiculous than choosing UF because their engineering programs are ranked higher). Anyway, can’t we all just get along? Our SUS is finally being viewed with more respect and I, for one, am proud of our schools!</p>
<p>SSobick, you also have to rememeber that UCF was established in 1963 or so, while FSU is one of the oldest in FL. I am by no means saying which one is better, tho the numbers make it clear that FSU and UF are. But considering the links you provided, its probably because its a relatively “young” school.</p>
<p>Ssobick was just pointing out that UF and FSU have a nationwide alumni base whereas UCF’s is primarily regional. Of course the age of the school matters and UCF’s reach will continue to grow. I don’t think the size/scope of a school’s alumni base matters quite that much for engineering students (though it doesn’t hurt, obviously). However a student contemplating a major that doesn’t have as large of a demand in the work force might want to consider the perks of attending a school with a huge national alumni network. To reiterate- I think prospective engineering students choosing between UF and UCF (or any other schools) should focus primarily on job placement stats and speciality rankings.</p>
<p>Is this so difficult to get? Guys quit pulling out statistics and face Newton’s hidden law of college selection “Orlando is the happiest place on Earth”. If you doubt it, go round the world, then come look for me and tell me what your experience was. I see people still trying to compare UCF to UF and FSU even after ‘Arifriekinel’ brilliantly pointed out that UCF is a prodigy based on the timeline of their achievements; which I would like to supplement by pointing out that UCF’s Optics program was ranked in the top ten on the last rankings published by the National Research Council (NRC), you can look it up if you need clarification. Now let me politely ask, ‘how many UF and FSU programs have been given that academic distinction of being ranked in the top ten’ educate me please.</p>
<p>Is this so difficult to get? Guys quit pulling out statistics and face Newton’s hidden law of college selection “Orlando is the happiest place on Earth”. If you doubt it, go round the world, then come look for me and tell me what your experience was. I see people still trying to compare UCF to UF and FSU even after ‘Arifriekinel’ brilliantly pointed out that UCF is a prodigy based on the timeline of their achievements; which I would like to supplement by pointing out that UCF’s Optics program was ranked in the top ten on the last rankings published by the National Research Council (NRC), and also their Physics specialization for Atomic/ Molecular/ Optical Physics was ranked 13th by USNWR. You can look it up if you need clarification. Also, for the second year in a row, UCF has been ranked in the top 10 on the patent rankings, 3rd in the Nation in 2010 (7th in 2009) I wonder where UF and FSU were on these rankings 
I would also like to point out that the patent ranking was a university-wide accomplishment not a departmental thing.
Now let me politely ask, ‘how many UF and FSU programs have been given that academic distinction of being ranked in the top ten’ educate me please.</p>
<p>Competition is real among Florida’s 11 state universities. Fur will be flying at the next Board of Governors meeting when turf battles and money are discussed for the future of Florida’s state university system and its individual universities. There is disagreement on how to balance on a scale the autonomy of individual universities and how they operate on one side, and on the other side of scale how to do what is best for the citizens of Florida at large with the 11 universities.</p>
<p>[Turf</a> battle looming between powerhouse universities and state board | The Florida Current](<a href=“http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=23272751]Turf”>http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=23272751)</p>
<p>drg0nzo, UCF’s alumni base is nation-wide as well. They’re the second-largest university in terms of enrollment, with students from all 50 states, and over 120 countries. While many of them do choose to stay in this area because with the community’s love for the school, jobs are abundant for grads in Florida, many others return from whence they came XD</p>
<p>Ari - Your “prodigy” metaphor doesn’t work for colleges. Just because a college is currently fast growing doesn’t mean it’ll surpass those ahead of it. Especially a college with such a vast headstart. And I’m not sure how UCF’s current enrollment effects its current alumni base. They have to graduate before they can contribute to the “nation-wide alumni base”</p>
<p>And Quantum… since you asked 
-
Agriculutural Engineering
Civil Engineering
Environmental Engineering
General Management
Industrial Engineering
Marketing
Material Engineering
Nuclear Engineering
Quantitative Analysis</p>
<p>For Reference: [Office</a> of Institutional Planning and Research - U.S. News & World Report Rankings: Undergraduate](<a href=“http://www.ir.ufl.edu/nat_rankings/undergrad.htm]Office”>Office of Institutional Planning and Research - U.S. News & World Report Rankings: Undergraduate) (Sorry, best I could find was '09)</p>
<p>I’m not saying UCF is a bad school. I think it’s a good one and have family and friend’s that go there.</p>
<p>That’s pretty impressive, its a good thing I asked. I wasn’t aware that UF had so many programs in the top 10 as well. I stand to be corrected/educated.</p>
<p>UCF will get there, its just a matter of time; give them the props, they’re one of the youngest colleges around.
In the strictest comparism of both institutions, it may be wise to place them on the same timelines, as in check out what UF accomplished during its first forty years and then place it beside what UCF has achieved, and then you’ll see the enormous difference between the speed of growth of both institutions (UCF being the faster of course).
I am personally convinced that when UCF gets as old as UF currently is, it would have made double its achievements. The signs are there, impossible to ignore.</p>
<p>Ari- I didn’t mean to imply UCF only had a regional alumni base or that grads are limited to jobs just in the Orlando area. However, in comparison to UF and FSU, UCF’s alumni is, admittedly, more regionally concentrated at the moment. That’s obviously due to the considerable age gap between UCF and the state’s older universities.</p>
<p>FWIW, I also think UCF is a great school and will only continue to improve. I don’t think anyone can necessarily make a direct comparison between the achievements in the first forty years of UF’s existence and the first forty years of UCF’s though. It’s apples/orange considering the vast differences in those two time periods. </p>
<p>Anyway, I happened upon this thread because I’m applying for a Master’s in CS and the programs at UF & UCF are on my list. It wasn’t my intention to start another round of “who’s got the biggest?”. :)</p>
<p>Well said!-----This comment was not placed where I wanted it to be! Actually, one of the older posts highlighted the fact that after you get your first job it is not so much where you graduated from, but rather what have you achieved lately. Maybe a degree from Harvard would be worth mentioning for 30 years after graduation. And no- please don’t tell me that UF is the Harvard of Florida. UF is a fine school, but when silly comments like that are made I once again realize why many call our state “Floriduh.”</p>
<p>Agreed. UCF is building its reputation VERY quickly. 56,000 students in the 2010 enrollment. UCF opened in 1967-1968 with about 2,000 students. That is impressive. In such new years. Especially with their unique colleges too, UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management is campus like no other. The modern campus and dorm style is also I think is also a good seller.
When I visited UF, they told me some (few, but still. SOME) of the dorms do not have air conditioning and need an air conditioning unit. Also, there is not much to do in Gainesville besides the university and restaurants. UF is a good school, no one should say I am trying to discredit it, especially with certain programs. UCF has an equal amount available as UF.</p>