<p>Anybody have any insight on the communications and journalism etc program at U.F. Good, Bad, Crowded, availability to work on newspaperc etc.?</p>
<p>BUMP. I, too, would like to know more about the UF journalism program.</p>
<p>I third that request</p>
<p>(sorry in advance for the wordy post...)</p>
<p>The journalism program is EXCELLENT but crowded. The only time this is a negative thing is if you are a transfer or if you're trying to get into the major when you're already in another college (for example, as a junior English major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences).</p>
<p>Most, if not all, of the staff, has plenty of experience working in the field of journalism. They start you off right away an an "Intro to Journalism" class taught by the department chair, who was an editor at the Saturday Evening Post and is also a published author and a pretty cool guy (<a href="http://www.williammckeen.com/courses/default.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.williammckeen.com/courses/default.htm</a> has more information about him, a few journalism courses, and a list of books that are great reading for anyone interested in journalism). Other staff members have worked for or are still freelancers for publications like Men's Health, Oprah magazine, Time, and the Washington Post. To put it briefly, they have actual experience in the field and they can give you REAL information that helps you with getting a job and keeping it.</p>
<p>There is a student organization for each major within the college (telecom, PR, journalism, etc.) and these are goldmines for networking and getting published/getting internships. Opportunities to work on publications are numerous IF you are proactive. It seems like there are about a million publications in and around Gainesville and they are always looking for freelancers to write articles for them. If you keep submitting articles and you like them, you move up in the ranks and might eventually be offered a more permanent position.</p>
<p>I'm cutting this short here but if anyone has any more questions, feel free to ask and I can be more specific. :)</p>
<p>KIrst, thanks so much. What do you know about the other sections like the P.R. program, advertising, etc in case we want to broaden it. Guess the thinking is that if you go to U of F and it is a BIG school do you get the chance to start the other than classroom experience (practical stuff). So basically from what you say, if you are proactive then and submit, submit then you make it work. How about the size of the classes and availability of talking with the profs.</p>
<p>KIrst, I, too, thank you for your response. Can you please say more about life on campus (how is dorm life?)? Are classes crowded? Do you feel like just a number because there are so many students? Lastly, how diverse is the campus?</p>
<p>Excellent questions from MSMDAD. I second those because I wonder how available profs are if you have questions and if because of the size you never get any practical applications in all areas of communications. Good questions about class size too and dorm life. My impression is that the campus is pretty diverse.</p>
<p>(an even LONGER post...)</p>
<p>Class size is something that's hard to predict because even different sections of the same class can be vastly different in size, but I haven't had a problem with it so far. The really "huge" classes on campus are in the business school, not in journalism. I guess reactions to class size would vary by person, but from what I've heard from most people, classes are big enough so they don't feel uncomfortable/singled out and small enough so as not to be overwhelming. </p>
<p>Unfortunately I don't know much about the other communications programs (like PR and advertising) except that they are supposed to be good and that they also have opportunities to get experience outside of the classroom. A friend in PR just worked as a campaign manager on the student government elections, which is a pretty large-scale thing here, and she is only in her first year.</p>
<p>I think the problem that most people have if they have trouble finding ways to get outside experience at all is that they start too late, like when they're a junior or senior and want to get a big internship. The best thing to do is to start RIGHT when you get to school. The Alligator (independent newspaper run by students, and the biggest one on campus) has an Open House within the first couple of weeks of school. Find out when this is, go to it, and bring any examples of work you have from high school, especially if you worked on your school newspaper or yearbook. Contact other publications with samples of your work. There are about a trillion of them available on campus, and if you join one of the communications organizations, they can refer you to even more. The way to get internships and jobs in journalism is by showing them your published clips. They don't really care about grades, as long as you graduate (although of course it's good to do your best) - they're more looking for experience.</p>
<p>As for contacting professors, all of them are accessible, although some more than others. 90% of them seem to be very helpful and will bend over backwards if you approach them politely with a reasonable request. All professors are required to hold office hours during the week, so this is a great time to reach them with questions. If you can't make office hours, most of them are happy to make an appointment with you. You are also assigned to a advisor in your college/major (so in your case probably journalism) who is happy to meet with you and answer any questions you might have about classes, the major, etc.</p>
<p>I'd really recommend dorm life for most freshmen. Even if you are extremely social and great at meeting people, the dorm and campus are where all of the action happens freshman year. There are dorm area student councils, and students who aren't interested in that type of thing still benefit from the events these councils plan. Even if you have a car, it's easier to be on campus because you don't have to worry about parking (off-campus freshmen get the worst decals) for classes or club events. Everything is taken care of for you and you have the whole year to visit apartments, learn about the reputation of the different complexes, and decide if you want to move off campus for sophomore year. It really helps the transition to college to be living on campus. </p>
<p>A lot of the people I've met in classes etc. who lived off campus their first year have said that they had a hard time meeting people and making new friends who they didn't already know from high school. Besides, I loved coming home to 30 people every day. No matter what time it is, there was always someone out in the common room or just willing to hang out. You meet the people on your floor, they bring their friends home and you meet them, etc.</p>
<p>Classes are not crowded - except maybe on final exam day when all the slackers realize that they actually have to come to class. ;) There are many sections of the popular classes so that there can be less students in each class. Most large classes (like pre-calc, etc.) break down into small groups of about 20-30 to discuss the lectures and homework with a TA. The campus is pretty diverse as froshtobe said, I believe they have stats on racial/regional diversity at the website, but the important thing is that there are all different types of people and cultures represented.</p>
<p>This is something that I was also worried about before coming to UF, but I have never, ever felt like a number. With so many organizations and resources on campus, it's easy for anyone to find their niche and feel like they are a part of a smaller organization. Also, the campus seems smaller than it is both physically and in the number of people. Most areas of the campus are accessible by walking, and biking and bussing takes care of the few that aren't.</p>
<p>The first day I visited UF as a high school senior, I was walking around the football stadium with my dad and I guess we looked lost. A guy who was jogging came up and asked us if we needed anything (I was shocked at how helpful UF students were compared to the other campuses I visited, but that's another story). We got into a conversation and I ended up asking him that question. He was talking about how he runs into people he knows on campus all the time, and I figured he was just exaggerating or BSing but that it was a nice story.</p>
<p>The very next morning, my dad and I were walking through the bookstore and the guy in front of us dropped his purchases. I bent to help him pick them up, and as soon as he turned around I realized that it was the SAME GUY that told me he always runs into people he knows. We laughed about it, but it has been the same ever since - when I lived on campus, I'd even leave for classes 10 minutes earlier because I would constantly run into friends, and I'd stop and chat with them. :)</p>
<p>That was great kirst and I really appreciate your time to post this. That being a number thing really has been a big question for me too so that was on point for me. I think dorm life would be better for me definitely and I wonder how long they are available for - like how many years. I took the tour in the summer but didn't get a feel for the students, class size etc so seems like it is do-able for you. I know the dorm was like peanut size. Thanks again- really appreciate a student view. If I think of anymore no doubt will write them here for your answer.</p>
<p>Kirst, Thank you so much for your thorough response. Based on your response, I am going to encourage DD to take a look at UF. If I think of any other questions, I will post them here.</p>