<p>my daughter got into both as a transfer and has to decide now. Any insight? What is Lakeland Florida atmosphere like compared to Loyola New Orleans?</p>
<p>Lakeland bears no resemblance to New Orleans. It is a city of about 90,000. The surrounding Polk county is rural. What is her major? Are you instate? OOS? Have you visited FSC? It is smaller than Loyola. Loyola has about 3000 undergrads, FSC about 2000. Loyola has 1000 grad student and a law school. FSC has about 100 grad students.</p>
<p>I know something of Lakeland FL and quite a bit about uptown New Orleans. Very, very different environments. OP, what is your D looking for in her transfer school?</p>
<p>Judging from my Louisiana student days, one’s GPA was inversely proportional to how far the college was from the French Quarter :-)</p>
<p>Loyola is a wonderful school. The faculty are caring, and the staff are wonderful to work with. The student body are generally middle class kids. The wealthier kids tend to go next door to Tulane. Although I’m sure Loyola kids can have just as much fun as their next door neighbors at Tulane, they don’t have the disposable income that the Tulane kids do. I’m sure they enjoy the Quarter and Mardi Gras, but not with as much frequency as their neighbors. I wouldn’t let worries about being in Big Bad New Orleans scare you off from Loyola. She will be surrounded by a bunch of good kids and supportive faculty members. My son is attending summer classes at Loyola right now, and his teacher actually walked out to greet me when I picked him up the other day and told me how well my son was doing in his class and how thrilled he was to have him as a student. I was like, Wow! I could not get over the personal attention from a college professor!</p>
<p>What is your daughter looking to major in?</p>
<p>Sorry, I should have been more specific. Am very familiar with Loyola - am alum (30 years ago) and have one son going there. Site unseen, my daughter is attracted to FSC, the outdoor environment and appearance that there are lots of intramurals. Both have good rankings in the college reviews.</p>
<p>She is outgoing, and has played volleyball for a number of years. Her major is communications - maybe business, she’s 18 and not sure yet. The admissions counselor at FSC has been excellent and has made a connection with us but am concerned that Loyola may be the better school academically in the end? Any further insight in FSC would be great appreciated!</p>
<p>A Jesuit education is going to be more respected everywhere.</p>
<p>New Orleans is a major city with a cool reputation, whereas in the minds of many, most of Florida is pretty much a pit (aside from the beach-y areas, I would think).
My dad lived in rural-ish FL for a while and hated it. I visited a friend in Homestead several times (before it got blown off the map by H. Andrew) - EWWW.</p>
<p>Anyone’s mileage may vary, of course!</p>
<p>And a Jesuit education tends to be very good, as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>Yes, New Orleans is a cool city, for those who can afford to enjoy its pleasures. Most of us live in our version of the pit. It is no surprise that the Tulane folks tend to stay here, but they can afford to buy the expensive homes located in the uptown university area. While it is nice to spend a few years in a cool city, one should really pick a school based on the academics and fit. I went to college in Miami, and while it was beautiful, I never had the time or money to enjoy the fun part of living there. If your daughter finds her fit at the Florida school, I would suggest she go there. As much as I love Loyola, I would not pick a college based on where it’s located. My son also had visions of going to an urban college, located in an exciting city. He wound up finding his fit in the little town of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He’s an enginnering major, so he could probably be going to school in Paris and not enjoy it, with all the schoolwork he has to do.</p>
<p>Wishing your daughter lots of luck on her college transfer. Whether Loyola or Lakeland, I hope she finds the best school for her.</p>
<p>Montegut, good points. Location matters more to some than others, but fit is most important. I have one who is very happy at a school in a small city.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. I just reminded myself that I need to let her make this decision and to trust that everything we’ve tried to drum into her head about making decisions in the past 18 years has stuck somewhere. Either way, it will be she will have to make the most of it!</p>
<p>Lakeland and New Orleans are two entirely different animals. New Orleans is New Orleans! Folks in southern La. are some of the most fun loving people anywhere; Lakeland is more like northern La.–bible belt! Lakeland area is more old Florida (it’s not Miami’s South Beach!) that I-4 just happens to pass through, connecting it to Orlando and Tampa Bay–Lakeland is an overgrown central Florida citrus town similiar probably to what Orlando was like 40 years ago before Disney.</p>
<p>Fl. Southern is fairly strong academically and a student can get a sound undergraduate education there. I have a friend who graduated from FSC 3 years ago, he just this spring graduated from the Univ. of South Florida’s medical college with his MD. Another friend transfered to FSC last year from a big Florida state univ. where she was a scholarship athlete; she is thriving now at FSC doing a Division II sport instead of Division I, and is doing much better with her studies-- I think the smaller school environment is perfect for her. I considered going to FSC a few years ago and remember an advisor telling me that there are more Catholics enrolled at FSC than Methodists even though FSC is Methodist affiliated. FSC isn’t a Jesuit school but it is church affiliated. I remember too FSC folks were very aggresive and persistent calling me many times at home to attend FSC–it’s a small private school and they seek new students to keep the school operating in the black. Too, did you and your daughter consider Jesuit college Spring Hill College in Mobile–it would be similar to Loyola New Orleans in some ways but in a smaller community without some of New Orlean’s distractions. Good luck to your daughter, both Loyola and FSC are good schools.</p>
<p>^^^Good point about the athletics. I noticed neither school is Division I. Maybe she’d be able to play volleyball as a walkon at one?</p>
<p>I second the Spring Hill recommendation. Lots of Spring Hill kids are at Loyola this summer. We have many friends at Spring Hill, and they love it! </p>
<p>As for the recruitment practice of FSC, you can’t beat that. There’s nothing like feeling wanted at a college. </p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter and keep us posted on where she chooses!</p>
<p>As a recent alum and now graduate student at Loyola, I have only good things to say about the location of the university and quality of their programs.</p>
<p>Just to be clear on location, Loyola is not in or around the French Quarter or downtown New Orleans. It is located in Uptown, a historic and prestigious neighborhood about 20 minutes away from the touristy hustle and bustle. Tulane and Loyola’s campus share a border, and the close proximity of students from the two universities give parts of Uptown a real “college town” feel. </p>
<p>If your daughter is looking to study communications, Loyola has an outstanding program. I had many friends who studied in the School of Mass Comm and was always impressed by the hands on and interactive learning experiences in which they took part. The campus newspaper ranks among the best in non-daily college newspapers: [Loyola</a> racks up at the 2010 Press Club Awards - Loyola University New Orleans](<a href=“http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2010/7/26/2180]Loyola”>http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2010/7/26/2180) and the Public Relations program competes and consistently places top three in the Bateman Case Studies Competition. [Loyola</a> Bateman Team heads to national finals - Loyola University New Orleans](<a href=“http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2011/4/18/2469]Loyola”>http://www.loyno.edu/news/story/2011/4/18/2469) </p>
<p>I would suggest visiting campus, maybe sitting in on a class. In the end, it comes down to what she is most comfortable with. Good luck to you…exciting times ahead.</p>
<p>Decision just got more complicated - She just got a very good financial Aid offer from Flagler College in St. Augustine Florida. What’s that like? Hard to do the campus visits given the time frame and the fact that we live international.</p>
<p>My nephew, who loves New Orleans but now lives in Virginia and goes to Hampden-Sydney, absolutely loved Flagler College when he visited and desperately wanted to transfer there.</p>
<p>As much of his financial aid was tied to going to an instate Virginia school, the parents said no.</p>
<p>But I actually thought of that college when you said your daughter was looking at Lakeland, that it might be an option.</p>
<p>Oh, I know, having time to visit them all is impossible!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>