[pslOldTimer]

Originally Posted by cmj_fla

...If you child is interested in Law, Stetson also has an amazing Law School and the Political Science department is the best in the state.

You painted a vivid picture of the college. My son was a political science major and intended to go on to the law school. However, after a couple of years, he realistically decided that he was not enough of a student to go on to law school, and added a second major in business. When he graduated, I jokingly suggested we get a newspaper and look for all the political science positions...but he went on to follow in his grandfather's shoes and became a certified real estate appraiser. He is now a manager of appraisers for a major bank.

[Rhett_Butler]

Was going to suggest Stetson as well....

[SouthernBelle3]

Kat2K
Warner Southern is a good one to check into. I've toured the campus when my daughter was thinking about attending there. She didn't go there due to some personal issues that had nothing to do with the school. Really nice faculty and staff there. It is Anderson Church of God but they are open to all faiths. We also checked out Clearwater Christian college. Uh, you gotta see it to believe it. Think Pleasantville in Black and White. Enough said about that.
Stetson is very expensive, but a nice school - my alma mater. Same for Rollins. I've heard rave reviews about Palm Beach Atlantic U is West Palm Beach. I personally know many kids that attend there and they love it! In fact, none of the kids I know, probably about a dozen, have anything negative to say about it. St.Leo is another private college - Catholic I believe. If your son was homeschooled, you may want to condider distance learning. My daughter will be getting an AA degree through St.Petersburg Community College ecampus.
She loves the flexibility and she has such nice professors. It saved us a bundle of money as she continued to live at home and could work.

[kat2k]

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions, my son and wife are going to go down there this fall and check out some of the schools that you all have suggested.

SouthernBelle, what is wrong with Clearwater?? Something we should stay away from? Thanks.

[SouthernBelle3]

Nothing if your son prefers a very strict campus with a strict dress code and no music (not even Christian rock) but only what the administration deems appropriate. Lots of rules and strict interpretation of the Bible, or rather their interpretation. I'm not putting the college down by no means. It is just way too strict for most Christian kids. I have to admit, the campus is very pretty and unique. It's right off SR 60 - the Gulf to Bay Blvd. My impression of the campus was that it was very safe because of it's location. There is only one way into the campus and that is monitored by a security guard. You can google their website and read the student handbook.

[cmj_fla]

Originally Posted by pslOldTimer

You painted a vivid picture of the college. My son was a political science major and intended to go on to the law school. However, after a couple of years, he realistically decided that he was not enough of a student to go on to law school, and added a second major in business. When he graduated, I jokingly suggested we get a newspaper and look for all the political science positions...but he went on to follow in his grandfather's shoes and became a certified real estate appraiser. He is now a manager of appraisers for a major bank.

Thanks for the post. Stetsons PS department is extremely difficult. As a freshman I declared a double major of PS and English and QUICKLY dropped the Political Science because of the difficulty and the competition. I am glad to hear your son did the same and is not a successful businessman. My English major has been pretty much ignored with most of my jobs however seeing Stetson on my resume has really gotten me far (I have gotten every job that I have applied for). I highly recommend it!

[EscAlaMike]

your son is almost done with high school, but hes not old enough to post? sounds like someone needs to let go and let him make his own decision on college. Seriously though, Jacksonville Univ, though not religious, is a small private school that has a GREAT Business admin program (i'm not sure about hospitality though). Stetson is a good school, but I would not consider it religious either. They have seriously cut ties with the Baptist church. There really just aren't a whole heck of a lot of good, established private universities that are church affiliated, except for maybe Univ of Tampa, which I believe is Catholic.

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by cmj_fla

Thanks for the post. Stetsons PS department is extremely difficult. As a freshman I declared a double major of PS and English and QUICKLY dropped the Political Science because of the difficulty and the competition. I am glad to hear your son did the same and is not a successful businessman. My English major has been pretty much ignored with most of my jobs however seeing Stetson on my resume has really gotten me far (I have gotten every job that I have applied for). I highly recommend it!

I was a pre-law PS major at Stetson many moons ago. I wish I had been able to finish my education there, but had to re-locate. It's a beautiful campus, great town and highly-respected school.

Anybody have Dr. T. Wayne Bailey? He was my favorite professor!

