New College of Florida

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Hallmarks and Quirks

Study Abroad. I produce a higher amount of Fulbright Scholars per capita than Harvard.
Financial Aid. I'm consistently ranked a "best value" college. Did I mention that every admitted student gets a merit scholarship?
Marine Biology. Again, hello. Bayfront campus.

Your favorite anxiolytic (chill pill): Netflix, chamomile tea, or something more heavy duty. I'm a stressful school. There's also nothing like a walk to the bay or lying in one of my many communal hammocks.
A water filter. Sarasota tap water is best served filtered and chilled—or, at the very least, chilled.
Gmail filters. Student email accounts are subscribed to a listserv called "The Forum," which can be useful for buying and selling books, getting rides to the airport and elsewhere, but also a place of "forum wars" in which students have heated arguments and debates. Most prefer not to read those.
A swimsuit. For the beaches, and for the occasional bioluminescence in the bay. Seriously, if you hear there is bioluminescence, drop everything and go swim in it because it is magical.
A Tumblr blog. This is kind of related to number one, but also because social justice is super important here and Tumblr can be a good primer.

I'm a part of Colleges that Change Lives.
"They don't wear shoes there..."
Palm Court Party (PCP). Three times a year, students and an influx of their guests come for a massive party where the residential area is decorated and everybody wears silly costumes. You can look at it as a holiday…or a prom sans formal wear. Recent themes have included "Dawn of the Angiosperms" and "Steampunk."
Have you seen Spring Breakers? Yeah, I'm in it.

I'm probably dancing at the wall (New College slang for "party") or playing board games and Magic: The Gathering at the wallternative.

Four Winds Café. A student-run all-vegetarian café on campus. A good place to study, caffeinate, or relax with one of their delicious smoothies (try the Bee's Knees).
Growler's Pub. This is a great place to drink craft beers with the other hipsters.
Big E's. Seriously cheap food.
Ringling Museum. This place is free for students and, like, a five-minute walk away from campus. This is heaven for the artsy students.

No grades. Classes are designated satisfactory/unsatisfactory (or pass/fail) and students receive narrative evaluations that detail the things they did well and things they need to improve on.
Tutorials. These are a great way to independently study a topic not offered as a normal course. They can range from one-on-one to small groups of students meeting with a professor (often at Four Winds Café) to discuss what you've read. I mean, you get to pick your own hours and your own readings.
Independent Study Project. The month of January is set aside for this opportunity for unconventional learning. Itching to get away? Or do you just really want to obsessively devote yourself to one class for a whole month? This can also be an opportunity to create your own class. You have the option of being off-campus, so many students study abroad.

The Dollyrots, a pop-punk duo that met at New College
Merlin Mann, blogs about managing time for creativity at 43Folders
David Allen, author of Getting Things Done. Nothing like going to a school without grades to relearn how to motivate yourself.
William Dudley, president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, so I guess that's important.
Nancy McEldowney, diplomat and director of the Foreign Services Institute. Also sounds important.