Florida Institute of Technology

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In summary: I just worry about the money aspect.In summary, Laura1013 was accepted to Florida Institute of Technology with a $10,000/year scholarship. Her grades are above average and she has a 3 in AP Physics.
  • #1
mewhoexactlywhat
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In my college search I've noticed that I've picked ideal reaches and not many good matches or safeties. My GPA is 3.0-unweighted (going up), my rank is currently in the top 15%. I haven't yet taken the SAT but feel confident that I can do better than the average score at the Florida Institute of Technology based on PSAT scores and recent practice and studying. I'm a Florida resident and am curious if I could consider this a safety/ good match (they accept 83% of applicants). Can anyone tell me anything about this school, such as how difficult it is to get into?
P.S. I will probably be closer to their average 3.55 GPA when I graduate, and after reading an article about how colleges reweight GPAs before reporting them, I should mention that my schedules contained mostly honors classes and one AP class (more APs next year along with Dual Enrollment classes next semester), and that my lowest grades were in Freshman year especially in a course which was technically labeled an elective. Also, although it may be subjective, could anyone tell me how good this school is?
 
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  • #2
Do they care more about weighted on unweighted GPA? I mean it is not same to have A in AP English and A in regular English class.
 
  • #3
I've always been a little confused about that. It is said that they prefer to see good grades in more advanced classes however weighted GPA is not used because of the different weighting techniques form one school to another. In general they look at the unweighted GPA, and reweight it based on your transcript, according to their own formula.
 
  • #4
I’m a Florida Tech student who works closely with Undergrad Admissions. From what I’ve gathered, the two most important criteria are: whether Florida Tech is a good fit for you, and whether you will excel here. You are correct in determining that it is not a hard school to get into; from what you’ve posted, I’m confident you’ll be accepted. However, it is difficult to stay, meaning classes are tough and it’s a bit pricy. Florida Tech isn’t for everyone. Many students thrive, but others realize (especially after freshman year) that college wasn’t meant for them, or another major would be better.

All and all, Florida Tech is a great school (well known in science and engineering fields, although generally not widely known because of its small size and youth). You should talk to an Admissions counselor if you’re interested, and take a campus tour. You might have me as a tour guide. =)

Good luck to you,
Laura

P.S. feel free to email me with further questions – lseward@fit.edu .
 
  • #5
Thank you, I'm glad to have an informed resonse. I'll look into going on a campus tour sometime soon. :smile:
 
  • #6
I am a Florida Tech student. Just completed week one. mewhoexactlywhat, all I can tell you is that as a Florida student it would probably be better for you, I am an international student and although FIT was good enough to grant me a scholarship I am not sure what will happen to me because the tuition price here is too high if you ask me. I'm in ECE and well engineering is the best school here (aviation is good too). The school is small and although the courses are challenging and everything the reason why the school will stay small is because of the surrounding town, Melbourne.

Laura1013 mentioned that students discover that college is not for them... I know what my capabilities are that's why I enrolled, but money makes the world go round; and there is not much that I can do about that.
 
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  • #7
Exequor- Florida Tech, being a private school, does not have an in-state tuition price break. I've been accepted for next fall into the ocean engineering program, and as far as I can find out, everyone has to pay the full $25,150 for engineering and science majors or $22,920 for other majors. I understand that there is a very good scholarship/loan/work study program which I hope to be able to make good use of, as apparently you have.
That said...What do you find so unappealing about Melbourne? I have not spent much time there, so I'd be interested to hear.
 
  • #8
I was accepted a month ago.

I am an international undergraduate, I was sent an email before my letter came telling me I was accepted with a $10,000/year scholarship. Here are my grades for comparison:

10 GCSE passes (2 A's in Math and Physics, the rest Bs and Cs)
A 3 in AP Physics B (B for the course)
Around a 3.5 unweighted GPA
1940 on the new SAT (680 math)
660 Math Ic SAT2
650 Physics SAT2

They practically begged me to come to FIT, and of course I will because I visited the campus (and a professor) and loved it. I will be studying Computer Science in 2006.

