<p>Definitely if you are interested in small classes, or a small school, do not consider UF, FSU, or any large university for that matter. Going to a 5000 student school is also no guarantee that you won’t end up in classrooms with 300 students either.
Same goes for big football weekends, big sports, partying…if you want to avoid those things, you will want to stay away from large U’s (anything over 4-5K students). </p>
<p>I’m a big proponent of the honors programs at public universities. The honors school at UF has made a big university into a smaller, more intimate academic experience for my sons. They live in a separate dorm (if they want), and can take their freshman requisite courses (Chem, Bio, Calc, etc.) that are usually auditorium style classes, in a smaller classroom. My son had about 18 kids in his Calc II class. He took Chem with about 30 or so. Compare that to what you get for the same classes in just about any university (about 200-500 students per class) and it’s a great experience. And the honors students have their own advisors, their own orientation break out groups, etc.</p>
<p>About getting to know professors, etc…all I know is that my son just had to give three references for a job application- he had his Calc teacher, the head of the lab he volunteers at, and the chapter representative for his frat. He’s gotten to know these people well enough to feel comfortable having them speak for him, so obviously there’s some amount of mentoring available to students. I think it has a lot to do with the student…no one is going to take someone by the arm and steer them without the student asking first. The student does have to seek out mentors, but they are available for the asking. All in all, my son has had no problem finding people to help him out.</p>
<p>Also, about the 5 year plan-
Some majors actually take 9 semesters instead of 8. Chem Engineering for example. So when you hear of students in their 5th year, don’t automatically assume they are screwups. Also, many students will extend their time to 9 semesters because they want to minor or double major. My son has figured out he can get two minors along with his major if he adds just a few classes. The fact that he’s going four years tuition-free with $600 a year book allowance, makes the extra semester not a big deal financially- certainly worth it from an education standpoint.</p>