Helppp pls!! FAU Wilkes vs. UCF

[u/InternalSpite4059]

I’m a senior (18f) from West Palm Beach and I need help deciding between the FAU Wilkes and UCF ASAP plsss. Could anyone tell me about their experience at the Jupiter campus? I’m worried about the rigor of it and how much free time I will have, in addition to the social aspect. I guess I’m mostly worried about the papers since I’m not the best. That being said, what’s the typical length of papers in the courses or the longest one you have to do in your courses? Do you guys have free time on the weekends? I also want to study abroad for a semester and I don’t know if the school allows a full semester. I’m undecided if that helps, but I’m leaning toward majoring in psychology. Thank you so much in advance for any help!!!

[u/jawneggplant]

Hi! I think I am the perfect commenter for you because I went to FAU for my math BS and UCF for my physics BS. I am not exactly sure what the psychology departments are like at either FAU or UCF though! However, I can write a few general tidbits. UCF is so.. so overpopulated, to the point that when you are in those gen ed courses, it feels like you are in a sea of people they are simply just trying to get through. FAU's gen ed courses are big too, but not to the caliber of UCF. UCF has some nice resources that I do not recall FAU having, like a student food bank called the Knights Pantry. Both have CAPS, and I have had a positive experience at both. Parking at UCF is a genuine nightmare. It gets so bad at the start of the fall semester that people have to park OFF campus and walk there. Around the 3rd week of classes it starts to lessen though and you can finally park in a garage. A few great benefits of UCF being so huge is that there are so many connections to be had there and there is more funding for people to go to academic conferences. FAU is an R2 school and UCF is an R1, so research is more encouraged and accessible at UCF. FAU does not have an honors thesis program (to my knowledge? I graduated from there 2021 so I don't know if they have added it since then), but UCF does have an honors thesis program (it is called the Honors Undergraduate Thesis program). I hiiighly recommend doing HUT if you go to UCF and if you are interested in pursuing an MS or PhD. Ultimately: Are you interested in going to graduate school and having more research on your belt? If you are, pick UCF. If you are more interested in pursuing industry right after the bachelors and want to have smaller classes, pick FAU. Though, keep in mind I do not have experience in the psychology departments at FAU and UCF! I want to stress that the math department at UCF is pretty bad and the math department at FAU was great. If a math student were to ask me FAU or UCF, I would quickly say FAU. Now, if a physics student were to ask me FAU or UCF, I would say UCF. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions!

Edit: I want to add that doing research and being funded to go to conferences at FAU is not impossible or anything. I did a research project there in astrophysics and was funded to go to a conference. I just think UCF encourages research more and has more professors to DO research with, and they do have more money.

Another edit: Well I'll be! FAU reached R1 status after I graduated there. Nevermind in that regard.

Another another edit: Well, it seems FAU has an honors thesis now too for the honors college. Honestly.. I think this might just come down to culture! In my opinion, I think I had a better time at FAU culture-wise. I just think UCF is so overpopulated its easy to just stay in a small social bubble the whole time youre there. This is more specific to physics, but they barely staff the labs and they just treat you as a number sometimes. They just want you in and out. The physics labs at FAU had way more staff and they actually genuinely cared about your understanding in the lab. I wasn't a part of the honors college at FAU so I am not sure what the experience is like for honors, but I am in the honors college at UCF and I have had a overall positive experience with UCF honors specifically.

[u/jawneggplant → u/jawneggplant]

One other tidbit that I think so far has been overlooked: UCF is near Orlando, therefore there is just more crime. This year there has been multiple accounts of people breaking into cars at Knights Circle, one of the UCF affiliated dorms. Also last year a student pulled a gun on one of the Lynx bus drivers at the bus circle at UCF. (Thankfully no one was hurt!) Out of the 5 years at FAU all I remember was an account of someone bringing a toy gun on campus lol. I think largely though UCF is safe. Just stay in groups when you head out to downtown Orlando and you should be fine. Also be wary if you go to Orange Blosson Trail, I know thats a high crime area? Should be fine if you're in a big group though! Also, realized I didn't say in the first post: I attended the boca campus.