University of Florida Top Questions

College is a stepping stone to your lifetime goals. I'm the second person in my entire family to go to college so, I take school very personal. Looking at my family you would probably ask me "Christina, why are you even trying?" But, my response would be that they are my inspiration. I believe that I can conquer anything because there's a hunger in me that desires more out of life and to be a better human being. As of now, I'm attending a Community College and I plan on transferring to FIDM LA for the Fall semester of 2011. FIDM isn't a cheap school so I need all the help i can get! My moto is, "Dreams can become reality IF you put in the work." I have a plan, I'm working towards it. I'm in need for a financial breakthrough! I'm forever grateful for the opprotunity to branch out and become the person God created me to be. Thank you!

My experience at the University of Florida has been short, yet full of growth. As a freshman entering college for the first time, UF seems to be a big, scary place. The first few weeks were full of challenges and hardship; loneliness, self doubt, failure, disbelief. All these thoughts and emotions, they had never described me before. I was always a happy, proactive leader in high school, but this big place had knocked me down. It took a lot of self-discovery and perseverance to figure out who I was and had always been. I got involved and gained a lot of self-efficacy. Without having to overcome these challenges, I would not be who I am today. My experience at UF has challenged me to grow and learn in new ways I have never experienced before; and I'm only a freshman! I know after I have graduated and fulfilled my education, my greatest knowledge I will have gained will not be facts from a book or professor, but the knowledge of the strength and integrity found within me.

I have learned so much from my college experience and I am still learning so much. The University of Florida has shown me what diversity is by allowing me to come in to contact with so many great people with such different backgrounds. I have also learned very good time management skills and how to budget money which will be lifelong skills to remember. Aside from the practical knowledge I have gained, I have learned to love and take a pride in everything I do and everything that I am part of. Forever I will be a University of Florida gator, forever I will bleed orange and blue, and forever I will know that I have a special place in a wonderful nation: The Gator Nation.

Would you ever go to Canada in the winter with just a light jacket? Or would you rather it was an insulated ski jacket? In my development class I learned that your brain is still developing well into your early twenties. Our judgment, our thinking processes, our rationale are all still developing and college helps to strengthen our brain development. I have learned so much in my two and a half years at college; not just factual knowledge but my thinking processes, how I look at the world, how I interact with people have all changed. I have met so many diverse people at college from my friend who went to join a monastery to a steadfast atheist to a friend majoring in art to a roommate majoring in engineering. People see the world in different ways and college has taught me to see this. These years are shaping me into who I am going to be. College is broadening my horizons and making me a well rounded person. College is preparing me to take on the world... like going to Canada with a ski jacket. I will not only survive; I will be more comfortable in my surroundings.

Even though my college experience is no where near being over, I already have learned so much. Besides learning extreme haggling skills in battlefield of textbook purchasing and the ability to outline chapters and chapters without wanting to set the book on fire, the Univeristy of Florida has been a great place to learn about new subjects. I've really developed what I am passionate about, confirmed what I want to do in the future and helped me become a more organized indivudual. In addition to the face that I live off campus, handle my own finances, UF makes you understand that your future is in your own hands. You decide how much you put into your education and what you get out of it. My first semester I struggled getting used to the classes being so straight forward and the coursework load, but I have been slowly climbing up the gpa ladder ever since earning every point.. Self=direction and ambition is only enforced in the GatorNation. The value of an institution that helps you develop into the fullfilled adult you want to be is priceless, and I am very grateful for that.

So far, being at the University of Florida has been incredible! I have learned a lot in the classes that I have taken and about myself. I have found that college is not just about making an 'A' on a paper or having a 4.0 GPA. Likewise, it is not about how many parties you can go to in one night, or about how many clubs you can get into either. To me, college is about discovering yourself and your habits. I discovered new attributes about myself that I was unware of before coming to UF. I have learned that I have excellent time-management skills and that I can function normally on little to no sleep. I have had a blast so far in college, and I've learned a lot too. I hope to continue on the path of knowledge and enjoyment in my four years here at UF. Go Gators!

Attending the University of Florida has introduced me to the real world. It has shown me that when I get a job at a large company, my boss's biggest concern will not be my name, but that I can do my job satisfactorily. I learned that in the real world, I do not have an attentive teacher showing me all the right steps and explaining to me where I went wrong. I have to be able to figure things out for myself. I also realized that friendships are not always built on common interests and goals. Sometimes friendships are built on the differences between people and thier ability to embrace and explore those differences.; sometimes lasting friendships are built on a shared passion or curiosity for something. It is very hard to build a friendship based simply experiencing an event together. Both parties must have the same intensity of emotion regarding the event - whether the emotions be similar or conflicting.

Words cannot even express what the University of Florida has done to my life. I have been presented with so many opportunities thus far, with having only recently completed my first semester. I'm actually embarrassed to say that the University of Flordia was not my first choice when deciding where to spend my undergraduate years. I had no intention to be a Florida Gator. I now owe UF an apology. The University of Florida has given me an opportunity to define myself as an individual. In my first semster, I have been educated by renowed professors, been in the midst of history taking place, known as Gator football, been acquainted with diverse students all around the world that allow me to gain an understanding of my surroundings, and presented with events such as Career Showcase that not only allow me to distinguish myself from my peers, but to develop a resume that will impress future employers. Never would I have thought that I would wear a suit so early in my college career. Despite this economic recession, I am very hopeful for the possibilites regarding my career. To this, I owe the University of Florida a big thanks.

In one year of attending college I have learned more than in all four years of high school. I came into college with a mindset that it would be pretty much the same as high school, but college is nothing like that. My experience so far has been full of excitement, opportunites, and education. The classes here taught me how to study, even though I thought I was doing that in high school. I have a federal work study job in the Cancer Genetics Research Lab on campus, and this gives me experience for my major in Pharmacy. This job will look great on my resume, and the doctor I work for has many connections in the medical field. The main lesson I learned at the University of Florida is that you have to be involved because just having good grades is not going to get you into Graduate School. I became involved in the Pre-Pharm Society, and I am now applying for Student Government. The college experience is all about connections and opportunities, but they don't just come to you. Determination and skills are needed to make the most out of college.

My college experience has taught me to be ambitious and independent. Living on campus, six hours away from home I have learned to take care of myself and my responsibilities have grown tremendously. I now have to balance my social life and education by myself without a parental figure looking over me. Being in a school of over Fifty-thousand students it is no surprised that being noticed is a relatively hard task. So if I want to make sure that I stand out or get something done I must be ambitious and work for what I want to achieve. My college experience has also taught me to be more open rather than shy away. I wasn't really much of a social person during high school other than with my close friend. But in attending college I have met various different people ranging in personalities and beliefs and have learned to be more open and expressive of myself. I would say overall college has been a positive experience for me allowing me to grow as a person.