College Tour: Florida Southern College

About two months after our big college tour this summer, my family and I decided to attend a preview day at Florida Southern College. Here’s some of the information we learned at the event. 

 

The Basics 

Florida Southern is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida. There are 3500 students with a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio. They are ranked first for the most beautiful campus in Florida.  

 

The Christian Aspect 

Florida Southern is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. However, while being welcoming toward Christians, they are not a specifically Christian school. They do require as part of the core curriculum a philosophy or religion credit. But much like High Point University, while Christianity is offered, it is only one option out of a few. They also have a chapel and ministry center which house Christian ministries, so while they may not teach from a Christian perspective, they are still relatively friendly toward Christians.  

 

Academics 

FSC offers over 70 majors. They also have a unique program in which students can create a self-designed major. For instance, if you know what you want to do after college, and there is not an offered major that specifically fits your interests, you can combine classes from different majors. Florida Southern also has an honors program. Acceptance into the honors program is based on GPA, letters of recommendation, and meeting at least three requirements from Academic Excellence, Extracurricular Experience, and/or Leadership and Citizenship. Finally, Florida Southern also offers a program called Junior Journey for studying abroad. This offers college juniors a study abroad opportunity for a much lower cost than usual.  

Building by Frank Lloyd Wright

Student Life 

Florida Southern offers 22 NCAA Division II sports, as well as 4 club sports. Florida Southern also houses 13 architectural structures by Frank Lloyd Wright. The buildings are beautiful and are dispersed throughout the campus. There are over 100 clubs at FSC including athletic, art, and honor societies.  

 

Scholarships and Admissions 

Florida Southern offers merit, special interest, art, athletic, and prestige scholarships. Merit scholarships range from $7000-$21,000. The prestige scholarships include the Hollingsworth, McClurg, and Christoverson. The Hollingsworth award goes up to full ride, while the McClurg is up to full tuition. Tuition is $42,360 per year, not including room and board. 

 

Florida Southern College is a very nice school with a beautiful campus. It seems academically focused and sees great results in its students after graduation.