Four out of five of my classes, and I'm ignoring my math class because it's not my strong point, had teachers that were not afraid to engage with you and make sure you know what you needed and wanted to know. When I feel like a teacher wants me to learn because they really want you to, not just because it makes their paychecks better, it makes me WANT to learn and I can safely say, that those four teachers this semester were really awesome and treated me with great respect. I didn't feel like a kid, I felt like a student. When you're in high school, you feel like you're being babysat, don't you? Well in my first semester at SFA, I felt like I was for once learning something relevant and I felt encouraged to do my best. Earlier I said that four out of my five of my teachers this semester helped me achieve great heights, and that's because I'm not going to lie to you about that fifth teacher. I'm very bad in math, so bad I had to take remedial and I almost failed. That being said, large part of it was due to my teacher hardly being an English-speaker. He was foreign and had terrible English, and I think if you have a group of students that need a lot of help in a certain subject, you don't give them the worst teacher in the school. SFA has a notoriously horrible math department and this proved the case. Don't be too discouraged, though (unless you're going in to math, of course), because the teaching, nursing and forestry programs are pretty kick-ass, they're the reason the school is there.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
If you want a huge school with lots of actions, you may want to look elsewhere. There are certainly parties and plenty of sororities, fraternities, and other organizations, but it's a very quiet, low-key school. I'm not a huge party-animal, and by that I mean for entertainment, I go to Marble Slab and the movies. Occasionally, I DO go to a bar or club or something active. But to be honest, if you're a serious student, you don't need an active party life. While the work load wasn't a killer, I was definitely spending at least half of my free time doing homework, if not more.
The good thing about SFA and the small town of Nacogdoches is, if you need a few free hours and then to get back home soon to do school work, you don't have to go far. There are several forms of entertainment on campus. One being the student center, which has a pool table, Starbucks, and lots of eating options. Although most of these close early (with the exception of the pool table lounge), there is still a little store and lots of sitting areas if you need a new place to study and sip on a coke.
The best thing to do on campus for fun is the gym. I know, I know, so many of us roll our eyes when we hear this, but you if you don't want to work out, the gym is still a place for you. Have you seen the pool? It's a pretty large space and, get ready for this, has a lazy river. It doesn't look like a hole in the concrete, either. It looks like a lagoon and is purely beautiful at night. Only an hour there and I feel greatly relaxed. If you DO want to work out, the gym is H-U-G-E. Machines, machines, machines, AND they have cable TVs on them, so you can watch and work out. Did I mention the rock climbing wall?
As for the dorms, they aren't great, honestly. The most expensive ones, about $4800, have a kitchen, with a microwave and full-sized fridge, private bathroom with two sinks, living room with a couch, and two private bedrooms. They rock. But the cheapest, Hall 14&16, where I'm at, sadly eno...
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
Considering that I pay around 14k at SFA for tuition, which includes a meal plan (which keeps me well-covered) and for the cheapest dorm possible, I'd say I get bang for my buck. Though I will not stay in my particular dorm any longer once possible, again, it's not as if I was miserable. It was definitely liveable, but I've been to the other dorms and they're just plain nicer. Considering that the gym and library AND tutoring is considered in tuition, it's a pretty sweet deal. The AARC (tutoring center) is open Sun-Fri until about 1am, and you can be a walk-in, or, if you sign up early enough, you can get a private tutor. And it's all free, like the gym, as previously stated.
