Is Florida Polytechnic a waste of time?

SpeedyG
Tue, 14 Jan 2014 13:52:55 +0000

It is absolutely NOT a waste of time - if you don’t mind being in a small, start-up college that will have some bumps in the road, and may not have all the amenities of an established college in place yet – but where you will get lots of individualized attention in small classes and the excitement of being part of something brand new where you get to help shape the future.

Lack of accreditation is only a risk if you do not plan to stay there and want to transfer your credits BEFORE Florida Poly becomes accredited. The only other issue with lack of accreditation is that they can’t offer federal student aid yet. They are working on some other forms of financial assistance - of course, including the inaugural scholarship.

Just take a look at Florida Gulf Coast University (a.k.a. “Dunk City”) which was Florida’s 10th state university. When it was brand new, it also was not accredited (it’s impossible to get accredited without being in operation a certain length of time!). It is now, has grown fast, and is definitely on the map! I also recall when UCF was in its infancy in Orlando and is now the 2nd largest college in the U.S. They all have to start somewhere and Florida Poly promises to be something special for those seeking very sought-after (and high paying) tech degrees. Many industry partnerships are in place already.

I know a lot about Florida Poly because my son is one of the first to be admitted for Fall 2014 semester. He also applied and was accepted to Florida Tech in Melbourne, but that school costs upwards of $40,000 a year with tuition, room and board. We like the state university pricing very much - less than half of Florida Tech’s cost (before scholarship)!

We have not even seen the exact curriculum/course requirements yet, but based on what we’ve been told - it will not be the standard old general education requirements of every other Florida state university. Students will get into their specialized degree area from the first year, including projects, and the gen ed required courses will be more tailored to a tech curriculum (not liberal/fine arts).

College selection is a personal choice, and you have to do what’s right for you - based on your comfort level, goals and preferences. Florida Poly is a great fit for my son and we’re excited about it.