Be prepared to spend money though, as with any good private institution.
 
  • #9
As far as tuition goes I think I would apply for finiancial aid and would like to work on campus, and also Florida has a "Bright Futures" scholarship that grants around up to $10,000 per year if you qualify.
 
  • #10
Does FIT have aerospace engineering? If so, how does it differ from the above discussion in terms of entrance grades etc...?
 
  • #11
Well Melbourne is fine with me because I couldn't care less about what the surrounding town offers. Atleast Melbourne offers everything that you would need like all the big name stores.

Aresius you are lucky because I got 10 passes, all A's, and I even did A'level, A in math, B in physics, B in geography, and I had a 3.6 GPA from my old school. I don't know if my SAT score had anything to do with it because I only got half of what you got. I should have never done that SAT exam because I was past that level and i just went and take the exam with no practice (i guess that doesn't work).

mewhoexactlywhat, you have nothing to worry about, you are an instate student so there are a lot of options available for you. It is a good institution, no doubt about that.
 
  • #12
Yes indeed exequor, the SAT made a huge difference.

However they did tell me that I had a $4000 scholarship before they looked at my SATs and SAT2s, then raised it to 10,000 when my SATs came to them. My acceptance was based on GCSE and high school grades (which were in fact very good, especially in the math area).

I also had some very very good letters of recommendation.

Though, since you are in-state, you will have some nice benefits particularly bright futures. I'm not a resident yet so I can't take advantage of it.

Good luck to you, I am sure you'll get in with your record.
 
  • #13
Rocketboy..they do indeed have aerospace engineering. Take a look at http://www.fit.edu/AcadRes/engsci/mechanic/ . I don't believe the admission requirements are any different. The proximity of Kennedy Space Center has to be a big plus though.
Cheers
 
  • #14
There is no such thing as in-state tuition for Florida Tech, but yes, there are great Florida resident opportunities such as Bright Futures (I don’t know much about them; I’m from out-of-state).

The Melbourne area is small but active and has a lot to offer (beyond the obvious beach culture). Cocoa Beach is about half an hour away, Orlando is an hour or so away, and Kennedy Space Center is less than an hour. Other major Florida cities aren’t far.

We do offer Aerospace Engineering; it’s one of the most popular engineering majors here. They’re most known for building planes and rockets and working closely with the Cape. All science and engineering departments are roughly equal in terms of difficulty getting accepted; liberal arts and business are a bit easier.
 
  • #15
what are you going to study?


if physics or engineering, i'd suggest you check out the university of florida, as well.

(ESPECIALLY if physics...)
 
  • #16
Aerospace is very popular and most students would tell you that they like it here because of Kennedy space center. I myself chose the area because central florida is one of the top five areas in the US with technology related jobs. Harris corp, bellsouth, etc. are located here in Melbourne.

To be honest with you mewhoexa.. if I was an instate student I would have gone to UF or UCF :smile: but since with a the out-of-state tuition and the tuition at FIT (w/ scholarship) is about the same I came to FIT... yea I got admitted to UM, UCF, FIU, etc. but I chose FIT.

BillBlack- melbourne is OK, it is just that most students complain about it being boring, hence the name "Melboring". That is just the opinion of the students that want a social life, after all Melbourne is 75% people over 60 (retirees).
 
  • #17
I'm planning to major in physics, so I'll look into the University of Florida. Thank you. How does UF's physics program compare to FIT's?
 
  • #18
mewhoexactlywhat said:
I'm planning to major in physics, so I'll look into the University of Florida. Thank you. How does UF's physics program compare to FIT's?

Brad Barker on this forum can probably better answer that question than I can. I just started at the University of Florida enrolled as a freshman, but the physics department is large and well-organized. http://www.phys.ufl.edu I haven't been able to take any physics classes yet though, still going through prerequisites and gen-eds. I'm not sure how it stacks up against FIT's program however.

