Freshman Impressions

<p>If you dont mind, what are you going to grad school to study? Reasoning, you will not be surrounded by a lot of girls if you go into fields such as electrical and computer engineering etc.</p>

<p>I am working on a Doctorate in Public Policy at a top Private. </p>

<p>Rationale = Had almost no debt from Undergrad & a better salary with an advanced degree. You are correct not very many hot girls in my program however.</p>

<p>Having said that: Grad School is no picnick. The expectations are 1000% higher, and life can get very stressful. But it still beats getting a Juris Doctorate.</p>

<p>Management Science at Warrington.</p>

<p>sorry I just gave a stupid answer to a stupid question...of course there are some girls that are easy to talk to and some that are b2tchy</p>

<p>aiight, so it's pretty much the same where I go to school now... sweet</p>

<p>I just wanted to make sure that the female body at UF on the whole isn't like that, because I've heard from assorted Gator Haters that might be the case.</p>

<p>Meal Plan: Yeah... don't get a meal plan. Beginning of the semester I ended up eating out alot and barely stayed on campus for meals. I think I've been to the dining hall like four times? You end up learning how to cook or have friends who know how to cook feed you lol. Just get declining balance.</p>

<p>Housing: Definitely live on campus, it's more social and you meet alot more people. Everyone is so friendly, you walk down the stairs and people will randomly greet you. I have friends who live off campus and they feel socially isolated. I live in a double and it is MUCH more spacious than living in a suite in one of the Murphree/fletcher/sledd dorms (those were my first choice). Those dorms are TINY and are just plain sucky if you have a permanent triple in those dorms. Just opt for a double in the Broward/Jennings area or wherever you feel comfortable. Several of my friends have roommates who have boyfriends. Their boyfriends have their own apts. So my friends have the dorm to themselves practically the entire time.
Dorming experience is fun. It's alot more convenient to live on campus. For example if you oversleep you can still make it to class! Especially during finals.. 7:30 a.m. chem finals. Tons of people missed that.</p>

<p>Bathrooms are not horrible. It's fine. At first I thought I would never be able to tolerate sharing bathroom with an entire floor of girls, but I'm fine. Custodians clean every morning except weekends. It's really clean. It's not like you're sharing a bathroom with 50 other girls at ONE time. Usually there's like one other girl in the bathroom. So it's fine and it's a social experience. You make friends in the bathroom as strange as that sounds lol. </p>

<p>Transportation: It's not really necessary to have a car in gainesville. You can if you want but you'll just end up leaving it in the garage and you will DEFINITELY get a ticket at one point or another. Make sure you park at the right parking lot!!! i.e RED, Orange. I go off campus alot and I usually have friends that drive me. If you're visiting friends off campus just have them pick you up. Because if you come back to campus at two in the morning Friday night you are not going to find a parking space especially during football season. Make sure you secure your car, there have been some thefts in parking lots. Chances of recovering lost electronics are slim. Example friend had his GPS system stolen from his car, went with him to the police station to report it. LOL....I thought they could recover the GPS system but apparently not.</p>

<p>You only need a car is if you don't have any friends with cars. Or if you're from a small town and you have to drive home. But I really don't think you need a car first semester atleast. Find a friend with a car lol.</p>

<p>Save gas, money (speeding tickets, parking tickets), and headaches. You will definitely get a ticket either in gainesville for driving to gainesville. There are so many cops with in 50 miles of the school's exit on I-75.</p>

<p>Plus there's the bus system you can take if don't have a car.
I've only taken the bus around campus. I get dropped off at the Hub then walk to class. Learn the bus routes around campus it's helpful. Especially when it's super hot and you don't feel like walking or if it starts raining.</p>

<p>First Semester. Take easy classes like Age of Dino, Man's food, Wildlife issues to boost your GPA and take over 12 credits!! My mistake was I dropped my calc class and then became a part time student. Keep up with school work and TRY to get straight A's first semester to build a strong foundation. That's my biggest regret. Be able to balance your social life with academics. Going out every night will take a toll. Don't take morning classes. You think you will wake up early b/c you've been programmed to wake up at 5 a.m in highschool but you wont wake up that early if go to bed at 2 a.m.</p>

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MUCH more spacious than living in a suite in one of the Murphree/fletcher/sledd dorms

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<p>You shouldn't add Murphree to that list. A suite or double for two in Murphree is much bigger than a room in Jennings/Broward area. I agree with you that a suite for three in Murphree is a no-no. </p>

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Dorming experience is fun. It's alot more convenient to live on campus. Definitely live on campus, it's more social and you meet alot more people.

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<p>I agree, but don't request Murphree/Lakeside/Springs/Keys as a freshmen. Those places are good in your second year when you have already met people. </p>

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you will DEFINITELY get a ticket at one point or another

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<p>Not if you memorize the parking map. :-)</p>

<p>How are the gyms/fitness/workout centers? Are they accessible? Are the hours convenient? Most importantly: is it always congested?</p>

<p>I guess the general consensus is that southwest is better than racket club. SW is much bigger and has more equipment. RC is right next to the Murphree Area and SW is close to Lakeside. Most people in the Broward/Jennings/RYMAC area will either take the bus to SW or walk over to RC. Gym is usually less congested in the morning and afternoon, but can get really congest in later even and night. There are cameras in SW to see how congested it is (University</a> of Florida - Department of Recreational Sports - Camera) Hours are very convenient and is generally the same for SW and RC but on certain days SW has extended hours. There are other places (i.e OConnell, FL gym, etc) but SW and RC are the most used by students. </p>

<p>Southwest Recreation Center
Monday - Friday
7:00 AM-1:00 AM* (2am on Gator Night Fridays)</p>

<p>Saturday
10:00 AM-10:00 PM </p>

<p>Sunday
10:00 AM-10:00 PM</p>

<p>Perfect thank you.</p>

<p>Out of curiosity, what are Gator Night Fridays?</p>

<p>Also, are there better pictures online than the ones they provide on the site?</p>

<p>Gator Night is a program UF developed a few years ago to give students another option for friday nights (other than going clubbing or getting drunk). They play a movie in the mini -theater in the reitz union (3x that night), they have other activities, and they have midnight breakfast. Its pretty popular esp for students who are not into the clubbing/drinking scene. Gator</a> Nights</p>

<p>I dont think so. UF is currently on break, so SW wont be open til Jan 7th. Thats why the video is dark.</p>

<p>I just wanted to know if there were pictures available somewhere else that are better or clearer than the actual pictures provided by UF on their website...maybe a photobucket or something?</p>

<p>Sorry, could find any pics. I did find this nice photo tour of UF. Flickr:</a> Photos from ganesh_v</p>

<p>Oh well, I guess I'll see for myself in February. Thanks anyways</p>