The University of Tampa

Date: Oct 22 2003
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
I transferred to UT from Hillsborough Community College two years ago. I graduate Cum Laude (3.67 GPA) in December, 2003.

The campus and most of the female students are attractive. The school has used millions in recent donations to upgrade facilities, dorms, etc. UT has increasingly shed its "Suntan U." party image, as it used to be known as a party school for academically deposed northeast rich kids.

Nonetheless, The University of Tampa has maintained an excellent academic reputation, though far from ivy league. There are many part-time faculty, and the adjuncts who teach business writing classes suck, big-time.

But the full-time faculty are outstanding. Some are challenging, some not so challenging, but most all of the full-time faculty members seem to care deeply about providing a high-quality educational experience.

Many students seem clueless, and the apathy here is enough to make any intellectually motivated student suffocate. Several times I wanted to stand up in the middle of class and yell, "Wake Up!" Most students care little about studying. Rare are the students who attend class regularly. I imagined many of them came here from high middle-class northeast backgrounds, spoiled rich kids who fucked up in high school, and instead of attending Boston U. or Emerson, settled for UT.

And yet, a few students surprise me with their hidden bright intellect. I recall many times thinking of the students sitting passively in the back row as the worst slackers, only to be surprised when viewing pieces of their work. UT has some exceptionally talented students. The problem I have is that many students act like it's so horrible to have to study (and they often get way with not studying). Many at UT seem to think of college as a job.

But The University is what you choose to make it. You can fuck off and miss classes and still end up with a passing grade. Or, you can come to classes and study hard and graduate Cum Laude, and obtain an outstanding education from a highly-regarded academic institution. What is certain is that the classes are small, and you'll never feel lost in the academic crowd.

If I could go back and change things,though, I would have attended a more academically reputable school in the northeast. But being married and somewhat settled in Tampa, I am glad that I chose UT over USF.