University of Florida Top Questions

Don?t focus on the name of a college, focus on what you need from it. Instead of asking yourself how prestigious a college is, ask yourself what kind of atmosphere you need to feel comfortable fitting in so that it?s easier to focus on your studies. If you feel comfortable with your fellow students, classroom sizes, and surroundings, college will be a much better experience for you both socially and academically. It?s key to find a school where you can fit in and build a good support system of peers and faculty so you can concentrate on your studies instead of missing home or being lonely. I recommend applying to schools with students of similar educational backgrounds so you?re not intimidated or held back by your peers, a place that has extracurricular activities that you would be interested in participating, and a climate that you would be comfortable in, because weather has a lot to do with feeling at home. And when you do get into that perfect school, get involved. Most schools have a ton of student organizations and intramural sports where you can find kids with similar interests and be productive with your time.

Students should determine early on what they wish to do with their life - in fact, it would be better to take a year off from school before college to dive into the 'real world' and work at a job or internship for a year. Once assured of their field of interest, then they can dive into academics whole-heartedly. Finding the right college involves choosing the school with the resources in their field. Small colleges have fewer resources, but it is easier to become acquainted with professors. College time should be spent making contacts, keeping those contacts, staying healthy, and studying. College is only a few years of one's life, though, so one should focus on what lies beyond, and not the pleasure of the moment!

Advice I would give parent or students about finding the right college and making the most experience would be to choose a college where you know you would be comfrotable. Dont choose the school just because your friend chose to go there because while they are out having fun and achiving their goals you are miserable because you aren't happy.

First, research the school. Look into a few majors that you mught be interested in and make sure that the school you are looking at has good programs for your major. Go visit the school. Take a tour, talk to students on campus. They will give you the most honest, heartfelt answers and opinions. Try to look at on-campus housing. Check out the food on campus. Look at off-campus housing and bus routes or ways to get to school. Meet with an adviser, if available, and see how helpful they are. Peek into a lecture hall. Look around for security on campus during the day and at night. Make sure you like the town your school is in, you will be there for a few years! Look into extra curricular activities as well as tutoring services. And last but not least, visit the campus during a busy school day. Do you feel at home? If so, it's probably the best option for you!

Research if you like big schools or small schools. I go to a large school, but do not mind having such a small professor to student ratio. I also love how it allows for such a diverse group of students to express themselves. I have discovered myself more in the past year than I have in my entire life because of this school that I chose and the kinds of people I have been able to meet. Make sure the school you chose offers the majors and classes you wish to take or that interest you. Now how to sign up for these classs and if your academic advising is up to the standard that you need. The environment around the school is just as important. My school almost is the city itself. There are no large buildings or busy roadways here. There is a lot of land and nature and thats exactly what I like. It creates a calm, relaxing setting to study in for me when i dont have the sounds of cars or trains going by and lights on all through the night.

Finding the right college is an extremely important issue. Now that I am a Junior in the undergraduate program at my university, I have come to realize the true importance of finding a college to belong to. I have watched numerous students from my high school leave the colleges they were attending to switch to another school closer to home or for other reasons. Finding the right college should depend soley on the student. No student should allow other people to persuade him or her to go to a school that isn't the correct fit. As I look back on the already past half of my undergraduate career at the University of Florida, I realize that the "college experience" is truly something to cherish. I have had many ups and downs at my school but both were essential to my college experience. This university has so much to offer its students. Many of my teachers constantly say, "You will never find as many opportunities and resources in your life as you can now at this school". The university, the town, and the people here have taught me a great deal about life that I will never forget.

It is important to go with what feels right in your gut when deciding on the right college. It is all about compromise. Finding the right mixture of fun, location, academics and cost that best suits your personality. It should take a while sometimes because this is a place where you will spend a large portion of your life and make many lasting meaningful relationships. Always go with your instincts and focus on your personal interests. It is important to know that college isn't only academics, but a place for you to grow in all aspects of your life. Just keep your options open.

To find the right college for you, speak to the students randomly passing by you when you visit. The ones who give you tours are supposed to glorify the school and entice you to enroll, but the average student probably has a more honest opinion. Speak to students who are also in academic fields you are thinking about majoring in., so you have an inkling about what to expect. Making the most out of your college experience varies greatly. One student might consider spending every waking moment outside of their classes a good investment of their college experience, whereas another might think volunteering with a bunch of friends for a sorority or fraternity event is more worthwhile. Dance to the beat of your own drum, and don't lose sight of what is most important to you. I wish you best of luck finding the right university and I hope your college experience is one you'll cherish your whole life!

Let the student decide where they want to go, if they are forced to go to a college they really didn't want to go to, they will not try as hard

Students- be open. Parents- listen to your kids. Take time to research schools based on criteria important to you: degrees, size, location, etc. Visit schools, it is difficult for a website to translate the feel of a college campus. Go off guided paths on campus, talk to students and teachers about experiences at that school. When you find your perfect school don't let anything keep you from getting there. Put heart into the application, and if you don't get in on first try, keep applying. Apply as a transfer student. Keep the goal and achieve it; your degree will mean so much more to you. Once in, immediately start applying for everything that's interesting. It's more difficult to become involved the longer you wait. Even if you don't get accepted into every organization and honor society, keep applying. You for sure wont get in if you don't turn in the application. Get out of your dorm or appartment and go to stuff. Go to football games no matter how your team is, go see a University Theater play, go to University Museums, go have a picknick on North Lawn, and go to the gyms.