"A lot of our professors are foreign, so understanding what they're saying in class is [a problem] for some students," says Smith, who, having come from Miami, is used to interacting with people whose primary language is not English.

Generally, Smith is finding FAMU easier than he anticipated.

"In high school I was geared toward going into the sciences, so I have a strong background for most of my classes. It's not as much of a challenge for me as it is for some of the other students who are being exposed to it for the first time," he says. "But later on, it's going to get harder."

Among the things Smith enjoys most about FAMU is the presence of so many Black faculty -- especially Black engineers.

"It helps to see Black engineers," he says. "I didn't know any chemical engineers at home."

He also appreciates being treated like an individual, not just another face in the crowd.

"I have friends who go to the University of Florida, back home, and they say they are treated like just a number," Smith confides. "At FAMU, I know all of my teachers [and] they know me by name. Here if [professors] see you trying, they're gonna help you."

Scott agrees.

"One of my best friends is going to Johns Hopkins right now, and in his core classes there can't be any less than 100-plus-kids per class," he says. "The biggest class I've ever had is around 75 students."

Scott also appreciates the quality of commitment he feels from his professors.

"At FAMU the professors teach toward the class level," Scott says. "Which, actually, is a good thing because they're more geared toward making sure that you learn the material than just making sure they get through all of the material.

"You really can't get the one-on-one treatment [we get here] from another school" Scott says.