Florida State University

Florida State has aspects of it which are good. If you are here to get a generic liberal arts degree and want to party, come on up to Tallahassee. If your goal is to pursue fields that require advanced math and science, you need to come here with strong quantitative skill already. Most of the math department is a disaster and the sciences are hit and miss. Unfortunately FSU has grown to such a large size that these entry courses have 150+ people in large auditoriums. If you are looking for smaller classes (<40), then you should look at the humanities and social sciences. I originally came to FSU as a biology major and was put off by the faculty within the biology and chemistry departments - they simply are not good. It rapidly becomes clear that their focus is on their research and they overly rely on their graduate students to assist the undergrads. This is hit-and-miss, at best. Some of the TAs are helpful, while others are just bitter and jaded.

All this being said, I transferred my science coursework over into being an environmental studies major and things have gone smoothly since, for the most part. I have enjoyed most of my social science courses, I just can't take a class like "Gender Justice and Environment" seriously. I have been accepted into graduate school, but I really had to bust ass to get in (I graduated top of my class in high school with enough AP credits to make me skip freshmen year). My overall experience is that, in general, the faculty that does teach (there are a lot of grad students teaching now because of budget cuts) are extremely nit-picky and are not interested in helping their students succeed. Rate my professors ratings are a godsend and should be consulted to avoid the hassle of professors who insist on grade deflation.

The staff of the school are a pain. I could not even begin to guess why, but the staff seemed to always have an attitude or not be responsive to students.

Some people come here and succeed, some come here and party. Like anything, FSU is what you make of it. I thought it would be a breeze and it is, so long as you know your strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly.

Other points:
-the school is going to get as much money from you as possible in the form of fees, etc.
-the dining halls are okay, but the offerings rapidly become repetitive.
-football season is really fun, but can distract people from coursework.
-the school's emphasis on football is off-putting because there never seems to be enough funding for academic departments; case in point, the anthropology department is always on the verge of being cut.

-the social life here revolves are binge drinking.
-I suggest joining a greek organization; the friends/connections you make are worth it.
-prepare yourself to have trouble finding convenient parking during the day.
-the school whores itself out to corporate sponsors like Chili's and Starbucks.
-the academic mapping system is rigid.
-the surrounding city can leave a lot to be desired, you just have to accept that it is a small, Southern college town without any nearby big city conveniences.

-flying into and out of the Tallahassee airport is easy but it is like there is a surcharge to fly to/from here.

5th Year Male -- Class 2011

Social Life: A+, Faculty Accessibility: F