If you have any other questions about UF, you can PM me, though I've only been here for a few days and the semester just began, so my advice might be a little slim until I get to know the area and the processes a little better.

Good luck in your decision.
 
  • #19
I’m an Astrophysics senior at Florida Tech, and so I’m a bit more knowledgeable on the astronomy part of things, I can answer questions about the physics program (it’s all part of the Physics and Space Sciences Department).

Our university is small, but our department is one of the largest in the country. In January we opened up the new Physical Sciences building which holds all new labs and facilities. By late spring or early summer we’ll have installed the largest telescope in the state of Florida.

The cool thing about all the departments at Florida Tech is that freshman start out taking core classes as well as classes in their field. For example, a freshman Physics major will start out taking basic English and math, but also take Physics 1 and Physics 1 lab (and Physics 2 and lab, perhaps even Modern Physics freshman year if you’re math is good enough), Introduction to Astronomy, and Physics & Space Sciences Seminar. You’ll know right away whether your major is right for you, and if it isn’t, you can switch without being behind.

You can learn more at http://cos.fit.edu/pss .

I don’t know much about UF’s program, but I’ve heard it’s good as well.
 
  • #20
Yea the physical sciences building is cool, I like the physics lab strong use of computers (although they are running mac os8). Physics majors take physics lab in year 1 and engineering majors taking it in semester 2 or 3 (not sure). I have it now because I'm a sort of international transfer and I got physics I and II but not the lab, so I'm taking it now.
 
  • #21
motai said:
Brad Barker on this forum can probably better answer that question than I can. I just started at the University of Florida enrolled as a freshman, but the physics department is large and well-organized. http://www.phys.ufl.edu I haven't been able to take any physics classes yet though, still going through prerequisites and gen-eds. I'm not sure how it stacks up against FIT's program however.

If you have any other questions about UF, you can PM me, though I've only been here for a few days and the semester just began, so my advice might be a little slim until I get to know the area and the processes a little better.

Good luck in your decision.


don't know how FIT stacks up against UF as far as physics.

that is to say, definitively. the opinion here is that UF has the best physics dept. in the state. (consider the source, however!)


regardless, it is certainly less expensive for the students! :tongue:



and i wouldn't call the physics dept. "large," per se. there are like... 120 undergrad students. one of my friends has a better idea as to the exact number. something on that order.

and that's from a school of 48,000 undergrads!


so it's always felt really close--dare i say intimate--to me.


and if you take phy2060 and phy2061, you have two less large lecture classes you have to go to.


seriously, out of the five physics courses i have been in or am in now, i haven't been in a class larger than 30 students.


(chem 1 and 2 and some other courses, though, are fairly unavoidable, unless you qualify for the one-semester honors chem, which is tough, i hear.)




the dept. is great. the professors I've had (yelton and hill, currently hill--again!, klauder, chen) are/were very approachable and helpful.

getting into research can be difficult, depending on whether or not professors are in need of undergrads. i out of seven professors i contacted, two responded positively. (this was at the end of my freshman year.)


and I've heard from a friend here (who got into the university of chicago's reu program this summer!) that our undergrads are starting to achieve name-brand status. :cool:



in the past, students have gone on to grad school to stanford and other prestigious grad schools (don't have the definitive list on me or anything :tongue: .)


so... yeah, it's pretty good here. :cool:
 
  • #22
It all depends on what you want to do. If you want to go to grad school then FIT might not be the best choice. If you want to go to industry then FIT might be a good choice, for engineering it would be a good choice. I graduated from FIT a few years back, in physics, and they just didn't offer enough physics electives, I ended up taking engineering classes to fulfil requirements. After saying that, I hear they have a new department head so things might change.

Does the faculty still go out and get smashed on Fridays? :rofl:

The only redeeming quality of the Melbourne area is the surf and fishing.

