Student Profile
Emily
- Class: Senior
- Major: English
- Gender: F
- High School: Clay High School
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
FSU isnÕt just a place where you go to classes and take tests, itÕs a home. FSU is essentially a small town with all the amenities. We have on campus grocery stores, restaurants like ChileÕs and the Park Avenue Diner, seven libraries, a movie theatre, and our own police force. The staff at FSU really cares for the students, from the maintenance staff who will rush to fix broken elevators to the FSUPD who offer free self-defense courses and bicycling lessons. We have a health center which offers a womenÕs clinic, allergy clinic, two general practice clinics, psychiatric counseling, etc. Sometimes this can be a little overwhelming for some students because the campus occupies such a large space with a large student body (40,000 students). But to me it feels like a home away from home; I donÕt need my mother to send me care packages, everything is right here.
Academic Life
Florida State University gained its present name in 1947. Originally, it was known as the Florida State College for Women. At the time FSCW was renowned nation-wide as one of the most prestigious womenÕs colleges that not only educated their students academically, but also as an individuals. Their school goal was to create Femina Perfecta or the ÒCompleted Woman.Ó They nurtured each student emotionally, physically, and mentally by educating them to be responsible and happy individuals, students, and citizens. After WWII and the GI Bill, FSCW became FSU and integrated males in the female student body, but FSU did not loose sight of FSCWÕs mission. Even today professor and faculty staff seek to educate individuals, not a mass of anonymous students. There are a few classes that are very large, but most advisors will not recommend students take those unless they feel prepared for that particular academic setting. Most range from twenty to forty students. Science and math classes, the bane of most studentsÕ existence, typically have twenty-five students. The largest class I have been in was forty students and the smallest was ten. While I would like to say that at FSU every professor is perfect, you will have good experiences with professor and bad ones. I know IÕve had both. The great thing is at FSU students evaluate their professor not a faculty committee and its up to the studentsÕ response on whether a professor is rehired. But more often than not you will love your professor at FSU. My favorite professor actually gave me seven hundred dollars worth of anthologies upon her retirement as a gift!
Student Body
FSUÕs population is incredibly diverse. Students come from all over the state, nation, and world. I know in high school, everyone belonged to a clique and people were excluded, but college is incredibly different. You will go to class with Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, African-Americans, Caucasian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, individuals from china and Afghanistan and France, people with visual and hearing disabilities, etc. I once sat in class next to a man with a seeing-eye dog who would sit under his seat and give me cute little puppy eyes, it took every ounce of concentration and determination not to break down in class and cuddle and pet the dog!
The Best Things
Campus living!
The Worst Things
The weather: rain rain RAIN!
