| Meet Our Student Admissions Representatives Questions about what student life is really like? Our Student Admissions Representatives are happy to help! Bio: Born in New Jersey, raised in SoFla, I'm a History AOC with a focus on modern Europe (especially WWII). Outside of academics, I participate in New College Hillel and Acapellago, the student-run a capella group. Why I Chose New College: I chose NCF because its nontraditional academic structure appealed to me. I wanted to go to a small school, and Sarasota is a beautiful place. When I visited the school, I felt an immediate fit. Favorite Things about New College: My favorite things about NCF are the people, the academics, and the location. Our school has a varied group of unique and strong-minded individuals who keep campus life interesting. The academics are challenging, but incredibly rewarding. Sarasota has beautiful beaches and lots of fun places for students to explore. Bio: I’m a third year student with a prospective Area of Concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Outside of studying, I work on keeping up my dance skills and enjoying life and silliness with the great friends I’ve made at NCF, generally by geeking out over Disney and superheroes. Why I Chose New College: From the moment I arrived on campus for my first tour, I knew I’d found a place that felt like home. The small class sizes, the friendliness of everyone I met while on campus, and the opportunity to design my own course work helped, too. Later, I doubted myself and I went to visit another, much larger university, but I just didn’t get the same kind of feeling as I had gotten at New College, so I came to visit again, and I knew that it was the right place for me. Favorite Things about New College: I love the people at the school and the small community vibe, the availability of the professors, and the small class sizes. I love that I’m encouraged to push myself and to try new things. Bio: I love to watercolor and paint. When I was in kindergarten I did a school project on India and ever since have been in love with the country. I plan on studying abroad my third year, in India of course! Why I Chose New College: I chose New College because I had no idea what to major in, and I wanted a liberal arts education. New College offers such flexibility in majors and classes that I knew it was the place for me. I wasn't forced to immediately pick a major and take a long list of pre-determined classes. Already, after only one year, I've taken a variety of classes in political science, gender studies, environmental studies, art, art history, and French; as well as organic gardening and nutrition. Favorite Things about New College: I love the yoga class that Helen teaches twice a week. I especially love the garden at Caples Hall, which provides herbs, vegetables, and citrus to the students. I love that New College is situated in Sarasota, because the thrift stores are absolutely amazing! I love sunbathing on Z green. Most of all, I love how friendly the faculty is. Bio:I was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia and moved to Miami when I was ten. I'm a 4th year sociology student and I'm completely in love with New College. I love jazz, tango, dancing swing, traveling, and, of course, reading. Why I Chose New College: I chose NCF because I loved its philosophy. Being in a big university convinced me that I needed something completely non-traditional and that I wanted a unique college experience where I had freedom and independence to pursue my interests. Favorite Things about New College: The bay, Old Caples, the beautiful campus, Gatsby Party, sunsets, walls, having a personal relationship with professors, tutorials, classes, and the community as a whole. Bio: I'm Taylor, a 3rd year Humanities AOC. Within the Humanities, I have mostly focused on music but I am required to take classes in all of the disciplines. I'm currently in the process of thinking about thesis topics and will probably end up writing something about the musical elements of spoken word poetry. I have a hosted a few spoken word events at New College with poets such as Anis Mojgani and Buddy Wakefield. I am also planning to host Andrea Gibson and Derrick Brown here sometime in the near future. After graduating, I will probably go to graduate school for either early childhood or elementary education. Why I chose New College: I chose New College because of the independent nature of our academic program and the lack of traditional grades. Throughout high school, the focus always seemed to be on getting an A rather than actually learning the subject matter. I feel like at New College the professors and students share a passion for learning. I really enjoy our small class sizes because my professors and I are able to form a better relationship which will benefit my learning. My professors are almost always available if I need a little bit of extra help on homework or a paper. I really appreciate the fact that I'm not just another face in a crowd of students to them. Favorite Things about New College: Old Caples, the Thesis Room, LETRA and the Hawaiian tank in Pritzker Marine Lab, open mics at the Four Winds, and being able to go anywhere on campus day or night and run into people I know. Bio: I am a third year here at New College who will probably be focusing in anthropology. I speak English quite well, and enjoy plowing through conversations in American Sign Language, Hebrew, and Spanish. I was born and raised in Miami, but I love living in a smaller city at a very small school. I want to travel as much as possible - as I write this bio I´m sitting in an internet cafe in Ecuador where I´m volunteering for the summer. At school I´m a Residential Advisor and I participate in The New College Football Club (improv), Helen´s fantastic yoga classes, and Food Not Bombs. Why I Chose New College: I chose New College in 9th grade. I love the idea of learning for the sake of knowledge, individualized education, and academic freedom. The small size of the school makes me feel at home. Every social and academic aspect of NCF is a rare find in today´s world. The people really care about each other. The academics are there for you and there is so much to learn. Favorite Things About New College: Picking my favorite thing about NCF sounds impossible. It´s the whole package. But Mother´s Day kickball and BBQ ranks pretty high on the list. Bio: Hey there! I'm Deirdre, a fourth year Art History/Gender Studies student. Last fall I spent the semester studying Renaissance art and architecture in Florence, Italy. Now I'm back at lovely New College to write my thesis on specters of childhood in the photography of Hans Bellmer and Ralph Eugene Meatyard. My academic interests include Modern and Contemporary Art, critical theory, German language and history, and gender and race studies. If I'm not in the library, you can probably find me dancing in Palm Court or at a show somewhere on campus. Why I chose New College: I chose New College because out of all the schools I was considering, I knew that there was something about this place that I wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. I knew that while I could probably be happy at a lot of schools, I would always wonder "what if?" if I had gone to New College. Favorite things about NCF: I love New College for honing my ability to think critically and independently. I love that at every party people end up talking about something they learned in class.
