The University of West Florida

First off I will say, that any of the "F's" are only there because I have not experienced that aspect. Now to get to the nitty-gritty. I started my application process about four and a half months before the semester started. I informed them that I had military credits as well as three other College transcripts coming in. After they've received two of the transcripts, they summarily decided that I was not being accepted. So I began to look at another local College to patch up any of the holes in order to gain entry. About one month before classes started the other transcript and my military transcript showed up. These were never reviewed and I was never informed. When I was required by vocational rehab that I needed a transient letter so that I could transfer the courses back. I spent six hours the first day running back and forth between Department trying to figure out what courses I needed to take to transfer back in because nobody seemed to know. The next day I went back and it was mysteriously discovered after 4 hours of waiting that there was a transcript that have not been evaluated. This transcript has been there approximately a month. I was then informed that I was accepted because I'm at the minimum credit requirements. However this announcement came a week after classes started, and I only had the rest of that day less than 2 hours to run to the other side of the town to grab a piece of paper set up an appointment with an advisor and finish signing up for classes. They didn't have any appointments that day so the one good thing I can say is that the people in admissions did step up and say they screwed up big time. They then called over to the department a business, explain the situation and the department did set up an appointment for me. But I called at the appropriate time for the appointment to do that over the phone. The receptionist was a complete biiiotich and then canceled my appointment I'm told me too bad so sad try again next semester. So with that being done I have now missed the last day of class sign up, and figuring half of a semester and the job that I'm looking at, together with pay raises seniority Etc I am looking at a loss of roughly 200000 on the conservative side.

1st Year Male -- Class 1921

Campus Maintenance: A, Education Quality: F

Come to the University of West Florida, a diamond in the rough and home to one of the best Archaeology programs in the State, small class sizes, and a beautiful wildlife preserve are some of the many things this school has to offer. Sounds great, right? I thought this University would be the best for me almost one year ago when I applied, and I cannot say I wasn't overjoyed to hear I was accepted. Turns out though, the school has a side they don't show you on "Freshman Friday" or any other day when you get a tour, all of the mistakes they make that lead to poorer lives for students. My first year was promised to be "completely covered", I am now $6,500 or so in debt and without any assistance from the school, they "accidentally" gave me a grant I didn't qualify for, and then took it back! That dosent include the false accusations that result in me not getting hired on campus and keep me from getting a job in the future. Its no wonder over 35% (Currently) of the student body would choose not to return to UWF! The facilities are kept in poor condition, I can't even use a restroom outside of my Dorm room because they are so bad. Every University needs to understand that they are nothing without their students and should strive to provide the best experience for them.

1st Year Male -- Class 1920

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Individual Value: F

This school wouldn't be so bad if you lived in the area, were looking for the cheapest tuition possible for a four-year public university, and got involved socially (or in clubs) as soon as you get on campus. However, the atmosphere of this school is very "dead" - people are stuck in their own bubbles, students and professors included, and there is a lot of pressure. The level of challenging academics varies wildly - it depends on what you are studying and who your professors are. I had one professor that I liked a lot, but that was about it. I've also had professors that wouldn't help much at all, that treated the class like high school students (assuming they were lazy, dumb, always wanting to be on their phones, etc.). One professor made me believe I was going to be able to pass the class if I did all my work (so I didn't withdraw), I worked my tail off to get my grade up and did everything they asked plus extra credit, and they gave me a failing grade anyway (there was no points system and assignments were spontaneous, so I couldn't calculate it myself to argue). I had been in college for a few years and been through some especially difficult classes, but had always did very well until then. I had great AP and IB marks in high school, so I certainly wasn't a "lazy" student. This is mostly a commuter school, so making social connections is trickier than if most of the student body lived in dorms and had a sense of community. You have to pay out-of-pocket for club fees, but that seems to be the norm at most public universities. My advisor was useless - wouldn't answer my emails; told me I could graduate in a year then after finally releasing my degree audit to me I found it would take over two years. The campus is not very safe, there are frequent sexual harassment/violation reports and there were a few instances of gunshots fired while I was there, fortunately no one was hurt. The townspeople are kinda creepy, sadly many live in poverty, it is very close to Alabama so you get people from there as well. The campus seems racially diverse, but I don't know how discriminating the police are, and there has been some violence from the townspeople on campus.There appears to be a little spoken of mental health crisis on campus, too. Free limited counseling is offered, but there was a waiting list to get help from psychological services.My advice: unless you must study marine biology or are a local commuter looking to save a lot of money, seek a degree elsewhere. Every school has its ups and downs, but I entirely regret my time here. I finished my degree at a different school and am much happier, wish I did it earlier.

2nd Year Male -- Class 1921

Faculty Accessibility: C, Education Quality: F