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A Visit to Jacksonville University
May 15, 2012
Jacksonville Campus
Location
Jacksonville University is located in a beautiful riverfront setting in suburban Jacksonville, across the St. Johns River from downtown and just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean. The 190-acre campus includes a half-mile of riverfront, oak-lined paths, and a mix of historic and new campus buildings. 3500 students
Demographics
Most JU students are from Florida and the southeastern and northeastern United States. They represent 45 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and 50 foreign countries. The male-female student ratio is about 1 to 1.
Colleges
The College of Arts & Sciences offers traditional liberal arts and science majors, plus programs in nursing, education, and pre-professional education. The College of Fine Arts has outstanding programs in art, dance, music and theater. The Davis College of Business occupies a new, technologically advanced facility.
Student Characteristics
Beginning Fall 2012, traditional freshmen can participate in Jacksonville University’s Four-Year Graduation Guarantee.
What is Our Four-Year Graduation Guarantee?
A guarantee for incoming first-year students that ensures their ability to graduate in four years provided they adhere to the stipulations of the agreement. If they are unable to graduate on time and have met the requirements of the agreement, the University will assume their tuition costs (minus any state and federal aid for which they qualify) until they graduate.
A Visit to Florida State University
May 15, 2012
FSU Fountain
Overall
- Tallahassee, Florida
- Beautiful, sprawling campus, lots of huge tees, downtown Tallahassee
- Tallahassee is the capital, students can walk right into the downtown area
- Lots of convenient internships
- 31,000 undergraduate, only 9% from out of state
- Sports oriented, Florida State Seminoles an ACC powerhouse
- Lots of fun traditions
- Great athletic facilities
- Frats and Sorriorites dominate the social scene
- Has been known as a party school
Academics
- Research University
- Top majors – criminal justice, finance and business, political science, hospitality, golf course management
Admissions
- 60 percent accepted
- 24-28 ACT
- 3.7 average GPA
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- Parked bikes at FSU
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- FSU Fountain
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- FSU Campus Grounds
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- Old tree on FSU campus
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- FSU Statues
- Wonderful location in a tourist town, four miles from the beach
- Students can walk to all the charming shops and restaurants
- 2500 students
- Good teacher education program, specially deaf education
- Great sports management
- Only freshman live on campus, the other students live around the campus or on near the beach
- No coed dorms
- Cars are allowed
- No Greeks
- Liberal arts college
- 90% study abroad
- Scholarship
- Excellence
- Openness
- Fiscal Responsibility
- Accountability
- Collaboration
- Diversity
- Service
- Fairness
- Courage
- Integrity
- Respect
- Collegiality
- Freedom
- Ethics
- Shared Governance
- Centrally located historic town
- New England type village with a village green, cute little shops, etc.
- Close to the Adirondacks, Utica, and Syracuse
- Many other cute little towns near by
- Malls are about 15 minutes away
- Syracuse Airport about 40 minutes away
- Residential campus, students live on campus all four years
- Truly a community, no need to leave campus
- 1800 students
- Creative, engaged fun students
- Became co-ed in the early 70s when Hamilton merged with all-female Kirkland College
- You will find all different types of students who all seem to get along
- Housing is a lottery
- No separate freshman housing, may be some floors that are all freshman
- Lots of unique housing options
- Housing is great because freshman are not put in a freshman dorm. They are not put in the worse dorm as is the case at other
colleges. They are mixed in with other students so nice housing for all students. - Liberal arts, all the majors are strong
- No distribution requirements or core curriculum
- Benefits are students are happy and engaged because they want to be in the classes they choose
- Advising system really good and personal
- Dynamic and organic experience, advisors ensure students get a broad education
- Course of study will be individually tailored and structured to ensure an experience to prepare students to reach their goal
- Faculty are committed to the open curriculum
- There may be a quantative requirement if students are not at the level they need to be, for example Stats.
- Hamilton is a writing intensive college. This means you don’t have to write tons of big papers, but smaller papers and several drafts to become a better, focused writer.
- Professors are here to teach, vast majority live within 3 miles of campus
- Professors know if you are not there
- Senior projects and some full year thesis available
- Pre-professional advisors for business, law, medicine, etc.
