Is FAU all that bad?

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Photo by From FAU archives

FAU sign

Story by Ignacio Rodriguez, Staff Writer

Since Boca high is so close to FAU, students tend to develop an unjustifiable prejudice against it. However, FAU should be considered because of its benefits to Boca high students.

The state of Florida offers incentives for students who get an in-state education. Bright Futures, Florida pre-pay, and more are offered by the state government for students to apply to Florida colleges. From low in-state tuition to full rides, Florida’s government wants students to stay in Florida.

A big part of the college experience is the student life and FAU is no exception. The Owls have eighteen varsity division one sports ranging from football to volleyball, but for more academically oriented students a multitude of club sports are offered as well. Students who are more socially oriented, FAU covers that too; Greek life in FAU is sprawling with four prominent councils: The College Panhellenic Association (CPA), Interfraternity Council (IFC), National Pan-Hellenic Council( NPHC), and the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC). These councils combine for a total of fifteen fraternities, twelve sororities, and one co-ed fraternity. No matter what time of day or which day of the week it is, there is always something happening in FAU. FAU has a total undergraduate enrollment size of 25,000 students on 850-acre campus.

Aside from student life, an education is the number one reason or should be at least, why a student goes to college. There are twelve public universities in Florida, with the highest ranking being 35 (UF), Fau is ranked as a top 230 university (via US News). It has twelve colleges ranging from a school of education to a school of medicine, hundreds of diverse minors and majors are also offered. Special programs also exist for prominent students, such as an honors program and the dual degree program. Fau incorporates eight schools to accompany the many undergraduate degrees they offer, with nursing and rehabilitation counseling being some of the top in the nation.

“FAU gives me the flexibility I need for work, and the Boca Raton area has a great nightlife,” said Cassandra Hendon, senior at FAU

Location wise, FAU is smack in the middle of everything; the beach is only a few miles away, University Commons lies- literally- right next to FAU, and a movie theater is also only a two-minute drive away. The weather is as one would expect from Florida, highs ofm90s, lows of 50s and constant humidity.

However, there is some evidence supporting why students associate FAU with being a bad school. As previously stated, FAU is ranked among 230th in the nation, Florida’s other public universities such as Florida State and University of Florida both rank at 70th and 35th, respectively, nationwide. Additionally, FAU has no real staple/stand out program(s). Other schools like the Colorado School of Mines, for example, is known for its exemplary engineering program.

“FAU was the best [affordable] school in the area, but it is not the best school in Florida” said Ralph, Rising Sophomore at FAU

Nevertheless, FAU is relatively inexpensive and with rising cost, tuition is the most important part in deciding where to go to college. FAU is a good “bang for your buck” school.

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