The meal plans all cost the same, but you can get different variations. There's one, the 7/14plan, that gives you two meals a day along with $125 Dining Dollars a semester, which is basically a debit card for places like the on-campus Starbucks, Chick-Fa-Le or etc. I've never gone to the cafeteria more than two times a day, so I recommend this one, especially since they have an awesome place, the Einstein Bagel Bros. in the library where I love to waste my dining dollars before class. If you're a cafeteria person, you can get the 7/20 plan that gives you three meals a day at the cafeteria and $50 dining dollars for one semester.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
I know you've probably already heard this, in reference to your junior year or future college career, but you've probably heard it only from your parents or counselors, who went to college 20 years ago. But honestly, and really, do not let the work build up. Every time someone said that to me, I figured they were just talking about the college student who goes to school to party. I'm not that student, I'm the student who goes to learn, and I thought I would know better than these people telling me to study every day. I'm a hardworking student, but the kind that figures out what works best for her after spending some time in every new situation. I encourage that, but really, and as much as you've heard this before: When you're up at 3am studying and you have a final in five hours, you're gonna know that there was something else you could have done instead going to Marble Slab or that party or whatever.
Even if you don't want to take this to heart, at least promise yourself, that if you're not going to be the person who studies all day, do at least one-to-two hours more than you normally. Not all day, and not even consecutively, but that little extra ounce of work goes a long way.
Also, if you don't like your professor, this time, there's nothing you can do about it. You can drop the class, but if you don't , you're stuck with him/her and if you feel they're not treating you right, you can't go to the counselor to complain and make sure you don't fail. Hardly no one is running an interference with these professors, and you better be good from day one, because if you think you're the professor is the kind who will reflect their personal opinion of you in their grade, they probably will and no one will stop them.
Not to say that they are all scary like the movies and TV shows portray. Before I went to SFA, I was expecting all professors to make it clear from day one that you are nothing to them but an inconvenience and that they expect you to stay in line, or th...
Which types of students will excel at your college?
As stated before, if you want a wild life, this isn't for you. There are parties, yes, but there are no resources for wild stuff, this school is designed to be quiet and help you be quiet but successful student. If you're like me, and you like the idea of going to school to learn and you're okay with having to study, but like bouts of fun, too, then go here. My ideal night is a few hours of fun (whether that's at the pool, at the party, or at the Starbucks) and a bit of quiet time to relax or study, and this school is perfect for that. Take into account that it isn't only the school that's quiet, it's the town of Nacogdoches, which is a pretty conservative town. So behave! And good luck!
Four out of five of my classes, and I'm ignoring my math class because it's not my strong point, had teachers that were not afraid to engage with you and make sure you know what you needed and wanted to know. When I feel like a teacher wants me to learn because they really want you to, not just because it makes their paychecks better, it makes me WANT to learn and I can safely say, that those four teachers this semester were really awesome and treated me with great respect. I didn't feel like a kid, I felt like a student. When you're in high school, you feel like you're being babysat, don't you? Well in my first semester at SFA, I felt like I was for once learning something relevant and I felt encouraged to do my best. Earlier I said that four out of my five of my teachers this semester helped me achieve great heights, and that's because I'm not going to lie to you about that fifth teacher. I'm very bad in math, so bad I had to take remedial and I almost failed. That being said, large part of it was due to my teacher hardly being an English-speaker. He was foreign and had terrible English, and I think if you have a group of students that need a lot of help in a certain subject, you don't give them the worst teacher in the school. SFA has a notoriously horrible math department and this proved the case. Don't be too discouraged, though (unless you're going in to math, of course), because the teaching, nursing and forestry programs are pretty kick-ass, they're the reason the school is there.
