University of Florida

MyOpinion · August 14, 2008, 8:12pm

and I love your reasoning goufgators,

let me go over this with you: tuition plus expenses at most privates is roughly $50K per year ( Miami, for example ). A combined household income of $100, would be left with $ 50K, which is EXACTLY the reason why students just settle for UF. It is a tremendous sacrifice to spend half of the family income in tuition when you can get your education at a good state university.

Also, where did u get that the average household income of UF students’s parents is over $100K…?

parent2noles · August 14, 2008, 8:22pm

Hold it…no one else may tease the gators about wearing Jorts and sporting mullets (even female students!) except Florida State alumni. Its our little secret about our sister school to the south.

:D

goufgators · August 14, 2008, 8:56pm

Most students don’t pay their $50/year tuition cash from their saving banks every year. Almost all of them would probably take student loans that might be interest free over a short period of time after graduation or a very small interest for like a year or two. Besides, I would hope these students/parents are aware that it’s a better investment to go for the loan with very low interest rates than to pay it off cash where they could use the cash to make more money else where. But it all depends on the type of loans. I know a few medical students and pharmacists who pay little to no interest on their $200K student loan.

$100K average per household at UF has been a publicized thing. I’m sure there is a link somewhere. But I have yet to see how $100K/year is not enough to go out of state.

pnthrs11 · August 14, 2008, 10:23pm

QUAKERS #1
GATORS #2

End of story.

Northstarmom · August 15, 2008, 9:13am

In 2007, UF was 12th in the country for its number of freshmen National Merit scholars. It had 168. Harvard was first with 285. UT Austin was second with 283.

I know students who turned down Dartmouth, NYU and Emory to go to UF. Why? UF is a decent college that is very cheap, particularly for in state students with Bright Futures. There are bright students who figure they’ll go to a more prestigious college for grad school. That was the case with the UF grad I know who had turned down Emory undergrad, and then went to Stanford for grad school.

While UF is not a great school, it’s a good enough school for bright students who either plan to stay in Florida for all of their lives or they plan to go to a top ranked graduate or professional school.

As for the average family income of UF students, here’s something that the St. Petersburg Times wrote:
“At UF, 95 percent of incoming in-state freshmen are on Bright Futures scholarships this year, and a voluntary survey conducted in fall 2004 found the median family income of responding incoming freshman was between $95,000 and $100,000. Nearly 23 percent reported incomes of more than $150,000.”
[Opinion:</a> Higher education: for a better Florida](<a href=“http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/25/Opinion/Higher_education__for.shtml]Opinion:”>http://www.sptimes.com/2007/02/25/Opinion/Higher_education__for.shtml)

While a voluntary survey isn’t going to be a true reflection of the average family income, it is clear that there are a lot of affluent students at UF, particularly among the many students who are in state and are recipients of Bright Futures Scholarships, which are based on gpa and test scores.

rogracer · August 15, 2008, 11:20am

…and so it all comes down to a matter of personal opinion. There are only about 10 states in the US that have a “better” state school than UF per USNews. To some, including US News and others, that is good enough to be considered a “Top Public”. So please forgive the UF alumni for echoing that. To others, that is mediocre at best…implying that for 80% of the states in this country the best they offer is mediocre or far worse.

beefs · August 15, 2008, 11:21am

The sad truth.

Northstarmom · August 15, 2008, 11:38am

Here’s the top 30 or so of U.S. News’ list of top publics. To put this into context, it’s important to realize that most of the schools that aren’t ranked 1-8 do not fall into the U.S. News list of top universities. Most of the schools listed below are considered second tier universities, still good, but not top of the line for the U.S. I wouldn’t consider any on this list to be mediocre, however.

1 University of California–Berkeley
2 University of Virginia
3 University of California–Los Angeles
3 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
5 University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
6 College of William and Mary (VA)
7 Georgia Institute of Technology
8 University of California–San Diego
8 University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
8 University of Wisconsin–Madison
11 University of California–Davis
11 University of Washington
13 University of California–Irvine
13 University of California–Santa Barbara
13 University of Texas–Austin
16 Pennsylvania State University–University Park
17 University of Florida
18 University of Maryland–College Park
19 Ohio State University–Columbus
20 Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–New Brunswick (NJ)
20 University of Georgia
20 University of Pittsburgh
23 Texas A&M University–College Station
24 Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN)
24 University of Connecticut
24 University of Iowa
27 Clemson University (SC)
27 Miami University–Oxford (OH)
29 Michigan State University
29 University of Delaware
29 University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
29 Virginia Tech

Bescraze · August 15, 2008, 1:51pm

after number 5 I would consider every school to be mediocre or worse

calicartel · August 15, 2008, 2:51pm

Well put. I think it embodies what we’re all trying to say.

etcheverry · August 15, 2008, 3:27pm

I do not know why some are bashing UF so much…University of Florida is a very good university it has a decent national and international reputatioin…

etcheverry · August 15, 2008, 3:32pm

“after number 5 I would consider every school to be mediocre or worse”

