As a high school senior, I fell in love with UNCW's campus. From the outside, the buildings all are beautiful: brick and white pillars dot every building on campus. The same beauty can be attributed to the inside of some buildings, and then there are those where it definitely cannot. Every year as we make our new schedules, we plan out our walks to different buildings between classes and how long we have to race across campus. There are buildings where we all do an internal groan when we see what building our class is assigned to and there are those that are great. This is a ranking of some of the best and worst places to have class on campus.
The worst:
Morton. Housing the English department and the history department, Morton is one of the oldest buildings on campus that has not been renovated, and it shows. Built in 1978, the building could definitely use a makeover -- or at least some electrical work. Lights go out in the middle of class and during the hotter months, the AC inevitably breaks, usually resulting in cancelled class. While this may seem like a gift from the building, when you suddenly have deadlines you are cramming for, the last thing you want is more work to make up for those missed days.
Bear. Built in 1971, Bear's last renovation was completed in 1995. This building houses the math, philosophy and religion, and sociology and criminology departments, and many overflow courses are held here as well. Like its neighbor Morton, Bear has seen better days. Personally, I've had a stair collapse under my foot before.
Dobo. Every science major's home away from home, albeit a very unwilling one. Biology, marine biology, and chemistry majors spend a vast majority of their time in Dobo, which I know from personal experience is anything but fun. Most lecture halls are dark, making it especially challenging to stay awake during those 8 a.m. anatomy and physiology lectures. Although, if you do fall asleep, there is a good chance you will be rudely awakened by your spinning chair magically collapsing beneath you. The sad pile of broken chairs in the corner of every room sums up Dobo's appeal.
The best:
McNeill. The new nursing building, built in 2010, is beautiful. The students in the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences are certainly lucky to call McNeill their home. The building has three floors, two of which are occupied by classrooms, and the third is a patient-stimulation floor, complete with hospital equipment and mannequins that behave like humans. The lecture halls are bright and have great screens for projections. McNeill is definitely one of the best buildings on campus, although that is probably because it is barely 5 years old.
Education building. The Ed Building houses the Watson School of Education, and boasts many great features. The Ed Lab allows education majors to practice hands on teaching with local students in order to apply what they have learned in their lectures. There are many great places to sit around the Education Building during breaks, especially near the fountain. With resources like the ones the Education Building supplies, it is easy to see why Watson was ranked one of the best education programs in North Carolina.
Computer Information Systems (CIS). The CIS Building is one of the odder named buildings on campus, meaning no one ever really knows what actually goes on in it. It boasts some of the best technology on campus, holding many business courses. The real-time finance trading room is one of the defining aspects of the building, and is always a tour favorite to show to prospective students.