Is it just me or does size 12 Courier Final Draft seem a little on the big side? Every script you find on the internet is in size 10 and comes in at around 110 pages on microsoft word if you copy/paste.

I don't know exactly what the difference is, but don't use anything other than 12 pt. The difference in my last script between Final Draft Courier and Courier New was about 20 pages. If you're trying to shave pages use final draft. If you're coming up short use Courier New.

different fonts are different sizes which is why i submit my papers for school in 12 pt verdanda as opposed to times verdanda is bigger even though they are both 12pt

12 *Pitch* Courier (rather than 12 "point") is the standard size typeface for screenplays. By "12 pitch" it is meant that there are 12 characters per inch, not that the size of the font is 12 points -- this means that 10 pitch Courier font would be bigger, not smaller, than the 12 pitch font. Courier is a monospaced font as opposed to a proportional font (like Times or Veranda). Because it is a standard size, readers can immediately gauge the length of your script. That's why there is a standard in the first place.

RonB is correct about '12 pitch' -- it's what outside typing services use on studio drafts -- so it's best to work in that from the start so your 120 page masterpiece doesn't 'retype' in standard format at 150+...

BTW: Never in more than 30 years out here writing have I ever heard of a good script being turned down because it was in the wrong font...LOL