FSU International Sued as Students Realize It Doesn’t Cure Depression

Let me paint a picture for you: Spring semester just ended. You failed your last final, your situationship ghosted you, you spent all your money at the campus Panda Express to fill the void, and you still aren’t sure what that strange itch in your underwear is. With nothing left for you in Tallahassee, you embark on a flight across the great Atlantic in search for a fleeting moment of happiness, or at least something to post on Instagram. This is the reality of many students here at FSU, who had been promised the "best time of their lives" by all organizing parties. This fairy tale experience has recently been exposed as FSU International Programs faces a class action lawsuit from its former students. 

Be it Spain, England, Italy, or France, these students all came back with the same levels of frustration and sadness, feeling lied to by the program brochures. In their filing, parents noted noticing an intense depression returning home with their children. We, here at The Eggplant, were able to speak to some of the afflicted students. 

We first sat down with Katie Carter from the Valencia, Spain program, who out of respect for the families, we will keep anonymous. "I was supposed to be drinking wine every night in a vineyard but apparently we have actual school?! I always assumed that ‘study’ abroad was a joke, now I've got 4 hour-long classes to sit through while dreaming of those fermenting grapes." 

Despite having a renowned food scene, some students grew an intense hatred for the dining culture when studying abroad. "I mean, I like tapas but I can’t eat all that food by myself every night?" Sounds like someone couldn’t make friends…

Parisian students didn't seem to mind the riots that occurred when they first arrived. Some students even embraced the chaos and took it upon themselves to face off against people in the street. Others were just happy to be there. "It was nice to see all the animals roaming the streets. I had planned to go to the zoo but I'm glad I didn't have to shell out any coin on travel since the animals came to me." The main grievance cited amongst them was the smell of the city, claiming it left them with no appetite for the wines and cheeses they had so desperately wanted to try. But hey, they got their aesthetic ‘I did my part and went to a riot’ Instagram stories from their hotel rooms.

Having seen countless Tiktoks of Aperol Spritz, many imagined it to be a sweeter beverage before being let down by its bitter palate. The skinny sidewalks of Florence couldn’t seem to handle the influx of Noles, resulting in single-file bar crawls and intoxicated accidents. All these grievances couldn’t compare to the London exchange students who were forced to interact with British “people” on a daily basis.  

With the mounting testimonial evidence against FSU IP including underage drinking, employees dealing drugs to students, and students being falsely arrested when taking home ‘fresh basil’ that is confused for marijuana in the airports, it is likely that future students will see a great change to the program’s itineraries. We’ll be following this case closely and posting any updates through our GoFundMe Link.