Of
all things about the school, the weather is good except
during the hurricane season. Few of my department faculty were
really nice and helpful, many came from the most prestigious
universities in the nation. Despite the “International” name, the school
does not care about it's foreign students who pay almost
7 times the fee. I would give the administrative sector
a D grade. The parking is just horrible. If you
dont't drive forget this place, the public transport is non-existent.
There are double standards in the school and hugely caters
to the Latin/Cuban American students. A number of departments are
decaying due to inadequate funding becausehe university's president wants have
a medical school and build a new college of law.
Academically, a huge percentage of it's undergraduate students really
don't deserve to be in college although there are some
exceptional ones. Many students cannot write or speak average english
and the city is far worse. If you are looking
for a competitive institution, FIU is not one. I have
taken upper division classes in a few departments and did
far better than those who were memebrs of their respective
departments. They may make an average student look exceptional.
In
additon to the rare social climate of the campus, if
you are not latin/hispanic, expect to be very isolated and
lonely. It's all about dressing in expensive and “in-vogue” wear,
luxury, “pimped” rides, looking rich. The “international” moniker is a
joke as many students are ignorant about the rest of
America and the world. The only thing international is Cuban
studies and their anti-Castro propaganda.
The city is home to
bad drivers, ignorant and not so friendly people. Social interactions
with students are, more than often, not genuine. I would
advice you to take such interactions at face value for
most times. If you have choice, you may want to
consider another school.
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