haha....it's too funny reading some of the opinions of Tallahassee on this thread as mine are so different!
I feel to give both ends of the spectrum for any of you who have gotten offers I'll offer my two cents.
I have lived in Tallahassee now for almost 6 years, I did my undergraduate work at FSU and stayed on to work a year as I prepped my apps. for grad schools.
FSU itself, aesthetically, is a great campus (mostly.) There is one side of campus where all of the science buildings are that is hideous and out of place with the rest of the classic, brick architecture that dominates the rest of campus. It is certainly a walking campus and takes 15-20 to walk from one side to the other. It's doable, but there are hills and in the summer it is quite hot, so the bus system is heavily utilized.
Class wise, there are lots of large lecture classes, however my experience with these was limited as my major (French & International Affairs) and being in the Honors program helped keep class size low.
I'll shift my focus now to Tally at large since FSU is similar to most big, state universities, however, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
Ok, so Tally. I was reading one of the first posts in this thread from 2006 and someone said they heard it was 'run down.' In my opinion, this is correct.
Aside from Downtown and the 'rich' neighborhoods on the outskirts (closer to Thomasville and Southwood) Tallahassee has a very 'let-go' type of feel to it--especially once you venture off campus to the student-oriented parts of the city (which, let's be honest, is where most of you as students will be spending your time.) Run-down shopping plazas dominate the roadsides and believe it or not, this is where night clubs function. FSU's Anthropology department (now closing I believe) is a running joke here in town as it's sandwiched between a billiards bar and nightclub called Chubby's in a shopping plaza. The word I believe you are searching for is 'ghetto.'
However, I will give Tally props for cleaning up 'the Strip' last year. The Strip is a popular plaza (surprise) of clubs and bars directly across from campus on Tennessee St. For all of my undergrad, I couldn't fathom why anyone frequented these places as they were incredibly small and looked to be in violation of multiple health and safety standards. However, after enough students got run over since the busiest street in town was dangerously close to this strip, they renovated the whole thing, put safety bars to separate the road, and now it looks decent--at least on the outside.
When school is in session, traffic is horrible on main streets such as Tennessee and Monroe (access to downtown), especially considering you don't get the benefits at least of living in a major city. The streets are really narrow and this creates all sorts of traffic nightmares. The canopy roads around town are nice, however, they are also filled with speeding drivers so can be a bit scary to brave. Forget about riding your bike/running if you don't live near campus. There have been multiple biker deaths recently.
And public transport is a joke. If you have to ride the bus, pop in headphones. I've heard stories of how crazies will approach you...not to mention the lateness with which the bus system runs. Still, it is free to students.
Housing options are varied as with any college town. Most of the on campus housing is old and horrid. A few newer halls are pretty nice, however the price is still exorbitant. Apartments immediately next to campus are similar--horrid and overpriced for the value. I've lived on campus, right off campus in apartments and finally got smart and rented a townhouse. I have loved the townhouse option as I pay less than I did to live in a small dorm with a roommate and got a two story townhome with my own room-with traffic, it takes me 15 minutes to get to campus, without, probably about 8.
My general views of the city are negative. It's boring point blank. While the student population brings in the liberal side of the town and you have interesting events here and there, at large, it's just another predominantly republican, southern town that doesn't have much to offer by way of culture or new activities/events to do. It's very much a who-you-know type of town and that bugs me to no end. The nightlife is miserable--especially if you are gay or lesiban--we get only one night a week at a straight establishment now. Even the straight places are overrun with frat boys and sorostitutes and the fact that clubs are in shopping plazas is just a downer in my book. I think if you are into the small town feel and aren't looking for a city with much to do by way of nightlife, restaurant offerings, and cultural events, then Tally could be the best bet for you.
Its redeeming qualities are that it can be pretty with all the trees. There are a few parks in the city, however even these can seem a bit run down. Lake Ella, though the potential to be a nice place, gets overtaken with homeless as it is pretty close to Frenchtown. (Let's not even get started on this part of town. You'd never want to walk around here.)
Another redeeming quality is that because of the big student population, you can find groups of people with similar interests so that helps to build your own island in this otherwise desolate town. Your 4 hours away from Orlando and Atlanta, not exactly meccas of culture, but certainly a reachable escape for times when you are ready to pull your hair out from being in this town for so long.
I don't know, there are some days I wake up, the sun's out and I appreciate Tally's quaint, naturey feel, but then I drive to campus or a park and see the run down buildings or I struggle to come up with something new to do on the weekends and revert right back into calling it by its student-given nickname 'Tallatrashy'
I realize this probably stems from the fact I have studied abroad and lived in cities like Paris and London, so I intrinsically am a big-city kind of person, but once you're off campus, there is just not much to Tallahassee.
It's a big reason that though I have a job in my field and been accepted into a grad. program that will be paid for, I might have to just decline the offer. 6 years here has been my breaking point I feel..so I'm now weighing do I stay in a miserable town for free grad school or venture elsewhere and possibly pay?
Well, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to be brutally honest
