University of Florida Top Questions

What should every freshman at University of Florida know before they start?

Joshua

I need more interesting people in my life. All of high school I was concerned with the character I was portraying to my fellow classmates and how particular people viewed this character. Coming to a large University, it is easy to feel like a small tadpole in puddle the size of a college football stadium. After some time, concerning myself with how the other students on campus view me proved futile. Instead, I decided to show my true colors and seek out other brightly colored fish as well. Finding such people has not been easy, but I have found the search to be more rewarding then my original plan of trying to fit in. People will gravitate towards you if they see that you have a true passion for what you believe in, and although open to opinion, you don't care if people don't like it. Having more people like this in my life has allowed me to learn more about myself and my own ideals, even when it has been with a person who has values completely contrary to my own. If I had known this sooner, I could have saved my self time and frustration.

dottie

You know going to college would be a great thing to accomplish, especially your future. Just think what you could do with yourself with a college education. You could be very successful in your line of field in which ever what you wanted to do. You could have a career in anything that you wanted to become. So why not and go reach for your goals in life.

Rafael

College is not as scary of a place as you think. In fact, college is the place where you will make lifelong friends, individuals who will help shape you and help you, all the while walking right alongside you in your journey through life. Yet, to succeed in college, not only do you need to know who you are, you need to accept yourself. Accept your strengths and weaknesses. Accept your differences. Accept your limitations. Accept all these things but do not remain satisfied with things as they are. Use this time in your life to challenge yourself, to demand excellence from yourself, to find the person you have always wanted to be. College will be stressful as you find a balance between your academics and life. but never forget your purpose pursuing a higher education. Your future is in your hands. Everyone will pressure you but you know that you will succeed as long as you pursue what makes you happy. Your degree is important but your field of study is even more important. Find your passion and pursue it. Then, and only then, will you understand why everyone says that college will change your life.

Ryan

I would tell myself to probably take more Duel Enrollment classes to get most of the Gen Eds taken care of and I would tell myself to apply for scholarships like crazy because college is not cheap. I would also talk myself into doing marching band the first semester so I could make more friends faster and have a chance to go to another country with them. I would definately tell myself not to underestimate classes based on how they sound because even the one's that may sound easy may not be as such. I would tell myself to put myself out there and make friends right off the back without making the excuse "I have all year to make friends" because having friends from the begining would make life easier than just hanging out with the friends from high school.

Taylor

Dear senior me, Facebook will not be there for you in ten years when you can no longer afford your internet bill. Neither will that boy you spend so much time with instead of doing your homework, nor will that flakey friend that uses you for a ride and isn’t really there for you to begin with. So do yourself a favor, and quit thinking about them. Quit giving them your precious time, because right now the only thing that matters is you. It’s all you, baby! This your future, your career, and your happiness we’re talking about. What’s getting in your way are the miniscule things you let distract you, things that bring you temporary happiness but in the end prove to be a crushing blow to your success. To truly be successful, your focus needs to be you. You’re going to be in college next year, and you need to prepare yourself for the future. You have two options: success or failure. You choose your fate based off the choices you make and the people and things you choose to spend your time on. So please, for our sake- choose wisely.

Javine

I would give the students the advice of building their studying skills and actually learning the material the teaching is teaching. In college you will need that prior knowledge of the information that makes it easier for you to succeed. They should also know that anything is possible for them all they have to do is try to attain it.

Katherine

If you have the change to go to a vocational school in high school take that path. My sister is a high school senior going to a vocational school for nursing assistance and once she completes that program she can go right into the community college for the nursing program. Since I did not go to the vocational school I have to take addtional college courses, take a nursing test, apply for the nursing program, and wait to be accepted into the program.

Ana

I would tell myself to do more research on the different types of majors at the school and that it's ok to change majors during college. I would definitely tell myself to take a minor along with my major to add more value to my degree. College has so many different types of people so it would be wise to venture out instead of staying in my comfort zone; there are so many networking opportunities with different groups. Definitely have a relationship with my professors, they can be of great assistance for when you need to apply for graduate school. Something important would be keeping in contact with my high school friends that happened to attend the same univeristy. Somehow separation occurs after each year even with those that I met in college, so make sure to not let that happen. Most importantly is to make the most of my college experience so that I could look back and say "It was everything and more. I didnt miss out on anything".

Isabel

To enjoy the fact of how small high school is compared to college. Also, know that being close to home is not a bad thing, and actually a better decision. Yes, seeing people from your high school in college might not be the greatest, but you will meet new people who will be even better friends with you than some of the close friends you had in high school. And don't be conceited; even though you graduated 7 in a class of over 800, college is hard, and being on the pre-veterinary track makes it even harder. So study hard, don't stress too much, and relish your small world for now.

Daniel

Going into college for the first time, I had the biggest fear of being alone. I had held on too tightly to and relied almost completely on the friends I was so close to in highschool and as a result of that, I eventually lost them. For whatever reason they had, the drifted away and I was left alone. It was painful; it was the firts time in my life that I felt I had no one; no friends, no family, absolutely no one around me. But it was in that lonliness that I realized my mistake; that I need to let go of people or else I would essentially be stuck on trying to hold on to the friends that were at one point so dear to me. And so that is the advice I would give to myself: Fear not the feeling of being alone, be able to let go and learn to do things on your own. Everyone has their own things going on, and you do to. You'll meet plenty of new interesting people, if anything you'll be surrounded by them, no need to stay stuck on the past. Love college and be happy.