Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton

Florida Atlantic University is an awesome campus! Here a breezeway runs through the campus, a shaded walkway where there are hundreds of flyers on columns and crowds of happy and attractive students interacting and walking by. There truly is a breeze, warm and soft, coming off the ocean which is only three miles away. That is what distinguishes this campus from many of the other Florida universities- it is near the ocean. Besides studying in modern classrooms, some with all windows for walls (business building), students can have a lot of fun! There is a video games area with tons of guys focussed intently on the five or so screens in front of them (these are in front of windows- not so good for your eyes). There is a rec center with the most amazing amenities- a long pool (though not tropical in any way), huge tall rooms with glass walls where dozens of people lift weights and work out, and beautiful indoor basketball courts where pickup games take place for leisure. Some areas of campus have old trees that are beautiful and of course, there are plenty of palms and tropical plants. There are some quiet areas to sit at tables with umbrellas. A restaurant called Coyote Jack's has good food, live music on Thurs, Fri, and Sat nights, and even serves beer (for students over 21). There is a football stadium that seats 30,000 people. People are friendly on campus and smile (unlike some campuses I've been to in the country). The business building has a cool indoor area with coffee cart that actually feels like you're outdoors. Most students enjoy a single room and share a bathroom with four students. Though the dorms didn't look that nice to me (the windows can't be opened), there are some resort-style dorms that you can request after you've lived on campus for a year or half a year (one is called Innovation Living Dorm). We didn't see inside these but the pictures looked nice. Some of these even have their own washer and dryer shared by four students. Around 17,000 people attend classes on this campus, with about 4,000 of them living on campus. The surrounding town, Boca Raton, isn't my favorite (fairly plain with mostly strip malls along the road) but there are some fun places to eat like Souvlaki Fast, a groovy and delicious Greek place. This university looked like a fun place to spend four years (though the town of Boca Raton is snooty and expensive) if you can handle very hot weather. To get a feel for Florida while here, check out the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

Directions

Florida Atlantic University is located at 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton FL 33431.
Exit Highway 95 at Glades Rd and head toward the ocean for half a mile. The university will be on your left. Follow the signs and turn left on University Drive from the right-most left turn lane. Pull up to the information booth on the right when you enter and they will tell you where visitor parking is. Cost to park is only $1 an hour and you pay in the metered machines with credit card or cash. You can sign up online for a 1 1/2 hour tour at 10am or 2pm on weekdays. This is a lot of fun and I recommend it!

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