You cann't really compare UF and FIT on a college basis, they are completey different. It would be like comparing NYC and some small town, USA; each has its pros and cons. On a physics department basis UF wins hands down.
 
  • #23
On a physics department basis UF wins hands down.


I completely disagree with that, but then again, I'm biased.

Florida Tech is actually better known for its grad programs (especially space systems and space management) than it is for undergrad. As an undergrad astrophysics major at Florida Tech, I'm not worried in the least about getting into grad school (just worried about which ones to apply to at this point, and the GRE exams...).

nbo10: How long ago did you attend? The PSS department head has been around for a number of years, so I'm assuming it's been a while. It's a very rapidly growing school, and I'm sure a lot has changed.

And about faculty getting smashed on Fridays? I'm sure it happens, but I only know of certain Administration officials who do. ;)
 
  • #24
Brad Barker on this forum can probably better answer that question than I can. I just started at the University of Florida enrolled as a freshman, but the physics department is large and well-organized. http://www.phys.ufl.edu I haven't been able to take any physics classes yet though, still going through prerequisites and gen-eds. I'm not sure how it stacks up against FIT's program however.

As laura mentioned, no matter what you come to do at FIT you get to take classes in your major from the very first semester. I like that in because I guess it is what keeps everything interested. I don't like the idea of taking two years of courses that are not directly in your major.
 
  • #25
Regarding space physics I'm not going to comment on because they are a niche and there are only a hand full of place where you can study those subjects.

I hate saying this but FIT cann't compete with many schools, one of them being UF. Funding, size, infrastructure, etc. all contribute and unfortunetaly FIT is/was lacking. That said FIT is a young school and with the right leadership and support can grow and become prestigious institution.

In my opinion a wrong step was hiring a HEP for chair, don't get me wrong he's a very nice guy. But, what HEP can be done at FIT, none. They might be able to build a piece of equipment, so what you have to travel to cern or fermilab to use it, plus the time line for experiments, 8+ years for a PhD. What kinda funding are you going to receive for HEP? I'm not sure, but I sure think its less than if you concentrated on CMP, atomic, optics. You have NASA at your backdoor and you're research is going in the opposite direction.


But hey what do I know.
 
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  • #26
"The only redeeming quality of the Melbourne area is the surf and fishing. "
Geez...surf and fishing...move to Kansas for a few years and you'll find that to be quite enough.
:)
Bill Black--who is about to make a break for it...surf and fishing here I come!
 
  • #27
nbo10 said:
I hate saying this but FIT cann't compete with many schools, one of them being UF. Funding, size, infrastructure, etc. all contribute and unfortunetaly FIT is/was lacking. That said FIT is a young school and with the right leadership and support can grow and become prestigious institution.

That may be true but I don't really care. If I was caught up in rankings, reviews, etc. I would not be in FIT at the moment. The most important thing is that we have the facilities and it just takes a few great discoveries to put the school on the map. With that you get endless funding. It is a chain reaction and we just need to get it started.
 
  • #28
exequor said:
As laura mentioned, no matter what you come to do at FIT you get to take classes in your major from the very first semester. I like that in because I guess it is what keeps everything interested. I don't like the idea of taking two years of courses that are not directly in your major.

different physics students at UF have different schedules.

i hit the ground running, taking phy2060 ("enriched physics 1") my first semester in school.

third semester into it, and I'm taking three physics courses.



and apparently UF has a terrific low-temperature physics program. we hosted the ultra-low temperature physics conference a few weeks ago, and i got to hand a microphone to dr. osheroff several times.



i have a friend who goes to FIT for... coastal engineering, i think. haven't really talked to him much, though. : /
 
  • #29
nbo10 said:
It all depends on what you want to do. If you want to go to grad school then FIT might not be the best choice. If you want to go to industry then FIT might be a good choice, for engineering it would be a good choice. I graduated from FIT a few years back, in physics, and they just didn't offer enough physics electives, I ended up taking engineering classes to fulfil requirements.

