Two days ago I attended my Graduate School orientation at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers, FL. I have never attended any recruiting events for this school, or met anyone who attended the school. I choose to enroll there mainly because of 1) the features of the MBA program 2) the low-cost tuition and 3) I was able to make the cut and be accepted. So with that being said, let me say this. This university is unlike any I have ever seen; it is in a swamp basically. Ok, well not just 'any' swamp -- the Florida Everglades to be exact. Not that this is a bad thing necessarily; here is why...
The school's address is in "Ft. Myers", but technically, it is in Estero, FL. Irregardless, this area on the west coast of FL feels very different than Southeast Florida. It seems much less molested and more representative of the South Florida ecology. The campus smells like a swamp (not a bad smell; similar to fresh cut grass in likeability I guess), and there are signs posted around campus that give a disclaimer about alligators and why you should not feed them (I looked and looked for alligators, but did not find any). Most of the buildings on campus are unassuming, and share a white/dark green color scheme. They are not nearly as interesting as the natural campus setting which includes lakes and ponds, marshes, forests of cyprus trees, and sandy beaches surrounding the on-campus lake. In fact, you would think that the school was a resort -- if it were not for the distinctive university signage and the droves of young people looming around.
Although I lived in FL for 5 years, I was taken aback at the sauna-like atmosphere at the university. Walking from building to building was enough to develop a thin layer of sticky sweat. Of course, it does not help that the campus buildings are not really close to each other. To be fair, the university is set up this way to be in complaince with various environmental issues specific to the campus. The campus grounds include crucial elements of the local watershed, and much of the acreage cannot be built upon because it will disrupt this.
The school enrolls more than 10,000, but I wonder how they all are contained. About 2 (maybe three) parking garages are under construction. However they are not open; so good luck finding a spot. School was not even in session and I had a hard time. But in spite of this explosive growth, the school is small for a FL state college. I am a big proponent of public education, but not every state school needs to be big, massive, flashy, etc. Also the graduate studies department is less pretencious. I am not looking for an easy program; but a program that can provide the support if it is needed.
2 comments:
Where did you live in Florida?
I'm from Bradenton, a little higher on the West Coast. I have a few friends who go to FGCU, didn't know it was in a swamp lol.
Actually I am in SW PA :-).
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