University of Florida Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Martha

I would have liked to have had a better idea of how I would have to rely on myself for proper scheduling of my courses. Also, that it is best to plan every semester of all four years so that you can keep track of what courses to take and when to take them.

Kara

I wish I had known how difficult it would be to secure financial aid. The competition at UF is fierce, and the sheer number of the student body means many people who need financial assistance will not receive any. Had I gone to most any other school, I would be eligible for the work-study program. Almost every job on-campus, or through the university, is work-study. Therefore, if you want a job on-campus and you don't have work-study (because of competition, not because you could financially do without), you are out of luck.

Lawrence

That you should join study groups, and that it is hard to do school on your own.

Daniel

I wish I had known how difficult finances would be. Loans are outrageous, and the financial aid representatives here are terrible. I have never had a good experience at the financial aid office here. I also wish I had known to push myself from day one. It is hard to figure out what's going on your first year, but if you don't get yourself in the right classes right off the bat, you'll end up staying extra years, and that gets expensive.

Mary

I wish I had known how seriously people take football in Gainesville. It is very annoying and often disruptive. You cannot drive on gamedays, you can't park, and everything is ridiculously busy with out of towners. Also, I feel like excessive amounts of funding are put into football often to the detriment of the educational programs.

Jessica

The amount of stuff there is to do. I run out of time each day to do all the things I want to.

Jennifer

Not everyone is into football, though most are. If you're not, you will still be able to find likeminded friends and have fun.

Thomas

More about the vast amount of majors and the differences between them.

Silvana

I wish I would've taken a physics course in high school and been more aware of what my major entails.

Yicong

I wished that I would have known how often there would be Football Home Games on the campus. Every weekend when there are football games, the campus would be very crowded and noisy. Many times, this has disturbed me while I was studying since the dorm I live in is right next to the football stadium. This has made me decide to live off campus rather than on campus. Other than this, I am satisified with everything else the university provides.

Alissa

How cold it got.

Richard

I wish that I had more control over the effects of my learning disability prior to enrolling.

Lindsay

Honestly, I wish I had known a few more domestic things like how to do my laundry. It was a complete mess the first time.

Vanessa

The classes that are required for the majors. If I knew I didn't need CHM I wouldn't have wasted my time struggling with it.

Sophia

clubs that i could effectively join starting on day one. internship availability for minorities. the loans available. being financially independent. being able to drop my full course load before the last drop date if something ever arises. counseling availability. tuturing areas. strategies to succeed in certain classes. not bullshit strategies. real ones.

Caitlin

I wish I'd known more about the town. It's very small with not much to do outside of the campus.

Lauren

Before I came to this school I wish that I was told that I actually had to read my textbooks to past my tests with as high of grades as I wished I would get on them. I dressed more casual than people when they went out when I first came so I wish I had known that.

Nancy

the layout of the school

Judith

Getting involved in student/pre-professional clubs is really helpful in all aspects of life.

Matthew

Exactly what coursework I wanted to pursue.