University of Central Florida Top Questions

So far my college experience has been absolutely magnificent. In six short months I have learned things that i was not mature enough to grasp in my four years of high school. In college I have effectively learned how to manage and use my time proficiently. If I have a test on monday morning, i know i must use my entire weekend, not just a couple hours on sunday night, to study and be prepared for the exam. My collegiate experience has also given me the ability to fluently and effectively talk to proffesinals. Often I find myself puzzled upon a lecture topic, or baffled on a grade i received for an assignment. So when this happens I have to contact my professors via email or in person. I can not talk to my proffesors the same way I speak to my peers. So I have learned how to politely and clearly express to professors the problem that needs to be addressed. THe college experience is so valuable because all aspects of it prepare you for what obstacles you will face once you are in the real working world.

I believe that my experience in college has been beneficial because I have earned not only an education, but I have also gotten experience in speaking with professionals, learning what my career will entail, how to research, and other great assets. Without college, I would not have any chance of reaching my goals in life. I've also made connections with professors that will help me in my professional career, as well as making friends with students.

I've gotten so much out of my college experience. The first is often the most obvious: a great academic education with helpful professors who really do care about my education and fellow students who are willing to talk about class. The assignments are challenging, but not impossible, and the teachers help you through problems, giving a real learning experience, not always giving you the answers directly, but helping you find them yourself. Beyond that, I have been a teaching assistant, which has introduced me to friendly TA's and students whom I have seen really try hard, not just giving up when the problems get tough. The professor I worked under is almost a role model to me, having many characteristics I want, friendly, funny, a good friend, a good student himself, and a good teacher. I feel that I have gained so much from my time at UCF: an education, good friends, good professors, and a learning experience that would be hard to rival anywhere, especially in my field at Computer Science. I have seen a diverse group of people coexist and work together. Now, this essay comes to an end....but my college experience will continue.

So far, my college experience has taught me a lot about responsibility. Obviously, attending college and performing each task involved with it is not an easy thing to do, but I have learned a great deal about time management. It becomes difficult to balance out your time between work, study and homework time, a social life, and whatever else may come up in life. I found that my time works best when I give myself a schedule, and set aside specific times for my studies. There is no chance of getting things done at the last minute and being able to pull it off well, and I learned that the hard way. Personally, I believe that this is one valuable experience that is preparing me to become a more responsible and mature adult. I find that if I stick to my plan I will usually make it out okay. I believe it is safe for me to say that a student gains more than a textbook education from attending college. It's an experience everyone should have to learn more about themselves and the world in which we live.

The thing that I have gotten out of my college experience is a lot of learning. I am not the first in my family to go to college but I am first that is going to recieve my bachelors and possible my masters. I know it's very important for me to go so I can show my parents that I can actually finish something. I already have my associates from the community college I attended so that is a big accomplishment for me. Even though we don't have a lot money for me to live on campus and having to take out loans, something elese I have gotten out of this experience is that I am starting a savings account for my future kids so that they won't have to worry about loans when they get out. I hope the will have the ideal college experience. Something valuable that I have gotten out of attending is great teachers that are willing to help you all the way.

My college was the first step to return to the student life. I am the example of a new student, because I am 51 years old, Venezuelan, with Spanish as a first language. I return to college after thirteen years out of campus! So, starting in Valencia Community College helped me to immerse myself in the community, as a student. I did it slowly and I have to admit that was hard. I learned how to use the library, the computer laboratory, to get help in the writing center, which was a new resource for me, and how the interpersonal relationships work today in college. For me, because I knew almost nothing about college or school in U.S., everything was new, although very hard to learn. When a teacher used expressions like “you remember this from high school”, then I felt that I did not belong there. I use to think that I was too old, that I have not the language to communicate myself fluently so I looked stupid, and that some teachers ignored me, no matter how much effort I put into my classes. Thanks God that many teachers helped me and thought me how to survive.

My experience has given me the tools I need to further my schooling and eventually my professional life. A well rounded and thorough course catalogue ensures that I will get the education that will prepare me for the future. I have made invaluable friends and connections sure to enable me to get where I want to go. I have had the opportunity to get involved with the community and gain life changing experiences. I have gained research opportunities that will enhance my resume. I know have the tools I need to be successful in life!

I have had many amazing experiences since I started college. I went to a private school my whole life so it was really different going to a public college, but I have always enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends. College has been a very valuable life experience for me and I have met a lot of interesting people. Being in college has also changed the way I think about things. I am now more aware of the feelings and opinions of others. I have also become more conscious of how my actions can, and will, affect the world around me. College is not just where you go to become somebody, it's where you figure out who you want to be. It signals the true beginning of your life. I only hope that my college experience is just the first of many incredible experiences that I will have in my life.

My university education has vastly extended my understanding of the world. I have learned how to learn, and how to question. Learning how to ask smart, concise questions has dramatically elevated my ability to gain access to the information I want and need, and opened doors of opportunity I could not have previously imagined. I have also learned the immense value of networking, and fostering relationships with mentors. Allying with future advocates prepares me with an arsenal of good will and support to bolster my future resume. These relations have not only fostered my own development and betterment, but will directly contribute to my future plans. The credentials I earn with my effort are very valuable, this is true, but developing networking skills, learning to learn, and how to question, are the most rewarding and essential elements of my education.

I have gotten so much out of my college experience it’s hard to fit in only 200 words. At UCF I have gotten a sense of accomplishment and what it means to be a knight. I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride just stepping foot on campus. UCF is the second biggest university in the United States and one of the finest institutions in America. I believe that UCF has been valuable to attend because it is going to provide me with the job I need to live in society. Here at UCF they go by five words; Integrity, scholarship, community, creativity, and excellence, which I believe says more about the school, I can say in two hundred words. These five words are what students live by and we are all proud to call ourselves knights!

