Eckerd College

Eckerd College was an interesting experience.
Firstly, the Professors were amazing. They're really open to hear your opinion and are willing to work with you after hours to make sure that you are up to speed. Not to mention, in general, they seem like quality people who you wouldn't mind having a beer with. There are, of course, a few duds, but you'll find those anywhere. A cool thing about Eckerd is that you can push yourself as hard as you want. That competitive environment is fairly non-existent here, so it's up to you to make the most of your opportunity.

Secondly, the general atmosphere of the beach combined with some really close friends made my stay enjoyable for the most part. Even though ethnic diversity is somewhat lacking, there are many different types of personalities and most people (about 90%) are laid back and accepting. Going out on weekends to the beach (which is beautiful), having dorm parties, and going into the city for Saturday morning market provided me with some of my best memories. If your a tech-y or a person who really hates fake hippies (unfortunately, we have groups) then you probably should look elsewhere. Other than that, people are pretty cool and by the end of 4 years you know most everyone in your class. Whether your ultra religious, ultra-liberal, a jock, etc. etc. -- there's a place to fit in here. Also, I've known many of shy kids who really blossomed and broke out of their shells here.

Now for the negatives. I don't know if this is the case for all colleges, but there was a lot of busy work at times in a good portion of my classes. I didn't appreciate that too much because it was a lot of extra effort for no extra learning. A second negative was that their dorms (the traditional ones) were God awful. While they do admit-tingly create a sense of community, they are outdated and dirty on the whole. I heard that they are renovating them soon, which I'm jealous of because I had to suffer through colds due to the mold in the air conditioning ducts. The bay front dorm is cool, but you can't get into it unless you're an upperclassman. A third negative thing is alcohol and weed use, which some people would consider a positive. While drinking is fun and all, your body tends to hate you after year 3 of continuous partying. Unfortunately, there is little else to do on Friday and Saturday nights. Some fun epic nights, but too much for me. Now for advice time. If you wind of coming here, this is very important advice. 1.) As a freshman, make sure to take the Leadership and Self Discovery course, which is only offered to Freshmen during winter term. This is a great way to meet new people and feel connected to the college. 2.) Get involved with at least one sports club and some sort of service project. This way you can get your exercise some other way than the gym and you get to meet people in the community. This will make you feel good and also more connected. Maybe by senior year you'll be leading a service trip abroad (which many students do) during the spring term or you'll be a president of a sports club 3.) Check out internship opportunities via your Professors. This is important for getting a job after college. 4.) Make sure you pace yourself. Too much partying or too much work can make things unpleasant. 5.) Get off the cafe plan by year two if possible -- too much greasy food and not enough healthy alternatives. 6.) A step I never took - but I would recommend by Junior or Senior year to have an apartment off campus. The last year you're pretty tired of the campus. Make sure to have a solid group of friends though and a solid living situations before doing so. 7.)The Anthropology curriculum is hard, but rocks. 8.) Environmental Studies is fun too, but make sure you kind of take some science classes too - i made that mistake and kind of in limbo in terms of what to do in that field. 9.) Marine Science is for those who are serious ab school - this is the strongest program here and is pretty well known out in the real world. 10.) Don't date too soon. 11.) Be smart.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Being a marine science major was my main reason for coming to Eckerd from out of state, and when I first got there, upperclassmen were asking me what I was going to major in when I dropped marine science after first semester. First semester wasn't even that difficult. The marine science department is really good, people who tell you it's bad or impossible probably just couldn't handle it. It does take studying, but the professors were very much available for help when needed. There are a few professors that are not great but most are very high quality and helpful, at least in that department, which is all I can really give my opinion on.

So...not every one becomes dissillusioned with marine science, and there are great opportunities available in the field for research projects and internships. Professors associate with local and distant marine science organizations, and will help you out to get internships. Just study and don't drink on week nights and then complain it's too hard. It's a competitive field, so that kind of half commitment doesn't work in school or afterwards. That's life. This is the kind of program that will challenge you, but also give you assistance with your weaknesses. I'm not a great math student, but I was able to get extra help with calculus whenever I needed it this year. If you're doing marine science, Eckerd is worth the money...though it's very pricey and often spends money on self promotion and other stupid things.

That said, Eckerd is not all wonderful. It is a very isolated campus, and I highly recommend you bring a car if you can possibly afford it (I know I can't after the tuition). It is nice that the campus is so safe and visually appealing, but there is no integration in the city whatsoever, and you basically need a vehicle to get anywhere, especially the downtown. That was a big shock for me, coming from the northeast where trains and public transportation is the norm. St. Pete is cute but not really a great college town, though I've found a few places to go off campus. Off campus is an important concept, you will get sick of the same on campus parties so quickly, if you even think they're a good idea in the first place. I know I spent a chunk of first semester milling around campus feeling sorry for myself, missing my friends from home.

Eckerd's student body is comprised of obnoxious rich kids who want to party and get wasted all the time (it is not that hard to get in, so if their parents are willing to pay out of pocket, they will come), hippies (most of which are more commited to pot smoking than their supposed causes, although there is some activism on campus), and interesting people who came to Eckerd for its unique opportunities. You usually have to look around for the latter. Additionally, everyone is into skateboarding and water sports. There isn't a lot of nerd culture, and there isn't a lot of really different diversity (racial or otherwise), it seems everyone likes the same kind of music and has the same opinions about things.

I was disappointed by the extracurricular activities, but this might just be a 'small school' thing. At a school that only has 1,600ish people its hard to gather a lot of people for a particular interest. That being said, the band is sad, and many of the clubs don't seem to be very active. It seems like people just don't care about things, and this really frustrates me. For such an opinionated student body, people seem pretty apathetic about politics, except for the Alliance for Concerned Individuals, which does legitametely organize things. It seems most of the sports teams are not great, either. And the newspaper is pretty bad, and prints whatever story it thinks is most scandalous on the front like a tabloid...it's actually pretty silly. If you were very involved in high school, you're going to have to work a little bit harder to find extracurricular things to engross yourself in.

Really whether I would recommend Eckerd or not is based on what you want to do, if marine science or environmental studies is in the cards, or something that would benefit from the study abroad program, I'd say consider it. If not, like if you're communications or business, go somewhere else and save your money. Seriously, it's freakin' expensive for a school that everyone associates with a drugstore. Also, if good parties are super important to you, go to a bigger school, because you won't find them here.

1st Year Female -- Class 2009

Perceived Campus Safety: A+, Surrounding City: D+