Felicia earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of South Florida. She specializes in English tutoring, elementary math tutoring, and a number of other subjects. Below, she shares her experience at the University of South Florida:
Describe the campus setting and transportation options.
Felicia: The campus is quite expansive—I got lost many times as a freshman. The landscaping and buildings, however, make the campus feel personable and calming. There are plenty of private nooks to use for studying or meetings, both inside and outside. The campus is definitely an urban campus. The bus system, called the Bull Runner, runs around the campus as well as to local college-based apartments. If you spend a lot of time on campus and don’t care for the bus, a bike would be beneficial and there are plenty of bike racks around campus.
How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants?
Felicia: For the most part, I never had any issues meeting with professors. They all have long office hours and are willing to meet outside these times as long as you make an appointment. I found it to be a bit difficult meeting with academic advisors, though. You make appointments through the school website, and if you have any kind of schedule it can be hard to make an appointment the same week you need to. Teaching assistants are very useful, and you should use them as the valuable resources they are.
How would you describe the dorm life—rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students?
Felicia: I never lived on campus, but I had friends who did. There are dorm rooms as well as on-campus apartments. I lived about a mile from school in a complex that catered to college students. There are dining halls all over the dorm area of campus, and many other eateries throughout the rest of campus, including: Subway, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, sandwich shops, etc. There was also always something going on in the evenings for students. I know there were board game nights, team challenge activities, concerts, sports, etc.
Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?
Felicia: I think all of the majors are fairly well represented. The buildings are usually separated by major or program, so unless you are in introductory classes, there’s not much mingling with people from other majors, but I think that’s fairly normal. I studied anthropology and religion, because history and how we as humans got here has always amazed me. I had great professors that challenged me daily and helped me grow.
How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life?
Felicia: I consider myself to be somewhat of an introvert, but meeting people was so easy that I honestly never really had to try. I think because I did not live on campus, I was not too aware of the Greek life. However, I had a roommate in a sorority, and there were plenty of houses on and off campus.
How helpful is the Career Center and other student support services?
Felicia: There was always someone recruiting outside the Marshall Center (the student resource center). I never used the Career Center. I feel like they could have had a better way to tell students about how to use these services, because I don’t recall them ever being introduced to me.
How are the various study areas such as libraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious?
Felicia: There are small nooks and crannies in every building (my favorite was the education building). There are also plenty of picnic tables all around campus to meet up with friends or study outside. The Marshall Center is open very late, so large groups can meet there. The library is open 24 hours a day, and you can even rent study rooms and supplies if you need more privacy.
Describe the surrounding town.
Felicia: MOSI is directly across the street, which is a science and discovery museum. It mostly caters to children, but they do have an IMAX theater and really cool exhibits. There are plenty of small eateries within walking distance of campus. Busch Gardens and Adventure Island (theme park/water park) are less than 5 minutes away. I think most students stay close to campus, as downtown is fairly far and not nearly as entertaining as staying close.
How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes?
Felicia: The student body is fairly large. Introductory classes are pretty large as well, so new students should really try to pay attention and never be afraid to ask questions, because you can easily get left behind. Once you get deeper into your major, class size goes down. I think one of my last major classes had 12 people (my major intro class had close to 200). I think this setup works very well.
Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one you regret the most.
Felicia: My freshman year, my advisor put me in my mandatory “arts” class. He stuck me in Intro to Electronic Music. As horrible as I thought this class would be, it ended up being one of my all-time favorites. The professor really brought this subject to life and opened me to a world I had no idea existed. I had to leave town to visit family and he allowed me to take an exam during his office hours rather than in class. He just made me so amazed with the subject. There was a moment when I was actually reconsidering my major. It was so much fun tinkering with sounds and morphing them into something new. I will never forget these experiences for the rest of my life.
Check out Felicia’s tutoring profile.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.
