[TANaples]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

Florida Colleges and Universities are ridiculous.

I graduated with a 3.0 gpa and had a 1300 SAT score ( while holding a 35/hr. week job ) I tried to apply to FSU, UF, USF, and UCF and was declined by them all. I was told to go to a community college and MAYBE I could transfer after I completed my 60 hours.

That was around the point to where I had enough with the state as a whole ( about 10 years ago ) I ended up moving to TN and after waiting a year for residency, Applied to and was accepted at Tennessee State University, UT-Knoxville, and the University of Memphis. I am now an alumni of TSU in Nashville.

Florida has WAY too high of standards for their colleges, esp. when compared to most of their highschools.

up North as party schools. They attract students who want a sun and beach atmosphere. My daughter just graduated college last year (SUNY) and this was what we heard. Actually, I stayed up North for 3 years while my husband was living here in Florida so she could get her education up North. She outright refused to go to college here in Florida because she wanted to stay in NY and teach in the schools there. Having a Florida degree would not have been a plus for her in finding a teaching position up there.

There are many paths to a degree. Although it was back in the "stone age", I graduated HS with a 3.5 GPA. I did not take the SAT (refused but long story), but got a 1400 on the PSAT. My HS principal called me an under achiever. I went to work for a university (NYU) as a secretary after graduating HS. Employees got FREE tuition, so I worked full time in the day and went to school nights, winter break, and summer break. I also got a discount on my books because I was an employee. I only lived a short walk to the school, so it wasn't all that difficult. However, the following year I quit my job and also moved to another borough. Although the Fortune 500 corporation where I worked also paid most of the tuition, it became far more difficult to go to school with all the working and traveling I had to do. I quit after about 2 years. I still managed to keep a 3.0 GPA.

Ok, now about community colleges. Hope I didn't bore anyone. I got married, had kids, etc. When my kids got older, I decided to enroll in a state community college, since I now would have to pay myself. I am writing about this to show the advantages of community college. I had a 3.9 GPA in CC, after being out of school for about 25 years, and was elected to Phi Theta Kappa. Universities across the country starting offering me scholarships, so much so I could have wallpapered just about my entire house. It really was unbelievable. Besides all the local tri state universities, I got them from as far away as DC (American U), Texas(Austin), and Denver. As an adult, married woman with kids, I had no need for any of this. However, it made me think. Just imagine what a YOUNG person could do with all this? It made me wish I could somehow "donate" all this to some young person just starting out.

Please THINK about Commnity Colleges.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by TANaples

up North as party schools. They attract students who want a sun and beach atmosphere. My daughter just graduated college last year (SUNY) and this was what we heard. Actually, I stayed up North for 3 years while my husband was living here in Florida so she could get her education up North. She outright refused to go to college here in Florida because she wanted to stay in NY and teach in the schools there. Having a Florida degree would not have been a plus for her in finding a teaching position up there.

There are many paths to a degree. Although it was back in the "stone age", I graduated HS with a 3.5 GPA. I did not take the SAT (refused but long story), but got a 1400 on the PSAT. My HS principal called me an under achiever. I went to work for a university (NYU) as a secretary after graduating HS. Employees got FREE tuition, so I worked full time in the day and went to school nights, winter break, and summer break. I also got a discount on my books because I was an employee. I only lived a short walk to the school, so it wasn't all that difficult. However, the following year I quit my job and also moved to another borough. Although the Fortune 500 corporation where I worked also paid most of the tuition, it became far more difficult to go to school with all the working and traveling I had to do. I quit after about 2 years. I still managed to keep a 3.0 GPA.

Ok, now about community colleges. Hope I didn't bore anyone. I got married, had kids, etc. When my kids got older, I decided to enroll in a state community college, since I now would have to pay myself. I am writing about this to show the advantages of community college. I had a 3.9 GPA in CC, after being out of school for about 25 years, and was elected to Phi Theta Kappa. Universities across the country starting sending me scholarships, so much so I could have wallpapered just about my entire house. It really was unbelievable. Besides all the local tri state universities, I got them from as far away as DC (American U), Texas(Austin), and Denver. As an adult, married woman with kids, I had no need for any of this. However, it made me think. Just imagine what a YOUNG person could do with all this? It made me wish I could somehow "donate" all this to some young person just starting out.

Please THINK about Commnity Colleges.

Which campus?

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by FLBob

I may be going out on a limb here, but my benchmark for the success of higher education is not how many attend, or graduate, but what they do afterward. I look to see new businesses and industries developed by graduates.
I'd love to hear about the entrepreneurial activities by graduates of Florida's schools.

