University of Florida Top Questions

UF is a really large school, but you can use that to your advantage. Its size allows for many opportunities. Gainesville is the perfect college town. It caters to the students and the university, although there are some scary places of Gainesville. There is a ton of school spirit at UF and it really is the gator nation! Wherever I travel around the world I always run into a fellow UF student.

Gainesville is THE college town. There's a vibrant music scene, a fair amount of hippies, great local shops, and a fun nightlife. Walking into a store or restaurant is like walking on campus, everyone there is your age. It's rare to see children or older people. Gainesville feels like a little world inside itself. People are impressed when I tell them I go to UF. They know that it is the most prestigious school in the state of Florida. The campus has a lot of charm which you don't normally find in Florida. The architecture is interesting and there are many quiet and relaxing spots to have lunch or study. The large oaks and magnolias provide shade and beauty.

The best thing by far is football season. There is nothing like spending an entire Saturday in the Swamp watching the gators kick ass. Game days are some of my most memorable experiences at the University of Florida.

UF was a great school to go to- it has a very good academic reputation as well as a great social/athletic reputation. In my opinion, it has earned both of those by performing well in the classroom and out. I loved the size- although some may believe 50,000 people on one campus is too much, it was just right for me. As far as the town of Gainesville, who wouldn't want a whole town that bleeds orange and blue? I couldn't have asked for a better environment to live in during my 4 years of college.

Big happy family. The school is just the right size. People react positively, for the most part, when I tell them I go to UFL. I spend a lot of time in the dining hall stuffing my face. Good college town right around campus. Except parking sucks outside of campus. wtf is with the abortion grave Loootsssssss of school pride, which I love. Because there's reason for it.

The best thing about UFL is that there is such a variety of students here in Gainesville, it gives us all an opportunity to grow and learn from each other. We all come from different backgrounds and families, but we all have the desire to learn in common. In sharing this, the college experience is that much better.

UFL is in one word amazing. Pretty much where ever you go, people have heard of UF and you can get a "Go Gators!" There is so much school pride that it is crazy. People are always wearing school colors, especially during football season. Everyone on campus and everyone who is or was a gator at one point is always really friendly and nice. It seems like there is just this understood respect that everyone in the Gator Nation has for one another. I do not really know how else to explain it. It is just really great to go to UF and to be a Florida Gator!

The best thing about UF is that you can make it as large or as small as you want to. By joining groups, you can make this university seem small. This is definitely a college town. Most of what goes on centers around the university.

Our school is too large sometimes in that resources can be tight. I have difficulty getting in to see an advisor a lot of the time because there are just so many students. Traffic can be a nightmare. Classes are pretty full. But having a large student body has its perks, too. It is a lot of fun at football games to see the Swamp filled with orange and blue. The Gator nation is pretty big, and I love it! There's a lot more spirit here than you might find at other colleges. When I tell people I go to UF, some of them say "wow--you must be smart!" Others say "oh...a state school..." It pretty much depends on who is responding. In Florida, UF is considered an excellent school. It's just not an Ivy. I spend a lot of time on campus in the library, which is stellar. There's a starbucks there and a lot of nice, quiet places to sit and study. I also spend a lot of time in the Plaza of the Americas, which is just a lot of grass and trees and people relaxing and eating lunch and whatnot. It's nice, especially since Florida weather rocks. COLLEGE TOWN all the way. I think it depends what part of the UF administration being discussed. I think my study abroad advisor is horrible and a total you know what. I think my academic advisors are really dumb and unhelpful. But I thought my honors advisors were pretty cool, and I think the administration for my particular major does a decent job. Big recent controversies... oh, there are plenty. There was that tasering business back in the fall. Andrew Meyer is ridiculous. More recently though, there have been a lot of budget and transparency issues I think. As a rather huge state school with a legally capped tuition, UF has a lot of financial difficulties. People get upset when they see money going towards what appears to be a frivilous thing because meanwhile, majors and faculty are getting cut. Also, student government has some issues. It isn't exactly the most diverse group of people running the show, and the Greeks pretty much infiltrate the system. That has caused some problems with things like an opposition party's attempt to have UF do online voting for student government elections in an effort to mobilize the vote (rather than just having sororities and fraternities make up the entire voting population because they tell their members it's mandatory). TONS of school pride. Size, maybe. And I think Tim Tebow is a bit unusual...unusually freaking awesome. Winning those back-to-back national championships. The streets were wild with crazy happy college kids. It was so much fun! The parking is unbelievably awful here. I don't know a single driver who hasn't been ticketed or towed (or more likely both multiple times) in Gainesville. Like seriously? Make more parking spots, people!

In such a large school it's essential to make yourself a part of something--therefore you can feel connected. If you're connected, even to just one event--whether it be a sports game or gator nights, than you fit in, because you're connecting with other students. The University of Florida really does create a Gator Nation. I was in NYC this Spring and saw fellow students on the plane wearing UF gear, and felt no reproach for saying "Go Gators!". It's amazing to be a part of such a great community.