USF,, would you send your kid there? (Tampa: apartment, credit)

[movinaround1]

My son will betaking His Sats soon. He doesnt know what he would major in. We are new to Tampa. I hear that the area isnt great , but what are your opinions about the school.

[BucFan]

I attended for two years a few decades ago and didn't like it because the student-to-professor ratio was very large. Some classes seemed to have a 100-200 students. I moved to another school later and finished my degree in a smaller university. I appreciated that my professors actually knew my name there.

The campus seems sprawling, in my opinion and the student population is nearing 50k from what I understand. I lived in the dorms for a semester before moving to an apartment in walking distance.

I can't attest for the quality of the school anymore. Its been a while since I've been in the lecture halls/classrooms. I'm guessing that the classes are also becoming web-based. Not sure if that's the new trend.

BTW, I didn't really know my major at the time I attended. I wanted to go into finance/banking but ended in a career much different (healthcare).

[jdm267]

No. I would have him try to get into UF.

[Tim Tim Tim]

Its a good school, the area around it sucks but I dont think the school is bad. UF or USF are both good schools as well but you lose that cost befit of being able to live at home while going to school.

I personally would recomend a community college for the 1st 2 years though. MUCH smaller class sizes and the credits all transfer to the big universities. It will save a ton of money and (in my opinion) give a better education.

[movinaround1]

Thanks for the feedback guys .

[GoRays813]

It's not a bad local university. You'll inevitably get smug replies from UF and FSU alumni because those are the oldest public universities in Florida but don't let this deter you from considering USF. Ultimately, it depends on your son. Does he want to go to a large public school in town? Does he want to go to a large public school away from home? There are benefits to both sides and he should give it good consideration. If he's seeking a college-town, large-school experience, then I would have him look at UF or FSU. USF is a commuter school (although recent decisions by the administration are attempting to change this public view) that caters to local students. Don't let your decision rest on these three though- there are plenty of other universities and colleges that may be more attractive for your son. You've done the first step in showing interest in his future; hopefully he is as interested and does his research at this important point in his life.

[Sunscape]

It is not unusual for a student to not be sure what his major is going to be. This is very common. Some students change majors a # of times, and then, some students know since they are small what they want to study.

There is a forum here on CD on education which may be of help to you in these aspects. All these matters are discussed there and it provides for hearing different opinions on all issues of education.

I truly agree that it is good for a student to begin in a community college and then transfer after 2 years to a full college. It saves some $ and the education you get is the same, whether you do the full degree in a university or you break it like I am saying.

[movinaround1]

Thank you again. I am a young single mom and I am so excited that he is going to have opportunities like college. He loves Florida Tampa especially and he is glad we left NYC. I will be helping him explore all of his options. He and his group of friends seem to be very interested in USF so I figured Id get some opinions. You guys are great for the honest answers.

[crazynip]

Sure. But I wouldnt let him/her live anywhere near campus.

[MortonR]

As a relatively recent USF graduate, I would also suggest that you try to get an idea of what he would like to study. While you will have to spend some money, I high recommend finding a career counselor (fee for services, NOT free) that will screen him using well established screening tools to get an idea of what areas of study he would be expected to do best in.

We did this with one of our children, and it was money well spent.

They don't say exactly what your child should do, but give you some general guidance on what disciplines they would do best in as well as enjoy.

Also, depending on which college at USF you attend your experiences can be very different. Some of the colleges are very large from an undergraduate point of view, and it's not uncommon to have 100 level courses in a lecture hall with as many as 700-800 students. It's not until the junior and senior years that the focus really starts in their chosen subject area.

One very attractive thing about USF is it's almost meteoric rise in the list of research universities in the US. I believe they are now in the top 50 in the nation, and that says a lot about grant and research money coming in as well as their ability to attract the best and brightest in each discipline.

When I was there a few years ago I made a point of hitching my wagon to a professor that was a grant writing machine, and they were able to keep me busy as an assistant. It's not usually very interesting work, maybe doing things like transcribing, but I got paid well for my time and also got a lot of one-on-one time with my supervising professor as a result.

I have a child who is currently doing the first two years at HCC and transferring to USF approach, which saves a boatload of money while guaranteeing they will get in to the university. If they had attempted to get accepted as a freshman, despite their good grades, the likelihood of getting in was pretty poor due to the huge number of applicants.

RM