[TANaples]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

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.

besides CC, is to go to a different university, then apply as a transfer student after 2 years. The school will then just look at your college record and you won't be competing with the vast number of HS graduates. My daughter was rejected at her top school. She went to another university and applied as a transfer student two years later. It only took a few weeks for her to be accepted. The acceptance letter she received said something to the effect, "Congratulations! You have proved yourself to be a successful college student."

[riveree]

Originally Posted by big mean bear

If what you guys are saying is true, the bad students must be REALLY bad to drag that many good students down with them. If there are that many good students to drag down.

Or are there a lot of mediocre students and an equal amount of decent students that when averaged, are simply 'ok'? I know I sound like an idiot, but there has to be some kind of answer for me out there...

I think there is a mix of kids in the high schools. Here, we have a Magnet program, so the cream of the crop (public school) is funneled into just a few of our specialty high schools:

Duval County Public Schools Magnet Programs

We also have some regular high schools where the majority of the kids do well, so the FCAT rating for those high schools are good. At the other end of the spectrum, we have some high schools that rate very poorly, and I imagine the percentage of students that perform well in those schools is very small.

We're not even counting the private and parochial schools yet. So I don't think it's so easy to connect the dots between what happens at the college level and trace it back to what's happening at the high school level.

It's an interesting question though!

[TriMT7]

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.

1300 under the old scale?

That doesn't make any sense that you wouldn't get in. That at least would have qualified you to get 75% of your tuition for free. If your GPA were better, you would have gotten 100% tuition paid for.

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

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.

Did you wait until the last minute to apply? With the average SAT at FL shools well below 1300, something is amiss.

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by TANaples

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

I am from NYC. You said you worked at NYU, I was asking you which campus did you work at.

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

If you can't get in go to a CC for two years and you are guaranteed to get into a four year school.

I'm sure that's a good option for those people out there that live with 4-5 roommates or live at home with their successful parents. Unfortunately, Not everyone is blessed with those options.

I personally couldn't afford to pay bills working only one job while I lived in Florida. Working two jobs and trying to go to school full time while maintaining good enough grades to get into a state university ? Please.

I don't see why ANYONE would put themselves through that kind of torture when they could just go to a university in another state, live on campus, and survive just fine.

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

1300 under the old scale?

That doesn't make any sense that you wouldn't get in. That at least would have qualified you to get 75% of your tuition for free. If your GPA were better, you would have gotten 100% tuition paid for.

Did you wait until the last minute to apply? With the average SAT at FL shools well below 1300, something is amiss.

It's been a long time. I still have the letter I got from Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers.. ( FGCU ! lol )

In the letter they thank me for my interest in attending their school but unfortunatley, my GPA and SAT scores did not put me in the top 20 percentile of students that applied for their school. They go on to suggest that I attend Edison College which I suppose is a C.C. in S.W. Florida.

Anyways, I keep that letter for inspiration, Anytime I think I can't do something, I look at that letter and look where I am now and it helps.

So, Atleast I got something positive out of it.

Oh, and no, I didn't wait until the last minute. I was out of H.S. for half a year and applied for the Fall semester in January to several diffrent schools. Go figure..

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by Wild Style

I am from NYC. You said you worked at NYU, I was asking you which campus did you work at.

at the student computer center, back when they still used the Mainframe Computers. I don't remember the name of the building, but it was across the street from the school of music, and a few blocks from the student center. Sorry, it's been over 35 years and I am sure it has all changed.

I used to live on Sullivan Street and it was a very short walk there.

[Gatornation]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

I'm sure that's a good option for those people out there that live with 4-5 roommates or live at home with their successful parents. Unfortunately, Not everyone is blessed with those options.

I personally couldn't afford to pay bills working only one job while I lived in Florida. Working two jobs and trying to go to school full time while maintaining good enough grades to get into a state university ? Please.

I don't see why ANYONE would put themselves through that kind of torture when they could just go to a university in another state, live on campus, and survive just fine.

CC costs very little and are rather easy in general. Plenty of people work and get good grades. The idea that another state is totally different than FL in terms of cost and going to college makes little sense.

CC is a lot easier to pull off cost wise than any 4 year school.

Like someone else said there has to be more to your story because someone with a 3.0 and 1300 SAT score can get into various schools today let alone 10 years ago.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

Like someone else said there has to be more to your story because someone with a 3.0 and 1300 SAT score can get into various schools today let alone 10 years ago.

A 3.0 is not that great a GPA. It's just barely a B in regular track classes. There are lots of kids who took honors/AP classes and got As who have GPAs over 4.0. Grades count more than SATs in college admissions and a 3.0 is just not that great.

One of the things that people have to understand about the public universities here in FL is that there are tons of private school kids who go to public universitites so applicants are not just competing against other public school kids for slots at the universities. Here in Broward County I know MANY kids who went to St. Thomas, North Broward, American Heritage, and attend UF or FSU. When you take the very best students from the very best public high schools plus the students from the private schools the quality of the pool is quite good. It's the average student at the average or below average school that is not a quality student.

BTW-the public universities are not permitted to have more than 10 percent out of state students. I read an article that many of them are trying to increase that percentage to increase funding but I don't think the Board of Governors will go along with it.

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

The idea that another state is totally different than FL in terms of cost and going to college makes little sense.

My yearly tuition at Tennessee State University from 2002-2007 was roughly $6,000/yr. incl. room & board.

As far as I can see, yearly tuition at the University of Florida is roughly $15,740/yr. incl. room & board.

My point being from my previous post is that when you go to C.C. you have to work 2-3 full-time jobs ( atleast in Florida. ) to be able to afford your bills and rent. That's why I personally was looking to attend a state university or college, because I would be able to stay on campus and only work part-time while I went to school.