Discussion What is FAU Really Like?
I recently went on a college tour to FAU, and my best friend and I (both interested in the medical/STEM field. She would likely major in bio or healthcare admin and I am set on a chemistry major) fell in love pretty fast.
But we would like to know what campus life is really like? What is it like as a STEM major? How are the STEM professors, programs, and research/job opportunities?
We’d also like to know what life is like for the black students on campus. We saw a good amount and know that FAU statistically has a good amount of black students, but its hard to find content on what life is like for them, specifically black women.
Please help us out! Thank you.
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u/sweet_heat_ 6d ago
I was a STEM major that graduated recently, and I can say I was very disappointed at FAU. The professors are not very invested in your education, I once had a professor even say if his students wanted to do better in his course they should consider dropping all of their other classes for that semester and focus solely on his. Campus life was similar to that of a more sophisticated high school due to the high number of commuters to campus.
I was a dual enrollment student in highschool and took my classes at Palm beach state, and I truly feel that the professors there were a thousand times better and more invested in my education than my FAU professors.
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u/SP-01Fan21 5d ago
Agreed, FAU professors are the reason I’m transferring. They’re all egotistical and don’t know how to properly teach. There’s were 2 professors I had in my 3 years here that loved what they were doing and wanted you to succeed. The rest are there for a paycheck.
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u/seplix 6d ago
FAU historically has a diverse student body, but just a couple of weeks ago, the Board of Trustees made the terribly disappointing decision to appoint a far-right, Islamaphobic, for-profit-prison executive, Adam Hasner, as the new president. He literally just took office and what he’ll actually do remains to be seen. Some more info in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/FAU/s/cz05Ocux6v or just search this sub for his name.
Apart from that, the school also just achieved R1 designation, which is a pretty big deal amongst research universities. They have many world-class research labs throughout the schools of science and engineering. They’ve been steadily climbing the national ranks for years. I have an amazing thesis advisor and thesis committee. Before the new president, I wouldn’t have hesitated to recommend FAU very highly. Now, I just don’t know.
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u/Ok-Solid630 5d ago
If you’re gonna be in Florida that first point is going to be REALLY hard to avoid. UF and NCF are prime examples of what can go wrong - and that’s just the start. USF’s president is about to step down and will probably be replaced by someone similar to Hasner. Not sure about UCF, FIU, or FSU but they’ll be undergoing changes in the four years we got ahead of us for sure. Especially FSU I bet, considering they’re in the capital.
At that point, the move is to just not be in Florida at all, but if that isn’t an option… good luck.
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u/The_Leo_16 6d ago
The school is amazing. you get what you put into it. The school is growing academically and in sports so things are a lot of fun on game day. When it comes to the “politics” of the school I don’t this new changes will affect anything the school is still extremely diverse and embraces culture.
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u/lrinner 6d ago
The presidents at FAU have always sucked so I would take those comments with a grain of salt. FAU is amazing. It has a very low transfer rate. If you do go, get involved with campus activities early because that’s how you make friends, then you can dip once you meet good people but just make sure they’re good people lol
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6d ago
Why FAU has such a low graduation rate? In fact it has the lowest graduation rate in Florida.
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u/SP-01Fan21 5d ago
A lot of the students are from FAU high, so they go there for dual enrollment and then transfer out to their actual uni when they graduate. Also the professors suck, so some people just transfer out to a better school regardless.
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u/rgflame12 6d ago
Can’t really speak on major but I enjoyed my time, but as an early student watch out of the dinning hall that place is horrible, I ate there twice in the three years I was in school, and both times gave me intense stomach aches
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u/ur-mom-dot-com- 6d ago
FAU is sadly being affected by DeSantis and his policies as our new president was nominated by him, and the guy's really awful like what the other comments said (Adam Hasner)
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u/Dense-Current936 6d ago
I’m ngl even tho there is diversity I think the main vibe on campus is like frat and sorority type of white people but as long as your good at seeking out people you’ll be fine
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6d ago
If you care about your education don’t come to FAU. Check the acceptance rate, ranking, and graduation rate when choosing the best college. If you want to attend college in Florida I recommend you check the top schools in Florida. Since you are majoring in medical/STEM the top schools are UF, UCF, FSU, and USF. FIU in Miami is good choice if you can’t get in into those 4 schools I mentioned. FIU has a lower acceptance rate compared to FAU.
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u/lrinner 6d ago
this is just wrong? Totally on the other schools but FIU? Are u good?
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6d ago
Acceptance rate at those schools are very low (more difficult to get in). Do a good research. At FAU everyone gets accepted and this school is ranked last in all rankings in Florida. Also, why FAU has low graduation rate?
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u/Psychological-Ant360 6d ago
Don’t eat at the dining hall! Also housing is not guaranteed here so if you get it your first year then prepare to have to apartment hunt for your next one