My brother is one. He stayed here after school while 4 siblings left. He's very successful. Cant say exactly... due to privacy but owns a major high profile multi regional Florida medical business serving the public, is some kind of an elected commissioner in his area and also on the board of a popular sports activity group down here (not pro sports, sport that your neighbors love doing lol) .

Married with kids and was the BABY of the group we all called him spoiled and predicted he'd be a dopey adult but nothing of the sort. When I google his name it comes up ALOT which cracks me up since I remember him as somebody we all played jokes on and tortured

[runswithscissors]

OH, and I forgot my own kid LOLOL.

He attended college here. We were part time residents forever. During college he did a free internship at the business of his dreams. They loved him. Hired him after college. Weren't paying much. The owner says he'll be the last to go in case of business problems. The owner also helped him start his own business in the same field. Now he's a successful entrepreneur although he can't live off it completely yet. So he works for the old job and runs his business at the same time. He and the owner have recently partnered to merge resources. The rich owner's facilities and the young kid's creativity and business sense knowing the trends of the music business. So far they're both very happy.

(The boss was a FL high school grad now a multi millionaire).

Finding a passion can overcome most obstacles IMO. My kid's been living on lowish salary and drawing very little from his business but for now, he doesn't care. I guess he's a starving artist LOL.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

Which campus?

that is the most important. I went to school up north. I am not really familiar with Florida CC. Good luck.

[DailyJournalist]

Here is a quote from a Sun Sentinel article that states Florida's economy is not producing high-paying jobs and that Florida graduates face tough choices:

"Almost four in every 10 jobs in the state are in fields known for moderate pay - retailing, education or health services, and government, according to July figures from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. Across all industries, Florida has proportionately fewer positions in high-paying management than the rest of the nation.
The state also continues to lag in how much it pays workers. The average employee made $35,820 last year compared with $39,190 nationally, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

The Full article:
South Florida graduates face tough choices -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

[Strel]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

Florida Colleges and Universities are ridiculous.

I graduated with a 3.0 gpa and had a 1300 SAT score ( while holding a 35/hr. week job ) I tried to apply to FSU, UF, USF, and UCF and was declined by them all. I was told to go to a community college and MAYBE I could transfer after I completed my 60 hours.

That was around the point to where I had enough with the state as a whole ( about 10 years ago ) I ended up moving to TN and after waiting a year for residency, Applied to and was accepted at Tennessee State University, UT-Knoxville, and the University of Memphis. I am now an alumni of TSU in Nashville.

Florida has WAY too high of standards for their colleges, esp. when compared to most of their highschools.

Why does anyone believe that these two issues are necessarily related?

We have bad high schools means we SHOULD lower our standards for getting in our colleges?

Why?

[big mean bear]

Originally Posted by Strel

Why does anyone believe that these two issues are necessarily related?

We have bad high schools means we SHOULD lower our standards for getting in our colleges?

Why?

They are related because education in Florida is run from Tallahassee. All the standards and accredation boards and administrative offices are state-run.

[Gatornation]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

Florida Colleges and Universities are ridiculous.

I graduated with a 3.0 gpa and had a 1300 SAT score ( while holding a 35/hr. week job ) I tried to apply to FSU, UF, USF, and UCF and was declined by them all. I was told to go to a community college and MAYBE I could transfer after I completed my 60 hours.

That was around the point to where I had enough with the state as a whole ( about 10 years ago ) I ended up moving to TN and after waiting a year for residency, Applied to and was accepted at Tennessee State University, UT-Knoxville, and the University of Memphis. I am now an alumni of TSU in Nashville.

Florida has WAY too high of standards for their colleges, esp. when compared to most of their highschools.

This really doesn't make any sense. I know tons of people that got into USF, UCF, FSU with those types of scores eight years ago. The only school in Florida that is hard to get into in regards to standards on a national level is UF. My brother had a bit higher GPA and 1100 something on SAT and got into various Florida schools this year.

Aside from that the idea that standards being too high are a bad thing makes no sense. If you can't get in go to a CC for two years and you are guaranteed to get into a four year school.

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by big mean bear

Why are there so many large and successful colleges in Florida (UF - 60,000 students/ UCF - 50,000/ USF - 40,000/ FIU - 40,000/ FSU - 30,000/ UNF - 20,000) if the schools public school system are such a disaster?

I know a thing or two about government; enough to know that public school funds for elementary, secondary, and post secondary education come from the same sources. Why, then, is there such a large discrepancy between florida's school systems?

That's not necessarily true. Alumni contribute huge amounts to universities, not high schools. Students without residency requirements pay astronomical tutition. With the FCAT graduating high school students who can't add 2 + 2 or name the capitol of the state in which they live, admission to UF is as is should be, stringent.