State College of Florida - SCF Bradenton — Local services in South Bradenton

This school is the most ridiculous, uncoordinated school I have ever gone to. They send you on a wild goose chase for every single thing that you need. Financial aid and educational records are very rude and you have to pay for your transcripts to be sent out; every school I have ever gone to will give you at least one per year for free. The nursing program director is no help and doesn't care about you once they have your money. I had to wait a whole semester to be able to "graduate" even though I passed all my courses and went to pinning in December bc of a $20 fee that I was told by a faculty member would have no bearing on my ability to take the NCLEX. I was then told at the end of the semester, conveniently one day past the deadline to pay such fees, that I DID, in fact, have to pay it for them to release my name to the board of nursing. I offered to pay it right then and they told me no bc the deadline was the day before. I contacted everyone in that department and got nowhere. I even had two people tell me that the conversation I had with the faculty member never took place and the secretary for the nursing program said she could "guaran-damn-tee" me that the faculty in question did not tell me what she told me even though she wasn't present for the conversation. So now I am a schizophrenic with very convincing delusions? Please. So, here I am, five months out of nursing school, still waiting for them to release my name to my BON and busting my ass as a CNA even though I paid their stupid fee, finished coursework in December, and was approved for graduation months ago bc they won't release my name. I even emailed the program director in April stating these facts and pretty much begging her to release my name so I can test for my license and she said no but that she would forward my email to the registrar so that she could "direct us". Surprise, surprise, I never heard anything else from either of them. They are completely unhelpful and I can't wait to be totally finished with them!

The ONE good thing I can say about them is that the nursing program at the Venice campus has EXCELLENT instructors with the exception of one or two. Loved the program, hate the...

This school has some really great teachers who've got impressive educational backgrounds and who are professional and enthusiastic in every regard. However, the people who make all the student related decisions (those under Dr. Hafner) are unprofessional and completely unwilling to do what it takes to ensure students are taken care of (financial aid, conflict resolution, etc.). The school is a big business and when it comes down to dealing individually with students and their issues (most created by the school itself), you're creating a situation that no doubt requires a Tylenol for the headache and frustration you're about to endure. If you're willing to be herded like cattle, the school is great. If you require individual attention (which every big business knows is crucial to provide) in order to fix issues you're having (again, most likely ones the school created itself), go to another school; your question/comment/concern/need for someone to address the issue will fall on deaf ears. The way this school is run totally kills it for all of the superb teachers who work for it and truly care about students and for all the students who value education. Think you won't need to deal with "higher ups" with a financial aid/registration/etc. issue? You're dead wrong; you'll eventually have to deal with them and when you do, you'll wish you had chosen another school. Getting a reply email or a phone call back or a a yes/no answer about meeting someone in person on campus is just not going to happen. A staff member not willing to meet with a student in person to discuss a school created issue is unheard of but a reality for students at this school. The school needs to take care of its customers (students) because they are the ones who are keeping the paychecks of the staff members coming. This review was not created by a disgruntled, young student; it was created by a professional, working adult. Grade for...

This is my first semester going to SCF, I go to the bradenton campus, and I am a fully enrolled student (full time is considered 12+ credit hours). It is a pretty good school for what you pay, and the campus is really gorgeous. There are several free programs that the school offers to it's enrolled students. Such as free gym use at the school, free yoga classes, free tutoring in all subjects open 6 days a week, guest speakers, and many other campus events. The library at the bradenton campus is really nice. There are lot's of computers for students to use, printers, countless study desks, group study rooms, and many librarians who are happy to help you find what you need. The teachers i've had have all been really great, they are eager to help students who are eager to learn. The student demographics is also widely varied. There are many unconventional college students. Such as students who are very young (15-17, they duel enrolled or graduated from high school early) students who waited a little bit, late 20's -30's, along with returning students who are in their 50's and 60's. From what i've seen no one really makes a big deal about student ages or really bullies/gets bullied over this. Except for some of the super young kids (15-17). A lot of them get inflated ego's and pretentious about being in college early. If you are an early admissions student don't get cocky.. You're gonna step on a bunch of toes and make people not want to talk to you or write you recommendation letters. As for the majors, from what i've seen the most popular programs are the Nursing, Business, Education/Teaching degrees, and other miscellaneous health programs (dental, physical therapy, ect ect..). But the selection pool for majors is very wide. SCF is a pretty great investment/return for your money if you are willing to put in the effort for your...