- Liberal arts train you for nothing but prepare you for everything
- 5 main off-campus Hamilton programs – New York, Washington DC, China, Spain, and France – 100s of others available.
- Opportunity to be involved in the arts are vast
- Opening an art museum and teaching museum
- Strong theater, a capella groups, jazz band, orchestra, etc.
- The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) – most prestigious Division III conference, same conference as Williams, Middlebury, Amherst, Wesleyan, Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, Trinity.
- These colleges are overlaps
- Students can contact coaches themselves. Coaches prefer that over a box e mail bought from a company
- National championship womens lacrosse team
- Ham, the pig, is the mascot – dresses like a revolutionary war soldier
- Lots of school spirit!
- Lots of competitive club and intra-mural teams
- Hamilton will fund any club students want to start
- Pub for students over 21 on campus
- Greeks live in the dorms
- Career-Related-Experience (CRE) – every student has at least one before end of sophomore year
- Hamilton is in the top 1 percent for alumni giving of money, time, networking, connections.
- Great alumni network! For example a girl got an internship at MTV in NYC ( unpaid internship).
- The career center funded her summer internship expenses such as rent, food and fun. Very impressive program.
- Summer research opportunities with professors
- Internships open the door to that first job
- Great Names Series – impressive speaker series.
- Interviews recommeded. Students need to set this up on the Hamilton website. Alum interview available in the Twin Cities
- 50 percent of students on financial aid, still need blind
- Meets 100 percent of need
- No merit scholarships
- Hamilton, like all colleges, recommends families use the net price caculalator to determine if you will qualify for financial aid on the school’s website.
A Visit to Flagler College
May 15, 2012
Flagler Campus
Flagler College
74 King Street St.
Augustine, Florida 32084
904-829-6481
Admissions
24 ACT, 3.4 GPA, 40 percent accepted.
Cost
VERY affordable. No merit scholarships because of the low cost.
Cost of Attendance
| Tuition | $15,340 |
| Room | $4,070 |
| Meal Plan (Full) | $4,280 |
| Total Costs | $23,690 |
Flagler College Students
Students playing volley ball
Swimming Pool
A Visit to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
May 15, 2012
Florida A&M
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M or FAMU, is the nation’s largest historically black university by enrollment,[3] is located in Tallahassee, the Florida state capital, and is one of eleven member institutions of the State University System of Florida. FAMU is also one of Florida’s land grant universities.
Overview
Founded on October 3, 1887, Florida A&M University (FAMU) is part of the State University System of Florida and is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Distinguished by lush foliage and massive oaks, FAMU’s main campus comprises 156 buildings spread over 422 acres atop the highest of Tallahassee’s seven hills.
The university also has several satellite campuses including a site in Orlando where the College of Law is located and sites in Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa for its pharmacy program.
Enrollment
Florida A&M University enrolls nearly 12,000 students from the United States and more than 70 countries such as India, Egypt, Trinidad, Netherlands, China, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Brazil.
Academic Programs
Florida A&M University offers 62 bachelor’s degrees and 39 master’s degrees. The university has 13 schools and colleges and one institute. The university also offers a juris doctor at its College of Law in Orlando. FAMU has 11 doctoral programs which includes 10 Ph.D. programs: chemical engineering; civil engineering; electrical engineering; mechanical engineering; industrial engineering; biomedical engineering; physics; pharmaceutical sciences; educational leadership; and environmental sciences.
Popular Majors
Marching band
Main article: Marching 100
The FAMU Marching “100″ under the direction of Dr. William P. Foster, was invited by the French government to participate in the Bastille Day Parade as the official representation from the United States. This event was held in celebration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution.
The Marching “100″ was named the “Best Marching Band in the Nation” by Sports Illustrated (August 1992). The band received national recognition in January 1993 when it performed in the 42nd Presidential Inauguration Parade by invitation of Bill Clinton. The band has also performed in the Super Bowl and in the 44th Presidential Inauguration Parade.