Bio: Born to a pair of young New York transplants, I grew up on the mean streets of the suburbs of Margate, FL for the first seven years of my life. After a brief, yet formative, stint in a Catholic school as a very young child, I attend a public elementary and middle school, eventually landing at a performing arts high-school in West Palm Beach. Unable to sing, act, dance, draw, film, photograph, dance, or create anything particularly interesting out of clay, I was quite content to sit in the orchestra and play the Bassoon for a few years until college. Now I go to New College and study Art and Philosophy, with a bit of American Sign Language on the side. I hope to go onto get my ASL Interpreter's Certification after I graduate, and work for a while in the Deaf community, maybe in the Public School system. After that, Grad school is probably on the menu. Why I Chose New College: If I think about it now, guess I chose NCF for the ability to create my own major, and to work in a less structured environment to develop new ways of thinking about things rather than relying on old paradigms for learning. And, because NCF doesn't have 'letter' grades, it has actual grades (which is to say, narrative evaluations where your professor sits and thinks about YOU as a student in their class). Also, NCF has the bay which, truthfully, is all the reason I actually needed. Favorite Things about New College: College hall, Sunset/early morning/anytime at the bay Bio: I am an Anthropology student with an interest in pre-Colombian and Historical Archaeology of the Americas. I intend to graduate in Spring 2013. I am an out of state student who still has not acclimatized to Florida weather. Outside of academic interests, I have a love for games of all sorts (board, card, or video), origami, nice days, and ridiculous conversations. Why I Chose New College: After researching and visiting NCF I realized it was a welcome departure from High School. The people here were welcoming, seemed to all have driving passion for something(s), and who were just generally very interesting individuals. The academic program allows for incredible latitude and encourages independent growth and achievement. All these things were very appealing to me and made NCF the easy choice. Favorite Things About New College: Easily either the faculty or the students. I also love the wildlife on campus and all the strange/awesome student organized events around campus. Bio: Hi! I'm Jessica. I'm a 2nd year student studying English Literature. I hope to one day go on to get my doctorate in Education, and teach public high school kids the joy of reading, learning, and literature. When I'm not talking about these things, I am probably riding my bike around campus or reading at various places such as the Four Winds Cafe, library, or beautiful bay front. Other interests include: writing spoken word poetry, meditating, doing yoga, or exercising at the gym, traveling, working hard, gardening at Caples, discussing spirituality in Unitarian Universalists, writing in my planner, eating four dollar Tapas on Tuesdays at Ceviche, adventure sports, laughing with friends, volunteering, spontaneously meeting new people (talk to me! I'm friendly!), learning how to hula hoop, attending as many campus events as possible, and having deep conversations about personal philosophy, how to be a better person, and of course, Walt Whitman. Why I Choose New College: New College was one of only two schools I applied to, and the only one I was actually considering. In my senior year of high school, after extensive research and discussion with my guidance counselor and family, me and my mother made a deal. We agreed that I couldn't afford to spend thousands of dollars on my first two years at college, just to take huge, basic, and impersonal intro classes, worry about my GPA, and goof off at frat parties I wasn't even really interested in. That made sense to me, so I reluctantly agreed to spend my first two years at school attending the local community college. Then I found New College. New College embodied everything I wanted from higher education and fit the person that I was, and still am. It was an affordable, accessible college, with small and intensive classes, independent study, personal professor-student relationships, and an intelligent, engaged, and fun student body. Me and my family both agreed, New College is a school that is actually worth the exorbitant cost of education. I applied, got in, and the rest is history! New College was, and continues to be, my dream school. Favorite Things About New College: The tingly, excited feeling I get when I'm discussing something amazing in class and I feel my brain actually open and expand, the amazingly intelligent and passionate people I've met, the fact that you get out what you put in and your hard work is rewarded, the discussions outside of class I have daily about the things I really care about, New College's many fun traditions, the beautiful campus and it's many events, the oppurtunity to be wholly, completely, and uniquely yourself, and the person I've become since coming to New College. Bio: My name is Elizabeth Crate. I am in my 4th year here at New College of Florida and have begun work on my Biology thesis. I spent the last year participating in the National Student Exchange program that allowed me to attend Binghamton University while still getting all of my credit and scholarships at New College. I am from a military family and am very used to moving around, so I loved the chance to experience a different area of the country. My interests are traveling, baking, and pinning on pinterest. :) Why I chose NCF: I wanted a small school where I would get individualized attention and I found that I love the academic drive of students at New College