University of Florida Top Questions

The academics are pretty hard-core. The core classes, the sciences and math classes, are tough. But on the flip side, there is so much help out there. Every class has review sessions, from fellow students, TAs, teaching help through UF itself or an off campus company that specializes in helping you pass your test. Not to mention that every professor has office hours or is available to make an appointment to see you. There's no excuse not to find help if you need it. Students in a class can also email other students in the class, so I can send a mass email saying "I need help with problem #2 on the homework" or "Study session Thursday at 5" and get help from fellow classmates. The courses are so diverse, I've taken Vegetable Gardening, Oceanography, Astronomy, Wildlife, Soils, American History and many other electives just to see what I might like. And many of the electives are a blast, because it's something you are interested in.

I would say classes are rigorous but if you study and most importantly go to class you should be fine.

The academics are rather challenging and competitive. You are competing against many other well rounded, intelligent, hard working individuals. Thus, time manageability is a crucial skill that you either posses prior to attending UF or cultivate afterwards.

Everyone is a nerd at the University of Florida. People are constantly studying between classes and at the library. Students use the library so frequently that this spring the main library will be open 24 hours. Class sizes are large though, with 250 plus in most of my classes so participation is a minimum. I make a point to know the names of my professors, however most students are not as concerned, they simply go to class and take the tests without even knowing the gender of the professor. Since the school is elite it is competitive but more in involvement than in academics.

University of Florida is definitely an academic-focused school. Everyone is driven to make something of themselves.Being such a large university, in your general education classes in your first few semesters, classes are pretty crowded. Classes like chemistry or calculus, that are required for many majors, have hundreds of students. However, most large classes have a one-hour discussion course once a week which is only 20 students from the larger group. Professors know your name if you make it known to them. In larger classes, and even in smaller classes, participation is key. The professors will not work to get to know you like in high school. You must participate in discussions in class or go to office hours for extra help to introduce yourself. As far as academic requirements go, I feel that some of the general education credit requirements, like the required 6 credits of "Diversity", are a bit unnecessary. Many of these classes are not very appealing to a wider audience and waste space in the semester, blocking time when you could be getting ahead on your major requirements or just taking a fun, interesting class. The new A- grading system is the worst!!! The addition of the minuses on the gpa scale makes it harder to get a 4.0 and UF classes are hard enough to begin with. Being an academic university, there are many, many pre-med students. This means that classes required by all of them, like general chemistry, turn in to "weed-out" classes that make the class harder so only the best and brightest survive and discouraging those that can't keep up to drop pre-med. Most classes have 2-3 midterm exams, plus a final. In many classes, these are your only grades. In others, you have additional papers, homework assignments, or online homework or quizzes to boost grades. Time spent on academics correlates with the time in the semester. Early in the semester, before midterm exams begin, is generally relaxed and easy. As the semester progresses, so does the workload. By the time finals roll around, you're basically living thanks to coffee gods.

University of Florida is definitely an academic-focused school. Everyone is driven to make something of themselves.Being such a large university, in your general education classes in your first few semesters, classes are pretty crowded. Classes like chemistry or calculus, that are required for many majors, have hundreds of students. However, most large classes have a one-hour discussion course once a week which is only 20 students from the larger group. Professors know your name if you make it known to them. In larger classes, and even in smaller classes, participation is key. The professors will not work to get to know you like in high school. You must participate in discussions in class or go to office hours for extra help to introduce yourself. As far as academic requirements go, I feel that some of the general education credit requirements, like the required 6 credits of "Diversity", are a bit unnecessary. Many of these classes are not very appealing to a wider audience and waste space in the semester, blocking time when you could be getting ahead on your major requirements or just taking a fun, interesting class. The new A- grading system is the worst!!! The addition of the minuses on the gpa scale makes it harder to get a 4.0 and UF classes are hard enough to begin with. Being an academic university, there are many, many pre-med students. This means that classes required by all of them, like general chemistry, turn in to "weed-out" classes that make the class harder so only the best and brightest survive and discouraging those that can't keep up to drop pre-med. Most classes have 2-3 midterm exams, plus a final. In many classes, these are your only grades. In others, you have additional papers, homework assignments, or online homework or quizzes to boost grades. Time spent on academics correlates with the time in the semester. Early in the semester, before midterm exams begin, is generally relaxed and easy. As the semester progresses, so does the workload. By the time finals roll around, you're basically living thanks to coffee gods.