So you consider UC san diego mediocre??If you know that much about schools you shouldn’t be at this website.Some people came here to get important advices.And we have people that has no clue about schools saying absurds like that.

rogracer · August 15, 2008, 3:32pm

I’m guilty of perpetuating this thread, as much as it no longer serves the OP’s purpose. But I can’t let inaccurate statements pass unchallenged…in this case NorthStarMoms “…it’s important to realize that most of the schools that aren’t ranked 1-8 do not fall into the U.S. News list of top universities”

That is just not true. Virginia Tech (a fine school, by the way) is at the bottom on your list, and it is on the USNews list of “Top National Universities”. That is a fact. If I give you some leeway, and assume you are adopting the earlier (now defunct) USNews definition of “Top Tier” as the top 50, you will find there are still 17 schools that make the cut…not 8.

As an MIT grad, I could take an elitist attitude myself toward almost any school anywhere…including those attended by most of the UF critics on this thread. But I won’t, because I have worked directly with the departments of many of these so-called “mediocre” schools, and hired their graduates, and my respect for them is vey high.

bclintonk · August 15, 2008, 3:43pm

^^ Very thoughtful comment, rogracer. Thanks.

goufgators · August 15, 2008, 5:02pm

You nailed it right on the head. I really hope perspective students to universities that are on that list don’t take Bescraze’s and NorthStarMoms 's comments seriously. You are right, this board is meant to give people advice on universities. Making off the cuff remarks such as the ones they has been making doesn’t necessarily help.

I too went to a highly ranked, top notch university for my graduate degree. I could easily put down everyone’s alma matter and call it mediocre as well.

I also want to say that the corporation I work at has a list of the top 25 national universities that it considers to be the top-notch preferred list for hiring. UF is on that list.

calicartel · August 15, 2008, 5:33pm

That’s right… when all else fails, try to pull what you perceive to be a punk card ;)

rogracer · August 15, 2008, 6:50pm

It’s OK Cali. You are entitled to your own personal definition of what is a good school. But you shouldn’t attack the UF faithful for simply pointing out USNews’ (Top-Tier) or Greene’s (Public Ivy) definitions. They have every right to do that…and it would be shocking if they didn’t. I’m not a UF alumnus, by the way.

calicartel · August 15, 2008, 9:14pm

I’m assuming that by “you,” you’re not talking to me specifically as I didn’t attack the “UF faithful” – though I will say that my personal opinion of UF is closer to the posters that are more lukewarm about the school… as opposed to those whom are cheerleading for it.
And to clarify my earlier post regarding the punk card, I was actually being facetious. I wasn’t particularly impressed, even though I too am guilty of having attended an “elite” graduate school myself. 
To be frank, as a former Marine who completed multiple deployments to Iraq, I’m infinitely more humbled by what my guys (most of whom were kids straight from high school) accomplished and sacrificed on a day-in, day-out basis in the sandbox… but that’s a whole 'nother thread :)

Bescraze · August 15, 2008, 9:33pm

I fail to see why we are UF bashers for asserting its a mediocre school. Haha you realize that not every school can be great and its not a bad school. Its just not a top universitiy and its not considered one. End of story. O and just because you attended an elite university does not mean anything on threads like this, I prefer to give readers an honest answer to questions and not a pc unhelpful one. As I have said UF will not stop you from getting a great job oos or going to a great grad school, but it will hinder it. In state it has a nice rep and alumni network and out of state it has little to no reputation. Go where you want, sometimes financial concerns take precedence, but its not a top school or close. If you consider a top 50 school top than good for you, your standards are lower than most.

Northstarmom · August 15, 2008, 9:42pm

I stand corrected. Many of the schools on the list that I posted are on the U.S. News top national universities list. That’s because U.S. News now includes about 100 universities on their “top national list”.

Yes, UF is on the list of top 100 universities – as #49. If you want to think that means it’s really considered as good as HPYS, fine.

For the record, the school where I earned my doctorate — GWU – is #54 on the list. I consider it another good, but not great university.

I don’t have anything against UF. In fact, I like UF. I even toured UF with my S and suggested that he apply there (He decided not to because he wanted to go to a place with smaller classes, and he didn’t like the way the campus looked though I thought it was lovely).

However, IMO, UF is a good, not a great school. I don’t consider it a mediocre school, however, just not the equivalent of the very top universities in the country – the places that are at the top of the US News list.

