FIU vs. USF

Hey everyone,

I'm an incoming freshman for Fall 2025 and am struggling to decide where to attend school, so I came here for some help. I plan on majoring in Biology and intend to go down the Pre-Med path and am torn between the two schools. I was accepted into the honors programs, have full bright futures, and got a similar merit scholarship award for both schools for reference.

FIU: Some pros I can think of are that I hear the courses are "easier" or perhaps less challenging than those at USF, though I understand it can be seen as something negative. How are professors here? I know of rate my professor and with honors college I have first priority but are there any recommendations even just for general classes? I would be able to stay home and keep living costs low as well as food costs lower due to my familiarity with the prices down here. For any other commuters, is a meal plan worth it, and if so, which one? FIU also has an early assurance program that I'm unsure if USF have anything similar to, though I don't know the difficulty of getting into it. On a similar note, how are scholarships for FIU once committed and are they difficult to obtain or win? Now for the cons, I wouldn't get the average college experience that most get seeing that it is a commuter school, and I worry that opportunities for pre-med students would be more competitive and or limited. Does anyone have any experience with getting some pre-med tips or research opportunities? I know of the greek life(?) about pre-med but I wouldn't be interested in joining. I'm also concerned with making friends, which I hear is difficult due to the commuting nature of FIU. As a side thought, how is the overall "culture" at FIU?

USF: Pros I can think of is the wide range of opportunities for pre-med that I've heard of. Here I would also get the college experience and perhaps it would be easier to form a social circle. It may also carry more "weight" on applications but that's not something I'm a stickler for. As for cons, I would have to live in an off campus apartment which I understand can get quite pricey and pay for food myself. I would also be in an unfamiliar environment though that's apart of the college experience I imagine.

Overall, both are amazing schools and I'm grateful to be in a situation where I can choose between the two, but my main concern is both living situation (at USF) and opportunities available to first year pre-med students such as learning opportunities like internships, research, or even jobs. Thank you so much in advance!