University of Florida is definitely an academic-focused school. Everyone is driven to make something of themselves.Being such a large university, in your general education classes in your first few semesters, classes are pretty crowded. Classes like chemistry or calculus, that are required for many majors, have hundreds of students. However, most large classes have a one-hour discussion course once a week which is only 20 students from the larger group. Professors know your name if you make it known to them. In larger classes, and even in smaller classes, participation is key. The professors will not work to get to know you like in high school. You must participate in discussions in class or go to office hours for extra help to introduce yourself. As far as academic requirements go, I feel that some of the general education credit requirements, like the required 6 credits of "Diversity", are a bit unnecessary. Many of these classes are not very appealing to a wider audience and waste space in the semester, blocking time when you could be getting ahead on your major requirements or just taking a fun, interesting class. The new A- grading system is the worst!!! The addition of the minuses on the gpa scale makes it harder to get a 4.0 and UF classes are hard enough to begin with. Being an academic university, there are many, many pre-med students. This means that classes required by all of them, like general chemistry, turn in to "weed-out" classes that make the class harder so only the best and brightest survive and discouraging those that can't keep up to drop pre-med.

The undergraduate classes here at the University of Florida tend to have hundreds of students in them, thus making it difficult to build a relationship with professors from just attending lecture. If you make an effort to go to their office hours though, professors tend to take notice and be much more helpful. My favorite classes are those that have to do with my field of study, speech, language and hearing classes, probably because that is what I enjoy learning about. I know other students who prefer their math courses though because that's what they're interested in. The amount of time students spend studying really depends on how well they want to perform in a particular class and the difficulty of the course they are taking. Some courses are much easier than others to get better grades in. I would say that the students here are highly competitive. Many majors require that you apply to the program at the end of your sophomore year. Pre-Med, Pre-Pharm, Pre-Dentistry and the nursing program only take a limited amount of applicants.

Many professors know my name. You do sometimes have to make an effort to make your presence known though. For example, I'm in a class with probably 300 students, but because I have gone to my teacher's office hours, she remembers me and my name. On the other hand, I took a GenEd English class which totaled 7 people. When you get into specialized classes, the size of the depreciates quickly, with the maximum students being around 30. I've found that the professors here take a great interest in your overall well being, and I have formed great relationships with many of them. I absolutely loved my Spanish teacher, Sra Braylan, and ended up studying abroad in her native country, Argentina, taking classes with her and other professors at the University of Belgrano. It was an incredible experience I wish I could do again!

The academics I'd say are the main reason most people are here--for a top quality education. Because this is a large place, alot of the classes are large or even web-based. However, you can definitely get to know your professors by utilizing office hours, reviews, etc. The courses are challenging, but mostly do-able. Once you declare a major and become more involved in your individual college, the experience becomes even more rewarding.

In high school I did very little academic work.. In college, I do very little outside of academics. I study just about every day during the week, and most weekends for at least a few hours. The professors know me, but only because I'm very proactive about knowing them. Class participation matters, but not a whole lot because what really matters is understanding the material. There is generally no frill or excessive bull to deal with, just the meat of the subject matter. I like that, because it means my degree will be worth something. My department is alright. It is dominated by Asians, which I don't mind, except when I have difficulty communicating with them. My department seems to be grossly under-funded as well. I pay roughly $3,000 a semester in tuition, and in return my teacher is using a projector that looks like it's 20+ years old, and a chalk board. There are teacher websites, but most are poorly maintained and coded, meaning it's like a website a teenager would have made back in 1995. The most unique class I've taken is COT3100 - Discrete Structures and Their Applications. The class is entirely devoted to logic, proofing, methods of argument, and basic combinations/probability theory. The class is designed to make you learn how to think. The homework seems more like riddles than an assignment. The sort where solving it leads to that gratifying "A ha!" moment. It makes me feel really smart. The questions are all over the place too, like proving that two complicated logical statements can both be reduced to the same thing, or figuring out the number of ways to get 3 of a kind in a poker game. This school's academic requirements aren't too bad. I'm hoping to graduate with honors, which is definitely tough in the engineering college(s). Work hard and you will do well.

Academics can be tough but time management and organization is a key component for succeeding in college.

I think that professor that like teaching will teach but those that like research will avoid it.

I have had great experiences with my classes at the University of Florida. I have had very large classes, as well as very small classes. My professors will know my name if I want them to. In other words, if you introduce yourself to them and visit them during their office hours, then they will take the time to get to know you. However, if you never contact them, then they will not know you by name. I am a pre-pharmacy, health science major. Therefore, I tend to study quite often. The main library on campus is always very popular. Class participation is very common in all of my classes. Professors like to get input from the class, instead of just standing in front and lecturing all the time. I find that this makes classes much more interesting. My major involves a lot of class participation. Health Science is a major in the Public Health and Health Professions College at UF. It focuses on all aspects of health: from the science aspects to the way our health care system in the United States works. This semester I am taking a class on leadership and therapeutic communication for my major. I personally do not spend much time with my professors outside of class. However, my boyfriend, who is a creative photography major, spends a great deal of time with his professors outside of school. I feel that the education at this school is very heavily geared toward getting a job or preparing for further education after undergraduate school. UF wants to prepare its students for what comes next.