"You get out of it what you put into it." "Dorm life isnt for everybody." "Its going to be expensive." These among many other statements are what I heard after I made the transition from high school senior to college freshman. I am the first in my immediate family to go to college. And the amount of pride that my family holds for me is enough to make me eventually work towards getting my Ph.D. College is a miracle. College is a place that takes your 3.8 high school GPA and stomps it into the soil. College is a place that challeges you academically, emotionally, intellectually and of course financially. But I know its worth the sleepless night's studying, roommate drama, and empty wallets. Even if there is no one-hundred thousand dollar annual salary that comes with the reception of my degree, where else can you have the freedom to explore aspects of yourself that never made themselves known or carry the dreams and honor of your entire family on your back solely by cracking open a textbook and studying like never before? There is nowhere else. I love college. Every aspect holds value to me.

I first began my college education at the University of Florida in 2003, and due to illness in the family was forced to place my studies on hold. However, that strong sense of pride from being a college student kept alive a yearning to complete my education. I returned to finish my studies, but not only as a student, but as a mother, a wife and youth minister. Through my college experience I have endured loss (of my father and daughter) and have learned that life goes on. Years can pass you by, but there's no time like the present to complete your education. It has been a valuable experience because of the friendships that have been made, the experiences that I've lived and the knowledge that I've gained. This will lead me to be the best educator that I can be. This is also valuable because I have the responsibility to educate our future citizens. Through my college experience, I have learned that our town is a small place and that we are a part of a global community. Each being person an asset to my education and life.

Most people think either social or academic gain is what people get out of college. However, I've learned how to become more "street smart" since I've attended college. As my fourth year is drawing to an end, I look back and realize that I've learned what it's like to live on my own. The idea mostly arises from monetary means, yet, it flows into my social and academic career as well. Every semester, I take out loans in order to pay for my tuition, books, housing, food, gas, you-name-it. Yet, I didn't want to demean myself by begging my parents and have learned to live off of spam, ramen, pasta (no sauce) and water before my loans were disbursed. I attempted a job, yet the rigorous demands of a pre-med and psychology double major has prevented me from successfully keeping one. Now I learned to ration my food, spend hours coupon-clipping, and savoring every cent that comes by my way. It sounds depressing, but college has helped me learn what the value of a dollar is, and, I'm extremely grateful for that.

The biggest lesson you walk off the stage with that you don't learn from a professor's lectures is the patterns of human behavior that underly the overwhelming diversity of our peers and educators. Through casual interactions, celebrations, and study groups, any perceptive student will begin to see the true face of humanity. Experiences both good and bad paint a clearer image. From the honest, compassionate, loyal friends that you make in your time at college to the self-serving, narcissistic jerks who try to bring everyone down to their level, each encounter conditions us to recognize these personality types and in turn enables us to better respond to their presence. As a result, we walk away with a greater capacity to interact socially and work together to further all of humanity's various causes. Being immersed in a sea of ambition and self-actualization brings these patterns out of the people we encounter. That is one lesson that college has offered me that cannot be found in most workplaces, where everyone is there to put in their 8 hours to pay the bills. Armed with this knowledge, we all have increased our chance to succeed in this world.

Short and Simple, College is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I learned more then just time managment, and that its way different from high school. I learned to grow up, I went from a young teenager still calling mom everyday, to a young woman working part-time and school full-time. Its not easy working and going to school but I am determined to be somebody. Graduating with a degree is not only my goal, but I plan to showcase my newfound knowledge. I crave learning, knowledge is power. The degree will get me a job, but spreading the power will get me and my future students farther in life.

In my case i haven't gotten the full college experience. I'm an architecture student attending the newly opened program at my school, however the facilities are located in a campus outside of the main one. This in a way limits that full college experience a lot of students are able to attain. For instance i have to drive everyday to school, i still live at home and the campus is very small. However i believe that attending any facility that provides you with a good education is something you can treasure for the rest of your life. It is important to always attend school because this is where you create the foundations that will guide you and help you become who you want to be in the future.

I have gotten a change to excel academically as well as get invovled in many aspects such as Greek life, Student Government Association, and Office of Student Invovlement. College has been important because it has allowed me to find myself and create goals and future career plans. It is important because it helps make me a competitive person within the tough market.

I've gotten a great experience.

I have always been taught that the value of a college education is priceless, and this has been demonstrated to me by my time at UCF. I have gained so much more than just an education; I have also acquired a drive and passion that I didn't know I had until I got here. The variety of extra-curricular activities both academically driven and socially driven are immensely helpful for students just entering college to feel as though they fit in. Of course, the academic portion of it all has been the most valuable to me, and the options that the school offers to all students, during and after college, are simply amazing. The decision to attend UCF has been one of the best decisions I've made, and joining the Burnett Honors College has made it even better for me, as the Honors College offers me a way to develop a tight-knit family with others in the same boat as me while growing myself as a person within this huge university of over 50,000 students.

My college experience enabled me to foster a cosmopolitan world view that I had already developed having living in Orlando. By attending UCF I was exposed to new ideas, points of views and customs from around the world which as a history major allowed me to see how others view not only American history but the history of the world as well. It is true that I "learned" a lot from my college experience, and the knowledge I gained within the classrooms will serve me well in my future career, but I think above all else it are these connections that I made with various students and faculty that had the biggest impact on my college experience. To me the value of attending college is priceless. From what I learned regarding historical themes and trends to the great friends I made to the people who I've had the pleasure of sharing my classes with over the past 4 years, my undergraduate career will stand as a milestone in my life. I know many years from now I shall look back on the whole college experience and know that it was the best time of my life.