and the freedom we are given to explore our interests more in depth while still receiving credit. Favorite Things About New College: I love New College for its small size and individualized academics. And my favorite thing about the school is the sunshine, the bay, and the amazing old Ringling buildings. Bio: Born in Chicago, I was raised in a travel trailer all over the west coast then finally settled down in little Plant City! I'm a Marine Biology AOC with a focus on cartilaginous fish and marine mammals. I LOVE to dive, sail, and spend my time in the many local aquariums and zoos. My time out of classes are mostly spent splashing around in any water body that I can find; which also includes puddles! Why I Chose New College: I chose NCF because of the many opportunities to work in the field. All of the Natural Science professors are working on projects they have been involved in for many years, because of this you will have many opportunities to work one on one with your professors. I love getting my hands dirty and New College was the perfect place to immerse myself in biology work. Sarasota's waters are wonderfully inviting making NCF a great place to literally jump into science! Favorite Things About New College: The location and people! Where else can you find people who already have a towel and snorkel in their backpacks! Bio: My name is Casey Dodge. I was raised on a small, boat access only island, and as such have always been an explorer at heart. I am now a second year studying pre med biology and chemistry at New College of Florida. Outside of the classroom I am a fierce chess player, participate in the NCSA as a justice in the student court, and play on almost all the sports teams at NCF. Why I chose New College: When looking for schools that offered great education in biology, as well great research opportunities to put me on the right track to medical school, I stumbled acrossed New College. After my tour and seeing the place in action I decided that the cooperative and non competitive learning style, coupled with outstanding class size made New College the one for me. My favorite things about New College: The faculty to student ratio, the research opportunities, the amazing people you meet on campus, the sense of community, and the process of making an academic contract. Bio: Growing up in the Hudson Valley region of New York, I have always had an intense love of hiking and mountains. I'm also interested in various forms of photography, oil painting, crew (rowing), acting, feminism, Jewish everything, and cooking. Upon graduation from New College, I am hoping to travel the world a bit, spending a significant amount of time in Israel. After that, I plan on attending Law School with a focus on Ethics. Why I Chose New College: I chose New College because it eliminated much of the competition over grades that plagued me during high school. Narrative evaluations along with small class sizes and a focus on student responsibility some of the main factors that made me interested in NCF. The warm weather and gorgeous location on the Sarasota Bay didn't hurt either! Favorite Things about New College: The ability to explore many different areas of study, the connections students make with their Professors, The Four Winds Cafe, the traditions and annual events Bio: As a third year student of the natural sciences, I've been able to acquire research opportunities during an ISP in Dr. Walstrom's lab, and in an internship at the nearby Roskamp Institute. Outside of the awesome collection of interesting courses I've taken, I enjoy being an active attendant of the discursive talks, presentations, readings, and performances. My recreational interests mostly include pursuing new cuisines (both at restaurants and in my kitchen), fishing, reptile-hunting for pet vendors, and sailing. My ultimate career goals involve an academically driven clinical profession in which I am able to contribute to modern health and science. Why I Chose New College: Simply put, the intimacy and professional intensity of the student-faculty relationships and respectable rigor available at this institution lead me to believe that this was the only place I could go that would foster my academic drive and autonomy. Favorite Things about New College: The faculty are certainly my favorite aspect in their willingness to match any curiosity with facilitation. Additionally, I very much enjoy being surrounded by similarly passionate peers in the beautiful city of Sarasota. Bio: My name is Taylor and I am a third year English Literature/Gender Studies student. I am an avid reader (as you can probably guess, my AOC allows me ample opportunity to indulge in this habit!). I love tea, antiquing, and traveling. I spent the last summer backpacking around the Irish countryside and it was amazing. You can usually find me outdoors enjoying the beautiful Florida sunshine. I am absolutely obsessed with the many beaches in the surrounding Sarasota-Bradenton area! Why I Chose New College: The small student population was extremely appealing to me - I went to a very large high school. The beautiful campus was also a huge draw. Ultimately, our non-traditional academic program sold me. I think that our narrative evaluation system is so unique. It has taught me that education can be more than just a letter grade or GPA and that there is always room for academic and personal growth. Favorite Things about New College: The bay, the fitness center and its many aerobic class offerings, the Four Winds Cafe's weekly menus, The Gatsby Party held at the Caples Mansion, Hamilton Center bagels, our tight-knit community, and the incredibly helpful staff. | ||
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New College of Florida • 5800 Bay Shore Road • Sarasota, FL 34243 • (941) 487-5000