Florida Institute of Technology Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Emily

I have yet to take courses at FIT, but the academics seem to be challenging, relevant, and engaging.

Vasudev

I would say that the academic standard of Florida Tech is very high. Professors always develop a close relationship with their students, letting them know that they are also human and can always help when in doubt. I don't have a least favorite class as I enjoy the classes I take, that's why I chose them. My favorite class at the moment is Introduction to Software Development II. this is where I get to learn more and more about programming and what I might do after graduation. Students at FIT usually spend 2-3 hours after every class revising what they had learnt. This ensures maximum understanding of the new material. Students here are competitive as they are in any institution. I feel this is a good thing as it makes students work harder and do better. It is not an extreme case where students don't help each other out. The computer science department is excellent; the professors and the students. There is a strong relationship between everyone, and that is what I believe helps to bring student grades up. In some classes there are times where you will be with your instructors outside of class. This semester I chose Intro to Ocean Eng. as an elective and I have spent time with my instructor in the wave lab working on building an ROV. The education is that is offered in FIT, is there to help students get a job in the future; however, it is also there for the sake of learning. Each professor loves what they do and tries to enforce that into students as they teach.

Ariana

The main reason why I chose FIT over other universities in Central and South Florida was due to the academic prestige. I find the professors to be wonderful, willing to help, and want their students to succeed. Being that we're a private school, the class size is quite small. The largest class I'm currently taking is only 50 students and the professors will know you by name by the first month of school which is nice. The wonderful thing about the intimate learning environment is also the fact that you begin to have connections and network with the department of your major. I'm currently studying Biomedical Engineering and Molecular Biology, and already as a freshmen I am beginning to have connections to our Chemical Engineers, Chemists, Biologists, and etc. It's a great head-start into the real world as well as getting references and research opportunities.

Christy

The academics are difficult, I'm not going to lie. However difficult academics are the reason people choose Florida Tech. If you want to be bored and breeze through school without doing work, don't come here. If you want to excel and be put to work and learn new things, Florida Tech is your place. The professors know you by name, not by a number. I'm a marine biology major here at FIT and I love it. The biology department here is great, there's always someone willing to help you get a job or do some independent research. The school is competitive and difficult, like I have already said but FIT has a high post graduation placement as well and the work really does pay off in the end

Alejandra

The academics at the school are really intense. Most classes are fairly small with pretty good professors (with the exception here and there). My favorite class would have to be Solids modeling where we use computers to graphically design machine components and things like that. Students usually study alot. it is usually about four to five hours every time there is a test not to mention the four to six hours put in daily doing homework and projects and all that jazz. Students do carry intellectual conversations outside of class. If someone will strike up a decent subject, most people catch the interest and begin joining the discussion. I am a mechanical engineer and my department is very well rounded. The ME department is full of brilliant professors with alot of experience and background knowledge in the field,. The only thing is that the mechanical engineering department is not a social as the other departments. Usually departments have luncheons or small excursions so that the students can bond with the professors or to further deepen their knowledge, but the ME department is much more secluded in that area.

Matthew

I'd have to say that the best thing about the school is the fact that your chances of getting a job out of school at FIT are statistically very high. Most people here do find work relatively soon out of college and they always have companies coming here to hire student. The one thing that I would change about the school is that I would renovate the older side of campus. They newer side has some really nice looking buildings and it would be great to see the older side look that nice. I'd say the school's size is just right. After visiting other campus' I really do appreciated the smaller size of FIT. People usually react with a "Where's that?" or "Ooh fancy" when I tell them I go to FIT. I usually spend most of my time in the RAT. It's this cool little cafe type place on campus that has live events are some really good food. What college town? The school's administration is pretty damn good. The biggest recent controversy would have to be that someone was robbed in the woods by campus a few months back. The school pride is pretty good for a school this size. The school has something called the atomic toilet... It's not a toilet anymore, but it might be atomic... One experience I'll always remember is going surfing in a hurricane that had passed by the school and we thought we had lost some of our friends. We had to call the cops, but it turns out that they were looking for us too. Students usually complain about internet speeds, but I've seen nothing wrong with them.

Swapnil

Due to the small class size, usually the professors know the students by name. My favorite class was Microeconomics, during my first semester. I liked it because of the way the professor taught. He was really interested in teaching and i learnt a great deal in his class. My least favorite class was Differential Equations because the professor did not seem enthusiastic about the subject, which is why i had to study everything on my own. Some students study a lot whereas others slack off as much as they can. Overall, i would consider Florida Tech to be a school where students study a lot. Class participation is usually good. Most classes have an attendance of 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} or more. Sadly, students do not have intellectual conversations outside of class. Maybe a few, but for the most part, no. The students however, are quite competitive, academically as well as non-academically. The class that comes the closest to being labelled unique would have to be my Writing About Literature class. This is because, being an engineering major, i had to take this class only as a basic skills class but it ended up being a class where i learnt a lot. It also made me realize my interest in writing. In fact, towards the end of that class, i even wrote a story that was published in the school's arts magazine. I'm a Mechanical Engineering major. The Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering department is the largest department at my college. I really like studying mechanical engineering and it is something that i'm really passionate about. I hardly ever spend time with professors outside of class. I go to them if i need help with their class or subject material, but other than that, i don't really interact with them outside of class. The school's academic requirements are fine. It has honor societies for those who do well and a generous academic forgiveness policy for those who are failing. The education at my college is definitely geared towards getting a job. This is unfortunate since this attitude discourages intellectual discussions, which is the case with Florida Tech.

Swapnil

Due to the small class size, usually the professors know the students by name. My favorite class was Microeconomics, during my first semester.

Andrew

Academics at Florida Tech are a priority. Teachers are world class and the classes are kept small to ensure students receive the attention they need. Teachers are available outside of class and will know you by name. Research opportunities are available early to undergraduates. That is not common at most other universities. Furthermore, many employers comment highly of Florida Tech students, stating their ability to do the work required for their job from the moment they are hired. This makes FIT graduates unique compared to other school's graduates that are typically not as prepared for the actual practical working part of their education. Florida Tech is without a doubt a more personal and hands on university rather than focusing on theory or only knowledge. Florida Tech teaches students to apply their education and make practical use of their skills.

Kelli

Academics are awesome. The classes are engaging, challenging, and the material is relevant to the outside world. The structure of the different majors is great as well. For example, if you're an engineering student, you are required to take a couple of humanities classes, but the amount isn't excessive. The curriculum doesn't force you to waste all of your time in classes you won't be using. I myself am a Psychology student. We get a lot of flack in the psychology department for being at an engineering school, but the department is small and I can honestly say that all of my professors in that department know my name. The average class size of the Psych department is about 15-20, which allows for regular class discussion, and for the professor to really care about the students. In other departments the class size is anywhere from 40-60, but I've never seen a class with more than 60 students in it. Another great aspect of academics at FIT is the research opportunities on campus. All professors also conduct research, so that gives students tons or opportunities to simply ask their professor if they can help and be accepted onto a research team. It's great experience which you can't find other places due to the amount of students competing for those opportunities or the lack of research on the campus itself. The education here is definitely geared toward your success AFTER graduation, which is a great thing in today's job market where it's so hard to find a job as is.

Nancy

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