In 2011, a band member was beaten to death in a hazing incident. Since the 2011 death, a series of reports of abuse and hazing within the band have been documented. In May of 2012, 2 faculty members resigned in connection with a hazing investigation and 13 people were charged with felony or misdemeanor hazing crimes.
Top undergraduate programs are architecture; journalism; computer information sciences and psychology. FAMU’s top graduate programs include pharmaceutical sciences along with public health; physical therapy; engineering; physics; master’s of applied social sciences (especially history and public administration); business and sociology.
Admission Fees
Fees Per Credit Hour
Undergraduate residents: $124.01
Undergraduate nonresidents: $522.03
Graduate resident: $268.23
Graduate non-resident: $884.75
Law resident: $288.75
Law nonresident: $943.43
Other Fees
Rattler Card ID: $5
Athletic Fee: $11.30
Technology Fee: $4.43
Health Fee: $55
Transportation Fee: $59
Housing
Room rent (average): $2,025.47 per semester
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Grants, scholarships, loans and employment opportunities are available to help families meet the cost of investing in a FAMU education. For information, visit www.FAMU.edu/UniversityScholarships.
Demographics
(2008-2009)
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Full-time |
10,509 |
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Part-time |
1,339 |
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Female |
6,940 |
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Male |
4,908 |
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Florida |
9,215 |
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Non-Florida |
2,633 |
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Black |
10,631 |
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White |
596 |
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Hispanic |
268 |
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Asian |
141 |
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Native Indian |
27 |
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Non-Resident Alien |
131 |
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Not Reported |
54 |
Florida A&M University Mission Statement
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) is an 1890 land-grant institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, resolution of complex issues and the empowerment of citizens and communities. The University provides a student-centered environment consistent with its core values. The faculty is committed to educating students at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional levels, preparing graduates to apply their knowledge, critical thinking skills and creativity in their service to society. FAMU’s distinction as a doctoral/research institution will continue to provide mechanisms to address emerging issues through local and global partnerships. Expanding upon the University’s land-grant status, it will enhance the lives of constituents through innovative research, engaging cooperative extension, and public service. While the University continues its historic mission of educating African Americans, FAMU embraces persons of all races, ethnic origins and nationalities as life-long members of the university community.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University holds the following values essential to the achievement of the university’s mission:
My Advice to B.F.A. Seeking Students
April 4, 2012As a member of IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association), I occasionally write a blog for them. My latest blog is entitled “Tips for Advising B.F.A. Seeking Students,” posted on April 4, 2012. I invite you to check it out.
College Admission Trends
March 26, 2012Here is an article in the Huffington Post by Patrick O’Connor, Director of college counseling, Roeper School, about college admissions trends.
Letter to Star Tribune
March 26, 2012The Star Tribune published my letter to the Readers Write section regarding higher education today, March 26, 2012. You can read it on page A10 or online at http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/144041856.html.
College Spotlight on Northeastern University
March 22, 2012A former student of mine, now a sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston, wrote a wonderful piece entitled “Why I’m glad I chose Northeastern” for his former high school newspaper. I’ve posted it in my College Spotlight series http://www.collegeexpert.net/college-spotlight-northeastern-university/ on my website with his permission.
For those of you interested in colleges that offer co-op/internship opportunities, you will find this article enlightening.
Liberal Arts Colleges Defend Their Value
March 20, 2012The Star Tribune has a great article today about how colleges like St. Olaf are defending the value of a liberal arts education. Read the article at http://www.startribune.com/local/143419966.html
A Visit to Hamilton
September 26, 2011
Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
After our visit to St. Lawrence, Tom and I drove down to the beautiful Finger Lakes area in central New York. We made our way to Mirbeau Inn & Spa named “Best for Romance, Cuisine & Yoga!” This inn became our home for three days as we explored the surrounding areas and colleges.
Here are my notes and observations about Hamilton College, in Clinton, New York.
Clinton
Campus
Hamilton College Dining Hall
Housing
Academics
Athletics
Extracurriculars
Career information
Hamilton College Walkway
Addmissions
Financial aid
What separates Hamilton from the others? The friendly, warm, welcoming atmosphere, centrally located, not shared with a major
city. – Sue Luse