I hope you are right about this because grad school is at the back of my mind and I just want to make back whatever money i spend now. I know that one of the reasons I chose FIT is because when I looked at their course offerings is was much better than UM and UCF (maybe even UF)_ I'm speaking from an ECE standpoint. In the news however you hear that UF is Harris' largest recruiting source. that is understandable though because ECE is a small but one of the best departments at FIT.

As BillBlack said you can't really compare the two schools because FIT is private and UF is public to begin with. I will agree that funding is a big problem at FIT because you don't even hear FIT named in Darpa or any of those competitions. I have also heard grad students complain about the lack of funding in the sciences. Engineering is well off.
 
  • #30
exequor said:
The most important thing is that we have the facilities and it just takes a few great discoveries to put the school on the map.


Thats just it, FIT doesn't have the facilities. They did have a good optics lab but if I remember correctly the PI retired a few years ago. The CMP lab was a 4x6 closet. The space physics was decent with good funding last I heard.

For some this is going to be a great place for others it's not going to be so great. Everything is a trade off. you need to find what's right for you. If your serious about research and going to grad school, in physics, find another school.
 
  • #31
nbo: http://cos.fit.edu/olinPS.html [Broken]

We now have all sorts of facilities and labs. Things have changed since you were a student.
 
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  • #32
I agree, nbo is living in the past because there are 3 olin buildings. I could imagine what things would have been like without those 3 (and they are recent). so in a way i understand nbo's perspective. then again I'm new to this and this is the first US college that I am attending.

Go School of Self-Study!
 
  • #33
I have an admissions offer from florida tech and erau for spring 2012 and the fee from both is 34K and 33K usd (I have scholarship of 14k frm FLTech n 6k from ERAU). I have a decision to make but finances is an issue for me. If i go to either right now i will have to loan 20k a year. my major is aerospace engg and i am an international student. we do not have aerospace schools in my country.
the dilemma is that all that i have read on the internet it seems that FLTech can provide me with another need based 10k while as ERAU won't. Then the co-op program is an issue. I can't find enough details about co-ops at erau. while as FLTech website says that co-ops can earn me 30k. I talked to erau officials and students and they said that it is not possible to increase to scholarship amount and on campus jobs are less too. I am really concerned about the research options available since i will surely attend a graduate school and i want that to be a big school.
Now the worth of erau is known to every one. This is where i can't find any comparisons to fltech on the internet. nobody compares their programs and their prestige. Prestige wise ERAU seems much better but i have a consideration of finances and i plan to enroll in graduate school ryt after undergrad and believe that i will maintain a good gpa at college, my target is not less than 3.7. I plan on a graduate school from CalTech, MIT,GTech and likes.
Please help me choose. i am really getting confused
 

1. What is Florida Institute of Technology?

Florida Institute of Technology, also known as Florida Tech, is a private research university located in Melbourne, Florida. It was founded in 1958 and is known for its strong programs in engineering, science, and aviation.

2. What majors and programs does Florida Tech offer?

Florida Tech offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs in various fields including engineering, science, business, psychology, and aviation. Some of the popular majors include Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, and Marine Biology.

3. Is Florida Tech a good school for STEM fields?

Yes, Florida Tech is a top-ranked university for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. It is consistently ranked among the top universities in the country for its engineering and science programs.

4. What is the campus like at Florida Tech?

The Florida Tech campus is located on 130 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds in Melbourne, Florida. It has modern facilities and state-of-the-art labs for students to conduct research. The campus also has a vibrant student life with various clubs and organizations.

5. Does Florida Tech offer any research opportunities for students?

Yes, Florida Tech is a research-intensive university and offers many opportunities for students to participate in research projects. Students can work with faculty members on ongoing research or conduct their own independent research projects. This provides valuable hands-on experience and prepares students for graduate studies or careers in their field of interest.

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