I have had great experiences with my classes at the University of Florida. I have had very large classes, as well as very small classes. My professors will know my name if I want them to. In other words, if you introduce yourself to them and visit them during their office hours, then they will take the time to get to know you. However, if you never contact them, then they will not know you by name. I am a pre-pharmacy, health science major. Therefore, I tend to study quite often. The main library on campus is always very popular. Class participation is very common in all of my classes. Professors like to get input from the class, instead of just standing in front and lecturing all the time. I find that this makes classes much more interesting. My major involves a lot of class participation. Health Science is a major in the Public Health and Health Professions College at UF. It focuses on all aspects of health: from the science aspects to the way our health care system in the United States works. This semester I am taking a class on leadership and therapeutic communication for my major. I personally do not spend much time with my professors outside of class. However, my boyfriend, who is a creative photography major, spends a great deal of time with his professors outside of school. I feel that the education at this school is very heavily geared toward getting a job or preparing for further education after undergraduate school. UF wants to prepare its students for what comes next.

Most curriculums at the University of Florida are challenging. Being in the Engineering College, i can attest to that fact. However, this is a great preperation for life after college and my future career. Most introductory classes are held in big auditoriums which makes it more difficult to get to know your professor but by visiting their office hours regularly they will learn your name and be able to get to know you. One of the things I enjoyed was being able to enroll in the honors section of some courses (such as Calculus) to be able to learn in a smaller class setting. I have also enjoyed the hands-on classes in my department. Those have helped me get a better idea of what I want to do as a career in the future. Another great benefit of attending UF is that our Career Resource Center (where you go to get help finding internships and jobs) was ranked #1 in the country!

The University of Florida is considered to be the best public university in the state of Florida. Several of the university's programs, including its Ciollege of Journalism and Communications, are ranked in the top tier nationally. The University of Florida's law school is also very highly ranked. As the sixth-largest university in the nation, classes are sometimes quite large with 700 students or more in some introductory-level courses.

I love all my professors. They're all very knowledgeable, they are very helpful for the most part. Not to say you won't find professors who don't care. I think all schools have such professors, but I just haven't met one yet. As a business major, my favorite class would have to be Entrepreneurship. It's a required course for business majors, but it's just such a fascinating class. You get into the mind of business owners, and you discover why they decide to open their own business in the first place, how they find opportunities, etc. My professor in that class is an actual entrepreneur, so he knows first hand about how to open a business, how to find investors to lend money to you, all that jazz. It's not every day you get to learn about a subject from someone whose been down that road before. UF students being as smart as they are love to have intelligent discussions. I've had many talks about the financial crisis with fellow classmates, and we've discussed the possibilities of other bubbles that might be bursting pretty soon. It's a different environment than you would see in other schools. It was not at all like this at my previous school. The business school is one of the bigger schools on campus in terms of how many students sign up for business as a major. It's a very popular major, but it's not easy at all. Actually, all my classes are pretty difficult, but to the point of them being challenging. It's not so difficult that you can't get an A, you can, but it does take more work than you think it would. Courses are 4 credits each most of the time, instead of the average 3 credits, so expect to study a bit more per credit hour. The two most difficult classes in the business school are FIN3403 and Business Law. Most people rely on study aids for these classes just because they're so difficult. But again...it's nothing you can't overcome with a little studying and determination. I definitely think UF has a different approach to academics than most other schools. So far, I've taken courses where I've been exposed to real-world material. I took ISM3004, and I love the hands-on approach we take in the class. My professor had us use the information we learned in the class to create blogs, presentations, charts, reports...all the different things we would need to know how to create and use in the real world. I learned how to create a business plan in Entrepreneurship. These are things that not every other school would teach their students!

There are many different types of student experiences. There are big lecture classes, like any large university and there are intimate classes of 15-20 people that promote discussion. My favorite classes are definitely the Spanish courses at school. They are all really intimate and you get to know your professors on a one on one basis. The most unique class I have ever taken was Theatre appreciation. It was really fun and exciting to go to. Students can be competitive depending upon the college or major you are in, but I wouldn't say it is cut-throat at all. My major is advertising in the College of Journalism and communications. I like my college because people are always readily available to help you out whenever needed. Outside of class, it is acceptable to go to your professors office hours. I have never had more interaction than office hours though. I think the education really prepares you for the real world, and each college has a different approach to it.

Profesors knew us by name and we met outside the walls to have some classes on the grass.