Eckerd College
Written: Feb 01 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Academics, waterfront program, scholastically known, small school
Cons: horrible food, little to no social scene, small school
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| badkarma's Full Review: Eckerd College |
Eckerd College, while in my opinion was a great college for me to attend, is not for everyone. The quality of the education is first rate. The largest of the classes I attended was around 25 students and the smallest being around 5. I believe the percentage of phd's on the faculty is around 90%, and most of my professors (I was in the Marine Science Program) were continuing their education or were involved in research activities. There was plenty of opportunity for independent study and research and some student are even asked to complete theses during their time at Eckerd. There is ONLY an undergraduate program at Eckerd. As for programs of study I can only attest to what I was involved in directly or indirectly. The marine science program, which I was a part of, is first rate. Average class size is around 10 students. There are 4 tracks in the marine science program including: Marine Biology, Marine Chemistry, Marine Geology, and Marine Geophysics. The Environmental Studies program which was created a few short year ago, is also first rate. Allowing students to follow the policy or humanities track. The science majors at Eckerd are truly the strength of the school along with its Art program. Biology and Chemistry also come a close second the the marine science program, in my opinion, and given the number of Art students who seem happy with the facilities, I would say that would be the third. One of the things lacking in the "science" field at Eckerd, however, is the Mathematics department. I have heard nothing but complaints from any student who has taken more than 1 class in the Math dept. It is not that the professors are unqualified, but they are lacking in teaching skills, and much of the information you must learn on your own.
No on to the rest. The social life at Eckerd is small, but I have made some of my best friends there. Being a small college, Eckerd tends to be quiet at times, and it can also lead to some tensions because of all the time you spend in close proximity with the same people. There are a few student activities planned throughout the year but they are rarely successful, but they are always fun. Most of the problems Eckerd faces is in regard to the lack of school unity and unwillingness to do things as a group. There are as few sports teams at Eckerd and that seems to be where the majority of the student support goes. The baseball and soccer teams pull the most support but there are a few others including the basketball team and a few of the club teams, such as volleyball.
The food at Eckerd is definetly below par. Perhaps it is from eating it every day, but all of the students at Eckerd, even though they are different and don't agree on a lot of things, will agree that the cafeteria is NOT good.
One of the finer points at Eckerd, is the waterfront program. Students, and alumni for a small fee, can take out sailboats, kayaks, canoes, sailboards, and even schedule water skiing trips. At the waterfront there is also the EC-SAR (Eckerd College Search And Rescue) program. EC-SAR works closely with the coast guard and is usually the first to respond to emergencies in the immediate area in Tampa Bay. They also perform such routine duties as towing boats, and out of gas situations.
Overall, Eckerd was a wonderful school for me, but it was a small school and the social scene was lacking. The education was first rate however, and just mentioning to people in my field that I attended Eckerd College brought many compliments and a few job offers.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
badkarma
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Location: St.Petersburg, Florida
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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