<ol>
<li>Princeton University (NJ)</li>
<li>Harvard University (MA)</li>
<li>Yale University(CT)</li>
<li>Stanford University(CA)</li>
<li>University of Pennsylvania</li>
<li>California Institute of Technology</li>
<li>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</li>
<li>Duke University(NC)</li>
<li>Columbia University(NY)</li>
<li>University of Chicago</li>
<li>Dartmouth College(NH)</li>
<li>Washington University in St. Louis</li>
<li>Cornell University(NY)</li>
<li>Brown University(RI)</li>
<li>Northwestern University(IL)</li>
<li>Johns Hopkins University(MD)</li>
<li>Rice University(TX)</li>
<li>Emory University(GA)</li>
<li>Vanderbilt University(TN)</li>
<li>University of Notre Dame(IN)</li>
<li>University of California—Berkeley *</li>
<li>Carnegie Mellon University¶</li>
<li>University of Virginia *</li>
<li>Georgetown University(DC)</li>
<li>University of California—Los Angeles *</li>
<li>University of Michigan—Ann Arbor *</li>
<li>University of Southern California</li>
<li>University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill *</li>
<li>Tufts University(MA)</li>
<li>Wake Forest University(NC)</li>
<li>Lehigh University¶</li>
<li>Brandeis University(MA)</li>
<li>College of William and Mary(VA) *</li>
<li>New York University</li>
<li>University of Rochester(NY)</li>
<li>Georgia Institute of Technology *</li>
<li>Boston College</li>
<li>University of Wisconsin—Madison *</li>
<li>University of California—San Diego *</li>
<li>University of Illinois—Urbana - Champaign *</li>
<li>Case Western Reserve University(OH)</li>
<li>University of Washington *</li>
<li>University of California—Davis *</li>
<li>Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute(NY)</li>
<li>University of Texas—Austin *</li>
<li>University of California—Santa Barbara *</li>
<li>University of California—Irvine *</li>
<li>Pennsylvania State University—University Park *</li>
<li>University of Florida *</li>
<li>Syracuse University(NY)</li>
<li>Tulane University(LA)</li>
<li>Yeshiva University(NY)</li>
<li>University of Miami(FL)</li>
<li>Pepperdine University(CA)</li>
<li>George Washington University(DC)</li>
<li>University of Maryland—College Park *</li>
<li>Ohio State University—Columbus *</li>
<li>Boston University</li>
<li>Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick(NJ) *</li>
<li>University of Pittsburgh *</li>
<li>University of Georgia *</li>
<li>Texas A&M University—College Station *</li>
<li>Worcester Polytechnic Institute(MA)</li>
<li>University of Connecticut *</li>
<li>Purdue University—West Lafayette(IN) *</li>
<li>University of Iowa *</li>
<li>Fordham University(NY)</li>
<li>Miami University—Oxford(OH) *</li>
<li>Clemson University(SC) *</li>
<li>Southern Methodist University(TX)</li>
<li>University of Minnesota—Twin Cities *</li>
<li>Virginia Tech *</li>
<li>University of Delaware *</li>
<li>Michigan State University *</li>
<li>Stevens Institute of Technology(NJ)</li>
<li>Baylor University(TX)</li>
<li>Colorado School of Mines 11 *</li>
<li>Indiana University—Bloomington *</li>
<li>Brigham Young University—Provo(UT)</li>
<li>University of California—Santa Cruz *</li>
<li>University of Colorado—Boulder *</li>
<li>St. Louis University</li>
<li>SUNY—Binghamton *</li>
<li>Marquette University(WI)</li>
<li>SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry *</li>
<li>North Carolina State University—Raleigh *</li>
<li>University of Denver</li>
<li>American University(DC)</li>
<li>Iowa State University *</li>
<li>University of Kansas *</li>
<li>University of Alabama *</li>
<li>University of Missouri—Columbia *</li>
<li>University of Nebraska—Lincoln *</li>
<li>University of Tulsa(OK)</li>
<li>Clark University(MA)</li>
<li>Auburn University(AL) *</li>
<li>SUNY—Stony Brook *</li>
<li>University of Tennessee *</li>
<li>University of Vermont *</li>
<li>University of Arizona *</li>
<li>University of the Pacific(CA)</li>
<li>University of California—Riverside *</li>
<li>Howard University(DC)</li>
<li>Illinois Institute of Technology</li>
<li>Northeastern University(MA)</li>
<li>University of Massachusetts—Amherst *</li>
<li>University of San Diego</li>
<li>University of New Hampshire *</li>
<li>Texas Christian University</li>
<li>Drexel University¶</li>
<li>University of Oklahoma *</li>
<li>University of South Carolina—Columbia *</li>
<li>University of Oregon *</li>
<li>Loyola University Chicago</li>
<li>University of Dayton(OH)</li>
<li>Florida State University *</li>
<li>Ohio University *</li>
<li>University of Missouri—Rolla *</li>
<li>Samford University(AL) 11</li>
<li>Washington State University *</li>
<li>University at Buffalo—SUNY *</li>
<li>University of Kentucky *</li>
<li>Catholic University of America(DC)</li>
<li>New Jersey Institute of Technology *</li>
<li>Clarkson University(NY)</li>
<li>Colorado State University *</li>
<li>University of Arkansas *</li>
<li>Michigan Technological University *</li>
<li>Kansas State University *</li>
<li>Arizona State University *</li>
</ol>

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