The University of West Florida

Date: Oct 30 2017
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
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.