<p>Basically, I want advice and my friends and family are all extremely biased. The colleges I’m deciding between are Auburn University and Florida International University. </p>
<p>Auburn:
I AM IN LOVE THIS SCHOOL!
It’s like a family there.
Everyone important in my life is either a fan, alumni, or attending this college.
I LOVE SEC football and everything that goes along with it.
Going to watch games would be SO MUCH FUN!!! … But I don’t know if I’d want to play any offered here.
I could double major in Marine Biology and Zoology, which would look great on an application/resume.
I’m worried the double major will actually do more harm than good, due to a double major’s difficulty level.
I love the party atmosphere at Auburn.</p>
<p>FIU:
I love this school too, but in different ways.
It’s in Miami, which is great because I love cities.
I think I will have more fun in Miami with the beach, clubs, parties, etc.
I’ll get to do more extra curricular activities because of less school work such as studying abroad, sororities, sports, etc. This is VERY VERY VERYYY important to me.
There are many more sports offered at FIU that I’d like to participate in… But going to games wouldn’t be as much fun because they’re not always very good.
They have only Marine Biology (the major I would prefer if I could only have one), but I would get MUCH more in field experience in Miami, which is pretty valuable in what I want to do (animal trainer, preferably marine mammals).</p>
<p>Hmmm. You might want to look into the academic resources more…access and location of libraries, IT resources, size of classes, teaching staff- nothing that matters to you right now but will do as soon as classes start…</p>
<p>If animal trainer is your goal, I’d go for FIU. For the fieldwork and internship possibilities. </p>
<p>Never do things just because family and friends are doing it. You never regret things you’ve done, only things you haven’t done. </p>
<p>HOWEVER I’m a bit worried about your mental picture of college. Yes, there’s a lot of socialising and clubs but if you’re actually putting in the correct amount of study to do well you need to approach it like a full time 40 hour a week job. </p>
<p>Try this little exercise- get hold of a typical college schedule for your major. Can be from anywhere. Then make a list of all the activities you want to do. Find out the times of these clubs. Again, it doesn’t really matter which college they’re at. Then think about how much partying you’d like to do. Then make up a hypothetical schedule for yourself. Once you’re done, try and fit in the study hours (40 minus class hours) around it. Is it actually possible to fit it all in? Is it realistic?</p>
<p>I love this letter because you are completely honest. And you know what you want in a college (fun!). I don’t mean that sarcastically…there are lots of reasons to go to college…i went to a top 5 “party school” (i had no choice) and I received a great education and have done very well in my career. But I do have friends who I graduated with who enjoyed/loved college way more than I did…because they were truly there for a good time.
so in the spirit of your letter, i would choose Auburn…their team is going to be an SEC powerhouse for at least 4 more years…and you will be able to find solid academics there as well. </p>
<p>The double major wouldn’t add much and you’d have as much fun at FIU as at Auburn. If you’re really into sports Miami has professional sports and it’d be better there for your major. However if I were you I’d make sure to take as many advanced classes as possible in biology (in addition to marine biology) as well as kinesiology, hospitality management, etc. considering your choice of professions. there’s a glut of bio majors and jobs related to marine biology typically require graduate school, so I’d advise to enroll in the Honors college at FIU to stand out a little more and prepare for grad school.</p>
<p>@southernhope: I hope your friends and their parents didn’t go into debt to “have fun” for 5 years.</p>
<p>My daughter has been accepted to both but is awaiting her dream school decision. FIU gave her a full scholarship but she doesn’t want to go there only because it is home and she wants to get away. I am praying that her dream school accepts her and offers the full scholarship also!
Both schools are great but I think Auburn is the better choice of the two both in academics and school spirit/college experience based on the tremendous research I have done. That being said, for Marine Bio I would take UM over both of them hands down. The program is amazing and the opportunities for future growth are incredible there.
With regards to the overall experiences…college is what you make of it! If you are involved yet a serious student you will have fun, meet people and also gain a great education. If you party all the time your academics will suffer and if you study all the time your social experience will suffer. The key is finding the perfect balance to meet your individual needs. :)</p>
<p>Heatfan, the problem is that OP has a full scholarship to FIU… and no scholarship for Auburn, meaning $120,000 in debt which is insane for undergrad.
So perhaps the best choice is for OP to apply to other schools, such as UM, Eckerd, etc.</p>
<p>So you’re looking to party your way through school rather than hit the books, get a marine biology degree, and become an animal trainer. Do yourself a favor and take the cheapest route. To spend anything significant on that plan would be a shame.</p>