About Me

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Intro

No shirt, no shoes, no problem. That's my motto. My bayfront campus used to be the estate of circus magnate, Charles Ringling. But best know I'm no clown school.

I'm the love child of '60s educational philosophies. I focus on understanding over memorization. What does that mean? Well, first off, I don't give out grades. What, should I have opened with that?

I seem to have the reputation of either an elite institution or a commune of dirty hippies, but make no mistake: my expectations are rigorous and my coursework is challenging. Plus, I'm small and have an impressive faculty-student ratio. Your professors will not only keep a close eye on your progress, but they'll genuinely care about you as a person.

"Work hard, play hard" doesn't even begin to cover it here. In this subtropical weather, I do my readings while sunbathing at the beach (or my outdoor pool), and at the end of the day, I'm chilling with friends by the bay as we watch the sun set over the water. Then, on Friday and Saturday nights, everyone else comes together to dance and party in Palm Court.

I may be a bit of a hippie, but I'm certainly not dirty. I swim enough to take care of that.

Name

The Empty Set [ ]

My straight brackets mascot was just a placeholder. The straight brackets were named for the set theory concept after the fact and real mathematicians generally use {}.

Hometown

Every year, flocks of snowbirds return to the whited urban sprawl of Sarasota, FL and rejoin other species of rich retirees who make their habitat here year-round.

Birthdate

1960

Body Type

Tiny. I've got 800 barefoot students.

If you make enemies, you'll see them frequently, but the benefit of the resulting insular culture is a sense of safety and the confidence to break mainstream social norms. Sometimes, it feels like you know everyone, but you'll constantly be meeting new people and forging new, everlasting friendships.

Current Living Situation

Your first-year living situation will be a labyrinth...literally. Newbies are tripled up in three dorms called Pei (because I.M. Pei designed them). The labyrinthine structures have modernist charm on the outside and are all newly refurbished and renovated on the inside. Each room has a private bathroom and about a third of the rooms have balconies.

After that, you have the option of living in apartment-style Dortstein or the Letter Dorms. Dortstein is a sweet suite set-up: four private rooms with a shared common room and kitchen. The Letter Dorms are the newest, and as such were named after letters as placeholders. Most have been officially renamed after donors, but to my students, they're still V, W, X, Y, and Z. These are also similar apartment-style dorms but without in-suite kitchens.

Then there's B dorm, which has been converted from an administrative building into a dorm. B dorm features private rooms and common bathrooms. It's also isolated from the other dorms on campus and is known for developing its own subculture.

Living off campus becomes an option after first year, as well, and it's anywhere from a third to a half of the cost of living on campus. There are also peacocks that roam free in the surrounding neighborhood…if that affects your decision at all.

Relationship Status

My only intercollegiate sport is sailing...except for the annual Turkey Bowl, a Ringling College of Art and Design versus New College flag football game. Even so, we only foster the rivalry ironically.

Politics

Liberal, and often on the radical side. I'm a hotspot of LGBTQ+ individuals, host to an annual anarchist conference, and I'm generally devoted to social consciousness. There are Republicans here…you just don't hear from them much. Even liberal students will gripe about how radical I am now and then.

You should apply to me if...

your motivation for learning is (as the student motto puts it) "ecstatic wonder" and you're looking for a place that celebrates weirdness.

Website

http://www.ncf.edu