[flyers29]

Originally Posted by Energy_Fin_Guy

Just go by USNews general rankings. Obviously, UF and UM have the two best law schools as well.

Err UF and FSU are the top two law schools in the state, UM is about 30 spots behind.

[.gif]

i would stay in-state if you are going to have most of your tuition paid for. uf might be the best option for you. michigan and georgia tech are good schools but you may end up graduating with a lot of debt.

at my workplace, if someone says their alma mater is somehow academically superior to mine, i simply bring up the fact that "you work at the same place i do." i've worked with ivy league morons as well as brilliant people who graduated from no-name bottom-tier universities. your future success is largely determined by you (your work ethic, character, people skills, etc.), not by what school you attended.

i graduated from uf with an engineering degree. i was going to attend georgia tech, but the price tag turned me off. i also visited their campus and hated it.

[beachmouse]

Not to mention that the only way you're going to get into U of Michigan as an out of state student with an unweighted 3.6 gpa is if you're a recruited student athlete or have a parent willing to donate a building.

[Energy_Fin_Guy]

UT-Austin is an amazing engineering school

[JAS]

Top 2011 Law School Rankings

UF rated 47, FSU 50, Miami 77 in most recent national law school rankings.

FSU's engineering program isn't that great, but FSU is just as good or better than Miami or UF in many other programs.

[Kevin from Tampa]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

UF and Miami are the clear top two schools in the state. UM tuition is so much higher than UF that it makes it a pretty poor value when comparing the two.

Also FSU is not a college town. The only college town in Florida is Gainesville and maybe Deland.

This post is incorrect in many ways, but one is that Tallahassee is a college town. It also is home to the state government, but really, the place is dominated by FSU. In the summer, it's a ghost town comparatively.

Also, there is no one school in the state that is way above the rest. There are several "good" schools in the state, several decent schools, and as a whole, higher education is a bargain compared to most states because tuition is very low relative to most state schools.

As has been mentioned, your major may determine which school is best for you. UF has the best (almost the only) Ag school...a good college of journalism...the best engineering school in the state. FSU has tremendous programs in the arts, crim justice, and poli sci....UM has a very well-regarded architecture school...etc...

Overall, here's a good guide if your major is not a deciding factor...

If you're looking for a traditional college experience at a large state school, UF and FSU are the only places you'll find it.

UCF and USF are working at that, but they're still largely commuter.

If you want to be in a larger city with a state school, those two are the way to go. They provide the large city experience with some of the aspects of a traditional school.

If you don't care about price, and want an intimate college experience that has some trappings of traditionalism, then UM might work for you.

If traditional college experience doesn't matter and city size doesn't either, then there are a bunch of other options...UNF, UWF, FAU, FGCU....

If you want an artsy, liberal arts college experience at public school prices, New College is awesome for that.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by .gif

at my workplace, if someone says their alma mater is somehow academically superior to mine, i simply bring up the fact that "you work at the same place i do."

I love that.

Lots of great posts and I bookmarked a few.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by .gif

at my workplace, if someone says their alma mater is somehow academically superior to mine, i simply bring up the fact that "you work at the same place i do." i've worked with ivy league morons as well as brilliant people who graduated from no-name bottom-tier universities. your future success is largely determined by you (your work ethic, character, people skills, etc.), not by what school you attended.

Exactly!

The Top 50 this or that in the end doesn't matter. In this day and age the most economical route is the smartest. The college that offers the best financial aid package should be your top choice if it's anywhere near tolerable as a place to live for four years.

[Gatornation]

Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa

This post is incorrect in many ways, but one is that Tallahassee is a college town. It also is home to the state government, but really, the place is dominated by FSU. In the summer, it's a ghost town comparatively.

Also, there is no one school in the state that is way above the rest. There are several "good" schools in the state, several decent schools, and as a whole, higher education is a bargain compared to most states because tuition is very low relative to most state schools.

As has been mentioned, your major may determine which school is best for you. UF has the best (almost the only) Ag school...a good college of journalism...the best engineering school in the state. FSU has tremendous programs in the arts, crim justice, and poli sci....UM has a very well-regarded architecture school...etc...

Overall, here's a good guide if your major is not a deciding factor...

If you're looking for a traditional college experience at a large state school, UF and FSU are the only places you'll find it.

UCF and USF are working at that, but they're still largely commuter.

If you want to be in a larger city with a state school, those two are the way to go. They provide the large city experience with some of the aspects of a traditional school.

If you don't care about price, and want an intimate college experience that has some trappings of traditionalism, then UM might work for you.

If traditional college experience doesn't matter and city size doesn't either, then there are a bunch of other options...UNF, UWF, FAU, FGCU....

If you want an artsy, liberal arts college experience at public school prices, New College is awesome for that.

You can TRY to put FSU with UF and Miami as much as you like but rankings and reputation don't justify your theory/logic.

College towns aren't state capitals. A college town is Chapel Hill/Athens/etc.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

You can TRY to put FSU with UF and Miami as much as you like but rankings and reputation don't justify your theory/logic.

College towns aren't state capitals. A college town is Chapel Hill/Athens/etc.

I think Austin, TX and Madison, Wisconsin might disagree with you.