U of South Florida (Jacksonville, Tampa: theater, school, university)

[jaxalamalakum]

I haven't gotten much help on this subject, but I am almost completely sold on attending USF, but can't decide between the main Tampa campus or the St. Pete campus. I have heard wonderful things about St. Pete, but have never visited. I have been to Tampa many times and know I love it.

For an 18-year-old entering college, which place would be the best? I am not the biggest party person in the sense of "clubbing", but I love hanging out with friends and having endless things to be able to do to have fun. I love the beach too, but is there as much to do in St. Pete?

I would greatly appreciate help on this! Thanks!

[tampaguy03]

If you can take your major studies in St. pete, I would prefer that campus over Tampa(I gradutated from USF in 92 - Tampa Campus). Although the Tampa canmpus is MUCH MUCH larger, and MUCH MUCH more to offer on campus, downtown St. Pete is a great little city on the Bayfront, the Campus is Beautiful, everything is walkable/bikable(cafe's, restaurants, museums, bars, movies, shopping, festivals, grocery))...you can even ride your bike to the beach(Pinellas Trail to Treasure Island bridge).

[jaxalamalakum]

Cool, that's exactly what I wanted to hear!
Flagler College had strongly pressed me to go there but it's too expensive and I like Tampa much more than Jacksonville (Jax wasn't all that close anyway, not like Tampa-St. Pete).
I love the small beach city idea but close enough to Tampa.

Would it be possible to take a course or two at separate campuses? A friend of mine did that at another university. Not sure that I'd do that but it's a thought.

How affordable is the St. Pete area? If I go to school in that area I plan on staying there for some time after. I hope to major in Business of some sort, what's the market like?

[jessiesma]

the St. Pete campus has a sailing club where you , as a student, can sail, kayak, whatever for very little money. I think in theory you can study at both campuses but it's a lousy commute.
Well, 4 years is a long way off but right now St. Pete is probably better for business opportunities/jobs. Also probably a bit more affordable than Tampa. At last you get a little better on the lower end.

Originally Posted by martysenior08

Cool, that's exactly what I wanted to hear!
Flagler College had strongly pressed me to go there but it's too expensive and I like Tampa much more than Jacksonville (Jax wasn't all that close anyway, not like Tampa-St. Pete).
I love the small beach city idea but close enough to Tampa.

Would it be possible to take a course or two at separate campuses? A friend of mine did that at another university. Not sure that I'd do that but it's a thought.

How affordable is the St. Pete area? If I go to school in that area I plan on staying there for some time after. I hope to major in Business of some sort, what's the market like?

[tampaguy03]

You can do a class in both classes, but depending on the time of day, it could take you over an hour to get from one campus to the other. I would suggest you take all your classes at one campus.

[jimix]

Well... USF is located in Tampa with branch campuses all around. So it has many, many, many more students located there. For someone starting college, I recommend going to the Tampa campus. You will find yourself there anyway for class at some point. The University Experience will not be the same at a branch campus.

As for Tampa vs St Pete... Tampa is a working town with a big university, a theme park, and lots of jobs. There are two major business districts (Downtown and Westshore), and one and a half entertainment districts (Ybor City and Channelside) with more stuff opening downtown. USF rules north Tampa, although north Tampa kinda sucks. St Pete is retirementville with a cool downtown. It has jobs and beaches but is not as urban as TPA.

[jaxalamalakum]

I read in another post that Tampa is "just one big ghetto"
I have visited many times and never got that impression, what's that all about?

I absolutely love Tampa and the entire bay area. Negativity seems to be a recurring theme on almost every thread I read. Can anyone truthfully tell me the pros and cons about the Tampa area? I want to get as much info on the place I go to school (aside from my own, I'm going to Tampa this weekend again).

Thank you

[MarketingGuy]

+1 for St Pete campus.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by martysenior08

I read in another post that Tampa is "just one big ghetto"
I have visited many times and never got that impression, what's that all about?

I absolutely love Tampa and the entire bay area. Negativity seems to be a recurring theme on almost every thread I read. Can anyone truthfully tell me the pros and cons about the Tampa area? I want to get as much info on the place I go to school (aside from my own, I'm going to Tampa this weekend again).

Thank you

What they may be talking about is the area surrounding the Tampa USF campus. To the west and south of the campus are pretty nasty areas. That being said, while I don't know the area around the St. Pete campus (and it is a beautiful campus and quite compact) I would think the opportunities for entertainment and shopping are going to be better for the Tampa campus in general.

They are in the process of building a new student union (Marshall Center) which should be really nice compared to the old building. Plenty of restaurants in the immediate area that cater to college kids, and as another poster mentioned, the clubs of Ybor and Channelside are only about 15-20 minutes from the Tampa campus. And Busch Gardens/Adventure Island is only 5 minutes away ($50/annual pass!) I mention that because everyone in my cohort had passes and we would often dash down there in the middle of the day for a quick run on Montu or one of the other rides....

However, if you're looking for proximity to beaches, St. Pete would be your best bet.

I know people in the CoEdu (where I attended and also worked) on the Tampa campus, and they said that if you could take classes in St. Pete they were much smaller and you got a lot more face time with the faculty.

And the Dali Museum is right there, too!

I guess it comes down to what you're looking for - big campus/entertainment/activities or smaller campus/quieter.

RM

[jessiesma]

for shopping and entertainment. There's the Pier and BayWalk (think urban mall) which has a multiplex theater. There are bars etc. and it's all close to USF. Tampa campus has teh Marshall center but St. Pete has its own boating club.

Originally Posted by MortonR

What they may be talking about is the area surrounding the Tampa USF campus. To the west and south of the campus are pretty nasty areas. That being said, while I don't know the area around the St. Pete campus (and it is a beautiful campus and quite compact) I would think the opportunities for entertainment and shopping are going to be better for the Tampa campus in general.

They are in the process of building a new student union (Marshall Center) which should be really nice compared to the old building. Plenty of restaurants in the immediate area that cater to college kids, and as another poster mentioned, the clubs of Ybor and Channelside are only about 15-20 minutes from the Tampa campus. And Busch Gardens/Adventure Island is only 5 minutes away ($50/annual pass!) I mention that because everyone in my cohort had passes and we would often dash down there in the middle of the day for a quick run on Montu or one of the other rides....

However, if you're looking for proximity to beaches, St. Pete would be your best bet.

I know people in the CoEdu (where I attended and also worked) on the Tampa campus, and they said that if you could take classes in St. Pete they were much smaller and you got a lot more face time with the faculty.

And the Dali Museum is right there, too!

I guess it comes down to what you're looking for - big campus/entertainment/activities or smaller campus/quieter.

RM