Eckerd College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Sociology
Minor: Visual Arts
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Bisexual Female

Summary

I’m a senator for my dorm, which means I’m part of ECOS, which is our student government.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

High School Experience: Public school in Brooklyn, New York with a graduating class of about 250 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Sociology
Minor: Visual Arts

Extracurricular Activities: I’m a senator for my dorm, which means I’m part of ECOS, which is our student government.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
I feel that I have a lot more say in my community and the events we put on. I can get more information and I feel more connected in my community. If people come up to me with concerns, I feel like I have a say in making that happen.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It’s mostly essays and reading. We have in-person discussions, but we don’t have any labs. I had a research class last semester and the whole class was based on a 20-page research project.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
We have a really small Sociology department, but it’s really connected. I know all the Sociology majors and we have dinner every semester. I know all the professors and meet with them regularly. I feel like I can go to any of them at any time and talk to them about anything. I’m planning on doing an independent study next semester with my mentor that is based on gentrification in St. Petersburg.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I do think it’s collaborative and that it’s really supportive too. Even if you’re not collaborating with your peers, you can go to any professor at Eckerd if you need help. We feel that we can talk to our professors about anything. When you first come to Eckerd you’re paired with a first-year mentor, then you’re switched to one based on your major, and then it depends on if you’ve declared a major. You can either request to stay with your original mentor or ask to be put with one for undecided majors. I stayed with mine because there are other resources on campus such as the career center where you can see what your most compatible majors are. I did that and ended up picking sociology from there.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I had the privilege of taking sociology classes in high school, so I was already interested in the subject and had more prior knowledge than most high school graduates. I also participated in a sociology internship one summer in New York City. I helped a professor teach a class on gentrification at NYU. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do for my major yet, and I had taken the career assessment and got social work, but I wanted to do something more complex on the community level.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s beautiful, fun, and the people are great.
2) There’s an awesome community and it’s a unique place to go to school.
3) Nightlife and student life are great. There are always activities going on. We have a beach and a waterfront where you can paddleboard and kayak.
4) We have small classes. [About 54% of classes have 19 students or less.]

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s really expensive. [Total fees for the 2019-20 school year were about $59,122.]
2) There’s a party culture, so if you don’t want that I wouldn’t come to Eckerd.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Sigma Lodge Complex with two roommates
Sophomore & Junior: Kappa House with one roommate
How was transitioning from your hometown to St. Petersburg, FL in terms of location?
I was actually familiar with the location because my mom lives here. It was one of the deciding factors about coming to Eckerd because I wanted to be closer to my mom. The location is beautiful and the beach is about 15-minutes away.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
There have been some issues with safety this past year, but I’m from Brooklyn so what I expect for safety might be different than someone from the suburbs. I feel pretty safe there regardless and know you should take the proper precautions, like having pepper spray with you and locking your door at night.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
The students have events on the weekends and at nights, usually on Saturday nights. We used to have them on Friday nights but recently security has been stricter about when we’re having them. There’s a student campus activity board and have their own events. We have Kappa Field Day where everyone will have mini tailgates. There will be waterslides and all this fun stuff. There are also bands on campus. On Friday nights, we have a pavilion on the beach so sometimes we’ll have DJ sessions and we’ll have a little music party going on. Or, campus activities usually have their events on Fridays. In St. Petersburg there’s something called First Friday where the downtown closes a street and there’s a lot of bars on the street. The school has yellow school busses that will drive you there and back. [See The Current article, “Party Evolution: campus safety needs to calm down.”]
What have been some of your favorite times at Eckerd?
My favorite things are the Kappa Field Days, the themed parties, Kappa Karnival, and SprintTopia. [See all Eckerd traditions here.]
How happy are you with the weekend options at Eckerd? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I wish it would be easier to throw events, and that we’d get a little more support from the school.
How has identifying as LGBT influenced your nightlife experience? Are there any LGBT nightlife options that you like to go to?
It’s pretty much integrated into our nightlife. The Queer students have a yearly party called Kappa Come Out, but that’s the only time there is a separate event.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I’m a pretty social person and I’m pretty talkative. I met my roommates, and I started talking to people at school events and made friends. A lot of my close friends are actually from New York. We grew close together because we had that in common.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Eckerd?
People refer to it as the Eckerd bubble. It’s definitely kind of exclusive and a lot of people who are financially well off go here. Everyone is super nice and will make friends with anybody, so the social scene is open. You just have to keep in mind the type of people that go here. [Socioeconomically, about 33% of students come from the top 5%.]
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s not diverse in race, but it’s definitely diverse in terms of sexual orientation. I think it’s very sexually fluid, and the majority of students are female. [About 19% of students are minorities and 66% are female. See The Current article, “Eckerd lacks racial diversity, compensates with the diversity of interests, abilities” and article, “Students hope for more campus diversity.”]
How would you describe the LGBTQ population? How strong is it?
It’s super strong. I know they have a club and the students throw a party every year called Kappa come out, which is basically pride week. It’s super open and accepting.
How do you like the size of Eckerd in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 2,000 students at Eckerd.]
I like how small it is and I hope it stays small. I think it’s an important part of the experience and is what draws people to Eckerd.
How has the pet policy impacted your experience?
It made my experience better. I have a dog and it makes my day so much better. She’s my emotional service animal so I’d probably have her regardless, but I know a lot of people that go to Eckerd are also animal lovers. It makes us all really happy I feel like.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I used them to pick out my major. They have a website called Triton Track that lists jobs on campus and off-campus.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages that will be helpful to you professionally?
I learned SPSS this past semester.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
I have used financial aid. They’re pretty helpful but are sometimes hard to get ahold of. They’re pretty good about getting back to you, but sometimes in the summer, it takes a little longer. The technology seems out of date.