If you want a huge school with lots of actions, you may want to look elsewhere. There are certainly parties and plenty of sororities, fraternities, and other organizations, but it's a very quiet, low-key school. I'm not a huge party-animal, and by that I mean for entertainment, I go to Marble Slab and the movies. Occasionally, I DO go to a bar or club or something active. But to be honest, if you're a serious student, you don't need an active party life. While the work load wasn't a killer, I was definitely spending at least half of my free time doing homework, if not more. The good thing about SFA and the small town of Nacogdoches is, if you need a few free hours and then to get back home soon to do school work, you don't have to go far. There are several forms of entertainment on campus. One being the student center, which has a pool table, Starbucks, and lots of eating options. Although most of these close early (with the exception of the pool table lounge), there is still a little store and lots of sitting areas if you need a new place to study and sip on a coke. The best thing to do on campus for fun is the gym. I know, I know, so many of us roll our eyes when we hear this, but you if you don't want to work out, the gym is still a place for you. Have you seen the pool? It's a pretty large space and, get ready for this, has a lazy river. It doesn't look like a hole in the concrete, either. It looks like a lagoon and is purely beautiful at night. Only an hour there and I feel greatly relaxed. If you DO want to work out, the gym is H-U-G-E. Machines, machines, machines, AND they have cable TVs on them, so you can watch and work out. Did I mention the rock climbing wall? As for the dorms, they aren't great, honestly. The most expensive ones, about $4800, have a kitchen, with a microwave and full-sized fridge, private bathroom with two sinks, living room with a couch, and two private bedrooms. They rock. But the cheapest, Hall 14&16, where I'm at, sadly eno...
Considering that I pay around 14k at SFA for tuition, which includes a meal plan (which keeps me well-covered) and for the cheapest dorm possible, I'd say I get bang for my buck. Though I will not stay in my particular dorm any longer once possible, again, it's not as if I was miserable. It was definitely liveable, but I've been to the other dorms and they're just plain nicer. Considering that the gym and library AND tutoring is considered in tuition, it's a pretty sweet deal. The AARC (tutoring center) is open Sun-Fri until about 1am, and you can be a walk-in, or, if you sign up early enough, you can get a private tutor. And it's all free, like the gym, as previously stated. The meal plans all cost the same, but you can get different variations. There's one, the 7/14plan, that gives you two meals a day along with $125 Dining Dollars a semester, which is basically a debit card for places like the on-campus Starbucks, Chick-Fa-Le or etc. I've never gone to the cafeteria more than two times a day, so I recommend this one, especially since they have an awesome place, the Einstein Bagel Bros. in the library where I love to waste my dining dollars before class. If you're a cafeteria person, you can get the 7/20 plan that gives you three meals a day at the cafeteria and $50 dining dollars for one semester.
I know you've probably already heard this, in reference to your junior year or future college career, but you've probably heard it only from your parents or counselors, who went to college 20 years ago. But honestly, and really, do not let the work build up. Every time someone said that to me, I figured they were just talking about the college student who goes to school to party. I'm not that student, I'm the student who goes to learn, and I thought I would know better than these people telling me to study every day. I'm a hardworking student, but the kind that figures out what works best for her after spending some time in every new situation. I encourage that, but really, and as much as you've heard this before: When you're up at 3am studying and you have a final in five hours, you're gonna know that there was something else you could have done instead going to Marble Slab or that party or whatever. Even if you don't want to take this to heart, at least promise yourself, that if you're not going to be the person who studies all day, do at least one-to-two hours more than you normally. Not all day, and not even consecutively, but that little extra ounce of work goes a long way. Also, if you don't like your professor, this time, there's nothing you can do about it. You can drop the class, but if you don't , you're stuck with him/her and if you feel they're not treating you right, you can't go to the counselor to complain and make sure you don't fail. Hardly no one is running an interference with these professors, and you better be good from day one, because if you think you're the professor is the kind who will reflect their personal opinion of you in their grade, they probably will and no one will stop them. Not to say that they are all scary like the movies and TV shows portray. Before I went to SFA, I was expecting all professors to make it clear from day one that you are nothing to them but an inconvenience and that they expect you to stay in line, or th...
As stated before, if you want a wild life, this isn't for you. There are parties, yes, but there are no resources for wild stuff, this school is designed to be quiet and help you be quiet but successful student. If you're like me, and you like the idea of going to school to learn and you're okay with having to study, but like bouts of fun, too, then go here. My ideal night is a few hours of fun (whether that's at the pool, at the party, or at the Starbucks) and a bit of quiet time to relax or study, and this school is perfect for that. Take into account that it isn't only the school that's quiet, it's the town of Nacogdoches, which is a pretty conservative town. So behave! And good luck!