I had my mind made up about University of West Florida, or UWF, before writing this review though I…read moredid read the other reviews. I would say UWF earns about a 3.6, but that rounds up to 4 stars.
Universities and colleges are interesting. They are a compendium of interesting buildings, campus planning, both broad and niche educational programs, a bureaucracy, a culture, a political system, a (more or less) collective personality, strengths and weaknesses, noncomformity, groupthink, and so many other things.
I knew that UWF sat in a nice area among stands of pine on the northern outskirts of Pensacola. So, instead of using the public library in town, I came to visit the one at UWF. Then, I made a second trip because I found a heck of a lunch deal at the Nautilus Market and Grill! So, then, reviews will be forthcoming under separate cover for both their library and the Nautilus Market and Grill!
Florida has its flagship university, the University of Florida, and the "other" school that hates it, Florida State University at Tallahassee. Then, there is an implicit "next tier" string of campuses the likes of the University of Central Florida, the University of North Florida, the University of South Florida, and this one, the University of West Florida. The big and well-known University of Florida may still have its share of partying, but getting in there these days requires more than a pulse ... far more. But, in reality, the sometimes smaller campuses of UCF, UNF, USF, and UWF serve their purpose quite well for those who are focused. They are more regional or local universities populated by a more local student population, students who want to go to those specific schools for a specific reason, and a smattering of international students who are interested in those institutions.
Granted, GPAs and test scores to get into UWF aren't as high as they are at UF. However, that moniker UWF, or "U Will Fail," is sort of ridiculous. That probably refers to students who haphazardly toss their applications into the ring, get in, don't apply themselves, and generally don't give a shit. We all know that a dysfunctional dipshit can get into and through an Ivy League university and a perfectly competent and practical student who hails from the area may choose to go to a UWF because he or she wants to stick around their stomping grounds and get a decent education for a respectable price.
Here's what I was able to deduce more specifically about UWF. It has about 8,000 undergraduate students. I think the ideal university has about 10,000 to 15,000 enrolled students. But, at about 2,000 per class, that beats having about 1,000 per class and everybody knowing that, for example, you once picked your nose and left a booger under the desk. Bigger and/or popular departments are business, as can be expected, nursing, teacher education, some of the engineering disciplines, and marine biology, which makes perfect sense. The arts and the sciences are also represented. The campus is definitely attractive and is spread out so, with more accelerated metabolisms, traditional college age enrollees can eat their hearts out at the cafeteria and lose those calories as they walk between the buildings in which their classes are held. Pace Library seems substantial enough and has a good feel. What appears to be the student union type building is in an 80s modern low-rise edifice and has a nice lounge, a bookstore, and the huge Nautilus Market and Grill. The atmosphere appears to be relaxed and all sorts of students seem to go to school here, and it is evidently devoid of a "one size fits all" personality. Right along with that, everyone met at the information center, the student union, the library, the Nautilus Market and Grill, and in a few departments where I asked questions was informal and friendly.
I've said it elsewhere. The high pressure schools can and do bring out the best in most students. The schools with less competitive admissions profiles almost always require that the student has more self-discipline to work against that critical mass. For that reason, I'm deducting one star. I'm then deducting .4 star for a few departments in which some of the subset disciplines aren't as fleshed out, but that's just my opinion.
In short, I liked what I saw of this school. It's a good place for a kid to cut his or her teeth. They can stay around their hometown or move to this wonderful area, they can avail themselves of good enough and practical curricula, and, if they do well here, they can indeed see an admissions packet from UF or some other flagship or private school for continuing their educations. As for me, my only tie to this school is that Argonaut t-shirt I bought. Hey, one can always use t-shirts.