[NYNewbie]

Originally Posted by pslOldTimer

My son graduated from Stetson University in DeLand, FL. It was started by Baptists and still has a close relationship and the attitudes persist, but it is not as strict as it once was. The students refer to DeLand as "DeadLand". Of course, there are parties, etc., but it appears to be less so than most schools. Every town has some nightspots, but DeLand is hardly a wild town. On the other hand, for those who want a little more excitement, Daytona is only 30 miles away.

Stetson has the reputation as one of the two toughest schools in Florida, academically. The other is Rollins College. They seem to trade the highest academic rating back and forth every couple of years.

There are about 2,200 students.

It is not easy to get accepted, and it is expensive. But, a degree from Stetson carries weight and garners respect.

Link to Stetson website.

By the way, my daughter graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College (http://www.lrc.edu/ - broken link) in Hickory, NC. It is a Lutheran college with about 1,500 students, known for academics, music and a small but important specialty in training educators of the hearing impaired. Hickory is hardly a wild town.

Stetson is an alright school, but it is slipping. It is no longer competitive salary-wise for faculty, so it ends up hiring Stetson devotees and former graduates. I can name three recent faculty hires that are Stetson alum.

In recent years it appears the school has been devoting more and more of its resources to the school of business. This may appear to be a good development from your standpoint (considering your child's interests), but it is a strange development considering the Arts and Sciences program draws the largest number of students.

The business school is pretty weak, unless you want to learn how to "beat the market" through their Roland George program. It is very competitive. Still, the school is looking to hire cheaper out-of-field people to teaching business courses. I've heard that they've offered non-PhDs jobs teaching there explaining that they can just use the book, "Anyone can teach the material." The Business Schools classes are getting larger because they can't afford to replace retiring faculty. Once they leave, the money once devoted to their compressed salaries is about 60% of what it takes to get the least qualified person to replace him/her. Look at the origins of the degrees their faculty have and you will be largely underwhelmed.

Finally, note that the finest business practitioners typically don't graduate with business degrees. If your child is bright, s/he should get a liberal arts degree and learn how to write, think, reason, and assert him/herself. I challenge anyone to tell me how much better off a student is after spending a semester in one of Stetson's Business Schools' EBT courses. I would sit there and watch students play Warcraft. I, myself, knew to take the class because I was told you could get an A with just a pulse. Turns out, my fraternity brothers were right.

You will get a lot of scholarship money if you apply. Put up a fight too, because they will relent, especially if your child has an above-average set of scores.

Exploit all of the programs there, if your child goes there. The study abroad program is usually under-enrolled. For this reason, if your child goes to one, s/he should would get a great deal of attention. My own experience was top-notch and I believe it is because so few attended.

Whatever you do, don't let people talk your child into Stetson Law. The whole game is to funnel Stetson's best off to Stetson Law. If your child is bright enough to attend Stetson Law, let him/her branch out and see another part of the country.

If a student is motivated to get a superior education and attend a great graduate school, Stetson will deliver. But the student can't be demure or a puch-over. There isn't a critical mass of smart students that will make acting and being dumb feel uncomfortable. In my opinion, this is why you pay big bucks and push a child to succeed - so they attend such a school. Easier paths will prevent themselves and some students will bite (otherwise, Stetson's student athletes wouldn't graduate, err, Sports Management). However, s/he he will find a college within the college. These are professors with chips on their shoulders busy showing the University and its students that both are capable of much more.

Good luck with your decision. I think a much overlooked private college in Florida is Elon.

[mikej18]

If your son is looking to go to a college in FL, I've got to tell you Clearwater is absolutely the best one. I just went through the picking a college process and I quickly figured out what every school was really about. Warner Southern is nothing more than a party school and so is FL Southern, and both have toally abandon their Christian values. Clearwater Christian College is regionally acredited, and isn't crazy strict like a Pensacola. I did decided to attend Clearwater, because of those reasons. The buisness adminastration is a very strong major here at Clearwater I think you would be extremely pleased.

The faculty here at Clearwater are more concerned about you than just acadmeics though, they also focus on helping you grow spiritually. If you would like to talk further about it email me sometime at michaelmalterer@clearwater.edu

Originally Posted by kat2k

Thank you all for your valuable help! We will be looking in to all of these mentioned

My son is turning 17 next month.

Can anyone tell us anything about a school called Clearwater Christian College in Clearwater, Florida? My wife found it this afternoon, very small with about 600 students? Exactly where is Clearwater?

Thanks!!